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| St. Ignatius and the Spiritual Exercises: History & Background | The Spiritual Exercises Welcome Page, Guide & Introduction |
| SPIRITUAL EXERCISES FOR WEEK ONE | SPIRITUAL EXERCISES FOR WEEK TWO |
| SPIRITUAL EXERCISES FOR WEEK THREE | SPIRITUAL EXERCISES FOR WEEK FOUR |
| St. Ignatius and the Spiritual Exercises: History & Background | The Spiritual Exercises Welcome Page, Guide & Introduction |
| SPIRITUAL EXERCISES FOR WEEK ONE | SPIRITUAL EXERCISES FOR WEEK TWO |
| SPIRITUAL EXERCISES FOR WEEK THREE | SPIRITUAL EXERCISES FOR WEEK FOUR |
WEEK 1 : DAY 1
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PERSONS MAKING A RETREAT,
TEACHING THEM WHAT THEY ARE ABOUT TO DO,
AND THE RULES THEY SHOULD OBSERVE DURING THE EXERCISES
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PERSONS MAKING A RETREAT,
TEACHING THEM WHAT THEY ARE ABOUT TO DO,
AND THE RULES THEY SHOULD OBSERVE DURING THE EXERCISES
(1) By Spiritual Exercises is understood certain operations of the mind and heart, such as the examination of conscience, meditation, contemplation, mental and vocal prayer, which are employed in order to free the soul from its irregular affections, and so to put it in the way of knowing and embracing the will of God towards it.
(2) As it is the soul which is to be exercised in making a retreat, we must seek from our spiritual guide only what is necessary to enable it to act with uprightness and certainty. We must not expect from him many words or long explanations, nor to hear long sermons or interesting lectures. It is not the quantity of food, but a healthy digestion, which nourishes the body; so it is not the great amount of knowledge communicated, but the manner in which the heart receives it, and is nourished by it, that satisfies the needs of the soul. Moreover, experience proves that the heart will receive with delight, and with greater real profit, what it discovers for itself, either by its own reflections, or by the light shed upon it by Divine grace, than what is presented to its intelligence by lengthened discourses.
(3) These Exercises engage both the understanding and the will of man. The understanding seeks by reasoning to obtain the full knowledge of the subject proposed to it; the will produces the various affections which result from the knowledge acquired. In these acts of the heart, wherein it approaches God and converses with Him, the faithful soul ought to be careful never to forget the inward as well as the external respect which the presence of the Divinity requires.
(4) Although St. Ignatius has divided the Exercises into four series or weeks, each consecrated to a special work of reform, or a distinct study of our Lord Jesus Christ, it must not be supposed that these weeks are necessarily of seven days. Each one ends when its aim is attained: this happens soonest to the most diligent, and those whom the grace of God influences most quickly; later to those who, notwithstanding their goodwill, are longer tried by contending feelings. Generally, the complete course of these Exercises requires about thirty days.
(5) The person in retreat will find everything easy, and himself wonderfully assisted by grace, if from the beginning he brings to God a large and generous heart; if he abandons himself with all his wishes and all his liberty to the action of his Creator; if he is disposed to allow his Sovereign Lord to order him, and all that concerns him, according to His good pleasure.
(6) The rules which are given for the discernment of spirits will assist the soldier of Jesus Christ-sometimes consoled by Heaven as he will be, and sometimes a prey to desolation―to know and avoid the snares laid for him by his enemies. If he neither feels consolation, nor sadness, nor other movements of the heart, he must examine himself carefully on the manner in which he performs these Exercises. Does he perform them at the time prescribed, and in the manner pointed out? Does he observe the methods and rules traced out for him? In moments of temptation and dryness let him encourage himself; let him reassure himself with the hope of soon being consoled; let him, moreover, have recourse to the counsels of his spiritual director.
(7) It is well for the person in retreat to concentrate his thoughts on the subject presented to him at the moment, without preoccupying himself at all about the day or the week which is to follow. Let him give an hour to each of the Exercises of the day; and as the evil one uses every means to make us shorten this time, let him take care to be able to reassure himself always with the thought that he has lengthened rather than shortened it. The time will appear short if it pass in the midst of consolation, but very long in moments of desolation and dryness. It is at these times that it would be well to prolong the Exercise, to conquer ourselves, and to show the enemy that his attacks are not only resisted, but turned to the advantage of our souls.
(8) When consolation is abundant, no vow or promise should be made without having taken time to reflect and consult. When the soul, on the contrary, feels inclined towards things inferior or less perfect, every effort must be made to elevate it and give it a contrary direction. To obtain this grace from the God of all goodness, besides assiduous prayer, let other pious exercises be added; beg our Lord not to allow us to obtain or keep anything, whether honors, riches, or happiness, until our irregular inclination for these things has been reformed, and rendered subordinate to the interests of His service and glory.
(9) That the director may guide with certainty the soul placed under his care, and judge of its spiritual progress, we must faithfully tell him, not precisely our own thoughts and opinions, or our sins (the latter will be told in confession) but the agitations and different movements which the Spirit of God, or the evil spirit, may produce in us.
(10) In order that the number, the length, and the nature of the Exercises may be suited to the age, capacity, and inclination of the person in retreat; that no one may be overburdened, and all may have what is suitable to their particular dispositions and wants at the time, each one will receive from his director, at the beginning, a rule fixing the hours of rising, of meditation, of meals, and the other exercises and occupations of the day. His spiritual guide also will visit him as often as he thinks is required, setting him the employment for each day as well as the directions, advice, and encouragement, which he judges to be suitable and useful.
The author of the Exercises, like the Apostle, made himself all things to all men. To strong, able, generous-minded men, and to those who are masters of their time and of their state of life, he recommends four meditations a day of an hour each; another meditation of an hour in the middle of the night; an examination of conscience in the middle of the day, and another before going to rest. Some relaxation will be allowed these persons, if required, during this laborious course.
Persons who unite all these conditions, except the time, and who cannot give more than an hour, or an hour and a half a day, the rest of their time being occupied in their ordinary avocations, will receive directions how to occupy themselves each day for an hour. By these means they will advance more slowly, but nevertheless in order, and will secure the continuity of the Exercises by one or two repetitions of each meditation.
The Exercises of the first week are those which are suited to the capacity and devotion of the greater number of people. Such will come out of the retreat with a deeper fear of God, having made a good general confession, knowing how to examine their consciences well, and to approach the Sacraments more regularly. Others again must be satisfied with less. To these the commandments of God and the Church, and the method of examining their consciences and going to confession, will be explained; they will be instructed in the three methods of prayer which are mentioned further on. It is desirable that such persons should devote half-an-hour every morning to these Exercises, and that they should approach the Sacraments every week or fortnight.
(11) But those who have their time at their disposal, and who wish to derive all the benefit possible from these Exercises, must perform them exactly as they are laid down. They must place before their eyes, either written or printed, the principal points of the Meditations, and the abridgment of the methods, that they may not escape their memory. Their progress in the spiritual life will be the more rapid according as they more completely separate themselves from their acquaintances and friends, and from worldly thoughts and business. Therefore such must, if possible, leave their homes and retire to a more solitary room or house, and only come out to assist as Mass and the Offices of the Church, so as not to meet with interruptions. This solitude will procure, amongst others, three great advantages first, in separating in this manner from friends, relations, and worldly affairs, we shall obtain abundant grace from Heaven. Then, as the mind is less distracted during this voluntary retreat, and not drawn off to other subjects, the thoughts are more easily fixed and concentrated on the one thing necessary―the service of God: and the will follows the subject which the understanding offers to it with all the liberty and energy of its nature. In fine, the more the soul is disengaged and separated from creatures, the more she is at liberty to follow and attain to her Creator and Master, who only approaches her to enrich her with the infinite gifts of His bounty.
(12) That the relations between him who gives the retreat and those who make it may be as agreeable and as profitable as possible, neither must lose sight of this advice: Every good and pious Christian must be disposed to receive in a favorable sense and to take in good part every word susceptible of being so received and understood, rather than to take it in a rigorous and objectionable sense. If it happen that the expression is not defensible, ask the person his intention in saying it; and if he is really in error, point it out to him in a charitable manner, that he may set himself right on the point.
INTRODUCTION TO MEDITATION
WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF ST. IGNATIUS, CALLED THE “TEN ADDITIONS”
Meditation consists in calling to mind some dogmatic or moral truth, and reflecting on or discussing this truth according to each one’s capacity, so as to move the will and produce in us amendment.
Thus, if you have to meditate on the sin of the angels, you will call to mind how they, having disobeyed their Creator, forfeited grace and were cast out of Heaven into Hell. You will then reflect attentively on this subject, so as to feel confounded by and blush at the multitude of your sins, compared to this one single sin which ruined the rebel angels. In fine, you will conclude that you have often merited the same punishment as they, since you too have so often sinned.
To meditate usefully, observe well the following rules:
Before Meditation
(1) The subject should be divided into two or three points, that the meditation may be rendered more easy by a division which is natural and easy to remember.
(2) Before beginning, we must by a preparatory prayer beg of God by His grace to direct all the powers and operations of our souls to His service and glory alone.
(3) The heart having taken this proper and generous resolution, the faithful soul must impress the subject proposed on the mind, the imagination, and the will.
If the subject of the meditation is a history―for example, that of the Prodigal Son―the memory must recall the principal facts. This is the first prelude as generally used, particularly during the second and following weeks.
The imagination seizes its object by placing it in a certain spot which the mind represents to itself. This has caused the name of “composition of place” to be given to the second prelude. If the meditation is on some visible object, such as the birth of Jesus Christ, we must figure to ourselves the place where this mystery was accomplished―the stable at Bethlehem, the manger, etc. If the mind is occupied by a truth purely intellectual―for example, the misery of sin―we may assist ourselves by a picture of a soul imprisoned in the body, banished among animals in this vale of tears. The object of this prelude is to give the soul the impression that would be produced upon it by the sight of a picture representing exactly the subject of meditation; or, still better, by the sight of the place where the mystery occurred. We must avoid in this, even more than in other points, all violent efforts of the mind, or loss of time. Since every person’s imagination is not sufficiently lively and docile to succeed easily in this prelude, it must be set aside if it proves to be an embarrassment.
The will is exercised in soliciting a grace according to the mystery: for example, contrition, sorrow, joy, etc.
During the Meditation
(1) We must endeavor to understand and feel inwardly the truth on which we meditate, rather than think much on it.
(2) If facility and consolation are experienced, we must beware of vain satisfaction. We must never make a vow lightly or without advice. Our reflections and sentiments must always be directed towards our own amendment.
(3) In times of dryness and desolation we must be patient, and wait with resignation the return of consolation, putting our trust in the goodness of God. We must animate ourselves by the thought that God is always with us, that He only allows this trial for our greater good, and that we have not necessarily lost His grace because we have lost the taste and feeling of it.
(4) Meditations should be ended by one or several Colloquies. These are familiar conversations in which we speak to God like a son to a father, a servant to a master, one friend to another, a criminal to a judge; sometimes acknowledging our faults, sometimes exposing our wants, sometimes asking graces. These colloquies are addressed to the Blessed Virgin, to our Savior, or to God the Father, sometimes to all three successfully. This is the part of the meditation requiring the most liberty and confidence, but also the most respect. They must be concluded either by the “Ave Maria,” the “ Anima Christi,” or the “ Pater,” according to the person to whom they are addressed. These colloquies may take place not only at the end, but at the beginning, or in the course of the meditation, as devotion may inspire. When we address ourselves to Jesus Christ, and beg Him to intercede for us before God, it must be understood that we consider Him, not simply as God, but in His human nature as our Mediator and Advocate.
After Meditation
When two meditations have been made, it is customary to repeat them once or twice. This method is very useful, for it often happens that the first view of a mystery offers food chiefly to the curiosity of the mind; but, this desire of knowledge once satisfied, the soul returns calmly to its first impressions, and can more easily give free course to its affections; for it is in the affections of the heart that the fruits of an exercise consist. In these repetitions we must avoid all long seasonings, and only replace before our eyes, and run over, so to say, our first thoughts, dwelling on them with our will and heart. The use of the colloquies should be more frequent during the repetitions than during the Exercises.
ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS
IN THE FORM OF RESOLUTIONS, WHICH WILL ASSIST US IN MAKING THE EXERCISES WELL, AND OBTAINING FROM GOD WHAT WE ASK OF HIM.
(1) On lying down, before going to sleep, during the short time which will suffice for repeating the “ Hail Mary,” I will fix the hour of my rising, and review in my mind the points of my meditation.
(2) On awakening, immediately excluding all other thoughts, I will apply my mind to the truth on which I am going to meditate; at the same time I will excite in my heart suitable sentiments. For example, before the Exercise on the “triple sin,” I will say to myself while I dress, “And I, loaded with so many graces, the object of predilection to my Lord and King, I stand convicted of ingratitude, of treason, of rebellion, before His eyes and those of His whole court.” Before the Exercise on personal sins, “Behold me, a criminal deserving death, led before my Judge loaded with chains.”
These sentiments must accompany the act of rising, and will vary according to the subject of meditation.
(3) Standing a few paces from the spot where I am going to make my meditation, I must recollect myself, raise my mind above earthly things, and consider our Lord Jesus Christ as present and attentive to what I am about to do. Having given to this preparation the time required to say the “Our Father,” I will offer the homage of my soul and body to our Savior, assuming an attitude full of veneration and humble respect.
(4) I will then begin my meditation, if I am alone in my chamber or elsewhere without witnesses, in the posture most suitable to the end I propose to myself, sometimes with my face bowed to the Earth, sometimes standing, sometimes sitting; only observing that if I obtain what I seek kneeling, or in any other attitude, I ought to remain so without seeking anything better. In the same way, if any particular point causes me to experience the grace which I am seeking, I must remain there calmly until my devotion is satisfied, without caring for anything more.
(5) After having finished the Exercise, I will either walk about or sit still, and examine how it has succeeded. If it has not, I will ascertain the cause, sincerely repent, and make firm resolutions for the future. If the success has been satisfactory, I will make acts of thanksgiving, and resolve to follow the same method for the future.
(6) I will lay aside during the first week all joyful thoughts, such, for instance, as the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ. This thought would dry up the tears which I ought at this period to shed over my sins. I must rather call up thoughts of death and judgment, in order to assist my sorrow.
(7) For the same purpose, I will shut out the daylight, only allowing sufficient light to enter my room to enable me to read and take my meals.
(8) I will carefully avoid all laughter, or anything which can lead to it.
(9) I will not look at any one, unless obliged to salute them or say adieu.
(10) The tenth “recommendation” will be found in the Second Part, under the title of “Rule of Penance.”
PREPARATORY EXERCISE
Veni Creator.
Ave marls stella.
Invoke St. Joseph, your angel guardian, and your patron saints.
Then read attentively the subject of meditation which is to open the Exercises.
THE MEDITATIONS FOR THE RETREAT
FIRST CONSIDERATION
What God has prepared for you in retreat
God has prepared for you a superabundance of His graces in this retreat. It is the same in retreat as in the great solemnities of religion and in certain privileged sanctuaries of Mary. Jesus Christ has graces for every day; but He reserves His choicest ones for the days on which the Church celebrates the great mysteries of His life on Earth. Mary is always our benefactress and our mother; but she has favorite sanctuaries, to which she attaches her greatest blessings and miracles. The privilege of a retreat is to draw down upon us all the graces of God in their greatest plenitude. “Behold, now is the acceptable time: behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Consider, with St. Bernard, that it has been in retreat that God has always pleased to signalize His greatest mercies towards men. It was in retreat on Sinai that Moses received the tables of the law; it was in the retreat of Carmel that Elias received the double spirit which animated him; it was in the retreat of the desert that John Baptist received the plenitude of the Spirit of God; it was in retreat that the Apostles received the gifts of the Holy Ghost; it was in retreat that God converted the most illustrious penitents, that He raised up the most fervent apostles of the new law, that He inspired the founders of religious societies; in fine, it was in the retreat of Nazareth that Mary became the mother of God; and it may be said that all the life of Jesus Christ was a retreat. “Solitude was witness of the vigils of Jesus; solitude heard the prayers of Jesus; solitude saw Him come into the world, preach, be transfigured, die, rise from the dead, ascend into Heaven” (Fr. de Celles).
Believe, then, and rest assured that all the graces of God await you in this retreat.
Who are you who this day begin these holy Exercises? Who are you? A soul established in virtue? You need renewing. The most solid virtue is a perfume which evaporates, a mirror which tarnishes, a water which becomes impure in the midst of the world. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, .... who satisfieth thy desire with good things; thy youth shall be renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 102:1, 5). To you the grace of a retreat will be one of renovation.
Who are you? A soul divided in the service of God? A soul embarrassed by a multitude of human affections? You have now to detach your heart from creatures. “How long do you halt between two sides? If the Lord be God, follow Him” (3 Kings 18:21). For you the grace of retreat will be a grace of detachment.
Who are you? A soul given to worldly pleasures? One who does not pray, or prays badly? You must return to yourself and to God. “Return, ye transgressors, to the heart” (Isaias 46:8). “We ought always to pray” (Luke 18:1).For you the grace of retreat will be one of recollection and prayer.
Who are you? A soul struggling with long and violent temptations? You need strength to resist. “If you return and be quiet, you shall be saved: in silence and hope shall your strength be” (Isaias 30:15). For you the grace of retreat will be one of firmness and perseverance.
Who are you? Lastly, are you a guilty soul? Perhaps a soul grown old in sin, perhaps an impenitent soul, perhaps a soul struck with blindness and hardness? And if this question alone does not make you tremble, certainly you are a hardened soul. Ah! You require nothing less than all the graces of God; and this retreat offers them to you―the grace of light on your state, on the enormity of your faults, on the greatness of your losses for eternity, on the judgments of God which menace you; the grace of compunction; the grace of firm resolution; the grace of a real and solid conversion.
SECOND CONSIDERATION
What God asks of you in this retreat
God requires two things of you, on which depend all the graces of the retreat.
(1) Recollection of spirit. You are on retreat to listen to God. “I will hear what the Lord God will speak within me” (Psalm 84:9). But the voice of God only makes itself heard in the repose and silence of the soul. It is true that the voice of God, having once fully penetrated the heart, becomes strong as the tempest and loud as the thunder; but before reaching the heart it is weak as a light breath which scarcely agitates the air. It shrinks from noise, and is silent amid agitation. “The Lord is not in the earthquake” (3 Kings 19:11). Retire into your heart with God, to meditate, to pray, to weep, to speak to the Lord and to listen to Him. You will not be alone when you are with Him. “How can he be alone who is always with God?” says St. Ambrose. If you are deprived of the conversation of men, you will enjoy that of the saints, of the angels, of Jesus Christ. “I call to me whom I will: I possess the society of saints; a troop of angels accompany me: I enjoy converse with Jesus Christ Himself!” (St. Jerome).
(2) Perfect docility of heart. This comprises three things: fidelity to rules; application to the exercises; obedience to all the movements of grace. Be afraid of refusing anything to God: however small the sacrifice may be, perhaps our conversion, our salvation, may depend on it. A single word of the Gospel converted St. Anthony; a word from a sermon converted St. Nicholas Tolentino; a fact of history, a reading, a conversation, began the conversion of St. Augustine, of St. Ignatius, of St. Francis Xavier. Can you tell to what sacrifice God may have attached the change of your heart? Enter, then, into the disposition of the prophet “My heart, O Lord, is ready” (Psalm 56:8). Do not fear to be too generous with God, and do not be afraid of the sacrifices He may ask of you; this sweet experience will force you to cry out with St. Augustine, “How sweet has it been to me to be deprived of the miserable delights of a frivolous world! And what incomparable joy have I felt after a privation once so dreaded!” Cast yourself, therefore, at the feet of Jesus Christ, and say to Him, “Lord, Thou hast given me a soul capable of knowing and loving Thee; I return it to Thee, not adorned with the grace and virtue that Thou bestowedst on it in Baptism, but covered with the scars and wounds of sin; cure it, O heavenly Physician, and restore to it its pristine life and beauty.”
“Lord, I offer Thee my understanding; enlighten it with Thy brightest light. ‘Enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep in death!’” (Psalm 12:4).
“Lord, I offer Thee my memory; blot out from it the remembrance of the world, and leave in it only the memory of Thy mercies to bless them, and of my sins to weep for them.”
“Lord, I offer Thee my heart; change it by Thy grace. Create a clean heart in me, O God, and renew a right spirit within me!” (Psalm 1:12).
“Lord, I offer to Thee the senses of my body, the powers of my soul, my whole being; dispose of them for my salvation and for Thy greater glory. ` I have put my trust in Thee, O Lord; I have said Thou art my God; my lot is in Thy hand’” (Psalm 30:15).
Our Father. Hail Mary.
FIRST PART
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MEDITATIONS AND CONTEMPLATIONS
OF THE FOUR WEEKS’ SPIRITUAL EXERCISES
THE FIRST WEEK
Introduction to considerations on the end of man
(1) The consideration on the end of man serves as a commencement to the Exercises. It is called the foundation, because it is the basis of the whole spiritual edifice. It will be seen in the sequel, that the other meditations are only a consequence of this, and that it is upon this that all the success of the retreat depends.
It is necessary in this Exercise to know thoroughly the end for which God created us, to resolve generously to make sacrifice of everything which can divert us from this end, to look with indifference on everything but that which leads to it, and even to carry our heroism so far as to choose whatever brings us to it most surely and rapidly, be the cost ever so great.
(2) The object of this study is not precisely to excite gratitude towards God by recalling the benefits of creation; it is rather to show us the end for which we were created, and to teach us to look upon the benefits of God as so many means for obtaining that end. Thus, even in this first meditation, the mind must concentrate its thoughts on itself, and inquire what conduct has hitherto been observed, either with regard to the end or the means, the wanderings and errors into which we have been betrayed, and how those creatures that should have been the means of raising us up to God, have been abused so as to separate us from Him. But the principal point is to impress well upon our minds the truth of our final end; for as the foundation of an edifice supports the whole building, so this first truth may be said to support all the others, in such manner that the success of the other meditations will be in proportion to the success of this.
(1) The time to be given to this consideration has not been determined; but to render the beginning easier, each one is at liberty to devote the time most suited to his strength and his devotion, unless his director should have laid down some rule for him.
THE PRINCIPLE OR FOUNDATION
Man was created for a certain end. This end is to praise, to reverence, and to serve the Lord his God, and by this means to arrive at eternal salvation.
All the other beings and objects which surround us on the Earth were created for the benefit of man, and to be useful to him, as means to his final end; hence his obligation to use, or to abstain from the use of, these creatures, according as they bring him nearer to that end, or tend to separate him from it.
By the word “creatures”, St. Ignatius here means, in general, all things which are distinct from God and ourselves; all we find in nature, in society, as well as in the supernatural order; all events, all states of life, all the situations in which man finds himself from time to time.
Hence we must above all endeavor to establish in ourselves a complete indifference towards all created things, though the use of them may not be otherwise forbidden; not giving, as far as depends on us, any preference to health over sickness, riches over poverty, honor over humiliation, a long life over a short. But we must desire and choose definitively in everything what will lead us to the end of our creation.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE ABOVE PRINCIPLE OF THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES
FIRST PART OF THE TEXT
The end of Man
Text of St. Ignatius: “Man was created for this end: to praise, reverence, and serve the Lord his God, and by this means to arrive at eternal salvation.”
This meditation comprises three great truths which are the foundation of all the Exercises: I come from God; I belong to God; I am destined for God. That is to say, God is my first principle, my sovereign Master, my last end.
FIRST TRUTH: I come from God.
CONSIDERATIONS
(1) Where was I a hundred years ago? I was nothing. If I look back a hundred years, I see the world with its empires, its cities, its inhabitants; I see the sun which shines today, the Earth on which I dwell, the land which gave me birth, the family from which I sprung, the name by which I am known: but I―what was I, and where was I? I was nothing, and it is amidst nothingness I must be sought. Oh, how many ages passed during which no one thought of me! For how can nothing be the subject of thought? How many ages when even an insect or an atom was greater than I! For they possessed at least an existence.
(2) But now I exist. I possess an intellect capable of knowing, a heart formed for loving, a body endowed with wonderful senses. And this existence, who gave it me? Chance?―Senseless word!―My parents? They answer in the words of the mother of the Machabees: “No, it was not I who gave you mind and soul; it was the Creator of the world” (2 Machabees 7:22). Lastly, was I the author of my own existence? But nothingness cannot be the cause of existence. It is to God, then, that I must turn as my first beginning. “Thy hands, O Lord, have made me and formed me” (Psalm 108:73). “Thou hast laid Thy hand upon me” (Psalm 118:5). Thou hast taken me from the abyss of nothing.
(3) Consider, O my soul, the circumstances of thy creation.
(1) God created me out of His pure love. Had He any need of my existence, or could I be necessary to His happiness? “I have loved thee with an everlasting love” (Jeremias 31:3).
(2) God created me, and the decree of my creation is eternal like Himself. From eternity, then, God thought of me. I was yet in the abyss of nothingness, and God gave me a place in His thoughts! I was in His mind, and in His heart. “I have loved you with an everlasting love.”
(3) God created me, and in creating me preferred me to an infinite number of creatures who were equally possible to Him, and who will forever remain in nothingness. O God, how have I deserved this preference! “I have loved thee with an everlasting love.”
(4) God created me, and by creation made me the most noble of the creatures of the visible world. My soul is in His image, and all my being bears the stamp, the living stamp of His attributes.
(5) Lastly, God created me, and He has continued His creation during every moment of my existence. As many as are the hours and moments of my life, so often does He make me a fresh present of life.
AFFECTIONS
Sentiments of humility at the sight of our nothingness. “My substance is as nothing before Thee” (Psalm 38:6).
Sentiments of admiration. “What is man, that Thou shouldst magnify him? Or why dost Thou set Thy heart upon him ?” (Job 7:17.)
Sentiments of gratitude. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all that is within me bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all He bath done for thee” (Psalm 102:1-2).
SECOND TRUTH: I belong to God.
CONSIDERATIONS
(1) I come from God; hence, I belong to God. God is my creator; hence, He is my Lord and my Master. To deny this consequence would be to deny my reason.
(2) The Lord enters into judgment with me, and deigns to argue His rights at the bar of His creature. Is it not true that the master has a right to the services of his servants or of his slaves? Is it not true that the king has a right to the obedience of his subjects? the father, to the submission as well as the respect of his children? Is it not true that the workman has a right to dispose of his work as he chooses? And I, the creature of God, do I not belong more to God than the slave to his master, than the subject to his sovereign, the child to his father, the picture to him who painted it, or the tree to him who planted it? Does not God possess over me all the rights of men over the creatures, and in a higher degree, and by more sacred titles? What is there in me that does not belong to Him, and is not the fruit, so to say, of His own capital, and therefore His property? “What have you that you have not received?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).
What would remain to me if God took back all that He has given me? If God took back my mind, what should I be?--On a level with the brute animals. If He deprived me of life and motion, what should I be?--A little dust and ashes. If He took away my substance and my whole being, what should I be? A simple nothing. O my God! All I have comes from Thee; it is just that all in me should belong to Thee. “O Lord, just art Thou, and glorious in Thy power, and no one can overcome Thee. Let all creatures serve Thee: for Thou hast spoken, and they were made; Thou didst send forth Thy Spirit, and they were created” (Judith 16:16-17).
(3) Consider, O my soul, the characteristics of the dominion of God.
(1) Essential dominion. It was not necessary that God should draw me from nothing. But since God has created me, it is necessary that I should be His. He would cease to be God if, being my creator, He ceased to be my sovereign and my master.
(2) Supreme dominion. I belong to God before everything, and above everything. Properly speaking, I belong to God alone, and men have no other rights over me except such as God has given them. Their rights, then, are subordinate to the rights of God; and their authority must be always subjected to the authority of God.
(3) Absolute dominion. God can dispose of me according to His pleasure; He can give or take from me fortune, health, honor, life; my duty is to receive everything from His hand with submission and without complaint.
(4) Universal dominion. Everything in me is from God; therefore all in me belongs to God. The dominion of the Lord extends to all the stages of my life, to all the situations in which I may be placed, to all the faculties of my soul, all the senses of my body, to every hour and moment of my existence.
(5) Eternal dominion. The dominion of God is immortal, like myself; it begins with time, and continues through eternity; death, which deprives men of all their rights, is unable to do anything against the rights of God.
(6) Irresistible dominion. We may escape the dominion of men; but how escape the dominion of God? Willing or unwilling, we must submit to it; we must either live under the empire of His love, or under that of His justice; either glorify His power by free obedience, or glorify it by inevitable punishment.
“O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him who formed it, why hast thou made me thus?” (Romans 9:20).
AFFECTIONS
(1) Adoration. “Thou art worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou hast created all things” (Apocalypse 4:11). “Come, let us adore and fall down before the Lord that made us; for He is the Lord our God” (Psalm 94:6-7).
(2) Regret. “Is this the return thou makest to the Lord, O foolish and senseless people? Is not He thy father, that hath possessed thee, and made thee, and created thee? Thou hast forsaken the God that made thee, and hast forgotten the Lord that created thee” (Deuteronomy 32:6, 18).
(3) Submission. “O Lord, for I am Thy servant; I am Thy servant, and the son of Thy handmaid” (Psalm 115:16).
THIRD TRUTH: I am destined for God
CONSIDERATIONS
(1) God is not only my creator and my master, He is also my last end. A God infinitely wise must have proposed to Himself an end in creating me; a God infinitely perfect could only have created me for His glory; that is to say, to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him.
(2) O my soul! Dost thou wish for a proof of this great truth?
(1) Ask thy faith; it will tell thee that God made all for Himself: “The Lord hath made all things for Himself” (Proverbs 16:4). That He is the beginning and the end of all things: “I am the beginning and the end” (Apocalypse 1:8). That the greatest of the commandments is to adore, to love, and to serve God. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God;” “Thou shalt adore the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve” (Matthew 22::37, 4:10).
(2) Ask thy reason; it will tell thee that there must be some proportion between the faculties of man and their object. Hence there is nothing but the infinite perfections of God which can be the objects of a mind and heart craving with an intense desire to know and to love.
(3) Ask the creatures; they will tell thee, by their imperfection, their inconstancy, their weakness, in a word, by their I nothingness, that they are far too insignificant to be the end of thy being. “Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity, except to love God and to serve Him alone” (Imitation of Christ, Book 1, chapter 1).
(4) Ask thy heart; it will tell thee that thou art formed for happiness, and that thou requirest happiness without alloy, happiness without limits, an eternal happiness; that is, that thou requirest nothing less than God Himself.
(5) Ask thy own experience; it will tell thee why it is that, when thou hast been faithful in serving God, peace hast dwelt within thy breast; why it is that, when thou hast separated thyself from Him, thou hast felt nothing but disgust, emptiness, and remorse. Peace of heart is the fruit of order faithfully kept, faithfully observed. “We were made, O Lord, for Thee, and our heart is restless until it finds peace in Thee” (St. Augustine).
(3) Thus my end is to know God, to love God, to serve God; this, therefore, is all my duty, all my greatness, all my happiness.
(1) All my duty. Yes, I must know, love, and serve God. I must understand well this word, 0 my soul. I must be convinced that it is a real necessity. It is not necessary that I should possess talents, fortune, pleasures, an honorable position in society; it is not necessary that I should have a long life; it is not necessary that I should exist; but, supposing that I do exist, it is necessary that I should serve God. An intelligent creature that does not serve God is, in the world, what the sun would be if it ceased to shine, what our body would be if it ceased to move. It would be in the order of intelligence what a monster would be in the order of the bodily frame.
(2) All my greatness. I am not made for a mortal man; I am not made for myself; I am not made for an angel. An intelligent and immortal being, I am too great for a creature, however noble, to be my end. My end is that of the angel; is that of Jesus Christ; is that of God Himself. God does not exist, could not exist, except to know Himself and to love Himself; and I only exist, or could exist, to know and to love God.
(3) All my happiness. I cannot serve God in time without possessing Him in eternity. I cannot give myself wholly
to God without His giving Himself wholly to me. “I am thy exceeding great reward” (Genesis 15:1). His glory and my happiness are inseparable. It is, then, a question of my eternal destiny, and I myself am the arbiter of it. O my soul! picture to thyself on one side Heaven, with its ineffable delights; on the other Hell, with its fires and its despair; one or other will be thy eternal heritage, according as thou shalt have served or offended the Lord on Earth. It is for thee to choose. “I call Heaven and Earth to witness this day that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose, therefore, life, . . . . that thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and obey His voice, and adhere to Him, for He is thy life” (Deuteronomy 30:19, 20).
AFFECTIONS
(1) Sorrow for the past. “O God, Thou knowest my foolishness, and my offences are not hidden from Thee” (Psalm 118:6).
(2) Contempt for creatures. “All those that go far from Thee shall perish: Thou hast destroyed all those that were disloyal to Thee. But it is good for me to adhere to my God” (Psalm 72:27-28).
(3) Love of God. “What have I in Heaven? And beside Thee what do I desire upon Earth? Thou art the God of my heart, and my portion forever” (Psalm 72:25-26).
(2) As it is the soul which is to be exercised in making a retreat, we must seek from our spiritual guide only what is necessary to enable it to act with uprightness and certainty. We must not expect from him many words or long explanations, nor to hear long sermons or interesting lectures. It is not the quantity of food, but a healthy digestion, which nourishes the body; so it is not the great amount of knowledge communicated, but the manner in which the heart receives it, and is nourished by it, that satisfies the needs of the soul. Moreover, experience proves that the heart will receive with delight, and with greater real profit, what it discovers for itself, either by its own reflections, or by the light shed upon it by Divine grace, than what is presented to its intelligence by lengthened discourses.
(3) These Exercises engage both the understanding and the will of man. The understanding seeks by reasoning to obtain the full knowledge of the subject proposed to it; the will produces the various affections which result from the knowledge acquired. In these acts of the heart, wherein it approaches God and converses with Him, the faithful soul ought to be careful never to forget the inward as well as the external respect which the presence of the Divinity requires.
(4) Although St. Ignatius has divided the Exercises into four series or weeks, each consecrated to a special work of reform, or a distinct study of our Lord Jesus Christ, it must not be supposed that these weeks are necessarily of seven days. Each one ends when its aim is attained: this happens soonest to the most diligent, and those whom the grace of God influences most quickly; later to those who, notwithstanding their goodwill, are longer tried by contending feelings. Generally, the complete course of these Exercises requires about thirty days.
(5) The person in retreat will find everything easy, and himself wonderfully assisted by grace, if from the beginning he brings to God a large and generous heart; if he abandons himself with all his wishes and all his liberty to the action of his Creator; if he is disposed to allow his Sovereign Lord to order him, and all that concerns him, according to His good pleasure.
(6) The rules which are given for the discernment of spirits will assist the soldier of Jesus Christ-sometimes consoled by Heaven as he will be, and sometimes a prey to desolation―to know and avoid the snares laid for him by his enemies. If he neither feels consolation, nor sadness, nor other movements of the heart, he must examine himself carefully on the manner in which he performs these Exercises. Does he perform them at the time prescribed, and in the manner pointed out? Does he observe the methods and rules traced out for him? In moments of temptation and dryness let him encourage himself; let him reassure himself with the hope of soon being consoled; let him, moreover, have recourse to the counsels of his spiritual director.
(7) It is well for the person in retreat to concentrate his thoughts on the subject presented to him at the moment, without preoccupying himself at all about the day or the week which is to follow. Let him give an hour to each of the Exercises of the day; and as the evil one uses every means to make us shorten this time, let him take care to be able to reassure himself always with the thought that he has lengthened rather than shortened it. The time will appear short if it pass in the midst of consolation, but very long in moments of desolation and dryness. It is at these times that it would be well to prolong the Exercise, to conquer ourselves, and to show the enemy that his attacks are not only resisted, but turned to the advantage of our souls.
(8) When consolation is abundant, no vow or promise should be made without having taken time to reflect and consult. When the soul, on the contrary, feels inclined towards things inferior or less perfect, every effort must be made to elevate it and give it a contrary direction. To obtain this grace from the God of all goodness, besides assiduous prayer, let other pious exercises be added; beg our Lord not to allow us to obtain or keep anything, whether honors, riches, or happiness, until our irregular inclination for these things has been reformed, and rendered subordinate to the interests of His service and glory.
(9) That the director may guide with certainty the soul placed under his care, and judge of its spiritual progress, we must faithfully tell him, not precisely our own thoughts and opinions, or our sins (the latter will be told in confession) but the agitations and different movements which the Spirit of God, or the evil spirit, may produce in us.
(10) In order that the number, the length, and the nature of the Exercises may be suited to the age, capacity, and inclination of the person in retreat; that no one may be overburdened, and all may have what is suitable to their particular dispositions and wants at the time, each one will receive from his director, at the beginning, a rule fixing the hours of rising, of meditation, of meals, and the other exercises and occupations of the day. His spiritual guide also will visit him as often as he thinks is required, setting him the employment for each day as well as the directions, advice, and encouragement, which he judges to be suitable and useful.
The author of the Exercises, like the Apostle, made himself all things to all men. To strong, able, generous-minded men, and to those who are masters of their time and of their state of life, he recommends four meditations a day of an hour each; another meditation of an hour in the middle of the night; an examination of conscience in the middle of the day, and another before going to rest. Some relaxation will be allowed these persons, if required, during this laborious course.
Persons who unite all these conditions, except the time, and who cannot give more than an hour, or an hour and a half a day, the rest of their time being occupied in their ordinary avocations, will receive directions how to occupy themselves each day for an hour. By these means they will advance more slowly, but nevertheless in order, and will secure the continuity of the Exercises by one or two repetitions of each meditation.
The Exercises of the first week are those which are suited to the capacity and devotion of the greater number of people. Such will come out of the retreat with a deeper fear of God, having made a good general confession, knowing how to examine their consciences well, and to approach the Sacraments more regularly. Others again must be satisfied with less. To these the commandments of God and the Church, and the method of examining their consciences and going to confession, will be explained; they will be instructed in the three methods of prayer which are mentioned further on. It is desirable that such persons should devote half-an-hour every morning to these Exercises, and that they should approach the Sacraments every week or fortnight.
(11) But those who have their time at their disposal, and who wish to derive all the benefit possible from these Exercises, must perform them exactly as they are laid down. They must place before their eyes, either written or printed, the principal points of the Meditations, and the abridgment of the methods, that they may not escape their memory. Their progress in the spiritual life will be the more rapid according as they more completely separate themselves from their acquaintances and friends, and from worldly thoughts and business. Therefore such must, if possible, leave their homes and retire to a more solitary room or house, and only come out to assist as Mass and the Offices of the Church, so as not to meet with interruptions. This solitude will procure, amongst others, three great advantages first, in separating in this manner from friends, relations, and worldly affairs, we shall obtain abundant grace from Heaven. Then, as the mind is less distracted during this voluntary retreat, and not drawn off to other subjects, the thoughts are more easily fixed and concentrated on the one thing necessary―the service of God: and the will follows the subject which the understanding offers to it with all the liberty and energy of its nature. In fine, the more the soul is disengaged and separated from creatures, the more she is at liberty to follow and attain to her Creator and Master, who only approaches her to enrich her with the infinite gifts of His bounty.
(12) That the relations between him who gives the retreat and those who make it may be as agreeable and as profitable as possible, neither must lose sight of this advice: Every good and pious Christian must be disposed to receive in a favorable sense and to take in good part every word susceptible of being so received and understood, rather than to take it in a rigorous and objectionable sense. If it happen that the expression is not defensible, ask the person his intention in saying it; and if he is really in error, point it out to him in a charitable manner, that he may set himself right on the point.
INTRODUCTION TO MEDITATION
WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF ST. IGNATIUS, CALLED THE “TEN ADDITIONS”
Meditation consists in calling to mind some dogmatic or moral truth, and reflecting on or discussing this truth according to each one’s capacity, so as to move the will and produce in us amendment.
Thus, if you have to meditate on the sin of the angels, you will call to mind how they, having disobeyed their Creator, forfeited grace and were cast out of Heaven into Hell. You will then reflect attentively on this subject, so as to feel confounded by and blush at the multitude of your sins, compared to this one single sin which ruined the rebel angels. In fine, you will conclude that you have often merited the same punishment as they, since you too have so often sinned.
To meditate usefully, observe well the following rules:
Before Meditation
(1) The subject should be divided into two or three points, that the meditation may be rendered more easy by a division which is natural and easy to remember.
(2) Before beginning, we must by a preparatory prayer beg of God by His grace to direct all the powers and operations of our souls to His service and glory alone.
(3) The heart having taken this proper and generous resolution, the faithful soul must impress the subject proposed on the mind, the imagination, and the will.
If the subject of the meditation is a history―for example, that of the Prodigal Son―the memory must recall the principal facts. This is the first prelude as generally used, particularly during the second and following weeks.
The imagination seizes its object by placing it in a certain spot which the mind represents to itself. This has caused the name of “composition of place” to be given to the second prelude. If the meditation is on some visible object, such as the birth of Jesus Christ, we must figure to ourselves the place where this mystery was accomplished―the stable at Bethlehem, the manger, etc. If the mind is occupied by a truth purely intellectual―for example, the misery of sin―we may assist ourselves by a picture of a soul imprisoned in the body, banished among animals in this vale of tears. The object of this prelude is to give the soul the impression that would be produced upon it by the sight of a picture representing exactly the subject of meditation; or, still better, by the sight of the place where the mystery occurred. We must avoid in this, even more than in other points, all violent efforts of the mind, or loss of time. Since every person’s imagination is not sufficiently lively and docile to succeed easily in this prelude, it must be set aside if it proves to be an embarrassment.
The will is exercised in soliciting a grace according to the mystery: for example, contrition, sorrow, joy, etc.
During the Meditation
(1) We must endeavor to understand and feel inwardly the truth on which we meditate, rather than think much on it.
(2) If facility and consolation are experienced, we must beware of vain satisfaction. We must never make a vow lightly or without advice. Our reflections and sentiments must always be directed towards our own amendment.
(3) In times of dryness and desolation we must be patient, and wait with resignation the return of consolation, putting our trust in the goodness of God. We must animate ourselves by the thought that God is always with us, that He only allows this trial for our greater good, and that we have not necessarily lost His grace because we have lost the taste and feeling of it.
(4) Meditations should be ended by one or several Colloquies. These are familiar conversations in which we speak to God like a son to a father, a servant to a master, one friend to another, a criminal to a judge; sometimes acknowledging our faults, sometimes exposing our wants, sometimes asking graces. These colloquies are addressed to the Blessed Virgin, to our Savior, or to God the Father, sometimes to all three successfully. This is the part of the meditation requiring the most liberty and confidence, but also the most respect. They must be concluded either by the “Ave Maria,” the “ Anima Christi,” or the “ Pater,” according to the person to whom they are addressed. These colloquies may take place not only at the end, but at the beginning, or in the course of the meditation, as devotion may inspire. When we address ourselves to Jesus Christ, and beg Him to intercede for us before God, it must be understood that we consider Him, not simply as God, but in His human nature as our Mediator and Advocate.
After Meditation
When two meditations have been made, it is customary to repeat them once or twice. This method is very useful, for it often happens that the first view of a mystery offers food chiefly to the curiosity of the mind; but, this desire of knowledge once satisfied, the soul returns calmly to its first impressions, and can more easily give free course to its affections; for it is in the affections of the heart that the fruits of an exercise consist. In these repetitions we must avoid all long seasonings, and only replace before our eyes, and run over, so to say, our first thoughts, dwelling on them with our will and heart. The use of the colloquies should be more frequent during the repetitions than during the Exercises.
ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS
IN THE FORM OF RESOLUTIONS, WHICH WILL ASSIST US IN MAKING THE EXERCISES WELL, AND OBTAINING FROM GOD WHAT WE ASK OF HIM.
(1) On lying down, before going to sleep, during the short time which will suffice for repeating the “ Hail Mary,” I will fix the hour of my rising, and review in my mind the points of my meditation.
(2) On awakening, immediately excluding all other thoughts, I will apply my mind to the truth on which I am going to meditate; at the same time I will excite in my heart suitable sentiments. For example, before the Exercise on the “triple sin,” I will say to myself while I dress, “And I, loaded with so many graces, the object of predilection to my Lord and King, I stand convicted of ingratitude, of treason, of rebellion, before His eyes and those of His whole court.” Before the Exercise on personal sins, “Behold me, a criminal deserving death, led before my Judge loaded with chains.”
These sentiments must accompany the act of rising, and will vary according to the subject of meditation.
(3) Standing a few paces from the spot where I am going to make my meditation, I must recollect myself, raise my mind above earthly things, and consider our Lord Jesus Christ as present and attentive to what I am about to do. Having given to this preparation the time required to say the “Our Father,” I will offer the homage of my soul and body to our Savior, assuming an attitude full of veneration and humble respect.
(4) I will then begin my meditation, if I am alone in my chamber or elsewhere without witnesses, in the posture most suitable to the end I propose to myself, sometimes with my face bowed to the Earth, sometimes standing, sometimes sitting; only observing that if I obtain what I seek kneeling, or in any other attitude, I ought to remain so without seeking anything better. In the same way, if any particular point causes me to experience the grace which I am seeking, I must remain there calmly until my devotion is satisfied, without caring for anything more.
(5) After having finished the Exercise, I will either walk about or sit still, and examine how it has succeeded. If it has not, I will ascertain the cause, sincerely repent, and make firm resolutions for the future. If the success has been satisfactory, I will make acts of thanksgiving, and resolve to follow the same method for the future.
(6) I will lay aside during the first week all joyful thoughts, such, for instance, as the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ. This thought would dry up the tears which I ought at this period to shed over my sins. I must rather call up thoughts of death and judgment, in order to assist my sorrow.
(7) For the same purpose, I will shut out the daylight, only allowing sufficient light to enter my room to enable me to read and take my meals.
(8) I will carefully avoid all laughter, or anything which can lead to it.
(9) I will not look at any one, unless obliged to salute them or say adieu.
(10) The tenth “recommendation” will be found in the Second Part, under the title of “Rule of Penance.”
PREPARATORY EXERCISE
Veni Creator.
Ave marls stella.
Invoke St. Joseph, your angel guardian, and your patron saints.
Then read attentively the subject of meditation which is to open the Exercises.
THE MEDITATIONS FOR THE RETREAT
FIRST CONSIDERATION
What God has prepared for you in retreat
God has prepared for you a superabundance of His graces in this retreat. It is the same in retreat as in the great solemnities of religion and in certain privileged sanctuaries of Mary. Jesus Christ has graces for every day; but He reserves His choicest ones for the days on which the Church celebrates the great mysteries of His life on Earth. Mary is always our benefactress and our mother; but she has favorite sanctuaries, to which she attaches her greatest blessings and miracles. The privilege of a retreat is to draw down upon us all the graces of God in their greatest plenitude. “Behold, now is the acceptable time: behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Consider, with St. Bernard, that it has been in retreat that God has always pleased to signalize His greatest mercies towards men. It was in retreat on Sinai that Moses received the tables of the law; it was in the retreat of Carmel that Elias received the double spirit which animated him; it was in the retreat of the desert that John Baptist received the plenitude of the Spirit of God; it was in retreat that the Apostles received the gifts of the Holy Ghost; it was in retreat that God converted the most illustrious penitents, that He raised up the most fervent apostles of the new law, that He inspired the founders of religious societies; in fine, it was in the retreat of Nazareth that Mary became the mother of God; and it may be said that all the life of Jesus Christ was a retreat. “Solitude was witness of the vigils of Jesus; solitude heard the prayers of Jesus; solitude saw Him come into the world, preach, be transfigured, die, rise from the dead, ascend into Heaven” (Fr. de Celles).
Believe, then, and rest assured that all the graces of God await you in this retreat.
Who are you who this day begin these holy Exercises? Who are you? A soul established in virtue? You need renewing. The most solid virtue is a perfume which evaporates, a mirror which tarnishes, a water which becomes impure in the midst of the world. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, .... who satisfieth thy desire with good things; thy youth shall be renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 102:1, 5). To you the grace of a retreat will be one of renovation.
Who are you? A soul divided in the service of God? A soul embarrassed by a multitude of human affections? You have now to detach your heart from creatures. “How long do you halt between two sides? If the Lord be God, follow Him” (3 Kings 18:21). For you the grace of retreat will be a grace of detachment.
Who are you? A soul given to worldly pleasures? One who does not pray, or prays badly? You must return to yourself and to God. “Return, ye transgressors, to the heart” (Isaias 46:8). “We ought always to pray” (Luke 18:1).For you the grace of retreat will be one of recollection and prayer.
Who are you? A soul struggling with long and violent temptations? You need strength to resist. “If you return and be quiet, you shall be saved: in silence and hope shall your strength be” (Isaias 30:15). For you the grace of retreat will be one of firmness and perseverance.
Who are you? Lastly, are you a guilty soul? Perhaps a soul grown old in sin, perhaps an impenitent soul, perhaps a soul struck with blindness and hardness? And if this question alone does not make you tremble, certainly you are a hardened soul. Ah! You require nothing less than all the graces of God; and this retreat offers them to you―the grace of light on your state, on the enormity of your faults, on the greatness of your losses for eternity, on the judgments of God which menace you; the grace of compunction; the grace of firm resolution; the grace of a real and solid conversion.
SECOND CONSIDERATION
What God asks of you in this retreat
God requires two things of you, on which depend all the graces of the retreat.
(1) Recollection of spirit. You are on retreat to listen to God. “I will hear what the Lord God will speak within me” (Psalm 84:9). But the voice of God only makes itself heard in the repose and silence of the soul. It is true that the voice of God, having once fully penetrated the heart, becomes strong as the tempest and loud as the thunder; but before reaching the heart it is weak as a light breath which scarcely agitates the air. It shrinks from noise, and is silent amid agitation. “The Lord is not in the earthquake” (3 Kings 19:11). Retire into your heart with God, to meditate, to pray, to weep, to speak to the Lord and to listen to Him. You will not be alone when you are with Him. “How can he be alone who is always with God?” says St. Ambrose. If you are deprived of the conversation of men, you will enjoy that of the saints, of the angels, of Jesus Christ. “I call to me whom I will: I possess the society of saints; a troop of angels accompany me: I enjoy converse with Jesus Christ Himself!” (St. Jerome).
(2) Perfect docility of heart. This comprises three things: fidelity to rules; application to the exercises; obedience to all the movements of grace. Be afraid of refusing anything to God: however small the sacrifice may be, perhaps our conversion, our salvation, may depend on it. A single word of the Gospel converted St. Anthony; a word from a sermon converted St. Nicholas Tolentino; a fact of history, a reading, a conversation, began the conversion of St. Augustine, of St. Ignatius, of St. Francis Xavier. Can you tell to what sacrifice God may have attached the change of your heart? Enter, then, into the disposition of the prophet “My heart, O Lord, is ready” (Psalm 56:8). Do not fear to be too generous with God, and do not be afraid of the sacrifices He may ask of you; this sweet experience will force you to cry out with St. Augustine, “How sweet has it been to me to be deprived of the miserable delights of a frivolous world! And what incomparable joy have I felt after a privation once so dreaded!” Cast yourself, therefore, at the feet of Jesus Christ, and say to Him, “Lord, Thou hast given me a soul capable of knowing and loving Thee; I return it to Thee, not adorned with the grace and virtue that Thou bestowedst on it in Baptism, but covered with the scars and wounds of sin; cure it, O heavenly Physician, and restore to it its pristine life and beauty.”
“Lord, I offer Thee my understanding; enlighten it with Thy brightest light. ‘Enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep in death!’” (Psalm 12:4).
“Lord, I offer Thee my memory; blot out from it the remembrance of the world, and leave in it only the memory of Thy mercies to bless them, and of my sins to weep for them.”
“Lord, I offer Thee my heart; change it by Thy grace. Create a clean heart in me, O God, and renew a right spirit within me!” (Psalm 1:12).
“Lord, I offer to Thee the senses of my body, the powers of my soul, my whole being; dispose of them for my salvation and for Thy greater glory. ` I have put my trust in Thee, O Lord; I have said Thou art my God; my lot is in Thy hand’” (Psalm 30:15).
Our Father. Hail Mary.
FIRST PART
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MEDITATIONS AND CONTEMPLATIONS
OF THE FOUR WEEKS’ SPIRITUAL EXERCISES
THE FIRST WEEK
Introduction to considerations on the end of man
(1) The consideration on the end of man serves as a commencement to the Exercises. It is called the foundation, because it is the basis of the whole spiritual edifice. It will be seen in the sequel, that the other meditations are only a consequence of this, and that it is upon this that all the success of the retreat depends.
It is necessary in this Exercise to know thoroughly the end for which God created us, to resolve generously to make sacrifice of everything which can divert us from this end, to look with indifference on everything but that which leads to it, and even to carry our heroism so far as to choose whatever brings us to it most surely and rapidly, be the cost ever so great.
(2) The object of this study is not precisely to excite gratitude towards God by recalling the benefits of creation; it is rather to show us the end for which we were created, and to teach us to look upon the benefits of God as so many means for obtaining that end. Thus, even in this first meditation, the mind must concentrate its thoughts on itself, and inquire what conduct has hitherto been observed, either with regard to the end or the means, the wanderings and errors into which we have been betrayed, and how those creatures that should have been the means of raising us up to God, have been abused so as to separate us from Him. But the principal point is to impress well upon our minds the truth of our final end; for as the foundation of an edifice supports the whole building, so this first truth may be said to support all the others, in such manner that the success of the other meditations will be in proportion to the success of this.
(1) The time to be given to this consideration has not been determined; but to render the beginning easier, each one is at liberty to devote the time most suited to his strength and his devotion, unless his director should have laid down some rule for him.
THE PRINCIPLE OR FOUNDATION
Man was created for a certain end. This end is to praise, to reverence, and to serve the Lord his God, and by this means to arrive at eternal salvation.
All the other beings and objects which surround us on the Earth were created for the benefit of man, and to be useful to him, as means to his final end; hence his obligation to use, or to abstain from the use of, these creatures, according as they bring him nearer to that end, or tend to separate him from it.
By the word “creatures”, St. Ignatius here means, in general, all things which are distinct from God and ourselves; all we find in nature, in society, as well as in the supernatural order; all events, all states of life, all the situations in which man finds himself from time to time.
Hence we must above all endeavor to establish in ourselves a complete indifference towards all created things, though the use of them may not be otherwise forbidden; not giving, as far as depends on us, any preference to health over sickness, riches over poverty, honor over humiliation, a long life over a short. But we must desire and choose definitively in everything what will lead us to the end of our creation.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE ABOVE PRINCIPLE OF THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES
FIRST PART OF THE TEXT
The end of Man
Text of St. Ignatius: “Man was created for this end: to praise, reverence, and serve the Lord his God, and by this means to arrive at eternal salvation.”
This meditation comprises three great truths which are the foundation of all the Exercises: I come from God; I belong to God; I am destined for God. That is to say, God is my first principle, my sovereign Master, my last end.
FIRST TRUTH: I come from God.
CONSIDERATIONS
(1) Where was I a hundred years ago? I was nothing. If I look back a hundred years, I see the world with its empires, its cities, its inhabitants; I see the sun which shines today, the Earth on which I dwell, the land which gave me birth, the family from which I sprung, the name by which I am known: but I―what was I, and where was I? I was nothing, and it is amidst nothingness I must be sought. Oh, how many ages passed during which no one thought of me! For how can nothing be the subject of thought? How many ages when even an insect or an atom was greater than I! For they possessed at least an existence.
(2) But now I exist. I possess an intellect capable of knowing, a heart formed for loving, a body endowed with wonderful senses. And this existence, who gave it me? Chance?―Senseless word!―My parents? They answer in the words of the mother of the Machabees: “No, it was not I who gave you mind and soul; it was the Creator of the world” (2 Machabees 7:22). Lastly, was I the author of my own existence? But nothingness cannot be the cause of existence. It is to God, then, that I must turn as my first beginning. “Thy hands, O Lord, have made me and formed me” (Psalm 108:73). “Thou hast laid Thy hand upon me” (Psalm 118:5). Thou hast taken me from the abyss of nothing.
(3) Consider, O my soul, the circumstances of thy creation.
(1) God created me out of His pure love. Had He any need of my existence, or could I be necessary to His happiness? “I have loved thee with an everlasting love” (Jeremias 31:3).
(2) God created me, and the decree of my creation is eternal like Himself. From eternity, then, God thought of me. I was yet in the abyss of nothingness, and God gave me a place in His thoughts! I was in His mind, and in His heart. “I have loved you with an everlasting love.”
(3) God created me, and in creating me preferred me to an infinite number of creatures who were equally possible to Him, and who will forever remain in nothingness. O God, how have I deserved this preference! “I have loved thee with an everlasting love.”
(4) God created me, and by creation made me the most noble of the creatures of the visible world. My soul is in His image, and all my being bears the stamp, the living stamp of His attributes.
(5) Lastly, God created me, and He has continued His creation during every moment of my existence. As many as are the hours and moments of my life, so often does He make me a fresh present of life.
AFFECTIONS
Sentiments of humility at the sight of our nothingness. “My substance is as nothing before Thee” (Psalm 38:6).
Sentiments of admiration. “What is man, that Thou shouldst magnify him? Or why dost Thou set Thy heart upon him ?” (Job 7:17.)
Sentiments of gratitude. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all that is within me bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all He bath done for thee” (Psalm 102:1-2).
SECOND TRUTH: I belong to God.
CONSIDERATIONS
(1) I come from God; hence, I belong to God. God is my creator; hence, He is my Lord and my Master. To deny this consequence would be to deny my reason.
(2) The Lord enters into judgment with me, and deigns to argue His rights at the bar of His creature. Is it not true that the master has a right to the services of his servants or of his slaves? Is it not true that the king has a right to the obedience of his subjects? the father, to the submission as well as the respect of his children? Is it not true that the workman has a right to dispose of his work as he chooses? And I, the creature of God, do I not belong more to God than the slave to his master, than the subject to his sovereign, the child to his father, the picture to him who painted it, or the tree to him who planted it? Does not God possess over me all the rights of men over the creatures, and in a higher degree, and by more sacred titles? What is there in me that does not belong to Him, and is not the fruit, so to say, of His own capital, and therefore His property? “What have you that you have not received?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).
What would remain to me if God took back all that He has given me? If God took back my mind, what should I be?--On a level with the brute animals. If He deprived me of life and motion, what should I be?--A little dust and ashes. If He took away my substance and my whole being, what should I be? A simple nothing. O my God! All I have comes from Thee; it is just that all in me should belong to Thee. “O Lord, just art Thou, and glorious in Thy power, and no one can overcome Thee. Let all creatures serve Thee: for Thou hast spoken, and they were made; Thou didst send forth Thy Spirit, and they were created” (Judith 16:16-17).
(3) Consider, O my soul, the characteristics of the dominion of God.
(1) Essential dominion. It was not necessary that God should draw me from nothing. But since God has created me, it is necessary that I should be His. He would cease to be God if, being my creator, He ceased to be my sovereign and my master.
(2) Supreme dominion. I belong to God before everything, and above everything. Properly speaking, I belong to God alone, and men have no other rights over me except such as God has given them. Their rights, then, are subordinate to the rights of God; and their authority must be always subjected to the authority of God.
(3) Absolute dominion. God can dispose of me according to His pleasure; He can give or take from me fortune, health, honor, life; my duty is to receive everything from His hand with submission and without complaint.
(4) Universal dominion. Everything in me is from God; therefore all in me belongs to God. The dominion of the Lord extends to all the stages of my life, to all the situations in which I may be placed, to all the faculties of my soul, all the senses of my body, to every hour and moment of my existence.
(5) Eternal dominion. The dominion of God is immortal, like myself; it begins with time, and continues through eternity; death, which deprives men of all their rights, is unable to do anything against the rights of God.
(6) Irresistible dominion. We may escape the dominion of men; but how escape the dominion of God? Willing or unwilling, we must submit to it; we must either live under the empire of His love, or under that of His justice; either glorify His power by free obedience, or glorify it by inevitable punishment.
“O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him who formed it, why hast thou made me thus?” (Romans 9:20).
AFFECTIONS
(1) Adoration. “Thou art worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou hast created all things” (Apocalypse 4:11). “Come, let us adore and fall down before the Lord that made us; for He is the Lord our God” (Psalm 94:6-7).
(2) Regret. “Is this the return thou makest to the Lord, O foolish and senseless people? Is not He thy father, that hath possessed thee, and made thee, and created thee? Thou hast forsaken the God that made thee, and hast forgotten the Lord that created thee” (Deuteronomy 32:6, 18).
(3) Submission. “O Lord, for I am Thy servant; I am Thy servant, and the son of Thy handmaid” (Psalm 115:16).
THIRD TRUTH: I am destined for God
CONSIDERATIONS
(1) God is not only my creator and my master, He is also my last end. A God infinitely wise must have proposed to Himself an end in creating me; a God infinitely perfect could only have created me for His glory; that is to say, to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him.
(2) O my soul! Dost thou wish for a proof of this great truth?
(1) Ask thy faith; it will tell thee that God made all for Himself: “The Lord hath made all things for Himself” (Proverbs 16:4). That He is the beginning and the end of all things: “I am the beginning and the end” (Apocalypse 1:8). That the greatest of the commandments is to adore, to love, and to serve God. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God;” “Thou shalt adore the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve” (Matthew 22::37, 4:10).
(2) Ask thy reason; it will tell thee that there must be some proportion between the faculties of man and their object. Hence there is nothing but the infinite perfections of God which can be the objects of a mind and heart craving with an intense desire to know and to love.
(3) Ask the creatures; they will tell thee, by their imperfection, their inconstancy, their weakness, in a word, by their I nothingness, that they are far too insignificant to be the end of thy being. “Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity, except to love God and to serve Him alone” (Imitation of Christ, Book 1, chapter 1).
(4) Ask thy heart; it will tell thee that thou art formed for happiness, and that thou requirest happiness without alloy, happiness without limits, an eternal happiness; that is, that thou requirest nothing less than God Himself.
(5) Ask thy own experience; it will tell thee why it is that, when thou hast been faithful in serving God, peace hast dwelt within thy breast; why it is that, when thou hast separated thyself from Him, thou hast felt nothing but disgust, emptiness, and remorse. Peace of heart is the fruit of order faithfully kept, faithfully observed. “We were made, O Lord, for Thee, and our heart is restless until it finds peace in Thee” (St. Augustine).
(3) Thus my end is to know God, to love God, to serve God; this, therefore, is all my duty, all my greatness, all my happiness.
(1) All my duty. Yes, I must know, love, and serve God. I must understand well this word, 0 my soul. I must be convinced that it is a real necessity. It is not necessary that I should possess talents, fortune, pleasures, an honorable position in society; it is not necessary that I should have a long life; it is not necessary that I should exist; but, supposing that I do exist, it is necessary that I should serve God. An intelligent creature that does not serve God is, in the world, what the sun would be if it ceased to shine, what our body would be if it ceased to move. It would be in the order of intelligence what a monster would be in the order of the bodily frame.
(2) All my greatness. I am not made for a mortal man; I am not made for myself; I am not made for an angel. An intelligent and immortal being, I am too great for a creature, however noble, to be my end. My end is that of the angel; is that of Jesus Christ; is that of God Himself. God does not exist, could not exist, except to know Himself and to love Himself; and I only exist, or could exist, to know and to love God.
(3) All my happiness. I cannot serve God in time without possessing Him in eternity. I cannot give myself wholly
to God without His giving Himself wholly to me. “I am thy exceeding great reward” (Genesis 15:1). His glory and my happiness are inseparable. It is, then, a question of my eternal destiny, and I myself am the arbiter of it. O my soul! picture to thyself on one side Heaven, with its ineffable delights; on the other Hell, with its fires and its despair; one or other will be thy eternal heritage, according as thou shalt have served or offended the Lord on Earth. It is for thee to choose. “I call Heaven and Earth to witness this day that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose, therefore, life, . . . . that thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and obey His voice, and adhere to Him, for He is thy life” (Deuteronomy 30:19, 20).
AFFECTIONS
(1) Sorrow for the past. “O God, Thou knowest my foolishness, and my offences are not hidden from Thee” (Psalm 118:6).
(2) Contempt for creatures. “All those that go far from Thee shall perish: Thou hast destroyed all those that were disloyal to Thee. But it is good for me to adhere to my God” (Psalm 72:27-28).
(3) Love of God. “What have I in Heaven? And beside Thee what do I desire upon Earth? Thou art the God of my heart, and my portion forever” (Psalm 72:25-26).
WEEK 1 : DAY 2
INSTRUCTIONS ON THE GOAL, ENDS, OR PURPOSE OF MAN AND THE REST OF CREATION
INSTRUCTIONS ON THE GOAL, ENDS, OR PURPOSE OF MAN AND THE REST OF CREATION
THE END, OR GOAL, OR PURPOSE OF CREATURES
Text of St. Ignatius: “All other beings or objects placed around man on Earth have been created for him, to serve as means to assist him in the pursuit of the end for which he was created.”
FIRST CONSIDERATION
Creatures are from God
Creatures have the same origin as myself. They, like me, have been taken from nothing, and He who drew them from nothing was God; but what difference between their creation and that of man!
1. Like me, they occupied from all eternity the thoughts and heart of God; but they held only the second place. God loved me for Himself, because I was destined for His glory; He loved creatures for the sake of man, because they were destined for the use of man, and because they only have reference to God distantly and through the medium of man.
2. Like me, creatures have received a being which is in some sort the efflux of His august perfections; but they have not, like me, the honor of being the living image of God, and made in His likeness.
3. Like me, they were created for the glory of God: but they have neither the understanding to know Him, nor the heart to love Him; they are incapable of possessing Him; they can only glorify Him in a very inferior and imperfect manner, that is, by the services which they render to His servants. “Know, O man, thy dignity” (Pope St. Leo the Great).
SECOND CONSIDERATION
Creatures belong to God
Creatures cannot have the same origin as myself without having the same master. They come, then, from God, and belong to Him. God has the same dominion over them as over me. Hence conclude:
1. I must, then, make use of creatures with a spirit of dependence, according to the order of the Divine will, not as a master who disposes at his pleasure, but as a steward who must render an account to his lawful superior.
2. I must make use of creatures with a spirit of gratitude, like a poor man who of himself has no right to the use of the things of this world, and who holds every and any thing from the generosity of God, to whom all belongs.
3. I must also make use of creatures with a spirit of fear; for on one side my corrupt nature constantly inclines me to the abuse of created things, and on the other God will rigorously punish this abuse, which overthrows all the economy of creation.
Let me look back at the past. In what spirit have I made use of creatures up to this day? Has it not been in a spirit of independence? Almost always without consulting the will of God; often even contrary to the order of His adorable will. Has it not been with a spirit of ingratitude? O my God, when have I thought of raising my heart to Thee, and thanking Thee for Thy gifts? Has it not been with a spirit of sensuality and of selfishness? Only seeking myself and my pleasure in creatures, without thinking of the Divine justice, which will not fail to ask of me an account of so criminal an abuse. Let us accustom ourselves henceforward forward to read on every creature these three words: “Receive, give, fear”― as if it should say, “Receive the blessing I offer you; give thanks to thy Creator for it; fear the judgment which will be passed upon you according to the use you have made of me” (Richard of St. Victor).
THIRD CONSIDERATION
Creatures are for God through the medium of man
Creatures were formed for an end as well as myself, and this end is the glory of God; for God could only create for His Glory. Creatures deprived of understanding are not made to glorify the Lord directly; they are made to serve man, who, in exchange for their services, must lend his intelligence and heart to praise and love God, and thus make them to conduce to the glory of their common Creator. This, then, according to the light of faith and reason, is the order of my relations with God and with creatures. I am for God, and creatures for me. From this follows that I cannot, like worldlings, make creatures my end without making myself guilty and miserable.
To place my affections on creatures would be to render myself guilty,
(1) Guilty towards myself; for it would be to degrade myself. “Such as the love of man is, such is he himself. Dost thou love the Earth? Thou art Earth! Dost thou love God? What shall I say? Thou art God!” (St. Augustine).
(2) Guilty towards creatures; for it would be to turn them away from their end, and do violence to their nature. The Apostle tells us that they groan and suffer because sinners make use of them against God (Romans 8:22) ; and a holy doctor represents them as raising their voices against the sinner, and demanding vengeance. “All created things cry out, each according to their manner, and say: This is he who abused us. The Earth says, ‘Why must I bear upon me this monster?’ The water says, ‘Why may I not instantly suffocate him?’ The air says, ‘Why do I not deprive him of my benefits?’ Hell says, ‘Why do not my games devour and inflict on him a thousand tortures?’” (St. Bonaventure).
(3) Guilty towards God. Guilty of injustice, because I should thus use the beings which belong to Him contrary to His will;-guilty of a species of idolatry, for I should take from Him the first place in my homage, and substitute the creature in my thoughts and heart; guilty of a kind of impiety, for it would be to attack all His attributes, His goodness, which I should abuse; His wisdom, the plans of which I should derange; His power, which I should turn against Him.
To place my end in creatures would be to render myself miserable―miserable for eternity; I should lose at once both God, from whom I should be forever separated, and creatures, who would become my everlasting torment; miserable in time―for how can creatures constitute my happiness? Creatures whose being is so limited―what a void they would leave in my heart! Creatures so full of imperfections―what a source of disappointment and disgust! Creatures so fragile and perishable―what a source of regret! Creatures so inconstant, so unfaithful―what a source of distrust and fear! Creatures become my end, made the enemies of God―what a source of remorse!
FOURTH CONSIDERATION
How creatures glorify God in leading man to God
I was made to know, to love, to serve, and possess God: this is my end; now creatures teach me,
(1) To know God. The order of the world reveals to me His wisdom: the stars announce His power―“The heavens show forth the glory of God” (Psalm 18:1); the ocean declares His immensity; the fertility of the earth praises His providence; the flowers of the field recall His beauty; the existence of the wicked even is a homage to His patience and His mercy. “Thou hast given me, O Lord, a delight in Thy doings: and in the works of Thy hands I shall rejoice. O Lord, how great are Thy works! The senseless man shall not know, nor will the fool understand these things” (Psalm 91:5-7).
(2) To love God. It is the goodness of God which has bestowed them upon me; it is His love which works for me through each of His creatures; it is He who warms me by the light of the sun; it is He who nourishes me by the fruits of the earth; it is He who clothes me by the garments which cover me. A God who serves me by means of His creatures, and serves me with so much constancy and so much goodness―what a motive to love Him! “The eyes of all hope in Thee, O Lord. All wait upon Thee that Thou give them their food in season. What Thou givest them, they gather up; when Thou openest Thy hand, they shall be filled with good” (Psalm 144:15, 103:27-28).
(3) To serve God. Consider, O my soul, how they do the will of their Creator. They do it with pleasure, says the Holy Spirit. “The stars have given light in their watches, and rejoiced: they were called, and they said, Here we are; and with cheerfulness they have shined forth to Him that made them” (Baruch 3:34-35).
They do it with respect. “He sendeth forth light, and it goeth; it obeyeth Him with trembling” (Baruch 3:33).
They do it with promptitude. “Who walkest upon the wings of the wind; who makest His angels spirits, and His ministers a flaming fire” (Psalm 103:3-4).
They do it with an immutable constancy. “By Thy ordinance the day goeth on, for all things serve Thee” (Psalm 118:91).
Thus, O my soul, every creature serves the Lord. Shall I be the only one that refuses to serve Him? Shall I be the least faithful of His servants, because I am of all others under the strongest obligation?
(4) All creatures assist me in meriting the possession of God; for there is not one that may not be the occasion of some virtue, and therefore the subject of some merit. Thus:
There are some creatures the use of which is indispensably necessary―those, for example, which are destined to sustain my existence. What occasions for practicing moderation and detachment!
There are some things to which we must submit, though nature shrinks from them―for instance, sickness, poverty, humiliation, mortification, etc. What opportunities of practicing patience, humility, charity! There are some things which from their nature lead us to God―such as the assistance of the supernatural order. What opportunities of exercising faith and piety! There are some things which withdraw our heart from God. What an opportunity of sacrifice! Is it in this light that I have considered creatures? Is it in this way that I have used them?
AFFECTIONS
Bless God in the name of all His creatures. “Bless the Lord, O all ye works of the Lord” (Daniel 3:57).
Grieve for having sought happiness from creatures. “Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity ... I have seen everything under the sun, and all is vanity an affliction of spirit” (Ecclesiastes 1:2, 14).
Resolve to love God alone. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or persecution, or the sword? .. I am sure that neither death, nor life ... nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35, 38, 39).
THIRD PART OF THE TEXT
Indifference with regard to Creatures
Text of St. Ignatius: "We must, then, above all things, endeavor to establish in ourselves a complete indifference with regard to all created things, even that of which the use is not forbidden us;-not preferring, as far as depends on us, health to sickness, riches to poverty, honor to humiliation, a long life to a short one; since order requires that we wish for and choose in everything what will lead us most surely to the end for which we were created."
All creatures were given to man to lead him to this his proper end. How is it, then, that they so frequently draw him away from God, and are the cause and instruments of his eternal ruin? “The creatures of God are turned to an abomination, and a temptation to the souls of men, and a snare to the feet of the unwise” (Wisdom 14:11). This arises from the irregularity of our affections as regards creatures. It is because nature, degraded by original sin, seeks them or avoids them, according as they flatter or mortify our corrupt passions. The purpose of this meditation is to reform the disorder of our attachments or aversions, and to establish in us a perfect indifference. This indifference consists in neither seeking nor avoiding, with a free and deliberate will, any created thing for itself, but solely as it may bring us near to or separate us from God.
FIRST CONSIDERATION
Motives for this indifference as regards God
(1) The sovereign dominion of God requires this indifference. Is it not true that I belong to God, and that He has an absolute and universal dominion over me? Is it not true that He created me for an end, and that He wills that I should tend to and arrive at this end? Without this indifference, it is evident that I am acting contrary to the will of God, and that I withdraw myself from His dominion. I dispose of my affections according to my own will, not according to His adorable will. Amidst the various situations in which I may be, I choose, not that which He destines for me, but the one which pleases me. I make myself the arbiter and proprietor of myself. Is not this to usurp the right of God?
(2) The sovereign perfection of God requires this indifference. God is so perfect and so amiable that He ought to be loved above all things, and that nothing ought to be loved extent for Him. Faith and reason proclaim this truth. And without this indifference how should I love God? How should I love creatures? I should love the latter for themselves, for the pleasures they procure for me; soon perhaps I should love them above God Himself. Is not this, O my God, the great disorder of my past life? and is it not the want of this indifference that has enfeebled, and often almost destroyed Thy love in my heart?
(3) The providence of God requires this indifference. Not only did God create me for Himself, but His providence never ceases to conduct me towards my end. I am in the hands of this providence so infinitely good, infinitely wise, infinitely powerful. Can I fear that this providence is unable or unwilling to procure my greatest good? Surely no! Without this indifference, then, in regard to creatures, I derange the whole plan of this providence. Perhaps God has deprived me of health, honor, fortune, pleasure; perhaps He has tried me by sickness, poverty, or tribulation. Of these two paths the first would lead to my eternal loss, and the second secure my everlasting happiness. If, then, by my own will I depart from the way in which He has placed me for my salvation, am I not guilty as regards His providence?
SECOND CONSIDERATION
Motives for this indifference as regards myself
(1) This indifference is requisite to acquire solid virtue. Virtue is at bottom but the spirit of sacrifice; in abnegation consists Christian sanctity. “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Where there is not indifference, can there be a spirit of sacrifice? Thus there will not be any virtues, or at least only natural virtues without merit for eternity;-virtues mixed with imperfections, sullied by self-love and natural desires;-virtues, fragile and inconstant, which will give way before the first breath of temptation?
(2) This indifference is requisite to ensure peace of heart. Without this indifference, what fears, what disappointments, what remorse! On the contrary, with this indifference, what sweet assurance! “The Lord ruleth me; I shall want nothing” (Psalm 22:1). “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 26:1). With this indifference, what joy even in the midst of tribulation! “I exceedingly abound with joy in all my tribulations” (2 Corinthians 7:4). With this indifference, what fullness of peace in the depths of the heart! “Oh, that thou hadst hearkened to My commandments; thy peace had been as a river, and thy justice as the waves of the sea” (Isaias 48:18).
(3) This indifference is necessary to ensure my salvation. How many perils threaten thy salvation, O my soul! Perils from the world, perils from the devil, perils within thyself―from the imagination, the heart, the memory, the senses; perils without―from friends, from business, from pleasure, from occupation, from solitude, from society. “Lord, when wilt Thou look upon me? Deliver my soul from this malice: my only one from the lions” (Psalm 34:17). O my soul, all these perils are reduced to one-to the making a bad use of creatures. Force thyself, then, to arrive at a perfect indifference; thou hast no other danger to fear, and thy salvation is secured. Take example from the clay which allows itself to be formed at the will of the workman; which does not say to him, “Why dost thou form me into an ignominious vessel, and not into a glorious vase?” Raise thy thoughts still higher. Learn from the angels who with the same submission and the same tranquility stand before the throne of God to sing, without ending, the canticle of Sion: “Holy, holy, holy!” Or to watch over an obscure mortal to oonduct him through the pilgrimage of this life. Look still higher. Take example by Jesus Christ, who had no other food or life on this earth than the will of Him that sent Him: “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me!” (John 4:34).
RULES FOR THE PRACTICE OF INDIFFERENCE
RULE 1. In the use of creatures, only esteem and desire what leads to God. All the rest is useless for His glory and man's salvation.
RULE 2. In the use of creatures, firmly resolve to fly from all that God forbids―mortal sin, venial sin, and the occasions of both. “Fear God and keep His commandments; for this is the whole of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). “Without this,” says St. Bernard, “man, whatever he may be, is nothing.”
RULE 3. In the case of indifferent creatures, that is to say, of things which in themselves neither bring us nearer nor lead us farther from God, we must cease to feel indifference towards them only as it accords with the rule of the will of God, and His good pleasure.
End by reciting the Pater.
Text of St. Ignatius: “All other beings or objects placed around man on Earth have been created for him, to serve as means to assist him in the pursuit of the end for which he was created.”
FIRST CONSIDERATION
Creatures are from God
Creatures have the same origin as myself. They, like me, have been taken from nothing, and He who drew them from nothing was God; but what difference between their creation and that of man!
1. Like me, they occupied from all eternity the thoughts and heart of God; but they held only the second place. God loved me for Himself, because I was destined for His glory; He loved creatures for the sake of man, because they were destined for the use of man, and because they only have reference to God distantly and through the medium of man.
2. Like me, creatures have received a being which is in some sort the efflux of His august perfections; but they have not, like me, the honor of being the living image of God, and made in His likeness.
3. Like me, they were created for the glory of God: but they have neither the understanding to know Him, nor the heart to love Him; they are incapable of possessing Him; they can only glorify Him in a very inferior and imperfect manner, that is, by the services which they render to His servants. “Know, O man, thy dignity” (Pope St. Leo the Great).
SECOND CONSIDERATION
Creatures belong to God
Creatures cannot have the same origin as myself without having the same master. They come, then, from God, and belong to Him. God has the same dominion over them as over me. Hence conclude:
1. I must, then, make use of creatures with a spirit of dependence, according to the order of the Divine will, not as a master who disposes at his pleasure, but as a steward who must render an account to his lawful superior.
2. I must make use of creatures with a spirit of gratitude, like a poor man who of himself has no right to the use of the things of this world, and who holds every and any thing from the generosity of God, to whom all belongs.
3. I must also make use of creatures with a spirit of fear; for on one side my corrupt nature constantly inclines me to the abuse of created things, and on the other God will rigorously punish this abuse, which overthrows all the economy of creation.
Let me look back at the past. In what spirit have I made use of creatures up to this day? Has it not been in a spirit of independence? Almost always without consulting the will of God; often even contrary to the order of His adorable will. Has it not been with a spirit of ingratitude? O my God, when have I thought of raising my heart to Thee, and thanking Thee for Thy gifts? Has it not been with a spirit of sensuality and of selfishness? Only seeking myself and my pleasure in creatures, without thinking of the Divine justice, which will not fail to ask of me an account of so criminal an abuse. Let us accustom ourselves henceforward forward to read on every creature these three words: “Receive, give, fear”― as if it should say, “Receive the blessing I offer you; give thanks to thy Creator for it; fear the judgment which will be passed upon you according to the use you have made of me” (Richard of St. Victor).
THIRD CONSIDERATION
Creatures are for God through the medium of man
Creatures were formed for an end as well as myself, and this end is the glory of God; for God could only create for His Glory. Creatures deprived of understanding are not made to glorify the Lord directly; they are made to serve man, who, in exchange for their services, must lend his intelligence and heart to praise and love God, and thus make them to conduce to the glory of their common Creator. This, then, according to the light of faith and reason, is the order of my relations with God and with creatures. I am for God, and creatures for me. From this follows that I cannot, like worldlings, make creatures my end without making myself guilty and miserable.
To place my affections on creatures would be to render myself guilty,
(1) Guilty towards myself; for it would be to degrade myself. “Such as the love of man is, such is he himself. Dost thou love the Earth? Thou art Earth! Dost thou love God? What shall I say? Thou art God!” (St. Augustine).
(2) Guilty towards creatures; for it would be to turn them away from their end, and do violence to their nature. The Apostle tells us that they groan and suffer because sinners make use of them against God (Romans 8:22) ; and a holy doctor represents them as raising their voices against the sinner, and demanding vengeance. “All created things cry out, each according to their manner, and say: This is he who abused us. The Earth says, ‘Why must I bear upon me this monster?’ The water says, ‘Why may I not instantly suffocate him?’ The air says, ‘Why do I not deprive him of my benefits?’ Hell says, ‘Why do not my games devour and inflict on him a thousand tortures?’” (St. Bonaventure).
(3) Guilty towards God. Guilty of injustice, because I should thus use the beings which belong to Him contrary to His will;-guilty of a species of idolatry, for I should take from Him the first place in my homage, and substitute the creature in my thoughts and heart; guilty of a kind of impiety, for it would be to attack all His attributes, His goodness, which I should abuse; His wisdom, the plans of which I should derange; His power, which I should turn against Him.
To place my end in creatures would be to render myself miserable―miserable for eternity; I should lose at once both God, from whom I should be forever separated, and creatures, who would become my everlasting torment; miserable in time―for how can creatures constitute my happiness? Creatures whose being is so limited―what a void they would leave in my heart! Creatures so full of imperfections―what a source of disappointment and disgust! Creatures so fragile and perishable―what a source of regret! Creatures so inconstant, so unfaithful―what a source of distrust and fear! Creatures become my end, made the enemies of God―what a source of remorse!
FOURTH CONSIDERATION
How creatures glorify God in leading man to God
I was made to know, to love, to serve, and possess God: this is my end; now creatures teach me,
(1) To know God. The order of the world reveals to me His wisdom: the stars announce His power―“The heavens show forth the glory of God” (Psalm 18:1); the ocean declares His immensity; the fertility of the earth praises His providence; the flowers of the field recall His beauty; the existence of the wicked even is a homage to His patience and His mercy. “Thou hast given me, O Lord, a delight in Thy doings: and in the works of Thy hands I shall rejoice. O Lord, how great are Thy works! The senseless man shall not know, nor will the fool understand these things” (Psalm 91:5-7).
(2) To love God. It is the goodness of God which has bestowed them upon me; it is His love which works for me through each of His creatures; it is He who warms me by the light of the sun; it is He who nourishes me by the fruits of the earth; it is He who clothes me by the garments which cover me. A God who serves me by means of His creatures, and serves me with so much constancy and so much goodness―what a motive to love Him! “The eyes of all hope in Thee, O Lord. All wait upon Thee that Thou give them their food in season. What Thou givest them, they gather up; when Thou openest Thy hand, they shall be filled with good” (Psalm 144:15, 103:27-28).
(3) To serve God. Consider, O my soul, how they do the will of their Creator. They do it with pleasure, says the Holy Spirit. “The stars have given light in their watches, and rejoiced: they were called, and they said, Here we are; and with cheerfulness they have shined forth to Him that made them” (Baruch 3:34-35).
They do it with respect. “He sendeth forth light, and it goeth; it obeyeth Him with trembling” (Baruch 3:33).
They do it with promptitude. “Who walkest upon the wings of the wind; who makest His angels spirits, and His ministers a flaming fire” (Psalm 103:3-4).
They do it with an immutable constancy. “By Thy ordinance the day goeth on, for all things serve Thee” (Psalm 118:91).
Thus, O my soul, every creature serves the Lord. Shall I be the only one that refuses to serve Him? Shall I be the least faithful of His servants, because I am of all others under the strongest obligation?
(4) All creatures assist me in meriting the possession of God; for there is not one that may not be the occasion of some virtue, and therefore the subject of some merit. Thus:
There are some creatures the use of which is indispensably necessary―those, for example, which are destined to sustain my existence. What occasions for practicing moderation and detachment!
There are some things to which we must submit, though nature shrinks from them―for instance, sickness, poverty, humiliation, mortification, etc. What opportunities of practicing patience, humility, charity! There are some things which from their nature lead us to God―such as the assistance of the supernatural order. What opportunities of exercising faith and piety! There are some things which withdraw our heart from God. What an opportunity of sacrifice! Is it in this light that I have considered creatures? Is it in this way that I have used them?
AFFECTIONS
Bless God in the name of all His creatures. “Bless the Lord, O all ye works of the Lord” (Daniel 3:57).
Grieve for having sought happiness from creatures. “Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity ... I have seen everything under the sun, and all is vanity an affliction of spirit” (Ecclesiastes 1:2, 14).
Resolve to love God alone. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or persecution, or the sword? .. I am sure that neither death, nor life ... nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35, 38, 39).
THIRD PART OF THE TEXT
Indifference with regard to Creatures
Text of St. Ignatius: "We must, then, above all things, endeavor to establish in ourselves a complete indifference with regard to all created things, even that of which the use is not forbidden us;-not preferring, as far as depends on us, health to sickness, riches to poverty, honor to humiliation, a long life to a short one; since order requires that we wish for and choose in everything what will lead us most surely to the end for which we were created."
All creatures were given to man to lead him to this his proper end. How is it, then, that they so frequently draw him away from God, and are the cause and instruments of his eternal ruin? “The creatures of God are turned to an abomination, and a temptation to the souls of men, and a snare to the feet of the unwise” (Wisdom 14:11). This arises from the irregularity of our affections as regards creatures. It is because nature, degraded by original sin, seeks them or avoids them, according as they flatter or mortify our corrupt passions. The purpose of this meditation is to reform the disorder of our attachments or aversions, and to establish in us a perfect indifference. This indifference consists in neither seeking nor avoiding, with a free and deliberate will, any created thing for itself, but solely as it may bring us near to or separate us from God.
FIRST CONSIDERATION
Motives for this indifference as regards God
(1) The sovereign dominion of God requires this indifference. Is it not true that I belong to God, and that He has an absolute and universal dominion over me? Is it not true that He created me for an end, and that He wills that I should tend to and arrive at this end? Without this indifference, it is evident that I am acting contrary to the will of God, and that I withdraw myself from His dominion. I dispose of my affections according to my own will, not according to His adorable will. Amidst the various situations in which I may be, I choose, not that which He destines for me, but the one which pleases me. I make myself the arbiter and proprietor of myself. Is not this to usurp the right of God?
(2) The sovereign perfection of God requires this indifference. God is so perfect and so amiable that He ought to be loved above all things, and that nothing ought to be loved extent for Him. Faith and reason proclaim this truth. And without this indifference how should I love God? How should I love creatures? I should love the latter for themselves, for the pleasures they procure for me; soon perhaps I should love them above God Himself. Is not this, O my God, the great disorder of my past life? and is it not the want of this indifference that has enfeebled, and often almost destroyed Thy love in my heart?
(3) The providence of God requires this indifference. Not only did God create me for Himself, but His providence never ceases to conduct me towards my end. I am in the hands of this providence so infinitely good, infinitely wise, infinitely powerful. Can I fear that this providence is unable or unwilling to procure my greatest good? Surely no! Without this indifference, then, in regard to creatures, I derange the whole plan of this providence. Perhaps God has deprived me of health, honor, fortune, pleasure; perhaps He has tried me by sickness, poverty, or tribulation. Of these two paths the first would lead to my eternal loss, and the second secure my everlasting happiness. If, then, by my own will I depart from the way in which He has placed me for my salvation, am I not guilty as regards His providence?
SECOND CONSIDERATION
Motives for this indifference as regards myself
(1) This indifference is requisite to acquire solid virtue. Virtue is at bottom but the spirit of sacrifice; in abnegation consists Christian sanctity. “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Where there is not indifference, can there be a spirit of sacrifice? Thus there will not be any virtues, or at least only natural virtues without merit for eternity;-virtues mixed with imperfections, sullied by self-love and natural desires;-virtues, fragile and inconstant, which will give way before the first breath of temptation?
(2) This indifference is requisite to ensure peace of heart. Without this indifference, what fears, what disappointments, what remorse! On the contrary, with this indifference, what sweet assurance! “The Lord ruleth me; I shall want nothing” (Psalm 22:1). “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 26:1). With this indifference, what joy even in the midst of tribulation! “I exceedingly abound with joy in all my tribulations” (2 Corinthians 7:4). With this indifference, what fullness of peace in the depths of the heart! “Oh, that thou hadst hearkened to My commandments; thy peace had been as a river, and thy justice as the waves of the sea” (Isaias 48:18).
(3) This indifference is necessary to ensure my salvation. How many perils threaten thy salvation, O my soul! Perils from the world, perils from the devil, perils within thyself―from the imagination, the heart, the memory, the senses; perils without―from friends, from business, from pleasure, from occupation, from solitude, from society. “Lord, when wilt Thou look upon me? Deliver my soul from this malice: my only one from the lions” (Psalm 34:17). O my soul, all these perils are reduced to one-to the making a bad use of creatures. Force thyself, then, to arrive at a perfect indifference; thou hast no other danger to fear, and thy salvation is secured. Take example from the clay which allows itself to be formed at the will of the workman; which does not say to him, “Why dost thou form me into an ignominious vessel, and not into a glorious vase?” Raise thy thoughts still higher. Learn from the angels who with the same submission and the same tranquility stand before the throne of God to sing, without ending, the canticle of Sion: “Holy, holy, holy!” Or to watch over an obscure mortal to oonduct him through the pilgrimage of this life. Look still higher. Take example by Jesus Christ, who had no other food or life on this earth than the will of Him that sent Him: “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me!” (John 4:34).
RULES FOR THE PRACTICE OF INDIFFERENCE
RULE 1. In the use of creatures, only esteem and desire what leads to God. All the rest is useless for His glory and man's salvation.
RULE 2. In the use of creatures, firmly resolve to fly from all that God forbids―mortal sin, venial sin, and the occasions of both. “Fear God and keep His commandments; for this is the whole of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). “Without this,” says St. Bernard, “man, whatever he may be, is nothing.”
RULE 3. In the case of indifferent creatures, that is to say, of things which in themselves neither bring us nearer nor lead us farther from God, we must cease to feel indifference towards them only as it accords with the rule of the will of God, and His good pleasure.
End by reciting the Pater.
WEEK 1 : DAY 3
INSTRUCTIONS ON THE SIN AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
INSTRUCTIONS ON THE SIN AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
EXERCISES ON THE PUNISHMENT OF SIN
FIRST EXERCISE
Sin punished in the rebel angels
Preparatory prayer. Ask of God the grace to devote to His glory and service all the powers and operations of your soul.
First prelude. Represent to yourself the flames of Hell, and in the midst of the flames an innumerable multitude of fallen angels.
Second prelude. Ask of God sentiments of shame and repentance, at the sight of these victims of sin. The angels only sinned once; but you, how often have you not committed even mortal sins?
FIRST CONSIDERATION
The state of the rebel angels before their sin
Consider:
(1) The excellence of their being. They were pure spirits, free from the bonds of a mortal body; the living images of the perfections of God; the first-fruits and most perfect work of the creation.
(2) Their intelligence. What lights respecting God, creatures, their own dignity! What wisdom, what breadth and depth of knowledge!
(3) Their will. What innocence! What uprightness! What a powerful inclination towards good! What natural movements of heart towards God their sovereign beatitude!
(4) Their dwelling-place. It is Heaven, where they do not yet see the Lord face to face, but where their life is to think of Him and to love Him.
(5) Their future destiny. A few moments of trial, and God reveals Himself to their eyes without a cloud. They will be, through all eternity, at the foot of His throne, enjoying the happiness of seeing Him, of loving Him, and possessing Him with all the powers of their being. “They shall be inebriated with the plenty of Thy house; Thou shalt make them drink of the torrent of Thy pleasures” (Psalm 32:9).
(6) Their chief. Lucifer, the prince of the celestial hierarchy, and whose perfections are described by the Holy Spirit in Ezechiel: “Thou wast the seal of resemblance, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou wast in the pleasures of the paradise of God: precious stones were thy covering, gold was the work of thy beauty. I set thee on the mountain of God, and thou didst walk in the midst of stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day of thy creation until iniquity was found in thee” (Ezechiel 28:12-15). O my God, what couldst Thou have added to the magnificence of Thy gifts to these sublime intelligences? And what was wanting to them except to remain faithful to Thee?
SECOND CONSIDERATION
The sin of the rebel angles
These noble spirits were in possession of their liberty, and it was their ruin. God had given it to them that it might be a merit; they abused it and were lost.
According to St. Bonaventure and some other doctors of the Church, they became dazzled by their own perfections, and their sin was a guilty complaisance and a kind of idolatry of themselves. According to St. Thomas, God had revealed to them the future grandeur of the Incarnation, and had commanded them to adore the Man-God; and their crime was a resistance to this command of the Lord. Lucifer first raised the standard of rebellion; he dared to declare himself the rival of God, and he drew a third of the angels into his rebellion. “Thou saidst in thy heart, I will ascend into Heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit in the mountain of the covenant; I will ascend above the height of the clouds; I will be like to the Most High” (Isaias 14:13-14).
Consider attentively all the circumstances of this sin, in order to understand its motive.
(1) A sin of revolt against God. “Thou hast broken My yoke, thou hast burst My bands, and thou saidst, ‘I will not serve!’” (Jeremias 2:20). Is not this the character of your sins? Are they not revolts against God?
(2) A sin committed in Heaven. “Thou wert in the delights of paradise, and thou didst sin” (Ezechiel 28:13, 16) And you, placed in the land of saints, in the Heaven on Earth, in the Church of God, how many times have you not committed mortal sin?
(3) A sin committed amidst great lights. “Thou wast full of wisdom, perfect in beauty, and thou didst sin” (Ezechiel 28:12). And you too have sinned amidst the brightest lights of faith.
(4) A sin committed after great benefits received. “Thou wert the seal, the image of God, and thou didst sin” (Ezechiel 28:12). And you, placed in the land of saints, in the Heaven on Earth, in the Church of God, how many times have you not committed). And you, loaded with all the gifts of nature and grace, have sinned. You have offended your benefactor by the abuse even of His own benefits.
(5) A sin of scandal. “And behold a great dragon; and his tail drew the third part of the stars of Heaven” (Apocalypse 12:3-4). And how many souls have not your sins drawn down? Count the victims of your scandals.
THIRD CONSIDERATION
The chastisement of the rebel angels
No interval exists between the crime and its punishment; the justice of God strikes them like the thunderbolt. They are cast into the depths of Hell, and in the midst of flames expiate through an eternity the crime of a moment. What a terrible revolution in their whole being―in their intelligence, no thoughts but of crime! In their will, no love but for evil! In their abode, no other palace but Hell! In the ministry, no other occupation than to pervert or torment souls! In their destiny, their end, supreme misery, and that for eternity! O, terrible fall! “How art thou fallen, O Lucifer!” (Isaias 14:12). O my soul, tremble for thyself! If an angel is so treated, what will it be with man! “Howl, thou fir-tree! For the cedar is fallen, for the mighty are laid waste” (Zacharias 11:20).
Reflect on this terrible vengeance of God.
(1) His justice has no regard to the number of the guilty; do not assure yourself by the number who sin like you.
(2) His justice has no regard for the dignity or excellence of the victims; do not trust to your dignity of rank in the world or the Church.
(3) His justice pays no regard to the services which the angels might render to His glory, if repentant and restored to grace; do not therefore comfort yourself by the thought of the services you might render to Jesus Christ and His Church. (4) His justice has no regard to the place which the angels had occupied until then in His friendship and in His heart; do not therefore assure yourself by the past mercies of Our Lord.
(5) His justice strikes without pity, and yet it is the first sin of the angels, and their only sin. What will, then, become of you who can and ought to say with the prophet, “My iniquities are gone over my head”? (Psalm 37:5).
AFFECTIONS
End, at the foot of the crucifix, by the sentiments of humility, confession, and repentance, which a great saint and doctor suggests to you. “My God, Thou hast imprinted upon me Thy own adorable image, and for it I have substituted the frightful image of Satan. I see myself more horrible than Lucifer. He fell proudly, having no example of divine vengeance before him; I, after beholding his chastisement, have sinned contemptuously. He was once established in innocence; I have often been restored. He rose up against Him who had bestowed upon him his being; I against Him who has repaired mine. He remains for ever, fixed in his malice, under eternal reprobation; I a sinner, am ever fleeing from the mercy of God, who calls me back. He abandoned a God who lets him depart from Him. I fly from a God who comes to seek me. And if both have sinned, he yet sinned against a God who did not call him to repentance; I, on the contrary, against a God who died to save me” (St. Bonaventure).
Speak with Jesus crucified.
Pater.
FIRST EXERCISE
Sin punished in the rebel angels
Preparatory prayer. Ask of God the grace to devote to His glory and service all the powers and operations of your soul.
First prelude. Represent to yourself the flames of Hell, and in the midst of the flames an innumerable multitude of fallen angels.
Second prelude. Ask of God sentiments of shame and repentance, at the sight of these victims of sin. The angels only sinned once; but you, how often have you not committed even mortal sins?
FIRST CONSIDERATION
The state of the rebel angels before their sin
Consider:
(1) The excellence of their being. They were pure spirits, free from the bonds of a mortal body; the living images of the perfections of God; the first-fruits and most perfect work of the creation.
(2) Their intelligence. What lights respecting God, creatures, their own dignity! What wisdom, what breadth and depth of knowledge!
(3) Their will. What innocence! What uprightness! What a powerful inclination towards good! What natural movements of heart towards God their sovereign beatitude!
(4) Their dwelling-place. It is Heaven, where they do not yet see the Lord face to face, but where their life is to think of Him and to love Him.
(5) Their future destiny. A few moments of trial, and God reveals Himself to their eyes without a cloud. They will be, through all eternity, at the foot of His throne, enjoying the happiness of seeing Him, of loving Him, and possessing Him with all the powers of their being. “They shall be inebriated with the plenty of Thy house; Thou shalt make them drink of the torrent of Thy pleasures” (Psalm 32:9).
(6) Their chief. Lucifer, the prince of the celestial hierarchy, and whose perfections are described by the Holy Spirit in Ezechiel: “Thou wast the seal of resemblance, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou wast in the pleasures of the paradise of God: precious stones were thy covering, gold was the work of thy beauty. I set thee on the mountain of God, and thou didst walk in the midst of stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day of thy creation until iniquity was found in thee” (Ezechiel 28:12-15). O my God, what couldst Thou have added to the magnificence of Thy gifts to these sublime intelligences? And what was wanting to them except to remain faithful to Thee?
SECOND CONSIDERATION
The sin of the rebel angles
These noble spirits were in possession of their liberty, and it was their ruin. God had given it to them that it might be a merit; they abused it and were lost.
According to St. Bonaventure and some other doctors of the Church, they became dazzled by their own perfections, and their sin was a guilty complaisance and a kind of idolatry of themselves. According to St. Thomas, God had revealed to them the future grandeur of the Incarnation, and had commanded them to adore the Man-God; and their crime was a resistance to this command of the Lord. Lucifer first raised the standard of rebellion; he dared to declare himself the rival of God, and he drew a third of the angels into his rebellion. “Thou saidst in thy heart, I will ascend into Heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit in the mountain of the covenant; I will ascend above the height of the clouds; I will be like to the Most High” (Isaias 14:13-14).
Consider attentively all the circumstances of this sin, in order to understand its motive.
(1) A sin of revolt against God. “Thou hast broken My yoke, thou hast burst My bands, and thou saidst, ‘I will not serve!’” (Jeremias 2:20). Is not this the character of your sins? Are they not revolts against God?
(2) A sin committed in Heaven. “Thou wert in the delights of paradise, and thou didst sin” (Ezechiel 28:13, 16) And you, placed in the land of saints, in the Heaven on Earth, in the Church of God, how many times have you not committed mortal sin?
(3) A sin committed amidst great lights. “Thou wast full of wisdom, perfect in beauty, and thou didst sin” (Ezechiel 28:12). And you too have sinned amidst the brightest lights of faith.
(4) A sin committed after great benefits received. “Thou wert the seal, the image of God, and thou didst sin” (Ezechiel 28:12). And you, placed in the land of saints, in the Heaven on Earth, in the Church of God, how many times have you not committed). And you, loaded with all the gifts of nature and grace, have sinned. You have offended your benefactor by the abuse even of His own benefits.
(5) A sin of scandal. “And behold a great dragon; and his tail drew the third part of the stars of Heaven” (Apocalypse 12:3-4). And how many souls have not your sins drawn down? Count the victims of your scandals.
THIRD CONSIDERATION
The chastisement of the rebel angels
No interval exists between the crime and its punishment; the justice of God strikes them like the thunderbolt. They are cast into the depths of Hell, and in the midst of flames expiate through an eternity the crime of a moment. What a terrible revolution in their whole being―in their intelligence, no thoughts but of crime! In their will, no love but for evil! In their abode, no other palace but Hell! In the ministry, no other occupation than to pervert or torment souls! In their destiny, their end, supreme misery, and that for eternity! O, terrible fall! “How art thou fallen, O Lucifer!” (Isaias 14:12). O my soul, tremble for thyself! If an angel is so treated, what will it be with man! “Howl, thou fir-tree! For the cedar is fallen, for the mighty are laid waste” (Zacharias 11:20).
Reflect on this terrible vengeance of God.
(1) His justice has no regard to the number of the guilty; do not assure yourself by the number who sin like you.
(2) His justice has no regard for the dignity or excellence of the victims; do not trust to your dignity of rank in the world or the Church.
(3) His justice pays no regard to the services which the angels might render to His glory, if repentant and restored to grace; do not therefore comfort yourself by the thought of the services you might render to Jesus Christ and His Church. (4) His justice has no regard to the place which the angels had occupied until then in His friendship and in His heart; do not therefore assure yourself by the past mercies of Our Lord.
(5) His justice strikes without pity, and yet it is the first sin of the angels, and their only sin. What will, then, become of you who can and ought to say with the prophet, “My iniquities are gone over my head”? (Psalm 37:5).
AFFECTIONS
End, at the foot of the crucifix, by the sentiments of humility, confession, and repentance, which a great saint and doctor suggests to you. “My God, Thou hast imprinted upon me Thy own adorable image, and for it I have substituted the frightful image of Satan. I see myself more horrible than Lucifer. He fell proudly, having no example of divine vengeance before him; I, after beholding his chastisement, have sinned contemptuously. He was once established in innocence; I have often been restored. He rose up against Him who had bestowed upon him his being; I against Him who has repaired mine. He remains for ever, fixed in his malice, under eternal reprobation; I a sinner, am ever fleeing from the mercy of God, who calls me back. He abandoned a God who lets him depart from Him. I fly from a God who comes to seek me. And if both have sinned, he yet sinned against a God who did not call him to repentance; I, on the contrary, against a God who died to save me” (St. Bonaventure).
Speak with Jesus crucified.
Pater.
WEEK 1 : DAY 4
INSTRUCTIONS ON THE SIN OF ADAM AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
INSTRUCTIONS ON THE SIN OF ADAM AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
SECOND EXERCISE
Sin punished in Adam and his posterity
Preparatory prayer. As before.
First prelude. Represent to yourself Adam driven from Paradise by an angel armed with a fiery sword, and not knowing where to hide his shame and his remorse.
Second prelude. The same as last.
FIRST CONSIDERATION
Adam before his sin
Consider:
(1) The excellence of his being. Adam is not made from nothing by a single word, like other creatures: “He spoke, and they were made” (Psalm 68:5). The Three Persons of the adorable Trinity deliberated, as it were: “Let us make man” (Genesis 1:26). God gave him a soul made in His image: “And God created man to His own image” (Genesis 1:27). He formed his body with His hands, and animates it with the breath of His mouth: “And the Lord God formed man of the slime of the earth, and breathed into his face the breath of life” (Genesis 2:7).
(2) Consider the happiness and glory of his state. The lights of his mind: “He created in them the science of the spirit” (Ecclesiasticus 17:6). The innocence of his heart: “He filled their heart with wisdom” (Ecclesiasticus 17:6). His empire over his passions and over all the senses of his body, the profound peace of his soul: “What was wanting to him who was guarded by mercy, taught by truth, governed by justice, borne in the arms of peace?” (St. Bernard).
(3) Consider the place of his abode. God had placed him amidst the delights of the terrestrial paradise: “God took man and put him into the paradise of pleasure” (Genesis 2:15). He made him the king over all nature: “And gave him power over all things that are upon the earth; He put the fear of Him upon all flesh” (Ecclesiasticus 17:3-4).
(4) Consider his relations with God. The Lord had deigned to make an eternal alliance with him. He Himself revealed to him His commands and His greatness. Adam was honored to hear His voice: “He made an everlasting covenant with them: and their eye saw the majesty of His glory, and their ears heard His glorious voice” (Ecclesiasticus 17:10-11).
(5) Consider his future destiny. After a few years of happy life in the earthly paradise, he was to enjoy for an eternity the sight and possession of God.
O God, how great was man in the days of his innocence! “Thou hast made him a little less than the angels; Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, and hast set him over the works of Thy hands” (Psalm 8:6-7). Why was it that he forgot his greatness? “Man, when he was in honor, did not understand; he hath been compared to senseless beasts, and made like unto them” (Psalm 48:21).
SECOND CONSIDERATION
Adam's Sin
God had forbidden Adam to touch the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He exacted obedience from the first man as a homage to His supreme dominion, and He exacted it under pain of death: “But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat. For in what day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die the death” (Genesis 2:17). Adam did not obey. Eve, tempted by the serpent, tempted her husband, who, by his fatal complaisance, betrayed his trust: “And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold; and she took of the fruit thereof and did eat, and gave to her husband, who did eat” (Genesis 3:6).
Consider attentively the characteristics of this first sin, and in the history of Adam's fall recognize the history of all others.
(1) Imprudence. Eve listened to the perfidious counsels of Satan; Adam listened to the insinuations of his spouse. And you? What has been the cause of your falls? Has it not been a temptation imprudently listened to?
(2) Sensuality. The beauty, the apparent sweetness of the forbidden fruit seduced our first parents; “they saw it was good to eat and fair to the eyes.” And have not all your faults, at least your more grave ones, been sins of the senses?
(3) Cowardice. With the lights of his intelligence, with the rectitude and good inclinations of his heart, with a conscience so upright and delicate, it was easy for Adam to remain faithful. And you, formed by religion, by a Christian education, what resources against temptation have you not found in your faith, in your conscience, in your heart, where grace has planted such holy inclinations?
(4) Contempt of God. Nothing arrests Adam―neither the bounty of God, which has surrounded him with benefits; nor the authority of God, of which his reason loudly proclaimed the rights; nor His justice, of which the threats were so express and so formidable. And have not you, when you committed sin, had as little regard to the benefits, the authority, or the threatened judgments of the Lord?
(5) Blindness. Our first parents believed the word of the tempter, and they did not believe that of God. On the faith of Satan they persuaded themselves that they should not die, that they should be like gods: “You shall not die the death, you shall be as gods” (Genesis 3:4-5). And their eyes were only opened when the sin was committed: “And the eyes of them both were opened” (Genesis 3:7). Is not this the exact picture of your past blindness? In the moment of temptation have you not sought to deceive yourself by foolish reasonings on the justice of God, and on His mercy? Have you not sought to persuade yourself that sin is not so great an evil―that God is too good to punish you? And is it not true that it was only after the sin that your blindness ceased, and that your eyes were opened to the light?
THIRD CONSIDERATION
Adam after his sin
(1) Meditate well on the terrible sentence of God on guilty Adam. Because thou hast eaten of the forbidden fruit, the earth shall be cursed; it shall only bring forth thorns; thou shalt eat thy bread in the sweat of thy brow until thou returnest to the earth from which thou didst come out; for dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return (Genesis 3:19).
(2) Consider the accomplishment of the Divine sentence. A German prince, wishing to inspire his son with a great horror of war, ordered a painter to represent the different scenes of a bloody battle, and to write these words at the bottom of the picture: “Behold the fruits of war!” Imitate this prince, you who meditate at this moment on the fall of our first parents; represent to yourself all the evils which have followed it, and say to yourself: “Behold the fruits of sin!”
Consider the soul of Adam deprived of grace and original justice, and disfigured by sin: Behold the fruits of sin.
Consider his faculties wounded, as it were, wounded mortally; his mind given up to doubt, ignorance, error, his heart, without inclination for good, the sport of a thousand passions; his conscience, which has lost its peace, and is tormented by remorse: Behold the fruits of sin.
Consider the revolution which took place in nature: the inclemency of the seasons, the revolt of the animals, the sterility of the earth, which of itself only produces thorns and thistles: Behold the fruits of sin.
Consider the tribulations of Adam: the sweat of his daily work; the sorrows of sickness and infirmity; his desolation at the death of the innocent Abel; all the troubles of his heart and spirit; and after nine hundred years of penitence, the final trial of death: Behold the fruits of sin.
Consider the anger of God in pouring vengeance for this first sin on all the descendants of the first culprit; represent to yourself the miseries of men in all ages,-contagions, wars, disasters, violent deaths; so many tears shed, so many crimes committed, so many children for ever deprived of the sight of God, so many souls cast into hell. See here the consequences of one sin: Behold the fruits of sin.
(3) End by turning back on yourself, and comparing the sin of Adam with your own personal sins. On the side of Adam a single sin, a sin committed before the Incarnation, a sin committed before he had any experience of Divine justice; above all, a sin which he repented of immediately, and which he expiated by nine centuries of penitence; and on your part so many sins, sins committed in a nature sanctified by Jesus Christ; sins committed in the face of the Cross and in the sight of hell; sins, perhaps, which you have never expiated; sins, perhaps, of which you have scarcely repented. “O God, what have I not to fear from Thy justice?”
AFFECTIONS
● Fear. “Who knoweth the power of Thy anger, and for Thy fear can number Thy wrath?” (Psalm 89:11).
● Confusion. “All the day long my shame is before me, and the confusion of my face hath covered me” (Psalm 43:16).
● Regret. “There is no health in my flesh because of Thy wrath: there is no peace for my bones because of my sins” (Psalm 37:4).
● Beg the mercy of God. “Have mercy on me, 0 God, according to Thy great mercy” (Psalm 1. 1).
Sin punished in Adam and his posterity
Preparatory prayer. As before.
First prelude. Represent to yourself Adam driven from Paradise by an angel armed with a fiery sword, and not knowing where to hide his shame and his remorse.
Second prelude. The same as last.
FIRST CONSIDERATION
Adam before his sin
Consider:
(1) The excellence of his being. Adam is not made from nothing by a single word, like other creatures: “He spoke, and they were made” (Psalm 68:5). The Three Persons of the adorable Trinity deliberated, as it were: “Let us make man” (Genesis 1:26). God gave him a soul made in His image: “And God created man to His own image” (Genesis 1:27). He formed his body with His hands, and animates it with the breath of His mouth: “And the Lord God formed man of the slime of the earth, and breathed into his face the breath of life” (Genesis 2:7).
(2) Consider the happiness and glory of his state. The lights of his mind: “He created in them the science of the spirit” (Ecclesiasticus 17:6). The innocence of his heart: “He filled their heart with wisdom” (Ecclesiasticus 17:6). His empire over his passions and over all the senses of his body, the profound peace of his soul: “What was wanting to him who was guarded by mercy, taught by truth, governed by justice, borne in the arms of peace?” (St. Bernard).
(3) Consider the place of his abode. God had placed him amidst the delights of the terrestrial paradise: “God took man and put him into the paradise of pleasure” (Genesis 2:15). He made him the king over all nature: “And gave him power over all things that are upon the earth; He put the fear of Him upon all flesh” (Ecclesiasticus 17:3-4).
(4) Consider his relations with God. The Lord had deigned to make an eternal alliance with him. He Himself revealed to him His commands and His greatness. Adam was honored to hear His voice: “He made an everlasting covenant with them: and their eye saw the majesty of His glory, and their ears heard His glorious voice” (Ecclesiasticus 17:10-11).
(5) Consider his future destiny. After a few years of happy life in the earthly paradise, he was to enjoy for an eternity the sight and possession of God.
O God, how great was man in the days of his innocence! “Thou hast made him a little less than the angels; Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, and hast set him over the works of Thy hands” (Psalm 8:6-7). Why was it that he forgot his greatness? “Man, when he was in honor, did not understand; he hath been compared to senseless beasts, and made like unto them” (Psalm 48:21).
SECOND CONSIDERATION
Adam's Sin
God had forbidden Adam to touch the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He exacted obedience from the first man as a homage to His supreme dominion, and He exacted it under pain of death: “But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat. For in what day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die the death” (Genesis 2:17). Adam did not obey. Eve, tempted by the serpent, tempted her husband, who, by his fatal complaisance, betrayed his trust: “And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold; and she took of the fruit thereof and did eat, and gave to her husband, who did eat” (Genesis 3:6).
Consider attentively the characteristics of this first sin, and in the history of Adam's fall recognize the history of all others.
(1) Imprudence. Eve listened to the perfidious counsels of Satan; Adam listened to the insinuations of his spouse. And you? What has been the cause of your falls? Has it not been a temptation imprudently listened to?
(2) Sensuality. The beauty, the apparent sweetness of the forbidden fruit seduced our first parents; “they saw it was good to eat and fair to the eyes.” And have not all your faults, at least your more grave ones, been sins of the senses?
(3) Cowardice. With the lights of his intelligence, with the rectitude and good inclinations of his heart, with a conscience so upright and delicate, it was easy for Adam to remain faithful. And you, formed by religion, by a Christian education, what resources against temptation have you not found in your faith, in your conscience, in your heart, where grace has planted such holy inclinations?
(4) Contempt of God. Nothing arrests Adam―neither the bounty of God, which has surrounded him with benefits; nor the authority of God, of which his reason loudly proclaimed the rights; nor His justice, of which the threats were so express and so formidable. And have not you, when you committed sin, had as little regard to the benefits, the authority, or the threatened judgments of the Lord?
(5) Blindness. Our first parents believed the word of the tempter, and they did not believe that of God. On the faith of Satan they persuaded themselves that they should not die, that they should be like gods: “You shall not die the death, you shall be as gods” (Genesis 3:4-5). And their eyes were only opened when the sin was committed: “And the eyes of them both were opened” (Genesis 3:7). Is not this the exact picture of your past blindness? In the moment of temptation have you not sought to deceive yourself by foolish reasonings on the justice of God, and on His mercy? Have you not sought to persuade yourself that sin is not so great an evil―that God is too good to punish you? And is it not true that it was only after the sin that your blindness ceased, and that your eyes were opened to the light?
THIRD CONSIDERATION
Adam after his sin
(1) Meditate well on the terrible sentence of God on guilty Adam. Because thou hast eaten of the forbidden fruit, the earth shall be cursed; it shall only bring forth thorns; thou shalt eat thy bread in the sweat of thy brow until thou returnest to the earth from which thou didst come out; for dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return (Genesis 3:19).
(2) Consider the accomplishment of the Divine sentence. A German prince, wishing to inspire his son with a great horror of war, ordered a painter to represent the different scenes of a bloody battle, and to write these words at the bottom of the picture: “Behold the fruits of war!” Imitate this prince, you who meditate at this moment on the fall of our first parents; represent to yourself all the evils which have followed it, and say to yourself: “Behold the fruits of sin!”
Consider the soul of Adam deprived of grace and original justice, and disfigured by sin: Behold the fruits of sin.
Consider his faculties wounded, as it were, wounded mortally; his mind given up to doubt, ignorance, error, his heart, without inclination for good, the sport of a thousand passions; his conscience, which has lost its peace, and is tormented by remorse: Behold the fruits of sin.
Consider the revolution which took place in nature: the inclemency of the seasons, the revolt of the animals, the sterility of the earth, which of itself only produces thorns and thistles: Behold the fruits of sin.
Consider the tribulations of Adam: the sweat of his daily work; the sorrows of sickness and infirmity; his desolation at the death of the innocent Abel; all the troubles of his heart and spirit; and after nine hundred years of penitence, the final trial of death: Behold the fruits of sin.
Consider the anger of God in pouring vengeance for this first sin on all the descendants of the first culprit; represent to yourself the miseries of men in all ages,-contagions, wars, disasters, violent deaths; so many tears shed, so many crimes committed, so many children for ever deprived of the sight of God, so many souls cast into hell. See here the consequences of one sin: Behold the fruits of sin.
(3) End by turning back on yourself, and comparing the sin of Adam with your own personal sins. On the side of Adam a single sin, a sin committed before the Incarnation, a sin committed before he had any experience of Divine justice; above all, a sin which he repented of immediately, and which he expiated by nine centuries of penitence; and on your part so many sins, sins committed in a nature sanctified by Jesus Christ; sins committed in the face of the Cross and in the sight of hell; sins, perhaps, which you have never expiated; sins, perhaps, of which you have scarcely repented. “O God, what have I not to fear from Thy justice?”
AFFECTIONS
● Fear. “Who knoweth the power of Thy anger, and for Thy fear can number Thy wrath?” (Psalm 89:11).
● Confusion. “All the day long my shame is before me, and the confusion of my face hath covered me” (Psalm 43:16).
● Regret. “There is no health in my flesh because of Thy wrath: there is no peace for my bones because of my sins” (Psalm 37:4).
● Beg the mercy of God. “Have mercy on me, 0 God, according to Thy great mercy” (Psalm 1. 1).
WEEK 1 : DAY 5
INSTRUCTIONS ON OUR OWN PERSONAL SINS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES
INSTRUCTIONS ON OUR OWN PERSONAL SINS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES
THIRD EXERCISE
Personal sin punished in man
Preparatory Prayer. Ask of God the grace to devote to His glory and service all the powers and operations of your soul.
First prelude. Represent to yourself the flames of Hell in which thousands of condemned souls are burning.
Second prelude. The same as last.
CONSIDERATIONS
Consider that at this very moment, when you on Earth are meditating on the malice of sin, there is perhaps in the depths of Hell a soul that God has forever condemned for one single mortal sin.
(1) Consider what this soul was before its sin.
For a long time, perhaps, it had received much less grace than you who now meditate on its misery; and yet it may have persevered in virtue through many years; its childhood may have been sanctified by innocence and piety; in youth it may have remained pure in the midst of the strongest passions and most violent temptations. It had preserved its baptismal innocence, perhaps, up to the fatal moment which witnessed at once its fall, its death, and its reprobation.
It may have lived many years in the friendship of God; practiced great virtues, and given great examples of piety; perhaps received the spirit of prayer, like St. Louis Gonzaga; the spirit of mortification, like St. John of the Cross; the spirit of zeal, like St. Francis Xavier. Perhaps it had received a great gift of prayer, like. St. Teresa; perhaps the gift of miracles, like Judas before his crime.
Think what acts of virtue, what victories, what sacrifices, what merit in such a life, what titles to eternal glory! What are you in comparison with this soul? Compare your faults with its virtues―the corruption of your heart with its innocence; your sensual life with its mortifications; your dissipation and forgetfulness of God with its habits of prayer, etc. And yet you may, if you choose, be one of the elect; and this is a reprobate soul, and will remain so through all eternity. “How is the gold become dim, the finest color is changed!” (Lamentations 4:1).
(2) Consider what this soul has become since its sin.
It committed but one single mortal sin―one mortal sin after ten, perhaps twenty years of a holy life, full of good works. A single mortal sin! And if this unhappy man fell with the knowledge and consent necessary to constitute a mortal sin, yet he perhaps only sinned from weakness; perhaps was carried away by some strong passion; perhaps after long temptation, perhaps after long resistance. Are your faults of this kind? And if, during your life, you have only committed one such sin, do you not believe yourself almost innocent?
Yet the justice of God overtook this unhappy soul, without leaving any interval between the mortal sin and death. All is over with it after the first crime; no grace, no repentance, no pardon; it is lost for all eternity. “How incomprehensible are His judgments, and how unsearchable His ways!” (Romans 11:33).
If God had struck this soul a few hours earlier, death would have found it in a state of grace; this soul would have been saved; it would have possessed God. And now that it has entered eternity with mortal sin, it is forever deprived of the sight and the possession of God, who is its end and its whole felicity. It would have been in the highest heavens and in the society of angels; and now it is in the depths of Hell and in the company of demons. It would have been clothed with glory: and now it is surrounded with flames. It would have been inundated with peace and the joys of paradise; and now it is torn with remorse, and condemned to never-ending tears and despair. It would have lived in Heaven for ever, to love and bless God; and now it lives in Hell but to blaspheme Him, to curse Him, to hate Him, through all eternity. O God, what a fearful catastrophe! And this is the work of one single sin!
(3) Consider what this soul might have been if God had allowed it time to acknowledge and expiate its sin.
After the first burst of passion, who knows if it would not have returned to itself: if reason would not have regained its empire, conscience made its reproaches heard, faith shown the depth of the abyss into which it had fallen, grace solicited the heart, the habit of prayer brought it back to the foot of the cross? The goodness of its heart could not have resisted the voice of Jesus Christ: “Why persecutest thou Me?” (Acts 9:4).
For is not this what passes within you after each of your falls? Who knows whether a few hours after his sin, absolution―or perhaps even before absolution, perfect contrition―might not have restored him to the friendship of God, to his innocence, and to all his merit? Perhaps he might have spent the rest of his life in weeping over this one fault: perhaps he might have made this one sin the subject of constant repentance; he might, like Magdalen, like Augustine, have made the memory of this fault a motive for more fervent love. Now his mortal career would be ended, he would be at the feet of Jesus and Mary in Heaven; and we might perhaps be invoking him on Earth as a model of penitence and holiness, as an illustrious example of the power of grace and Divine mercy. But this time for repentance, which might have been so well employed, was refused by God; and this soul is lost, and forever! O the depth!
To inspire yourself with a still greater horror of sin, ask yourself what this God is who thus punishes a single mortal sin. Has He ceased to be a God of wisdom? No; in punishing in this manner He always acts according to the immutable rules of His infinite wisdom: “O the depth of the wisdom of God!” (Romans 11:33). Has He ceased to be a God of goodness and mercy? No. At the moment that His vengeance overtook this soul, He had no hatred but for the sin; and guilty as that soul was, He loved it as His creature, as the price of His blood, better than you love the work of your hands, better than a mother loves her only son “For Thou lovest all things that are, and hatest none of the things which Thou hast made, because they are Thine, O Lord, who lovest souls” (Wisdom 11:25, 27).
Has He ceased to be a just God? No; the angels in Heaven applaud the equity of His judgments; and in Hell this condemned soul itself is obliged to render homage to the justness of the sentence which condemned it: “Thou art just, O Lord; and Thy judgment is right” (Psalm 118:137). What an evil must one mortal sin not be, and who would not fear to offend a God who punishes so rigorously? “Who shall not fear Thee, O King of nations?” (Jeremias 10:7).
Now return to yourself.
(1) How long is it since you committed mortal sin the first time?
(2) Why did not God strike you dead after this first sin, as He foresaw that you would make use of your life to sin again and again, and with so much malice?
(3) Why has God spared you until now, when everything demanded your condemnation, the interest of His perfections, which you have outraged; the interest of His graces, which you have trampled underfoot; the interest of souls, whose loss you have caused by your scandals?
(4) What was there in you to inspire God with so much mercy towards you? If He considers the past―your baptismal innocence lost, a guilty childhood, a youth given up to pleasure; if He considers the present―a heart attached to sin, rebellious against graces, resolved not to make a sacrifice of its passions; if He should consider the future―iniquities multiplying with years, infidelities growing with graces.
And yet God has left you life, and, with life, grace to return to Him, to repent, to merit Heaven! What mercy on His part! You ought to look upon yourself as a soul saved from Hell by a singular privilege of Divine goodness; you should say, “Lord, if Thou hadst called me before Thy tribunal on such a day, at such an hour, and after such a fault, I should now be in Hell among the lost; in Hell! I should shed useless tears over my sin. I will shed them on Earth, that they may become efficacious and meritorious for Heaven. In Hell I should have performed a useless and hopeless penance, on Earth I will perform a useful penance, in the hope of obtaining my pardon―in Hell I should see all creatures armed against me for my torment; I will detach my heart from all earthly creatures for Thy love―in Hell I should have no other occupation than blaspheming and hating Thee; I will spend my life on Earth in blessing and loving Thee.”
AFFECTIONS AT THE FOOT OF THE CRUCIFIX
● Sorrow and Shame. “My God, I am confounded, and ashamed to lift up my face to Thee: for our iniquities are multiplied over our heads, and our sins are grown up even unto Heaven” (Esdras 9:6).
● Gratitude. “I have sinned, and have offended, and I have not received what I have deserved” (Job 33:2). “It is because of the mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed” (Lamentations 3:22).
● Fidelity for the future. “I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify Thy name for ever: for Thy mercy is great towards me, and Thou hast delivered my soul out of the lower Hell” (Psalm 85:12-13).
COLLOQUIES WHICH MUST BE FREQUENTLY REPEATED DURING THE FOLLOWING MEDITATIONS
● The first will be addressed to Mary the Mother of our Savior, our Lady and our Queen; we shall supplicate her to intercede for us with her Son, and to obtain for us the three graces which are most necessary for us: first, a full knowledge, a true detestation, and a lively feeling of our sins; then a reformation of ourselves such as God expects of us, and such as this thorough knowledge and profound horror of our past disorders should produce; finally, the happiness of profiting by this sad experience of the sinfulness of the world, which we bitterly deplore, by renouncing forever the world and its vanities. This colloquy will end by an Ave Maria.
● The second will be addressed to Jesus Christ our Lord and Mediator. We shall beg of Him to obtain for us these three graces from the Eternal Father. We shall recite at the end the prayer Anima Christi.
● The third will be addressed to God the Father, that He may deign to grant us this threefold favor, and we shall end by saying the Pater.
Personal sin punished in man
Preparatory Prayer. Ask of God the grace to devote to His glory and service all the powers and operations of your soul.
First prelude. Represent to yourself the flames of Hell in which thousands of condemned souls are burning.
Second prelude. The same as last.
CONSIDERATIONS
Consider that at this very moment, when you on Earth are meditating on the malice of sin, there is perhaps in the depths of Hell a soul that God has forever condemned for one single mortal sin.
(1) Consider what this soul was before its sin.
For a long time, perhaps, it had received much less grace than you who now meditate on its misery; and yet it may have persevered in virtue through many years; its childhood may have been sanctified by innocence and piety; in youth it may have remained pure in the midst of the strongest passions and most violent temptations. It had preserved its baptismal innocence, perhaps, up to the fatal moment which witnessed at once its fall, its death, and its reprobation.
It may have lived many years in the friendship of God; practiced great virtues, and given great examples of piety; perhaps received the spirit of prayer, like St. Louis Gonzaga; the spirit of mortification, like St. John of the Cross; the spirit of zeal, like St. Francis Xavier. Perhaps it had received a great gift of prayer, like. St. Teresa; perhaps the gift of miracles, like Judas before his crime.
Think what acts of virtue, what victories, what sacrifices, what merit in such a life, what titles to eternal glory! What are you in comparison with this soul? Compare your faults with its virtues―the corruption of your heart with its innocence; your sensual life with its mortifications; your dissipation and forgetfulness of God with its habits of prayer, etc. And yet you may, if you choose, be one of the elect; and this is a reprobate soul, and will remain so through all eternity. “How is the gold become dim, the finest color is changed!” (Lamentations 4:1).
(2) Consider what this soul has become since its sin.
It committed but one single mortal sin―one mortal sin after ten, perhaps twenty years of a holy life, full of good works. A single mortal sin! And if this unhappy man fell with the knowledge and consent necessary to constitute a mortal sin, yet he perhaps only sinned from weakness; perhaps was carried away by some strong passion; perhaps after long temptation, perhaps after long resistance. Are your faults of this kind? And if, during your life, you have only committed one such sin, do you not believe yourself almost innocent?
Yet the justice of God overtook this unhappy soul, without leaving any interval between the mortal sin and death. All is over with it after the first crime; no grace, no repentance, no pardon; it is lost for all eternity. “How incomprehensible are His judgments, and how unsearchable His ways!” (Romans 11:33).
If God had struck this soul a few hours earlier, death would have found it in a state of grace; this soul would have been saved; it would have possessed God. And now that it has entered eternity with mortal sin, it is forever deprived of the sight and the possession of God, who is its end and its whole felicity. It would have been in the highest heavens and in the society of angels; and now it is in the depths of Hell and in the company of demons. It would have been clothed with glory: and now it is surrounded with flames. It would have been inundated with peace and the joys of paradise; and now it is torn with remorse, and condemned to never-ending tears and despair. It would have lived in Heaven for ever, to love and bless God; and now it lives in Hell but to blaspheme Him, to curse Him, to hate Him, through all eternity. O God, what a fearful catastrophe! And this is the work of one single sin!
(3) Consider what this soul might have been if God had allowed it time to acknowledge and expiate its sin.
After the first burst of passion, who knows if it would not have returned to itself: if reason would not have regained its empire, conscience made its reproaches heard, faith shown the depth of the abyss into which it had fallen, grace solicited the heart, the habit of prayer brought it back to the foot of the cross? The goodness of its heart could not have resisted the voice of Jesus Christ: “Why persecutest thou Me?” (Acts 9:4).
For is not this what passes within you after each of your falls? Who knows whether a few hours after his sin, absolution―or perhaps even before absolution, perfect contrition―might not have restored him to the friendship of God, to his innocence, and to all his merit? Perhaps he might have spent the rest of his life in weeping over this one fault: perhaps he might have made this one sin the subject of constant repentance; he might, like Magdalen, like Augustine, have made the memory of this fault a motive for more fervent love. Now his mortal career would be ended, he would be at the feet of Jesus and Mary in Heaven; and we might perhaps be invoking him on Earth as a model of penitence and holiness, as an illustrious example of the power of grace and Divine mercy. But this time for repentance, which might have been so well employed, was refused by God; and this soul is lost, and forever! O the depth!
To inspire yourself with a still greater horror of sin, ask yourself what this God is who thus punishes a single mortal sin. Has He ceased to be a God of wisdom? No; in punishing in this manner He always acts according to the immutable rules of His infinite wisdom: “O the depth of the wisdom of God!” (Romans 11:33). Has He ceased to be a God of goodness and mercy? No. At the moment that His vengeance overtook this soul, He had no hatred but for the sin; and guilty as that soul was, He loved it as His creature, as the price of His blood, better than you love the work of your hands, better than a mother loves her only son “For Thou lovest all things that are, and hatest none of the things which Thou hast made, because they are Thine, O Lord, who lovest souls” (Wisdom 11:25, 27).
Has He ceased to be a just God? No; the angels in Heaven applaud the equity of His judgments; and in Hell this condemned soul itself is obliged to render homage to the justness of the sentence which condemned it: “Thou art just, O Lord; and Thy judgment is right” (Psalm 118:137). What an evil must one mortal sin not be, and who would not fear to offend a God who punishes so rigorously? “Who shall not fear Thee, O King of nations?” (Jeremias 10:7).
Now return to yourself.
(1) How long is it since you committed mortal sin the first time?
(2) Why did not God strike you dead after this first sin, as He foresaw that you would make use of your life to sin again and again, and with so much malice?
(3) Why has God spared you until now, when everything demanded your condemnation, the interest of His perfections, which you have outraged; the interest of His graces, which you have trampled underfoot; the interest of souls, whose loss you have caused by your scandals?
(4) What was there in you to inspire God with so much mercy towards you? If He considers the past―your baptismal innocence lost, a guilty childhood, a youth given up to pleasure; if He considers the present―a heart attached to sin, rebellious against graces, resolved not to make a sacrifice of its passions; if He should consider the future―iniquities multiplying with years, infidelities growing with graces.
And yet God has left you life, and, with life, grace to return to Him, to repent, to merit Heaven! What mercy on His part! You ought to look upon yourself as a soul saved from Hell by a singular privilege of Divine goodness; you should say, “Lord, if Thou hadst called me before Thy tribunal on such a day, at such an hour, and after such a fault, I should now be in Hell among the lost; in Hell! I should shed useless tears over my sin. I will shed them on Earth, that they may become efficacious and meritorious for Heaven. In Hell I should have performed a useless and hopeless penance, on Earth I will perform a useful penance, in the hope of obtaining my pardon―in Hell I should see all creatures armed against me for my torment; I will detach my heart from all earthly creatures for Thy love―in Hell I should have no other occupation than blaspheming and hating Thee; I will spend my life on Earth in blessing and loving Thee.”
AFFECTIONS AT THE FOOT OF THE CRUCIFIX
● Sorrow and Shame. “My God, I am confounded, and ashamed to lift up my face to Thee: for our iniquities are multiplied over our heads, and our sins are grown up even unto Heaven” (Esdras 9:6).
● Gratitude. “I have sinned, and have offended, and I have not received what I have deserved” (Job 33:2). “It is because of the mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed” (Lamentations 3:22).
● Fidelity for the future. “I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify Thy name for ever: for Thy mercy is great towards me, and Thou hast delivered my soul out of the lower Hell” (Psalm 85:12-13).
COLLOQUIES WHICH MUST BE FREQUENTLY REPEATED DURING THE FOLLOWING MEDITATIONS
● The first will be addressed to Mary the Mother of our Savior, our Lady and our Queen; we shall supplicate her to intercede for us with her Son, and to obtain for us the three graces which are most necessary for us: first, a full knowledge, a true detestation, and a lively feeling of our sins; then a reformation of ourselves such as God expects of us, and such as this thorough knowledge and profound horror of our past disorders should produce; finally, the happiness of profiting by this sad experience of the sinfulness of the world, which we bitterly deplore, by renouncing forever the world and its vanities. This colloquy will end by an Ave Maria.
● The second will be addressed to Jesus Christ our Lord and Mediator. We shall beg of Him to obtain for us these three graces from the Eternal Father. We shall recite at the end the prayer Anima Christi.
● The third will be addressed to God the Father, that He may deign to grant us this threefold favor, and we shall end by saying the Pater.
WEEK 1 : DAY 6
INSTRUCTIONS ON THE INFINITE MALICE OF MORTAL SIN
INSTRUCTIONS ON THE INFINITE MALICE OF MORTAL SIN
FOURTH EXERCISE
On the infinite malice of mortal sin
Preparatory Prayer.
First prelude. Present yourself before God as a criminal appearing before his judge, and about to hear his sentence.
Second prelude. “I groan in Thy sight as one guilty; shame hath covered my face, because of my sin: spare me, a suppliant, O my God”
“Ingemisco tanquam reus:
Culpa rubet vultus meus:
Supplicanti parce, Deus” (Dies Irae).
FIRST CONSIDERATION
A God offended by man
Consider attentively the greatness of the God who is offended; the nothingness of the sinner; the matter and the motive of the sin.
(1) The greatness of the God who is offended. What is God? Who is like to Him in greatness? Nations before Him are as a drop of water; the universe as a grain of sand; the whole human race as nothing. “Behold the Gentiles are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the smallest grain of a balance. Behold the islands are as a little dust; all nations are before Him as if they had no being at all” (Isaias 40:15, 17).
Who is like God in power? He created all by a word: “He spoke, and it was made.” He preserves all by His will: “Upholding all things by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3). One word of His can chain the ocean: “Hitherto shalt thou come, and shalt go no further” (Job 38:11). One look of His makes the earth tremble: “He looketh upon the earth, and maketh it tremble; He toucheth the mountains and they smoke” (Psalm 103:32). And before His face the mountains melt: “The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord” (Psalm 46:5).
Who is like to Him in holiness? In His eyes the just, the very saints, appear defiled: “The Heavens are not pure in His sight” (Job 15:15). He even finds sin in His angels: “And in His angels He found wickedness” (Job 4:18). Who is like Him in justice, in wisdom, in goodness? “Thy justice is as the mountains” (Psalm 35:7). “Of His wisdom there is no number” (Psalm 146:5). “All things are naked and open to His eyes” (Hebrews 6:13). “The Lord is sweet unto all, and His tender mercies are over all His works” (Psalm 144:9).
Finally, who is like to God? He has lived from all eternity: “But Thou, O Lord, endurest for ever” (Psalm 101:13). Behold His name: “I am who am” (Exodus 3:14). His empire is heaven and earth: “Heaven is My throne, and the earth My footstool” (Isaias 66:1). His palace is the light: “He inhabiteth light inaccessible” (1 Timothy 6:16). His vestments are beauty and glory: “Thou hast put on praise and beauty” (Psalm 103:1). His carriage the clouds and the wings of the wind: “Who makest the clouds Thy chariot: who walkest upon the wings of the winds” (Psalm 103:3). His subjects and His ministers are the angels: “Who makest Thy angels spirits, and Thy ministers a burning fire” (Psalm 103:4). And this is He whom the sinner has dared to offend: “Be astonished at this, O ye heavens” (Jeremais 2:12).
(2) The nothingness of the sinner. Who art thou, O man, that darest to measure thyself with God? “Who art thou that repliest against God?” (Romans 9:20). Thou art but flesh full of impurities: “Unclean flesh” (Ezechiel 4:14). Behold the corruption of thy nature: as dried grass ready to fall beneath the scythe: “All flesh is grass” (Isaias 40:6). Behold thy weakness: a leaf the sport of the wind―“A leaf that is carried away with the wind” (Job 13:25). Behold the inconstancy of thy heart: a vapor scarce formed, and already dissipated in the air ― this is thy life: “It is a vapor which appeareth for a little while, and afterwards shall vanish away” (James 4:15). A little dust and ashes; behold thy origin and thy end upon earth: “Dust and ashes” (Genesis 18:27). And it is thou who darest to raise thyself up against God: “Thou hast lifted thyself up against the Lord of Heaven, and thou hast said, I will not serve” (Daniel 5:23; Jeremias 2:20).
(3) The matter of the sin. That is to say, a law of God transgressed―a law infinitely pleasant, a law infinitely wise, a law the accomplishment of which was so easy, a law to which were attached such consoling promises, such terrible threats for time and eternity: “And thou saidst, ‘I will not serve!’”
(4) The motive of the sin. “To whom have you likened Me? said the Lord” (Isaias 46:5). To a passion at which you blush, to a pleasure which passed so quickly, to a little gold which melted in your hands. Did you not find in Me all you vainly seek in creatures? “With Me are riches and glory; glorious riches and justice” (Proverbs 8:18). Why, then, drink these corrupt waters? “And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the troubled water?” (Jeremias 2:13). These waters which only increase your thirst: “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again” (John 4:13). “Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and have dug to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jeremias 2:12-13).
SECOND CONSIDERATION
A God offended by man, and offended in all His attributes
What is it you do when you are so unhappy as to commit a mortal sin? By this single sin you outrage God in all His titles, and in all His perfections.
● You outrage God the Father in profaning this supernatural being, this participator of His Divine nature which He gave you in baptism: “Partakers of the Divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).
● You outrage the Word Incarnate. You dishonor Him in rendering subservient to the devil your soul, His spouse; you trample His blood under foot, and make His sufferings and death useless; you renew His passion and crucify Him again in your heart: “Crucifying again to themselves the Son of God” (Hebrews 26:6).
● You outrage the Holy Ghost. You grieve this Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). You do more, you resist Him: “You always resist the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51). You do more, you stifle Him within you “Extinguish not the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19).
● You outrage God in all His titles. As creator, in revolting against His supreme dominion; as legislator, by violating His laws; as redeemer, by despising His grace; as your friend, by provoking His enmity; as your father, by braving His authority; as your king, by banishing Him from your heart, which is His throne.
● You outrage His unity. You make divinities of your passions, which have your heart for an altar, your thoughts and affections as a homage, your soul and your eternity as a sacrifice.
● You outrage His infinite perfections. To Him you prefer a creature full of imperfections, who is a mere nothing, and whom death will soon take from you; and you prefer serving the devil, who is deformity itself, at the risk of falling into hell, rather than serve God, who is perfect beauty, and promises you heaven.
● You outrage His wisdom. By sin you reverse the order of His providence; you turn creatures away from their end, and you destroy the harmony of the universe.
● You outrage His holiness. You dishonor His features in your soul, and you cast His image down in the mire of your passions and vices.
● You outrage His immensity. If men were to witness your sin, their presence would recall you to your duty; you know that God is everywhere present, that you commit iniquity under His eyes, and as it were in His bosom; and yet the presence of God, thrice holy, does not deter you from crime.
● You outrage His Justice. If sin could destroy your fortune or your reputation, you would not commit it; and because it exposes you only to the anger of God, to the rigor of His judgment, you commit it without fear, and as if you had nothing to dread from His justice.
● You outrage His patience. If God left no interval between the crime and the punishment of the culprit, would you dare to offend Him? Is it, then, the longanimity of God which inspires you with the boldness to sin?
● Finally, and to say all in one word, you go still farther, and are guilty of deicide: “Sin, as far as it is possible to it, destroys God” (St. Bernard). It is true you cannot actually destroy God; but you do so in your heart. Why? Because the contempt you offer to His perfections occasions Him such lively displeasure that He would die of it if, by His nature, He were not impassible and immortal. Why? Because, in preferring a vile creature before Him, you take from Him the very essence of His being, that sovereign amiability which deserves to be loved above all things. Why? Because, in consenting to sin, you deprive God of the life He lived in your soul; you make Him die within you; it may truly be said that your heart is His grave. “Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this” (Jeremias 2:12).
THIRD CONSIDERATION
A God offended by man, notwithstanding the many motives which should induce him not to offend
Consider how many reasons there are to induce you to remain in submission to your God.
(1) Your respect for your fellow-creatures. You are so small, so humbly submissive before your masters; in presence of a sovereign, of an enemy, of a powerful protector; you bow down before their most unreasonable notions, their most absurd caprices―how is it that you are daring only against God, the first of masters, the most powerful of protectors, the most formidable of enemies?
(2) What you exact from others. You are so tenacious of your authority; you are so jealous of your honor and your rights; you insist with so much eagerness that all should give way before your ideas and your will―how is it, then, that you respect so little the authority, the rights, the honor of your God?
(3) The sacrifices you make for the world. When the world speaks, nothing stops you; you obey at every risk, at the price of your repose, of your pleasure, of your liberty, of your passions; sometimes even of your life. Why, then, when the Lord commands, is He not obeyed in the same manner? Why is it that then alone sacrifices are difficult and appear impossible?
(4) The promises you have made to God. You glory in respecting your pledged word; you would rather die than fail in your oath. Why do you feel a horror of perjury only when it regards men? Why does it no longer appear infamous when it regards God? Did not God receive your vows in baptism, on the day of your first communion, often in the holy tribunal? Has, then, the oath, which is so strong to bind man to man, no strength to bind man to God?
(5) The benefits you have received from God. You hold every thing from God; intelligence, imagination, heart, senses, talent, fortune, authority, birth, rank, youth, life. You can only sin by making use of His gifts. What black ingratitude is it, not only to forget your benefactor, but to return Him evil for good, to make use of His own gifts to insult Him, to force Him to act against Himself, and to turn against Himself His own bounty and power, which preserve you. “Thou hast made Me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied Me with thy iniquity” (Isaias 43:24).
AFFECTIONS
Place yourself at the foot of the crucifix, like a perjured friend at the feet of his friend, like a rebel subject at the feet of his king, like a parricide son at the feet of his father. Humbly ask of our Lord Jesus Christ the pardon of your sins.
Pater. Ave.
On the infinite malice of mortal sin
Preparatory Prayer.
First prelude. Present yourself before God as a criminal appearing before his judge, and about to hear his sentence.
Second prelude. “I groan in Thy sight as one guilty; shame hath covered my face, because of my sin: spare me, a suppliant, O my God”
“Ingemisco tanquam reus:
Culpa rubet vultus meus:
Supplicanti parce, Deus” (Dies Irae).
FIRST CONSIDERATION
A God offended by man
Consider attentively the greatness of the God who is offended; the nothingness of the sinner; the matter and the motive of the sin.
(1) The greatness of the God who is offended. What is God? Who is like to Him in greatness? Nations before Him are as a drop of water; the universe as a grain of sand; the whole human race as nothing. “Behold the Gentiles are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the smallest grain of a balance. Behold the islands are as a little dust; all nations are before Him as if they had no being at all” (Isaias 40:15, 17).
Who is like God in power? He created all by a word: “He spoke, and it was made.” He preserves all by His will: “Upholding all things by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3). One word of His can chain the ocean: “Hitherto shalt thou come, and shalt go no further” (Job 38:11). One look of His makes the earth tremble: “He looketh upon the earth, and maketh it tremble; He toucheth the mountains and they smoke” (Psalm 103:32). And before His face the mountains melt: “The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord” (Psalm 46:5).
Who is like to Him in holiness? In His eyes the just, the very saints, appear defiled: “The Heavens are not pure in His sight” (Job 15:15). He even finds sin in His angels: “And in His angels He found wickedness” (Job 4:18). Who is like Him in justice, in wisdom, in goodness? “Thy justice is as the mountains” (Psalm 35:7). “Of His wisdom there is no number” (Psalm 146:5). “All things are naked and open to His eyes” (Hebrews 6:13). “The Lord is sweet unto all, and His tender mercies are over all His works” (Psalm 144:9).
Finally, who is like to God? He has lived from all eternity: “But Thou, O Lord, endurest for ever” (Psalm 101:13). Behold His name: “I am who am” (Exodus 3:14). His empire is heaven and earth: “Heaven is My throne, and the earth My footstool” (Isaias 66:1). His palace is the light: “He inhabiteth light inaccessible” (1 Timothy 6:16). His vestments are beauty and glory: “Thou hast put on praise and beauty” (Psalm 103:1). His carriage the clouds and the wings of the wind: “Who makest the clouds Thy chariot: who walkest upon the wings of the winds” (Psalm 103:3). His subjects and His ministers are the angels: “Who makest Thy angels spirits, and Thy ministers a burning fire” (Psalm 103:4). And this is He whom the sinner has dared to offend: “Be astonished at this, O ye heavens” (Jeremais 2:12).
(2) The nothingness of the sinner. Who art thou, O man, that darest to measure thyself with God? “Who art thou that repliest against God?” (Romans 9:20). Thou art but flesh full of impurities: “Unclean flesh” (Ezechiel 4:14). Behold the corruption of thy nature: as dried grass ready to fall beneath the scythe: “All flesh is grass” (Isaias 40:6). Behold thy weakness: a leaf the sport of the wind―“A leaf that is carried away with the wind” (Job 13:25). Behold the inconstancy of thy heart: a vapor scarce formed, and already dissipated in the air ― this is thy life: “It is a vapor which appeareth for a little while, and afterwards shall vanish away” (James 4:15). A little dust and ashes; behold thy origin and thy end upon earth: “Dust and ashes” (Genesis 18:27). And it is thou who darest to raise thyself up against God: “Thou hast lifted thyself up against the Lord of Heaven, and thou hast said, I will not serve” (Daniel 5:23; Jeremias 2:20).
(3) The matter of the sin. That is to say, a law of God transgressed―a law infinitely pleasant, a law infinitely wise, a law the accomplishment of which was so easy, a law to which were attached such consoling promises, such terrible threats for time and eternity: “And thou saidst, ‘I will not serve!’”
(4) The motive of the sin. “To whom have you likened Me? said the Lord” (Isaias 46:5). To a passion at which you blush, to a pleasure which passed so quickly, to a little gold which melted in your hands. Did you not find in Me all you vainly seek in creatures? “With Me are riches and glory; glorious riches and justice” (Proverbs 8:18). Why, then, drink these corrupt waters? “And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the troubled water?” (Jeremias 2:13). These waters which only increase your thirst: “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again” (John 4:13). “Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and have dug to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jeremias 2:12-13).
SECOND CONSIDERATION
A God offended by man, and offended in all His attributes
What is it you do when you are so unhappy as to commit a mortal sin? By this single sin you outrage God in all His titles, and in all His perfections.
● You outrage God the Father in profaning this supernatural being, this participator of His Divine nature which He gave you in baptism: “Partakers of the Divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).
● You outrage the Word Incarnate. You dishonor Him in rendering subservient to the devil your soul, His spouse; you trample His blood under foot, and make His sufferings and death useless; you renew His passion and crucify Him again in your heart: “Crucifying again to themselves the Son of God” (Hebrews 26:6).
● You outrage the Holy Ghost. You grieve this Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). You do more, you resist Him: “You always resist the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51). You do more, you stifle Him within you “Extinguish not the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19).
● You outrage God in all His titles. As creator, in revolting against His supreme dominion; as legislator, by violating His laws; as redeemer, by despising His grace; as your friend, by provoking His enmity; as your father, by braving His authority; as your king, by banishing Him from your heart, which is His throne.
● You outrage His unity. You make divinities of your passions, which have your heart for an altar, your thoughts and affections as a homage, your soul and your eternity as a sacrifice.
● You outrage His infinite perfections. To Him you prefer a creature full of imperfections, who is a mere nothing, and whom death will soon take from you; and you prefer serving the devil, who is deformity itself, at the risk of falling into hell, rather than serve God, who is perfect beauty, and promises you heaven.
● You outrage His wisdom. By sin you reverse the order of His providence; you turn creatures away from their end, and you destroy the harmony of the universe.
● You outrage His holiness. You dishonor His features in your soul, and you cast His image down in the mire of your passions and vices.
● You outrage His immensity. If men were to witness your sin, their presence would recall you to your duty; you know that God is everywhere present, that you commit iniquity under His eyes, and as it were in His bosom; and yet the presence of God, thrice holy, does not deter you from crime.
● You outrage His Justice. If sin could destroy your fortune or your reputation, you would not commit it; and because it exposes you only to the anger of God, to the rigor of His judgment, you commit it without fear, and as if you had nothing to dread from His justice.
● You outrage His patience. If God left no interval between the crime and the punishment of the culprit, would you dare to offend Him? Is it, then, the longanimity of God which inspires you with the boldness to sin?
● Finally, and to say all in one word, you go still farther, and are guilty of deicide: “Sin, as far as it is possible to it, destroys God” (St. Bernard). It is true you cannot actually destroy God; but you do so in your heart. Why? Because the contempt you offer to His perfections occasions Him such lively displeasure that He would die of it if, by His nature, He were not impassible and immortal. Why? Because, in preferring a vile creature before Him, you take from Him the very essence of His being, that sovereign amiability which deserves to be loved above all things. Why? Because, in consenting to sin, you deprive God of the life He lived in your soul; you make Him die within you; it may truly be said that your heart is His grave. “Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this” (Jeremias 2:12).
THIRD CONSIDERATION
A God offended by man, notwithstanding the many motives which should induce him not to offend
Consider how many reasons there are to induce you to remain in submission to your God.
(1) Your respect for your fellow-creatures. You are so small, so humbly submissive before your masters; in presence of a sovereign, of an enemy, of a powerful protector; you bow down before their most unreasonable notions, their most absurd caprices―how is it that you are daring only against God, the first of masters, the most powerful of protectors, the most formidable of enemies?
(2) What you exact from others. You are so tenacious of your authority; you are so jealous of your honor and your rights; you insist with so much eagerness that all should give way before your ideas and your will―how is it, then, that you respect so little the authority, the rights, the honor of your God?
(3) The sacrifices you make for the world. When the world speaks, nothing stops you; you obey at every risk, at the price of your repose, of your pleasure, of your liberty, of your passions; sometimes even of your life. Why, then, when the Lord commands, is He not obeyed in the same manner? Why is it that then alone sacrifices are difficult and appear impossible?
(4) The promises you have made to God. You glory in respecting your pledged word; you would rather die than fail in your oath. Why do you feel a horror of perjury only when it regards men? Why does it no longer appear infamous when it regards God? Did not God receive your vows in baptism, on the day of your first communion, often in the holy tribunal? Has, then, the oath, which is so strong to bind man to man, no strength to bind man to God?
(5) The benefits you have received from God. You hold every thing from God; intelligence, imagination, heart, senses, talent, fortune, authority, birth, rank, youth, life. You can only sin by making use of His gifts. What black ingratitude is it, not only to forget your benefactor, but to return Him evil for good, to make use of His own gifts to insult Him, to force Him to act against Himself, and to turn against Himself His own bounty and power, which preserve you. “Thou hast made Me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied Me with thy iniquity” (Isaias 43:24).
AFFECTIONS
Place yourself at the foot of the crucifix, like a perjured friend at the feet of his friend, like a rebel subject at the feet of his king, like a parricide son at the feet of his father. Humbly ask of our Lord Jesus Christ the pardon of your sins.
Pater. Ave.
WEEK 1 : DAY 7
INSTRUCTIONS ON THE EFFECTS OF MORTAL SIN UPON THE SINNER
INSTRUCTIONS ON THE EFFECTS OF MORTAL SIN UPON THE SINNER
FIFTH EXERCISE
The effects of mortal sin on the soul of the sinner
Preparatory Prayer.
First prelude. Present yourself before God like a criminal loaded with chains, brought from the dungeon of a prison and placed before the tribunal of his judge.
Second prelude. Beg of our Lord that He will vouchsafe to show you the sad state of a soul which has been so unhappy as mortally to offend God: “Give me, O Lord, that I may see!” (Luke 18:41).
FIRST CONSIDERATION
By mortal sin we forfeit the friendship of God
When you were in a state of grace, God dwelt in your soul: “If any man love Me, My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him” (John 14:23). The most august bonds united you to Him. He called you His people: “Thou art My people” (Osee 2:24). His friend: “I have called you friends” (John 15:15). His spouse: “Thou hast wounded my heart, my sister, my spouse” (Canticles 4:9). His children: “Behold what manner of charity the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called, and should be, the sons of God” (1 John 3:1). Another self: “I have said ye are gods” (Psalm 80:6).
But what a change since mortal sin entered into your soul! That moment God left your heart “Woe to them, when I shall depart from them” (Osee 9:12). To His friendship has succeeded hatred: “Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity” (Psalm 5:7). You have ceased to be His people: “Ye are not My people, and I will not be yours” (Osee 1:9). In his eyes you are now an enemy on whom He has sworn vengeance: “I live forever; I will render vengeance to My enemies” (Deuteronomy 32:40-41). He no longer recognizes you as His spouse: “I know you not” (Matthew 25:12). In you He no longer sees anything but the child of Satan: “Ye are of your father the devil” (John 8:44). He has no longer anything for you but maledictions: “If thou wilt not hear the voice of the Lord thy God, cursed shalt thou be in the city, cursed in the field, cursed shall be the fruit of thy womb. And all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue and overtake thee, until thou perish” (Deuteronomy 28:15-17, 45). He arms every scourge against you: “Death and bloodshed, strife and the sword, oppressions, famine, afflictions, scourges;-all these things are created for the wicked” (Ecclesiasticus. 40:9-10). O guilty soul, consider what thou hast been, and what thou now art, in the eyes of thy Lord; and sigh deeply at the sight of thy misery. “Thou wast the spouse of Christ, the temple of God, the sanctuary of the Holy Ghost; and as often as I say ` thou wast,’ I must needs groan, because thou art not what thou wast” (St. Augustine).
SECOND CONSIDERATION
Mortal sin deprives us of all the gifts of grace
1. It destroys the beauty of the soul. A soul in a state of grace attracts the looks and ravishes the heart of God: “I will fix my eyes upon thee” (Psalm 32:8); “Behold thou art fair, O my love” (Canticles 1:14). But mortal sin destroys all trace of this beauty: “All her beauty is departed” (Lamentations 1:6) ; and covers the soul with a hideous leprosy, which makes it an object of horror to God and His angels.
2. It deprives the soul of all merit. Even if you united in yourself all the merits of all the saints together, all their alms, all their prayers, all their austerities, all their sacrifices―a single mortal sin would be enough to destroy all: “If the just man turn himself away from his justice, and do iniquity, all his justices which he hath done shall not be remembered” (Ezechiel 18:24).
3. It deprives the soul of all power of meriting. Yes; if you are in mortal sin, all your good works are useless to obtain heaven. Spend all your goods in alms; embrace the most rigorous austerities; convert the whole world, if it be possible; give your body to the flames―St. Paul assures you that all this is useless for salvation if there be a single sin in your heart : “If I have not charity, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2). To what can I compare you, O unhappy soul? “To what shall I compare thee, or to what shall I liken thee, O daughter of Jerusalem?” (Lamentations 2:13). To a vine loaded with fruit suddenly destroyed by the storm; to a temple unexpectedly over-thrown; to a ship that the tempest suddenly sinks with all her treasures; to a rich city which fire has reduced to a heap of burning ashes: “To what shall I equal thee, that I may comfort thee? ... Who shall heal thee?” (Lamentations 2:13).
THIRD CONSIDERATION
Mortal sin deprives us of our liberty
When you are in a state of grace, you are free: “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17). You enjoy the sweetest, the most honorable liberty; the only liberty that no power in the world can deprive you of, liberty conquered for you by the blood of Jesus Christ: “The freedom wherewith Christ has made us free” (Galatians 4:31); which consists in freedom from every yoke except that of God, which we cannot lose without degrading ourselves. But have you had the unhappiness to sin mortally? You have become a slave: “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin!” (John 8:34). You are given over to sin: “Sold under sin” (Romans 7:14). The devil reigns as master in your heart, which is your prison: “He hath built against me round about, that I may not get out” (Lamentations 3:7). Each day he tightens his chains about us: “He hath made my fetters heavy” (Lamentations 3:7). Everything within you is enslaved, your faculties, your senses, your talents, your fortune.
Is it not true that, in this sad state, you have often wished to return to God, to pray, to confess, to avoid the occasions of sin, to break through the habit of sin? Did the devil permit it? Has he not treated you as the centurion in the Gospel treated his soldiers: “I say to one, ‘Go!’ and he goeth; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he cometh; and to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he doeth it”? (Luke 7:8). Has he not always said to you, “Bring! Bring!” (Proverbs 30:15)―again this passion; again this sin. Has he not always been obeyed? Finally, is it not the story of your slavery that St. Augustine tells with so much force when he describes the servitude of his own passions: “I sighed, chained as I was, not by iron, but by my own will, stronger even than iron. My own will held me bound; and it was of it that the enemy of salvation made use to enchain me, and surround me on all sides by inextricable bonds” (Confessions, Book 8, chapter 5).
FOURTH CONSIDERATION.
Mortal sin robs us of peace of heart
A soul which belongs to God knows no trouble or fear: “The just is bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1). The heart of the just is like an eternal festival: “A secure mind is like a continual feast” (Proverbs 15:15). Even in the midst of tribulation he tastes ineffable joys: “I exceedingly abound with joy in all my tribulations” (2 Corinthians 7:4). But how different is it with the sinner; everywhere he carries a trembling heart, a heart a prey to sorrow: “If you will not hear the voice of the Lord, He will give thee a fearful heart, and a soul consumed with pensiveness” (Deuteronomy 28:15, 65). Tribulation and anguish penetrate the depths of his soul: “Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that worketh evil” (Romans 2:9). Remorse is in the conscience like an arrow which lacerates it: “I am turned in my anguish whilst the thorn is fastened” (Psalm 31:4). And his life is like the waves of the sea tossed by a storm: “The wicked are like the raging sea” (Isaias 57:20).
God has no need to arm the hand of man against the sinner; his conscience pursues him incessantly, and is at once witness, judge, and executioner; it accuses, condemns, and tortures him. Sometimes it pursues him in the midst of serious occupations, like David―“I walked sorrowful all the day long, there is no peace for my bones because of my sins” (Psalm 37:4, 7); sometimes amidst pleasures, like Baltassar; sometimes amidst the pains of sickness, like Antiochus; almost always in silence and solitude, like Cain. To some it reproaches the pleasure of a moment purchased by a long repentance: “What fruit, therefore, had you then in those things of which you are now ashamed?” (Romans 6:21). To others it shows all the bitterness of iniquity: “Know thou, and see that it is an evil and a bitter thing for thee to have left the Lord thy God” (Jeremias 2:19). To some it recalls incessantly the ingratitude and malice of their sin: “Thy own wickedness shall reprove thee, and thy apostasy shall rebuke thee” (Jeremias 2:19). To others it shows the sword of God’s justice suspended over their heads: sinner exhales an odor of corruption; the contagion of his scandals spreads death around him, and the infection of his vices makes him an object of horror to just men, to angels, and to God.
O fatal death! O death which deprives us, not of the life of nature, but of the life of grace; that is to say, of the life of God! Who will give us tears to bewail thee? “Who will give water to my head, and a fountain of tears to my eyes? And I will weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people” (Jeremias 9:1).
AFFECTIONS AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all that He hath done for thee; ... who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thee from destruction” (Psalm 102:2-4).
Pater. Ave.
The effects of mortal sin on the soul of the sinner
Preparatory Prayer.
First prelude. Present yourself before God like a criminal loaded with chains, brought from the dungeon of a prison and placed before the tribunal of his judge.
Second prelude. Beg of our Lord that He will vouchsafe to show you the sad state of a soul which has been so unhappy as mortally to offend God: “Give me, O Lord, that I may see!” (Luke 18:41).
FIRST CONSIDERATION
By mortal sin we forfeit the friendship of God
When you were in a state of grace, God dwelt in your soul: “If any man love Me, My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him” (John 14:23). The most august bonds united you to Him. He called you His people: “Thou art My people” (Osee 2:24). His friend: “I have called you friends” (John 15:15). His spouse: “Thou hast wounded my heart, my sister, my spouse” (Canticles 4:9). His children: “Behold what manner of charity the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called, and should be, the sons of God” (1 John 3:1). Another self: “I have said ye are gods” (Psalm 80:6).
But what a change since mortal sin entered into your soul! That moment God left your heart “Woe to them, when I shall depart from them” (Osee 9:12). To His friendship has succeeded hatred: “Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity” (Psalm 5:7). You have ceased to be His people: “Ye are not My people, and I will not be yours” (Osee 1:9). In his eyes you are now an enemy on whom He has sworn vengeance: “I live forever; I will render vengeance to My enemies” (Deuteronomy 32:40-41). He no longer recognizes you as His spouse: “I know you not” (Matthew 25:12). In you He no longer sees anything but the child of Satan: “Ye are of your father the devil” (John 8:44). He has no longer anything for you but maledictions: “If thou wilt not hear the voice of the Lord thy God, cursed shalt thou be in the city, cursed in the field, cursed shall be the fruit of thy womb. And all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue and overtake thee, until thou perish” (Deuteronomy 28:15-17, 45). He arms every scourge against you: “Death and bloodshed, strife and the sword, oppressions, famine, afflictions, scourges;-all these things are created for the wicked” (Ecclesiasticus. 40:9-10). O guilty soul, consider what thou hast been, and what thou now art, in the eyes of thy Lord; and sigh deeply at the sight of thy misery. “Thou wast the spouse of Christ, the temple of God, the sanctuary of the Holy Ghost; and as often as I say ` thou wast,’ I must needs groan, because thou art not what thou wast” (St. Augustine).
SECOND CONSIDERATION
Mortal sin deprives us of all the gifts of grace
1. It destroys the beauty of the soul. A soul in a state of grace attracts the looks and ravishes the heart of God: “I will fix my eyes upon thee” (Psalm 32:8); “Behold thou art fair, O my love” (Canticles 1:14). But mortal sin destroys all trace of this beauty: “All her beauty is departed” (Lamentations 1:6) ; and covers the soul with a hideous leprosy, which makes it an object of horror to God and His angels.
2. It deprives the soul of all merit. Even if you united in yourself all the merits of all the saints together, all their alms, all their prayers, all their austerities, all their sacrifices―a single mortal sin would be enough to destroy all: “If the just man turn himself away from his justice, and do iniquity, all his justices which he hath done shall not be remembered” (Ezechiel 18:24).
3. It deprives the soul of all power of meriting. Yes; if you are in mortal sin, all your good works are useless to obtain heaven. Spend all your goods in alms; embrace the most rigorous austerities; convert the whole world, if it be possible; give your body to the flames―St. Paul assures you that all this is useless for salvation if there be a single sin in your heart : “If I have not charity, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2). To what can I compare you, O unhappy soul? “To what shall I compare thee, or to what shall I liken thee, O daughter of Jerusalem?” (Lamentations 2:13). To a vine loaded with fruit suddenly destroyed by the storm; to a temple unexpectedly over-thrown; to a ship that the tempest suddenly sinks with all her treasures; to a rich city which fire has reduced to a heap of burning ashes: “To what shall I equal thee, that I may comfort thee? ... Who shall heal thee?” (Lamentations 2:13).
THIRD CONSIDERATION
Mortal sin deprives us of our liberty
When you are in a state of grace, you are free: “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17). You enjoy the sweetest, the most honorable liberty; the only liberty that no power in the world can deprive you of, liberty conquered for you by the blood of Jesus Christ: “The freedom wherewith Christ has made us free” (Galatians 4:31); which consists in freedom from every yoke except that of God, which we cannot lose without degrading ourselves. But have you had the unhappiness to sin mortally? You have become a slave: “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin!” (John 8:34). You are given over to sin: “Sold under sin” (Romans 7:14). The devil reigns as master in your heart, which is your prison: “He hath built against me round about, that I may not get out” (Lamentations 3:7). Each day he tightens his chains about us: “He hath made my fetters heavy” (Lamentations 3:7). Everything within you is enslaved, your faculties, your senses, your talents, your fortune.
Is it not true that, in this sad state, you have often wished to return to God, to pray, to confess, to avoid the occasions of sin, to break through the habit of sin? Did the devil permit it? Has he not treated you as the centurion in the Gospel treated his soldiers: “I say to one, ‘Go!’ and he goeth; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he cometh; and to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he doeth it”? (Luke 7:8). Has he not always said to you, “Bring! Bring!” (Proverbs 30:15)―again this passion; again this sin. Has he not always been obeyed? Finally, is it not the story of your slavery that St. Augustine tells with so much force when he describes the servitude of his own passions: “I sighed, chained as I was, not by iron, but by my own will, stronger even than iron. My own will held me bound; and it was of it that the enemy of salvation made use to enchain me, and surround me on all sides by inextricable bonds” (Confessions, Book 8, chapter 5).
FOURTH CONSIDERATION.
Mortal sin robs us of peace of heart
A soul which belongs to God knows no trouble or fear: “The just is bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1). The heart of the just is like an eternal festival: “A secure mind is like a continual feast” (Proverbs 15:15). Even in the midst of tribulation he tastes ineffable joys: “I exceedingly abound with joy in all my tribulations” (2 Corinthians 7:4). But how different is it with the sinner; everywhere he carries a trembling heart, a heart a prey to sorrow: “If you will not hear the voice of the Lord, He will give thee a fearful heart, and a soul consumed with pensiveness” (Deuteronomy 28:15, 65). Tribulation and anguish penetrate the depths of his soul: “Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that worketh evil” (Romans 2:9). Remorse is in the conscience like an arrow which lacerates it: “I am turned in my anguish whilst the thorn is fastened” (Psalm 31:4). And his life is like the waves of the sea tossed by a storm: “The wicked are like the raging sea” (Isaias 57:20).
God has no need to arm the hand of man against the sinner; his conscience pursues him incessantly, and is at once witness, judge, and executioner; it accuses, condemns, and tortures him. Sometimes it pursues him in the midst of serious occupations, like David―“I walked sorrowful all the day long, there is no peace for my bones because of my sins” (Psalm 37:4, 7); sometimes amidst pleasures, like Baltassar; sometimes amidst the pains of sickness, like Antiochus; almost always in silence and solitude, like Cain. To some it reproaches the pleasure of a moment purchased by a long repentance: “What fruit, therefore, had you then in those things of which you are now ashamed?” (Romans 6:21). To others it shows all the bitterness of iniquity: “Know thou, and see that it is an evil and a bitter thing for thee to have left the Lord thy God” (Jeremias 2:19). To some it recalls incessantly the ingratitude and malice of their sin: “Thy own wickedness shall reprove thee, and thy apostasy shall rebuke thee” (Jeremias 2:19). To others it shows the sword of God’s justice suspended over their heads: sinner exhales an odor of corruption; the contagion of his scandals spreads death around him, and the infection of his vices makes him an object of horror to just men, to angels, and to God.
O fatal death! O death which deprives us, not of the life of nature, but of the life of grace; that is to say, of the life of God! Who will give us tears to bewail thee? “Who will give water to my head, and a fountain of tears to my eyes? And I will weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people” (Jeremias 9:1).
AFFECTIONS AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all that He hath done for thee; ... who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thee from destruction” (Psalm 102:2-4).
Pater. Ave.
WEEK 1 : DAY 8
St. Ignatius calls each of the four periods of his retreat a "week" but some "weeks" are longer than others.
INSTRUCTIONS ON THE EFFECTS OF MORTAL SIN UPON THE SINNER
St. Ignatius calls each of the four periods of his retreat a "week" but some "weeks" are longer than others.
INSTRUCTIONS ON THE EFFECTS OF MORTAL SIN UPON THE SINNER
SIXTH EXERCISE
On the number and greatness of our sins
Preparatory Prayer.
First prelude. Present yourself before God like a criminal who appears at the tribunal of justice, and is about to hear his sentence.
Second prelude. “I groan in Thy sight as one guilty; shame hath covered my face, because of my sin; spare me, a suppliant, O my God.”
FIRST POINT
Recall all the sins of your life
(1) The sins of childhood. Since the first dawn of reason, of what have I thought? To whom did I give the first movements of my heart? What use did I make of my first moments of liberty? Alas, Lord, I seek in vain any time, any place, which has seen me without iniquity! When I was still young, I was already a sinner before Thee (St. Augustine).
(2) Sins of youth. Where shall I not find memories of sin? I find them everywhere: in the shelter of my father’s house, in the schools where I went in search of learning, in the various scenes of my plays and diversions, in the societies formed around me by a common education, in the places even where sin should never enter―in the sanctuary of Thy temples, O my God, and even at the foot of Thy altar!
(3) Sins of riper age. Interrogate, O my soul, the course of years which succeeded those of early youth. Where was the day that had not its sin? Examine those societies, those affairs, those employments; what do they recall but grave and frequent falls? Examine all the laws of the Lord; is there one which you have not transgressed? Examine past temptations; how many are there before which you did not fall? Examine all your faculties; which is there that has not been guilty? Examine all your senses; which of them is there which has not served as an instrument of sin? O my God, I confess I have sinned beyond all measure: “I confess to Almighty God that I have sinned exceedingly!”
SECOND POINT
Consider the malice of all your sins in themselves
What deformity in my sins, O my God! They must, indeed, be of an infinite ugliness, since they are opposed to Thee, O Lord, who art infinite beauty.
What ingratitude in my sins! All I had was from Thee, and I have dared to say: Go from me; depart from my senses, which only live through Thy power; depart from my lips, which only received movement to praise Thee; depart from my mind, which receives light from Thee alone, and from my heart, which only received feeling from Thee in order to think of Thee and to love Thee; depart from my being, which Thou only gayest that by it I might serve Thee.
What audacity in my sins! I have dared to say, I will not obey: I have said this to Thee, and on the brink of the tomb, on the brink of hell, above which Thou holdest me suspended by the slender thread which I call life.
What folly in my sins! I have left Thee, my Father, my Supreme Beatitude! And for whom? For a perfidious master, for a hateful tyrant, for the most cruel of executioners, for Satan.
Finally, what malice in my sins! I have sinned, carried away by passion; I have sinned deliberately; I have sinned publicly, and with scandal; I have sinned and remained at rest in my sin, notwithstanding so many lights, so many good examples, so many instances of Thy justice, so many exhortations from Thy ministers; notwithstanding the counsels and prayers of virtuous parents; notwithstanding the calls of conscience and remorse. “I confess that I have sinned exceedingly!”
O my God! If a man had once treated me as I treat Thee every day in my life, I should hate him for ever―what do I say? If I had treated a man as I have treated Thee, I should hate myself, and I should never forgive myself the malice of my heart. “I confess that I have sinned exceedingly!”
THIRD POINT
Consider who you are that have so offended God
What are the angels before God? What are all men, compared to the angels? What am I, compared to the whole of mankind? Like one leaf in the midst of an immense forest, a drop of water in a stream, a grain of sand on the shore of the ocean, an atom in the immensity of the universe; and it is I, vile and worthless dust, who have not feared to declare myself a rebel against God: “Thou saidst, ‘I will not serve!’” (Jeremias 2:20).
FOURTH POINT
Consider who God is, whom you have offended
Against whom have I rebelled, O my God, when I committed sin? I, weakness itself, revolted against strength. I, lowness itself, revolted against sovereign greatness. I, evil itself, revolted against infinite goodness. I, who am only corruption and darkness, revolted against wisdom and sanctity itself. I, who am nothing, revolted against the Being of all beings. “Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and, ye gates thereof, be very desolate” (Jeremias 2:12).
FIFTH POINT
Conclude by a fervent address to God and His creatures
Be astonished that, after so many iniquities, all creatures should not have armed themselves against you, that they should have continued to serve you, when you were incessantly insulting their God and yours. Be astonished that God has not withdrawn His gifts from you; that He has left you this fortune, this credit, these talents, this mind, this heart, this life, which you abuse to offend Him.
Then ask pardon of all the perfections of God which you have offended. Pardon, O justice of my God, for having so long braved Thy thunder! Pardon, O holiness of God, for having so long stained the purity of Thy sight by my crimes! Pardon, O mercy of God, for having so long despised Thy voice! “Show mercy to a poor penitent, whom Thou hast so long spared in his impenitence” (St. Bernard).
COLLOQUY
Return thanks to the mercy of God, and solemnly promise at the feet of Jesus Christ never more to offend Him.
On the number and greatness of our sins
Preparatory Prayer.
First prelude. Present yourself before God like a criminal who appears at the tribunal of justice, and is about to hear his sentence.
Second prelude. “I groan in Thy sight as one guilty; shame hath covered my face, because of my sin; spare me, a suppliant, O my God.”
FIRST POINT
Recall all the sins of your life
(1) The sins of childhood. Since the first dawn of reason, of what have I thought? To whom did I give the first movements of my heart? What use did I make of my first moments of liberty? Alas, Lord, I seek in vain any time, any place, which has seen me without iniquity! When I was still young, I was already a sinner before Thee (St. Augustine).
(2) Sins of youth. Where shall I not find memories of sin? I find them everywhere: in the shelter of my father’s house, in the schools where I went in search of learning, in the various scenes of my plays and diversions, in the societies formed around me by a common education, in the places even where sin should never enter―in the sanctuary of Thy temples, O my God, and even at the foot of Thy altar!
(3) Sins of riper age. Interrogate, O my soul, the course of years which succeeded those of early youth. Where was the day that had not its sin? Examine those societies, those affairs, those employments; what do they recall but grave and frequent falls? Examine all the laws of the Lord; is there one which you have not transgressed? Examine past temptations; how many are there before which you did not fall? Examine all your faculties; which is there that has not been guilty? Examine all your senses; which of them is there which has not served as an instrument of sin? O my God, I confess I have sinned beyond all measure: “I confess to Almighty God that I have sinned exceedingly!”
SECOND POINT
Consider the malice of all your sins in themselves
What deformity in my sins, O my God! They must, indeed, be of an infinite ugliness, since they are opposed to Thee, O Lord, who art infinite beauty.
What ingratitude in my sins! All I had was from Thee, and I have dared to say: Go from me; depart from my senses, which only live through Thy power; depart from my lips, which only received movement to praise Thee; depart from my mind, which receives light from Thee alone, and from my heart, which only received feeling from Thee in order to think of Thee and to love Thee; depart from my being, which Thou only gayest that by it I might serve Thee.
What audacity in my sins! I have dared to say, I will not obey: I have said this to Thee, and on the brink of the tomb, on the brink of hell, above which Thou holdest me suspended by the slender thread which I call life.
What folly in my sins! I have left Thee, my Father, my Supreme Beatitude! And for whom? For a perfidious master, for a hateful tyrant, for the most cruel of executioners, for Satan.
Finally, what malice in my sins! I have sinned, carried away by passion; I have sinned deliberately; I have sinned publicly, and with scandal; I have sinned and remained at rest in my sin, notwithstanding so many lights, so many good examples, so many instances of Thy justice, so many exhortations from Thy ministers; notwithstanding the counsels and prayers of virtuous parents; notwithstanding the calls of conscience and remorse. “I confess that I have sinned exceedingly!”
O my God! If a man had once treated me as I treat Thee every day in my life, I should hate him for ever―what do I say? If I had treated a man as I have treated Thee, I should hate myself, and I should never forgive myself the malice of my heart. “I confess that I have sinned exceedingly!”
THIRD POINT
Consider who you are that have so offended God
What are the angels before God? What are all men, compared to the angels? What am I, compared to the whole of mankind? Like one leaf in the midst of an immense forest, a drop of water in a stream, a grain of sand on the shore of the ocean, an atom in the immensity of the universe; and it is I, vile and worthless dust, who have not feared to declare myself a rebel against God: “Thou saidst, ‘I will not serve!’” (Jeremias 2:20).
FOURTH POINT
Consider who God is, whom you have offended
Against whom have I rebelled, O my God, when I committed sin? I, weakness itself, revolted against strength. I, lowness itself, revolted against sovereign greatness. I, evil itself, revolted against infinite goodness. I, who am only corruption and darkness, revolted against wisdom and sanctity itself. I, who am nothing, revolted against the Being of all beings. “Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and, ye gates thereof, be very desolate” (Jeremias 2:12).
FIFTH POINT
Conclude by a fervent address to God and His creatures
Be astonished that, after so many iniquities, all creatures should not have armed themselves against you, that they should have continued to serve you, when you were incessantly insulting their God and yours. Be astonished that God has not withdrawn His gifts from you; that He has left you this fortune, this credit, these talents, this mind, this heart, this life, which you abuse to offend Him.
Then ask pardon of all the perfections of God which you have offended. Pardon, O justice of my God, for having so long braved Thy thunder! Pardon, O holiness of God, for having so long stained the purity of Thy sight by my crimes! Pardon, O mercy of God, for having so long despised Thy voice! “Show mercy to a poor penitent, whom Thou hast so long spared in his impenitence” (St. Bernard).
COLLOQUY
Return thanks to the mercy of God, and solemnly promise at the feet of Jesus Christ never more to offend Him.
WEEK 1 : DAY 9
St. Ignatius calls each of the four periods of his retreat a "week" but some "weeks" are longer than others.
INSTRUCTIONS ON THE REALITY AND PAINS OF HELL
St. Ignatius calls each of the four periods of his retreat a "week" but some "weeks" are longer than others.
INSTRUCTIONS ON THE REALITY AND PAINS OF HELL
FIRST EXERCISE ON HELL
Preparatory Prayer
First prelude. Imagine to yourself the height, the breadth, and the depth of Hell.
Second prelude. Ask of God a lively fear of the pains of Hell, so that, if ever you are so unhappy as to lose the grace of the love of God, at least the fear of punishment may deter you from sin.
FIRST CONSIDERATION
The habitation of the damned
It is Hell. But what is Hell? The Holy Spirit calls it the place of torments (Luke 16:28). A prison, where the condemned shall be imprisoned by the justice of God, to be tormented through ages of ages: “They shall be shut up there in prison” (Isaias 24:22).
A region of misery, a darkness where an eternal horror dwells: “A land of misery and darkness, where the shadow of death and no order, but everlasting horror dwelleth” (Job 10:22).
A lake of fire and brimstone “They shall have their portion in the pool burning with fire and brimstone” (Apocalypse 21:8).
A deep valley, where a torrent of sulphur rolls, lighted by the breath of the Lord: “For Topheth is prepared from yesterday, prepared by the King, deep and wide; the nourishments thereof are fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, as a torrent of brimstone, doth kindle it” (Isaias 30:33).
A burning furnace: “Thou shalt make them as an oven of fire” (Psalm 10:10).
The depths of an abyss: “He opened the bottomless pit” (Apocalypse 9:2); the smoke from which darkens the sun like the smoke from a vast furnace: “And he opened the bottomless pit; and the smoke of the pit arose as the smoke of a great furnace” (Apocalypse 9:2).
Finally, the anger of the Almighty is like a wine-press, in which an angry God will trample upon and crush His enemies: “And He treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of God the Almighty” (Apocalypse 19:15); “I have trampled on them in My indignation, and have trodden them down in My wrath” (Isaias 63:3).
SECOND CONSIDERATION
The company of the damned
In Hell a triple society will form the torment of the condemned.
(1) The society of his body―which, to the infectious corruption of a corpse, will unite all the sensibility of a living frame, and every member of which will have its torment and its pain.
(2) The society of devils. “There are spirits that are created for vengeance, and in their fury they lay on grievous torments” (Ecclesiasticus 39:33). Damned themselves, they have no other occupation but to torture the damned. Not being able to revenge their reprobation on God, they revenge it on man, His image; they pursue God in the condemned, and they pursue Him with all the hate and fury that can enter the hearts of demons.
(3) The society of an infinite number of wretched creatures damned like himself. Represent to yourself an assembly so hideous, that even in the galleys and prisons of human justice you could not find anything like it; an assembly of all that the Earth has borne of licentious men, of robbers, of assassins, of parricides. Imagine to yourself all these wretches bound together, according to the expression of the Holy Spirit, like a bundle of thorns―“As a bundle of thorns they shall be burnt with fire” (Isaias 33:12), or a heap of tow cast into the midst of the flames―“The congregation of sinners is like tow heaped together, and the end of them is a flame of fire” (Ecclesiasticus 21:10). Represent to yourself in this horrible reunion the accomplices or the victims of the damned bound and chained with him to burn in the same fire: “They themselves being fettered with the bonds of darkness, and a long night” (Wisdom 17:2). What torment for the unhappy man, not to be able to separate himself from the companions of his reprobation, who never cease to accuse him of their misfortune, and who find a horrible consolation in tearing him to pieces! “They have opened their mouths upon me, and reproaching me they have struck me on the cheek; they are filled with my pains” (Job 16:11).
THIRD CONSIDERATION
The punishment of the reprobate through the powers of his soul
(1) Torment of the imagination. The imagination of the damned presents his misery to him with incredible clearness. It represents to him all the pleasures of his past life. See how happy thou wert on Earth; thy life was but one tissue of delight and joy, all that is passed and can never return: “All those things have passed away” (Wisdom v. 9). It shows him all he has suffered, all that he has yet to suffer. Oh, what years thou hast burnt in Hell, and yet thy eternity is not begun! Oh, what ages and millions of ages will pass, and thou wilt have no other occupation but to burn! It shows him Heaven, with all its felicity. How happy thou wouldst be near Mary, near Jesus Christ. Listen to the songs of the blessed; behold those souls which love and possess God for all eternity. All that is lost for thee. “The wicked shall see, and shall be angry, he shall gnash with his teeth and pine away; the desire of the wicked shall perish” (Psalm cxi. 10).
(2) Torment of memory. The memory of the damned will recall all his sins: “What fruit, therefore, had you in those things of which you are now ashamed?” (Romans 6:21.) It recalls all the trouble taken for advancement in this world: “What doth it profit?” (Wisdom 5:8.) It recalls all the graces received-faith, a Christian education, the example of so many virtuous persons, the instructions of the ministers of Jesus Christ, the Sacraments of the Church. “And have been able to show no mark of virtue” (Wisdom 5:13). It recalls the warnings that were given on Earth. How often has he not heard that it is terrible to fall into the hands of the living God, that there is no mercy in Hell! Why didst thou not listen to these wise warnings? “Did I not protest to thee by the Lord, and tell thee before?” (3 Kings 2:42).
(3) Torment of the understanding. The understanding of the reprobate never ceases to show him the deformity of sin, the greatness and beauty of God, the justice of the punishment of Hell. Thou wert made for God; why hast thou refused Him thy heart? God is so great, He is so perfect, He is so good; who deserved thy love and service as He did? Ungrateful! Thou hast abandoned thy benefactor. Perjured! Thou hast dared to break thy oaths. Parricide! Thou hast wished to kill thy Father. Begone! Suffer for all eternity; an eternal Hell is not too much to punish thy crime. “Thou art just, O Lord, and Thy judgments are right” (Psalm 118:137).
(4) Torment of the will. Represent to yourself how the condemned soul is tormented. By its regrets: It was so easy to save myself. Oh, why did I abuse the time and the grace of God? By its remorse: Woe to me! I was mad, a wretch; I am lost through my own fault. By its jealousy: Why was such a one saved? He had committed greater sins than I; he had received fewer graces than I; he is happy in Heaven, and I burn in Hell. By its desires: Oh, that I might return to the Earth, that I might receive a few years of life; I would frighten the world by the rigors of my penance. Its reaching after God: Oh, that I might yet see Thee, Lord; that I might love, that I might possess Thee! Its imprecations: My prayer, then, is useless. Malediction upon me! Perish the day of my birth! Destruction fall on my body, on my soul, which the anger of God pursues! Perish this unpitying God, who has nothing but vengeance for me! “The wicked shall gnash his teeth and pine away; the desire of the wicked shall perish” (Psalm 111:10).
FOURTH CONSIDERATION.
The torment of the damned in all his senses
(1) Torment of sight. The aspect of this dreary prison―of the damned, the companions of his misery―of the demons, the executioners of the vengeance of God, of the cross of Jesus Christ printed on the vaults―of these terrible words engraved on the gates of Hell, “ever, never,” ―of those flames which roar around him.
(2) Torment of hearing. The groans of so many millions of the damned―the howls of their despair―their blasphemies against God and against the saints, their imprecations on themselves, their cries of rage as they invoke death or annihilation―the reproaches they address to themselves―the maledictions with which they load their accomplices―the noise of the flames devouring so many victims.
(3) Torment of smell. The horrible infection which exhales from so many bodies. which preserve in Hell all the corruption of the grave: “Out of their carcasses shall rise a stink” (Isaias 34:3).
(4) Torment of taste. A maddening hunger―“they shall suffer hunger like dogs” (Psalm 58:7)―the violence of which shall compel the damned to devour his own flesh: “Everyone shall eat the flesh of his own arm” (Isaias 9:20). A devouring thirst, and not one drop of water to refresh his parched tongue―no drink but wormwood and gall: “Their wine is the gall of dragons and the venom of asps, which is incurable” (Deuteronomy 32:33). For refreshment, a chalice which the anger of God has filled with fire, with sulphur, and the spirit of tempests “Flames and brimstone and storms of winds shall be the portion of their cup” (Psalm 10:7).
(5) Torment of touch. The damned will be enveloped in flames as in a garment. The fire will penetrate all the members of his body―and what a fire! Not a fire like that on Earth, which is a gift of the divine bounty, but a fire created by justice to punish sin; not a fire lighted by men-and yet what terrible power in a fire which calcines marble, melts metals!--but a fire lighted and kept up by the breath of God, who avenges His offences, and avenges them without mercy, and avenges them according to the extent of His justice and His power; a fire which does not consume the victim, but which at one and the same time exhausts and renews that sensibility, and thus renders the pain eternal; a fire armed with the attributes of God―His anger to punish, His knowledge to distinguish the senses which have been the most guilty, His wisdom to proportion the chastisement to the degree of crime; a fire so penetrating that it in a manner so identifies itself with its victim, that it boils in the veins and in the marrow―that it escapes and re-enters by all the pores―that it makes of the damned a burning coal in the midst of the furnaces of Hell; a fire which unites in itself every torment and every pain, which infinitely surpasses anything man can suffer from sickness―all that tyrants ever made the confessors of Christ to endure: “Which of you can dwell with devouring fire, which of you can dwell with everlasting burnings” (Isaias 33:14).
FIFTH CONSIDERATION
Torment of eternity
How many years or centuries will the damned be chained in this prison? For ever. How many years or centuries will he groan in tears of regret and despair? For ever. How many years or centuries will he be condemned to the society of demons? For ever. How many years or centuries will he burn in flames? For ever.
Will God, then, never have pity on his misery? Never. Will there not be any interruption of his torment? Never. Will he not at any time receive any mitigation of his pains? Never; always, never. Stretch your imagination―add years to years-ages to ages; multiply them like the leaves of the forest, the sand of the sea-shore, the drops of water in the immensity of the seas―you will not yet conceive the meaning of those two words, ever, never. “What number of years can equal eternity, since it is without end?” (St. Augustine)
COLLOQUY
Cast yourself at the feet of Jesus Christ. Represent to yourself this innumerable multitude of souls that sin has precipitated into Hell. Return thanks to our Savior, who has preserved you from this dreadful eternity, and has hitherto followed you with His mercy and His love.
Pater. Ave.
SECOND EXERCISE ON HELL
Preparatory Prayer.
First and second preludes. Same as last time.
APPLICATION OF THE SENSES
(1) Application of the sight. Consider in your mind the vast fire of Hell; souls shut up in bodies of fire, as in an eternal prison; wicked spirits constantly employed in tormenting them.
(2) Application of the hearing. Listen to the groans, the howls, the cries of rage, the blasphemies against Christ and His saints, the mutual maledictions of the damned.
(3) Application of the smell. Imagine you smell the fire, the brimstone, the infection which exhales from so many hideous corpses.
(4) Application of the taste. Taste in spirit all the bitterness, the tears, the regrets, the remorse of the damned.
(5) Application of the touch. Touch in imagination those devouring flames which in Hell consume not only the bodies of the reprobate, but the souls themselves. What do you think of them? Could you inhabit these eternal furnaces for a few hours? “Which of you shall dwell with everlasting burning?” (Isaias 33:14).
End, at the foot of the crucifix, by addressing to yourself the following questions
(1) What are those souls that suffer in Hell? Souls created, like yours, to love and possess God,-souls for whom God had given His heart, His blood, His life; upon whom He wished to bestow His glory for all eternity.
(2) What do they suffer? Pains truly infinite; for, except in the being of the sinner, the infinite is everywhere;-in the offence which is avenged, in the wisdom which invented the pain, in the justice which decrees it, in the power which applies it and which makes it eternal.
(3) Why do they suffer? For mortal sins, perhaps less enormous or less multiplied than yours.
(4) What led them to Hell? The way which you perhaps have followed until this day,-the way of self-love, of sensuality, of tepidity.
COLLOQUY
And now converse with Jesus. At the foot of the cross recall to mind that all the reprobate are so, either for having refused to believe in His coming as a saviour, or for not obeying His precepts; -the crime of men before His coming on earth, of the condemned of His time, and of those who have come after Him. Attach yourself to Him, then, with heart and mind, that He may save you from eternal death. Finish by acts of lively gratitude that He has not allowed you to fall into this frightful abyss, following you even to this day, not with maledictions, but with unspeakable goodness and infinite mercy.
Pater. Ave.
Preparatory Prayer
First prelude. Imagine to yourself the height, the breadth, and the depth of Hell.
Second prelude. Ask of God a lively fear of the pains of Hell, so that, if ever you are so unhappy as to lose the grace of the love of God, at least the fear of punishment may deter you from sin.
FIRST CONSIDERATION
The habitation of the damned
It is Hell. But what is Hell? The Holy Spirit calls it the place of torments (Luke 16:28). A prison, where the condemned shall be imprisoned by the justice of God, to be tormented through ages of ages: “They shall be shut up there in prison” (Isaias 24:22).
A region of misery, a darkness where an eternal horror dwells: “A land of misery and darkness, where the shadow of death and no order, but everlasting horror dwelleth” (Job 10:22).
A lake of fire and brimstone “They shall have their portion in the pool burning with fire and brimstone” (Apocalypse 21:8).
A deep valley, where a torrent of sulphur rolls, lighted by the breath of the Lord: “For Topheth is prepared from yesterday, prepared by the King, deep and wide; the nourishments thereof are fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, as a torrent of brimstone, doth kindle it” (Isaias 30:33).
A burning furnace: “Thou shalt make them as an oven of fire” (Psalm 10:10).
The depths of an abyss: “He opened the bottomless pit” (Apocalypse 9:2); the smoke from which darkens the sun like the smoke from a vast furnace: “And he opened the bottomless pit; and the smoke of the pit arose as the smoke of a great furnace” (Apocalypse 9:2).
Finally, the anger of the Almighty is like a wine-press, in which an angry God will trample upon and crush His enemies: “And He treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of God the Almighty” (Apocalypse 19:15); “I have trampled on them in My indignation, and have trodden them down in My wrath” (Isaias 63:3).
SECOND CONSIDERATION
The company of the damned
In Hell a triple society will form the torment of the condemned.
(1) The society of his body―which, to the infectious corruption of a corpse, will unite all the sensibility of a living frame, and every member of which will have its torment and its pain.
(2) The society of devils. “There are spirits that are created for vengeance, and in their fury they lay on grievous torments” (Ecclesiasticus 39:33). Damned themselves, they have no other occupation but to torture the damned. Not being able to revenge their reprobation on God, they revenge it on man, His image; they pursue God in the condemned, and they pursue Him with all the hate and fury that can enter the hearts of demons.
(3) The society of an infinite number of wretched creatures damned like himself. Represent to yourself an assembly so hideous, that even in the galleys and prisons of human justice you could not find anything like it; an assembly of all that the Earth has borne of licentious men, of robbers, of assassins, of parricides. Imagine to yourself all these wretches bound together, according to the expression of the Holy Spirit, like a bundle of thorns―“As a bundle of thorns they shall be burnt with fire” (Isaias 33:12), or a heap of tow cast into the midst of the flames―“The congregation of sinners is like tow heaped together, and the end of them is a flame of fire” (Ecclesiasticus 21:10). Represent to yourself in this horrible reunion the accomplices or the victims of the damned bound and chained with him to burn in the same fire: “They themselves being fettered with the bonds of darkness, and a long night” (Wisdom 17:2). What torment for the unhappy man, not to be able to separate himself from the companions of his reprobation, who never cease to accuse him of their misfortune, and who find a horrible consolation in tearing him to pieces! “They have opened their mouths upon me, and reproaching me they have struck me on the cheek; they are filled with my pains” (Job 16:11).
THIRD CONSIDERATION
The punishment of the reprobate through the powers of his soul
(1) Torment of the imagination. The imagination of the damned presents his misery to him with incredible clearness. It represents to him all the pleasures of his past life. See how happy thou wert on Earth; thy life was but one tissue of delight and joy, all that is passed and can never return: “All those things have passed away” (Wisdom v. 9). It shows him all he has suffered, all that he has yet to suffer. Oh, what years thou hast burnt in Hell, and yet thy eternity is not begun! Oh, what ages and millions of ages will pass, and thou wilt have no other occupation but to burn! It shows him Heaven, with all its felicity. How happy thou wouldst be near Mary, near Jesus Christ. Listen to the songs of the blessed; behold those souls which love and possess God for all eternity. All that is lost for thee. “The wicked shall see, and shall be angry, he shall gnash with his teeth and pine away; the desire of the wicked shall perish” (Psalm cxi. 10).
(2) Torment of memory. The memory of the damned will recall all his sins: “What fruit, therefore, had you in those things of which you are now ashamed?” (Romans 6:21.) It recalls all the trouble taken for advancement in this world: “What doth it profit?” (Wisdom 5:8.) It recalls all the graces received-faith, a Christian education, the example of so many virtuous persons, the instructions of the ministers of Jesus Christ, the Sacraments of the Church. “And have been able to show no mark of virtue” (Wisdom 5:13). It recalls the warnings that were given on Earth. How often has he not heard that it is terrible to fall into the hands of the living God, that there is no mercy in Hell! Why didst thou not listen to these wise warnings? “Did I not protest to thee by the Lord, and tell thee before?” (3 Kings 2:42).
(3) Torment of the understanding. The understanding of the reprobate never ceases to show him the deformity of sin, the greatness and beauty of God, the justice of the punishment of Hell. Thou wert made for God; why hast thou refused Him thy heart? God is so great, He is so perfect, He is so good; who deserved thy love and service as He did? Ungrateful! Thou hast abandoned thy benefactor. Perjured! Thou hast dared to break thy oaths. Parricide! Thou hast wished to kill thy Father. Begone! Suffer for all eternity; an eternal Hell is not too much to punish thy crime. “Thou art just, O Lord, and Thy judgments are right” (Psalm 118:137).
(4) Torment of the will. Represent to yourself how the condemned soul is tormented. By its regrets: It was so easy to save myself. Oh, why did I abuse the time and the grace of God? By its remorse: Woe to me! I was mad, a wretch; I am lost through my own fault. By its jealousy: Why was such a one saved? He had committed greater sins than I; he had received fewer graces than I; he is happy in Heaven, and I burn in Hell. By its desires: Oh, that I might return to the Earth, that I might receive a few years of life; I would frighten the world by the rigors of my penance. Its reaching after God: Oh, that I might yet see Thee, Lord; that I might love, that I might possess Thee! Its imprecations: My prayer, then, is useless. Malediction upon me! Perish the day of my birth! Destruction fall on my body, on my soul, which the anger of God pursues! Perish this unpitying God, who has nothing but vengeance for me! “The wicked shall gnash his teeth and pine away; the desire of the wicked shall perish” (Psalm 111:10).
FOURTH CONSIDERATION.
The torment of the damned in all his senses
(1) Torment of sight. The aspect of this dreary prison―of the damned, the companions of his misery―of the demons, the executioners of the vengeance of God, of the cross of Jesus Christ printed on the vaults―of these terrible words engraved on the gates of Hell, “ever, never,” ―of those flames which roar around him.
(2) Torment of hearing. The groans of so many millions of the damned―the howls of their despair―their blasphemies against God and against the saints, their imprecations on themselves, their cries of rage as they invoke death or annihilation―the reproaches they address to themselves―the maledictions with which they load their accomplices―the noise of the flames devouring so many victims.
(3) Torment of smell. The horrible infection which exhales from so many bodies. which preserve in Hell all the corruption of the grave: “Out of their carcasses shall rise a stink” (Isaias 34:3).
(4) Torment of taste. A maddening hunger―“they shall suffer hunger like dogs” (Psalm 58:7)―the violence of which shall compel the damned to devour his own flesh: “Everyone shall eat the flesh of his own arm” (Isaias 9:20). A devouring thirst, and not one drop of water to refresh his parched tongue―no drink but wormwood and gall: “Their wine is the gall of dragons and the venom of asps, which is incurable” (Deuteronomy 32:33). For refreshment, a chalice which the anger of God has filled with fire, with sulphur, and the spirit of tempests “Flames and brimstone and storms of winds shall be the portion of their cup” (Psalm 10:7).
(5) Torment of touch. The damned will be enveloped in flames as in a garment. The fire will penetrate all the members of his body―and what a fire! Not a fire like that on Earth, which is a gift of the divine bounty, but a fire created by justice to punish sin; not a fire lighted by men-and yet what terrible power in a fire which calcines marble, melts metals!--but a fire lighted and kept up by the breath of God, who avenges His offences, and avenges them without mercy, and avenges them according to the extent of His justice and His power; a fire which does not consume the victim, but which at one and the same time exhausts and renews that sensibility, and thus renders the pain eternal; a fire armed with the attributes of God―His anger to punish, His knowledge to distinguish the senses which have been the most guilty, His wisdom to proportion the chastisement to the degree of crime; a fire so penetrating that it in a manner so identifies itself with its victim, that it boils in the veins and in the marrow―that it escapes and re-enters by all the pores―that it makes of the damned a burning coal in the midst of the furnaces of Hell; a fire which unites in itself every torment and every pain, which infinitely surpasses anything man can suffer from sickness―all that tyrants ever made the confessors of Christ to endure: “Which of you can dwell with devouring fire, which of you can dwell with everlasting burnings” (Isaias 33:14).
FIFTH CONSIDERATION
Torment of eternity
How many years or centuries will the damned be chained in this prison? For ever. How many years or centuries will he groan in tears of regret and despair? For ever. How many years or centuries will he be condemned to the society of demons? For ever. How many years or centuries will he burn in flames? For ever.
Will God, then, never have pity on his misery? Never. Will there not be any interruption of his torment? Never. Will he not at any time receive any mitigation of his pains? Never; always, never. Stretch your imagination―add years to years-ages to ages; multiply them like the leaves of the forest, the sand of the sea-shore, the drops of water in the immensity of the seas―you will not yet conceive the meaning of those two words, ever, never. “What number of years can equal eternity, since it is without end?” (St. Augustine)
COLLOQUY
Cast yourself at the feet of Jesus Christ. Represent to yourself this innumerable multitude of souls that sin has precipitated into Hell. Return thanks to our Savior, who has preserved you from this dreadful eternity, and has hitherto followed you with His mercy and His love.
Pater. Ave.
SECOND EXERCISE ON HELL
Preparatory Prayer.
First and second preludes. Same as last time.
APPLICATION OF THE SENSES
(1) Application of the sight. Consider in your mind the vast fire of Hell; souls shut up in bodies of fire, as in an eternal prison; wicked spirits constantly employed in tormenting them.
(2) Application of the hearing. Listen to the groans, the howls, the cries of rage, the blasphemies against Christ and His saints, the mutual maledictions of the damned.
(3) Application of the smell. Imagine you smell the fire, the brimstone, the infection which exhales from so many hideous corpses.
(4) Application of the taste. Taste in spirit all the bitterness, the tears, the regrets, the remorse of the damned.
(5) Application of the touch. Touch in imagination those devouring flames which in Hell consume not only the bodies of the reprobate, but the souls themselves. What do you think of them? Could you inhabit these eternal furnaces for a few hours? “Which of you shall dwell with everlasting burning?” (Isaias 33:14).
End, at the foot of the crucifix, by addressing to yourself the following questions
(1) What are those souls that suffer in Hell? Souls created, like yours, to love and possess God,-souls for whom God had given His heart, His blood, His life; upon whom He wished to bestow His glory for all eternity.
(2) What do they suffer? Pains truly infinite; for, except in the being of the sinner, the infinite is everywhere;-in the offence which is avenged, in the wisdom which invented the pain, in the justice which decrees it, in the power which applies it and which makes it eternal.
(3) Why do they suffer? For mortal sins, perhaps less enormous or less multiplied than yours.
(4) What led them to Hell? The way which you perhaps have followed until this day,-the way of self-love, of sensuality, of tepidity.
COLLOQUY
And now converse with Jesus. At the foot of the cross recall to mind that all the reprobate are so, either for having refused to believe in His coming as a saviour, or for not obeying His precepts; -the crime of men before His coming on earth, of the condemned of His time, and of those who have come after Him. Attach yourself to Him, then, with heart and mind, that He may save you from eternal death. Finish by acts of lively gratitude that He has not allowed you to fall into this frightful abyss, following you even to this day, not with maledictions, but with unspeakable goodness and infinite mercy.
Pater. Ave.
WEEK 1 : DAY 10
St. Ignatius calls each of the four periods of his retreat a "week" but some "weeks" are longer than others.
INSTRUCTIONS ON DEATH
St. Ignatius calls each of the four periods of his retreat a "week" but some "weeks" are longer than others.
INSTRUCTIONS ON DEATH
FIRST EXERCISE ON DEATH
Preparatory Prayer.
First prelude. Transport yourself in thought to the bedside of a dying man, beside a grave open to receive a coffin, or to the middle of a churchyard.
Second prelude. Ask of our Lord a salutary fear of death, and the grace to be ready at any moment.
FIRST CONSIDERATION
What is death?
(1) To die is to bid farewell to everything in this world―a farewell to your fortune; farewell to your titles and your rank; farewell to your pleasures, to your friends; farewell to a part of yourself, your body; and, saddest of all, farewell for ever to this world.
(2) To die is to be abandoned by all whom you leave behind―by your friend, and acquaintance, who think no more of you; by your heirs, who will perhaps scarcely speak of you except to dispute your property; by your dearest relatives, who will soon weary of shedding tears, or even bestowing a thought upon you.
(3) To die is to leave your house for a deep narrow grave―it is to wait the day of judgment under a stone, in a coffin six feet under ground, without any other garment than a shroud, without other society than reptiles and worms, without other titles than an inscription, which few will read and which time will soon efface.
(4) To die is to pass into the most humiliating state, the nearest to nothingness―it is to go where your bodily senses will no longer act; where you can see nothing, not even your own destruction; where you will no longer hear anything, not even the work of the worms which devour you; where you will become the prey of corruption and the food of the most hideous reptiles; where you will slowly fall to pieces; where you will decompose into an infectious corruption. “Under thee shall the moth be strewed, and worms shall be thy covering” (Isaias 14:11). “I have said to rottenness, thou art my father; to worms, my mother and my sister” (Job 17:14).
(5) Lastly, to die is for your soul all at once to leave this world, and enter in a moment into an unknown region called Eternity; where it goes to hear from the mouth of the Lord in what place it must make that great retreat which will last for ever; whether it is to be in heaven or in the depths of hell.
SECOND CONSIDERATION
Must I die?
Most certainly. But what assures me of it? Reason, which tells me that a body constantly undermined by time must finally fall to dust. “A mountain falling cometh to naught, and a rock is removed out of its place. Waters wear away the stones, and with inundation the ground by little and little is washed away. How much more shall they that dwell in houses of clay, who have an earthly foundation, be consumed?” (Job 14:18-19; 4:19.) Faith tells me that a sentence of death has been pronounced against all men: “It is appointed unto men once to die” (Hebrews 9:27). Experience shows them all places and at all hours man cast down and trampled under foot by that terrible king called Death: “Destruction treads upon him like a king” (Job 18:14).
Man has raised doubts on all truths; but who has ever doubted the certainty of death? “There is no man that liveth always, or that hopeth for this” (Ecclesiastes 9:4). To almost all the questions that might be asked about you the answer would be “perhaps.” Shall you have a large fortune, great talents, a long life? Perhaps. Will your last hour find you in the friendship of God? Perhaps. After this retreat, shall you live long in a state of grace? Perhaps. Shall you be saved? Perhaps. But shall you die? Yes, certainly. Will a day arrive when to health shall succeed sickness, then agony, then the last sigh? Yes. Will there be a day when the bell will toll for your burial, when your name will be inscribed in the register of the dead, when your coffin and your tombstone will be ordered, and when your servants will carry you from your apartments to your grave? Yes. Shall you be laid in the bosom of the earth to smolder away, to be eaten by worms, and to crumble into dust? Most certainly, yes. “It is appointed!” (Hebrews 9:27).
Take every precaution you please, use the most wholesome food, surround yourself with the most delicate attentions, consult the ablest physicians―you will not escape this decree of death. Say, where are the generations which have preceded you? Where are the monarchs who ruled your fathers, the generals who commanded their armies, the magistrates who administered justice? Where are your fathers? Those whose name and title you bear―where are they? In the grave―in eternity! Know that you will one day have the same end as they, and that to-morrow, perhaps, it will be your turn to fall under the stroke of death: “Yesterday for me, and today for thee” (Ecclesiasticus 38:23).
THIRD CONSIDERATION
Shall I die soon?
Consider that the measure of your life is this time, of which the days, the hours, the moments, press upon, and as it were swallow up each other. How, then, can you flatter yourself that death is far off when it has already begun for you? From the moment of your birth to this hour, what have you done but die? Count all the years, the weeks, the days, the hours, which united make up what you call your age―what are they but so many steps towards the grave? You are like the candle, which is consumed in giving light, and gives light in being consumed; like it you live in dying, and in living die. An action continued without interruption is soon accomplished. All other human actions have some cessation--business, study, pleasures, sleep, everything, in fact, has some interval. There is but one action which is never interrupted, and this action is death; death which began with your first sigh, and will end with your last. How can you be long before you die, when you began to die at your birth, and are dying every moment of the day and night?
What is your age? Is it twenty, thirty, forty, or are you still older? What do these past years appear to you-years already passed into eternity like waves into the ocean? How quickly they are gone! Be persuaded that your future years will pass as quickly, if even there are years before you. Death will take from you the future, as it took from you the past, with the rapidity of lightning. And this is the life of all; the Holy Spirit says it is like the track of a ship on the ocean, the flight of a bird through the air, or an arrow shot by a vigorous hand; it is like the froth on the edge of a stream, like a little dust on the plain, like a vapour which a breath of wind dispels for ever.
FOURTH CONSIDERATION
When shall I die?
“It is not for you to know the times or moments, which the Father hath put in His own power” (Acts 1:7). “Watch, for you know not the day or the hour” (Matthew 25:13). It is not for us to penetrate the secrets of God; but it is for us to watch, that we be not surprised. For how many terrible uncertainties are there not in death
(1) At what age shall you die? In old age, in middle age, or in youth? “Watch, for you know not!”
(2) What kind of death shall you die? Will it be a sudden death, without time to prepare yourself? Will it be after a long illness, which will deprive you of the use of your senses, the use of time, of grace, of the Sacraments? Will it be after violent pain, which will render it out of your power to attend to your everlasting salvation? Will it be from a fall, from fire, from the weapon of an enemy? “Watch, for you know not!”
(3) In what place shall you die? Will it be in your own house, or in that of strangers? At table, at play, at the theatre, at church? Will it be in your bed, or in a prison, or on the scaffold? “Watch, for you know not!”
(4) What day shall you die? Will it be in ten years? Why not this very year? Why not this month, this week? Why not even this day? “Watch, for you know not!”
(5) During what action shall you die? There is not one action that may not be your last. You pray-why should not death strike you while you pray? You study-why should not death strike you in the midst of this study? You sleep-why should not this sleep be eternal? Not one of your words, not one of your movements, which may not be followed by the silence and stillness of death. “Watch, for you know not!”
(6) In what state shall you die? Will it be in a state of grace, or in a state of sin? Again the same uncertainty. All that we know is that death is the echo of life, and that we almost always die as we have lived. “Watch, for you know not!”
FIFTH CONSIDERATION
How often shall I die?
Once only. “It is appointed unto men once to die” (Hebrews 9:27). This is what is most terrible in death: in this great and decisive action all errors are irreparable; the misfortune of a bad death is an eternal misfortune. If you could die twice, you might reassure yourself as to the risks of your eternal salvation. If you were lost the first time, you might be saved the second: but it is not so; you have but one life, one soul, one death. Once lost, you are lost for all eternity.
And on what does a good or a bad death depend? On a single moment! What is required to consent to temptation? A moment! What is required mortally to offend the Lord? A single instant! Consider well that no more is necessary to decide your eternity; one moment is enough to ensure your damnation. On this moment depends eternity!
If you had died such a year, such a day, such an hour of your life, when you were the enemy of God, where would you be now? You would be lost, and lost for ever; for it is written, “If the tree fall to the south, or to the north, in what place soever it shall fall, there shall it be” (Ecclesiastes 11: 3). Are you not seized with terror at the thought of the danger to which you have voluntarily exposed your soul? Resolve to live more carefully for the future, and hasten to assure yourself of the sanctity of your death by the sanctity of your life.
AFFECTIONS
Fear. “Enlighten my eyes, that I never sleep in death, lest at any time my enemy say, I have prevailed against him” (Psalm 12:4-5).
Desire. “Do with me according to Thy will, and command my spirit to be received in peace” (Job 3:6).
Resolution. “All the days in which I am now in warfare, I wait until my change come. Thou shalt call me, and I will answer Thee” (Job 14:14).
COLLOQUY
Represent to yourself our Lord dying on the cross, and recommend to Him the hour of your death.
Pater. Ave.
Preparatory Prayer.
First prelude. Transport yourself in thought to the bedside of a dying man, beside a grave open to receive a coffin, or to the middle of a churchyard.
Second prelude. Ask of our Lord a salutary fear of death, and the grace to be ready at any moment.
FIRST CONSIDERATION
What is death?
(1) To die is to bid farewell to everything in this world―a farewell to your fortune; farewell to your titles and your rank; farewell to your pleasures, to your friends; farewell to a part of yourself, your body; and, saddest of all, farewell for ever to this world.
(2) To die is to be abandoned by all whom you leave behind―by your friend, and acquaintance, who think no more of you; by your heirs, who will perhaps scarcely speak of you except to dispute your property; by your dearest relatives, who will soon weary of shedding tears, or even bestowing a thought upon you.
(3) To die is to leave your house for a deep narrow grave―it is to wait the day of judgment under a stone, in a coffin six feet under ground, without any other garment than a shroud, without other society than reptiles and worms, without other titles than an inscription, which few will read and which time will soon efface.
(4) To die is to pass into the most humiliating state, the nearest to nothingness―it is to go where your bodily senses will no longer act; where you can see nothing, not even your own destruction; where you will no longer hear anything, not even the work of the worms which devour you; where you will become the prey of corruption and the food of the most hideous reptiles; where you will slowly fall to pieces; where you will decompose into an infectious corruption. “Under thee shall the moth be strewed, and worms shall be thy covering” (Isaias 14:11). “I have said to rottenness, thou art my father; to worms, my mother and my sister” (Job 17:14).
(5) Lastly, to die is for your soul all at once to leave this world, and enter in a moment into an unknown region called Eternity; where it goes to hear from the mouth of the Lord in what place it must make that great retreat which will last for ever; whether it is to be in heaven or in the depths of hell.
SECOND CONSIDERATION
Must I die?
Most certainly. But what assures me of it? Reason, which tells me that a body constantly undermined by time must finally fall to dust. “A mountain falling cometh to naught, and a rock is removed out of its place. Waters wear away the stones, and with inundation the ground by little and little is washed away. How much more shall they that dwell in houses of clay, who have an earthly foundation, be consumed?” (Job 14:18-19; 4:19.) Faith tells me that a sentence of death has been pronounced against all men: “It is appointed unto men once to die” (Hebrews 9:27). Experience shows them all places and at all hours man cast down and trampled under foot by that terrible king called Death: “Destruction treads upon him like a king” (Job 18:14).
Man has raised doubts on all truths; but who has ever doubted the certainty of death? “There is no man that liveth always, or that hopeth for this” (Ecclesiastes 9:4). To almost all the questions that might be asked about you the answer would be “perhaps.” Shall you have a large fortune, great talents, a long life? Perhaps. Will your last hour find you in the friendship of God? Perhaps. After this retreat, shall you live long in a state of grace? Perhaps. Shall you be saved? Perhaps. But shall you die? Yes, certainly. Will a day arrive when to health shall succeed sickness, then agony, then the last sigh? Yes. Will there be a day when the bell will toll for your burial, when your name will be inscribed in the register of the dead, when your coffin and your tombstone will be ordered, and when your servants will carry you from your apartments to your grave? Yes. Shall you be laid in the bosom of the earth to smolder away, to be eaten by worms, and to crumble into dust? Most certainly, yes. “It is appointed!” (Hebrews 9:27).
Take every precaution you please, use the most wholesome food, surround yourself with the most delicate attentions, consult the ablest physicians―you will not escape this decree of death. Say, where are the generations which have preceded you? Where are the monarchs who ruled your fathers, the generals who commanded their armies, the magistrates who administered justice? Where are your fathers? Those whose name and title you bear―where are they? In the grave―in eternity! Know that you will one day have the same end as they, and that to-morrow, perhaps, it will be your turn to fall under the stroke of death: “Yesterday for me, and today for thee” (Ecclesiasticus 38:23).
THIRD CONSIDERATION
Shall I die soon?
Consider that the measure of your life is this time, of which the days, the hours, the moments, press upon, and as it were swallow up each other. How, then, can you flatter yourself that death is far off when it has already begun for you? From the moment of your birth to this hour, what have you done but die? Count all the years, the weeks, the days, the hours, which united make up what you call your age―what are they but so many steps towards the grave? You are like the candle, which is consumed in giving light, and gives light in being consumed; like it you live in dying, and in living die. An action continued without interruption is soon accomplished. All other human actions have some cessation--business, study, pleasures, sleep, everything, in fact, has some interval. There is but one action which is never interrupted, and this action is death; death which began with your first sigh, and will end with your last. How can you be long before you die, when you began to die at your birth, and are dying every moment of the day and night?
What is your age? Is it twenty, thirty, forty, or are you still older? What do these past years appear to you-years already passed into eternity like waves into the ocean? How quickly they are gone! Be persuaded that your future years will pass as quickly, if even there are years before you. Death will take from you the future, as it took from you the past, with the rapidity of lightning. And this is the life of all; the Holy Spirit says it is like the track of a ship on the ocean, the flight of a bird through the air, or an arrow shot by a vigorous hand; it is like the froth on the edge of a stream, like a little dust on the plain, like a vapour which a breath of wind dispels for ever.
FOURTH CONSIDERATION
When shall I die?
“It is not for you to know the times or moments, which the Father hath put in His own power” (Acts 1:7). “Watch, for you know not the day or the hour” (Matthew 25:13). It is not for us to penetrate the secrets of God; but it is for us to watch, that we be not surprised. For how many terrible uncertainties are there not in death
(1) At what age shall you die? In old age, in middle age, or in youth? “Watch, for you know not!”
(2) What kind of death shall you die? Will it be a sudden death, without time to prepare yourself? Will it be after a long illness, which will deprive you of the use of your senses, the use of time, of grace, of the Sacraments? Will it be after violent pain, which will render it out of your power to attend to your everlasting salvation? Will it be from a fall, from fire, from the weapon of an enemy? “Watch, for you know not!”
(3) In what place shall you die? Will it be in your own house, or in that of strangers? At table, at play, at the theatre, at church? Will it be in your bed, or in a prison, or on the scaffold? “Watch, for you know not!”
(4) What day shall you die? Will it be in ten years? Why not this very year? Why not this month, this week? Why not even this day? “Watch, for you know not!”
(5) During what action shall you die? There is not one action that may not be your last. You pray-why should not death strike you while you pray? You study-why should not death strike you in the midst of this study? You sleep-why should not this sleep be eternal? Not one of your words, not one of your movements, which may not be followed by the silence and stillness of death. “Watch, for you know not!”
(6) In what state shall you die? Will it be in a state of grace, or in a state of sin? Again the same uncertainty. All that we know is that death is the echo of life, and that we almost always die as we have lived. “Watch, for you know not!”
FIFTH CONSIDERATION
How often shall I die?
Once only. “It is appointed unto men once to die” (Hebrews 9:27). This is what is most terrible in death: in this great and decisive action all errors are irreparable; the misfortune of a bad death is an eternal misfortune. If you could die twice, you might reassure yourself as to the risks of your eternal salvation. If you were lost the first time, you might be saved the second: but it is not so; you have but one life, one soul, one death. Once lost, you are lost for all eternity.
And on what does a good or a bad death depend? On a single moment! What is required to consent to temptation? A moment! What is required mortally to offend the Lord? A single instant! Consider well that no more is necessary to decide your eternity; one moment is enough to ensure your damnation. On this moment depends eternity!
If you had died such a year, such a day, such an hour of your life, when you were the enemy of God, where would you be now? You would be lost, and lost for ever; for it is written, “If the tree fall to the south, or to the north, in what place soever it shall fall, there shall it be” (Ecclesiastes 11: 3). Are you not seized with terror at the thought of the danger to which you have voluntarily exposed your soul? Resolve to live more carefully for the future, and hasten to assure yourself of the sanctity of your death by the sanctity of your life.
AFFECTIONS
Fear. “Enlighten my eyes, that I never sleep in death, lest at any time my enemy say, I have prevailed against him” (Psalm 12:4-5).
Desire. “Do with me according to Thy will, and command my spirit to be received in peace” (Job 3:6).
Resolution. “All the days in which I am now in warfare, I wait until my change come. Thou shalt call me, and I will answer Thee” (Job 14:14).
COLLOQUY
Represent to yourself our Lord dying on the cross, and recommend to Him the hour of your death.
Pater. Ave.
WEEK 1 : DAY 11
St. Ignatius calls each of the four periods of his retreat a "week" but some "weeks" are longer than others.
SOME MORE INSTRUCTIONS ON DEATH
St. Ignatius calls each of the four periods of his retreat a "week" but some "weeks" are longer than others.
SOME MORE INSTRUCTIONS ON DEATH
SECOND EXERCISE ON DEATH
FIRST CONTEMPLATION
Your agony
Preparatory Prayer
1. APPLICATION OF THE SIGHT
Contemplate:
(1) Your apartment faintly lighted by the last rays of day, or the feeble light of a lamp; your bed which you will never leave except to be laid in your coffin; all the objects which surround you and seem to say, You leave us for ever!
(2) The persons who will surround you: your servants, sad and silent; a weeping family, bidding you a last adieu; the minister of religion, praying near you and suggesting pious affections to you.
(3) Yourself stretched on a bed of pain, losing by degrees your senses and the free use of your faculties, struggling violently against death, which comes to tear your soul from the body and drag it before the tribunal of God.
(4) At your side the devils, who redouble their efforts, to destroy you; your good angel, who assists you for the last time with his holy inspirations.
2. APPLICATION OF THE HEARING
Listen to the monotonous sound of the clock which measures your last hours, and says at each movement, Behold yourself a second nearer to the tribunal of God; the sound of your painful labored breathing, and that terrible rattle, the forerunner of death; the stifled sobs of those who surround you; the prayers of the Church recited in the midst of tears: “From an evil death, from the pains of hell, from the power of Satan, deliver him, O Lord.” “Depart, Christian soul, in the name of God Almighty, who created you―in the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who died for you, in the name of the Holy Ghost, who sanctified you. Deliver, Lord, the soul of Thy servant from the perils of hell, as Thou didst deliver Noe from the deluge, Abraham out of Chaldea, Job from his sufferings.”
And from time to time the priest will suggest to you these words, which the Church places in his mouth: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Mary, mother of grace, mother of mercy, protect us from the enemy and receive us at the hour of death.” Meditate well on these words now, which sickness will not allow you to meditate upon at the hour of your death.
3. APPLICATION OF THE TASTE
Represent to yourself all the bitterness of the dying agony: “Doth bitter death separate in this manner?” (1 Kings 15:32). For the present, what bitterness in this separation from your possessions, your rank, your pleasures, your friends, your relatives, your body; in the weariness, the sadness, the fears, which precede the last moment! For the past, what bitterness in the memory of your whole life, in which you perceive so many infidelities, so many graces not corresponded with, so many grave sins, so many scandals! For the future, what bitterness in the thought of the judgment you have to undergo, when you must give an account of all your works, when you will hear the decisive sentence of your eternity! “O death, how bitter is the remembrance of thee!” (Ecclesiasticus 41:1).
4. APPLICATION OF THE TOUCH
Imagine yourself holding in your feeble hands the crucifix, which the priest presents to you; imagine yourself touching your own body, which will soon be only a corpse. How cold your feet! Your arms, shriveled by sickness, begin to stiffen. How painfully your chest labors with your unequal breathing, which soon will cease! Your heart, which beats with a scarcely perceptible movement, your face hollowed by fever and covered with cold sweat―is it not in this state you have seen friends, near relatives, dying? It is in this state your friends and relatives will see you before long. Make these reflections today, which your agony will soon inspire in those who witness it.
End by a colloquy with our Lord dying: “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit” (Psalm 30:6).
Pater. Ave.
THIRD EXERCISE ON DEATH
SECOND CONTEMPLATION
Your state after death
Preparatory Prayer.
First and second preludes. The same.
APPLICATION OF THE SIGHT
Consider the following:
(1) A few moments after your death. Your body laid on a funeral bed, wrapped in a shroud, a veil thrown over your face; beside you the crucifix, the holy water, friends, relatives, a priest kneeling by your sad remains, and reciting the holy prayers, “De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine;” the public officer who writes in the register of the dead all the particulars of your decease―such a death, such a year, such a day, such an hour―the servants all occupied with the preparation for your funeral.
(2) The day after your death. Your inanimate body enclosed in a coffin, covered with a pall, taken from your apartment, sadly carried to the foot of the altar, received by the priest of Jesus Christ; deposited before the Lord present in the Tabernacle; then, the Holy Sacrifice over, laid in its last home, the grave. Consider well the dismal field where the eye sees nothing but tombs; this open grave where they are laying your body, the priest who blesses you for the last time, your relatives and friends who contemplate the spectacle with fear, the grave-digger who ends the scene by throwing earth on your coffin.
(3) Some months after your death. Contemplate this stone already blackened by time, this inscription beginning to be effaced; and under that stone, in that coffin which is crumbling bit by bit, contemplate the sad state of your body; see how the worms devour the remains of putrid flesh; how all the limbs are separating; how the bones are eaten away by the corruption of the tomb! See what remains of the body you have loved so much! A something which has no name in any tongue, and on which we cannot think without disgust.
APPLICATION OF THE HEARING
Go through again the different scenes where you are the spectacle. Listen to …
(1) The dismal sound of the bells which announce your death, and which beg the prayers of the faithful for your soul.
(2) The prayers which they recite at the foot of your bed: “Saints of God, come to its assistance. Angels of God, come to its help; receive his soul. Eternal rest give unto him, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon him.”
(3) The remarks of the servants who speak of you.
(4) Your friends and relatives, who communicate to each other their reflections on your death, and mutually console each other for your loss.
(5) The assistants called in to arrange your funeral, who speak of you with cold indifference.
(6) The chants of the Church during the funeral service: “Deliver me, Lord, from eternal death in that dreadful day when the heavens and the earth shall tremble, when Thou shalt come to judge the world by fire;-that day, a day of wrath, of calamity, and of misery; that great and very bitter day.”
(7) The conversations of the persons whom duty, friendship, or civility call to your funeral.
(8) What is said of you in society after your death. Examine well all these circumstances, and conclude by making a resolution to detach yourself from creatures, and belong to God alone.
APPLICATION OF THE SMELL AND THE TOUCH
Imagine yourself respiring the odor your body exhales when the soul is departed; the infection it would give out, if it were taken from the coffin a few months after your death. Imagine you touch this damp earth, where they have laid you; this shroud in which they have wrapped you, and which is now in rags; this bare skull, once the seat of thought; these dismembered limbs, which once obeyed all the orders of your will;-in fine, this mass of corruption, which the sepulcher has enclosed a few months, and the sight of which is horrible. In presence of this terrible scene, ask yourself what are health, fortune, friendship of the world, pleasures of the senses, life itself: “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2).
End by a colloquy with our Savior dying: “Into Thy hands I commend my spirit, O Lord.”
Pater. Ave.
FIRST CONTEMPLATION
Your agony
Preparatory Prayer
1. APPLICATION OF THE SIGHT
Contemplate:
(1) Your apartment faintly lighted by the last rays of day, or the feeble light of a lamp; your bed which you will never leave except to be laid in your coffin; all the objects which surround you and seem to say, You leave us for ever!
(2) The persons who will surround you: your servants, sad and silent; a weeping family, bidding you a last adieu; the minister of religion, praying near you and suggesting pious affections to you.
(3) Yourself stretched on a bed of pain, losing by degrees your senses and the free use of your faculties, struggling violently against death, which comes to tear your soul from the body and drag it before the tribunal of God.
(4) At your side the devils, who redouble their efforts, to destroy you; your good angel, who assists you for the last time with his holy inspirations.
2. APPLICATION OF THE HEARING
Listen to the monotonous sound of the clock which measures your last hours, and says at each movement, Behold yourself a second nearer to the tribunal of God; the sound of your painful labored breathing, and that terrible rattle, the forerunner of death; the stifled sobs of those who surround you; the prayers of the Church recited in the midst of tears: “From an evil death, from the pains of hell, from the power of Satan, deliver him, O Lord.” “Depart, Christian soul, in the name of God Almighty, who created you―in the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who died for you, in the name of the Holy Ghost, who sanctified you. Deliver, Lord, the soul of Thy servant from the perils of hell, as Thou didst deliver Noe from the deluge, Abraham out of Chaldea, Job from his sufferings.”
And from time to time the priest will suggest to you these words, which the Church places in his mouth: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Mary, mother of grace, mother of mercy, protect us from the enemy and receive us at the hour of death.” Meditate well on these words now, which sickness will not allow you to meditate upon at the hour of your death.
3. APPLICATION OF THE TASTE
Represent to yourself all the bitterness of the dying agony: “Doth bitter death separate in this manner?” (1 Kings 15:32). For the present, what bitterness in this separation from your possessions, your rank, your pleasures, your friends, your relatives, your body; in the weariness, the sadness, the fears, which precede the last moment! For the past, what bitterness in the memory of your whole life, in which you perceive so many infidelities, so many graces not corresponded with, so many grave sins, so many scandals! For the future, what bitterness in the thought of the judgment you have to undergo, when you must give an account of all your works, when you will hear the decisive sentence of your eternity! “O death, how bitter is the remembrance of thee!” (Ecclesiasticus 41:1).
4. APPLICATION OF THE TOUCH
Imagine yourself holding in your feeble hands the crucifix, which the priest presents to you; imagine yourself touching your own body, which will soon be only a corpse. How cold your feet! Your arms, shriveled by sickness, begin to stiffen. How painfully your chest labors with your unequal breathing, which soon will cease! Your heart, which beats with a scarcely perceptible movement, your face hollowed by fever and covered with cold sweat―is it not in this state you have seen friends, near relatives, dying? It is in this state your friends and relatives will see you before long. Make these reflections today, which your agony will soon inspire in those who witness it.
End by a colloquy with our Lord dying: “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit” (Psalm 30:6).
Pater. Ave.
THIRD EXERCISE ON DEATH
SECOND CONTEMPLATION
Your state after death
Preparatory Prayer.
First and second preludes. The same.
APPLICATION OF THE SIGHT
Consider the following:
(1) A few moments after your death. Your body laid on a funeral bed, wrapped in a shroud, a veil thrown over your face; beside you the crucifix, the holy water, friends, relatives, a priest kneeling by your sad remains, and reciting the holy prayers, “De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine;” the public officer who writes in the register of the dead all the particulars of your decease―such a death, such a year, such a day, such an hour―the servants all occupied with the preparation for your funeral.
(2) The day after your death. Your inanimate body enclosed in a coffin, covered with a pall, taken from your apartment, sadly carried to the foot of the altar, received by the priest of Jesus Christ; deposited before the Lord present in the Tabernacle; then, the Holy Sacrifice over, laid in its last home, the grave. Consider well the dismal field where the eye sees nothing but tombs; this open grave where they are laying your body, the priest who blesses you for the last time, your relatives and friends who contemplate the spectacle with fear, the grave-digger who ends the scene by throwing earth on your coffin.
(3) Some months after your death. Contemplate this stone already blackened by time, this inscription beginning to be effaced; and under that stone, in that coffin which is crumbling bit by bit, contemplate the sad state of your body; see how the worms devour the remains of putrid flesh; how all the limbs are separating; how the bones are eaten away by the corruption of the tomb! See what remains of the body you have loved so much! A something which has no name in any tongue, and on which we cannot think without disgust.
APPLICATION OF THE HEARING
Go through again the different scenes where you are the spectacle. Listen to …
(1) The dismal sound of the bells which announce your death, and which beg the prayers of the faithful for your soul.
(2) The prayers which they recite at the foot of your bed: “Saints of God, come to its assistance. Angels of God, come to its help; receive his soul. Eternal rest give unto him, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon him.”
(3) The remarks of the servants who speak of you.
(4) Your friends and relatives, who communicate to each other their reflections on your death, and mutually console each other for your loss.
(5) The assistants called in to arrange your funeral, who speak of you with cold indifference.
(6) The chants of the Church during the funeral service: “Deliver me, Lord, from eternal death in that dreadful day when the heavens and the earth shall tremble, when Thou shalt come to judge the world by fire;-that day, a day of wrath, of calamity, and of misery; that great and very bitter day.”
(7) The conversations of the persons whom duty, friendship, or civility call to your funeral.
(8) What is said of you in society after your death. Examine well all these circumstances, and conclude by making a resolution to detach yourself from creatures, and belong to God alone.
APPLICATION OF THE SMELL AND THE TOUCH
Imagine yourself respiring the odor your body exhales when the soul is departed; the infection it would give out, if it were taken from the coffin a few months after your death. Imagine you touch this damp earth, where they have laid you; this shroud in which they have wrapped you, and which is now in rags; this bare skull, once the seat of thought; these dismembered limbs, which once obeyed all the orders of your will;-in fine, this mass of corruption, which the sepulcher has enclosed a few months, and the sight of which is horrible. In presence of this terrible scene, ask yourself what are health, fortune, friendship of the world, pleasures of the senses, life itself: “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2).
End by a colloquy with our Savior dying: “Into Thy hands I commend my spirit, O Lord.”
Pater. Ave.
WEEK 1 : DAY 12
St. Ignatius calls each of the four periods of his retreat a "week" but some "weeks" are longer than others.
INSTRUCTIONS ON JUDGMENT AFTER DEATH
St. Ignatius calls each of the four periods of his retreat a "week" but some "weeks" are longer than others.
INSTRUCTIONS ON JUDGMENT AFTER DEATH
EXERCISE ON THE PARTICULAR JUDGMENT
Preparatory Prayer
First prelude. Represent to yourself the tribunal of Jesus Christ, and your soul brought into the presence of its Judge to give an account of all its works.
Second prelude. “Remember, O most loving Jesu, that for me Thou didst humble Thyself to this mortal life. Let me not be lost, I beseech Thee, on that great day.” (Dies Irae).
“Recordare, Jesu pie,
Quod sum causa tune vice;
Ne me perdas illa die.”
FIRST CONSIDERATION
The time and the place where the judgment will be held
The time will be that at which you breathe your last sigh. Represent to yourself your relatives and friends examining your lips and heart to find a breath or a beat which may yet give token of life.
While they are still asking whether you belong to time or eternity, you are already before the tribunal of your Judge. And where is this tribunal? In the room where you have just expired, beside your death-bed, before your corpse, before those who surround your inanimate remains, and who assist at this terrible scene without desiring it, and probably without thinking of it.
SECOND CONSIDERATION
The accused
It is your soul, but your soul alone with its works:
“Their works follow them” (Apocalypse 14:13). Your soul suddenly illuminated by the lights of eternity, embracing at one glance the extent of its obligations, all the consequences of the graces it received, all the circumstances of the sins it committed: “In Thy light we shall see light”(Psalm 35:10). Your soul in the presence of God, without the power to escape this awful sight. What a situation for the sinner! A worldling in the presence of that God he has never truly loved; a voluptuary in the presence of a thrice holy God, who has witnessed all his excesses, and is about to punish them; a careless man in presence of that God of whom he thought as little as if He had not existed!
THIRD CONSIDERATION
The accusers
(1) The devil. Satan will stand before the tribunal of Jesus Christ repeating the words of your consecration to the Lord. He will recall your baptismal vows. He will say, “You were asked, ' Do you renounce the world, the flesh, and the devil? ' and you replied, ' I do renounce them.' How, then, have you kept your promise?” Then turning towards our Lord, “I did not sweat blood for him; I was not crowned with thorns for him; I never shed a drop of blood for him; I was not suspended to the cross one moment for him. And yet he did not serve you, but me. I never gave my life for this soul; and yet it was not to you he gave himself, it was to me. Pronounce the sentence, then, and let him belong to me through sin, since he would not belong to you by grace.”
(2) The angels. Your guardian angel will reproach you with rejecting his inspirations, despising his counsels, sullying his looks by your sins which he witnessed: “Arise, O God, and judge Thy own cause” (Psalm 73:22). The angels charged with the souls of your brethren will reproach you with your scandals, and demand vengeance for your fatal example, which perhaps caused their loss. “Arise; O God, and judge.” The angels who watch before the holy altars will reproach you with that indifference which kept you from the holy table, or even from the temples of Jesus Christ; those irreverences which have so often outraged the holiness of sacrifice or prayer; the word of God listened to with worldly dispositions; the Sacraments rendered useless by tepidity, perhaps profaned by sacrilege. “Arise, O God, and judge.”
(3) Your own conscience. Your conscience will place your whole life before your eyes; it will show you all your works, which will say: Do you know us? We are your works: “It was thou who didst us; we will not leave thee” (St. Bernard). At each accusation of the devil or the angels, it will bear witness against you: “It is true thou art guilty of this iniquity; it was such a day, at such an hour, thou didst commit this sin.”
FOURTH CONSIDERATION
The Judge
It is Jesus Christ, once your father, your spouse, your friend, your brother; but who now, forgetting all these titles, is only your judge,-and what a judge! A Judge infinitely holy; He has an infinite horror of every sin, however small. A Judge thoroughly omniscient; there is no sin so small, so secret, that He does not know it and reveal it. A Judge infinitely just; there is no sin that He leaves without vengeance. A Judge without appeal; whose sentence it is impossible to revoke. A Judge all-powerful; how can man escape the chastisements of His justice? Behold, then, the Judge before whom you will appear to give an account of His graces, and His blood shed for you! What will become of your soul in presence of such a Judge? “What shall I do when God shall arise to judge?” (Job 31:14).
FIFTH CONSIDERATION
Your defense at the judgment of God
If you appear before the tribunal of God in mortal sin, what will you answer to your accusers? “All iniquity shall stop her mouth” (Psalm 106:42). Will you excuse yourself by your ignorance? But they will oppose to you the lights of your conscience and of the Gospel, and the instructions of the Church and its ministers. Will you excuse yourself by your weakness? But they will oppose to you the strength of grace. Will you excuse yourself by your temptations? They will oppose the means God gave you to overcome them-prayer, the Sacraments, etc. Will you excuse yourself by the scandals which led you away? They will oppose all the holy examples which ought to have strengthened you in virtue. Finally, leaving all excuses, will you have recourse to the intercession of holy Mary and of the Saints, to the mercy of Jesus Christ? The Blessed Virgin, the Saints, can no longer do anything for you, and Jesus is now the God of justice, not the God of mercy: “My eye shall not spare them, neither shall I show mercy” (Ezechiel 8:18).
SIXTH CONSIDERATION
The sentence
To the just it will be said, “Come, ye blessed of My Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning.” To the wicked it will be said, “Begone, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for Satan and his angels” (Matthew 25:34, 41). Begone: that is to say, every tie between us is broken; go far from Me, wandering sheep, I am no longer your shepherd; go far from Me, faithless spouse, I am no longer thy spouse; go far from Me, unnatural child, I am no longer your father; begone, you shall have no part in My friendship, in My kingdom, in any thing belonging to Me. My Mother is no longer your mother; My angels are no longer your guardians; My saints no longer your protectors. Begone, ye cursed, cursed in every sense, which has each its punishment,-cursed in thy mind, which shall never have one good thought; cursed in thy heart, which shall be given up to despair without end. Begone to everlasting fire,-to that fire where thou wilt have a furnace for thy dwelling, flames for thy food, burning coals for thy couch, devils for thy society, tortures for thy repose; to that fire which will last as long as I am God. Begone to the fire prepared for Satan. I take heaven and earth to witness it was not prepared for thee. I protest before angels and men that I neglected nothing to save thee from this eternal fire. Behold My angels, to whose care I committed thy soul. Behold My Mother, whom I gave thee for thy mother and patroness. Behold My wounds, and My heart open and pierced for thy salvation. But since thou wouldst not have My graces and My friendship, begone from Me, and begone for all eternity: “Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.”
AFFECTIONS
Colloquy, first, at the feet of Jesus crucified
“O most just Judge,
bestow upon me, I beseech Thee,
the gift of pardon before that day of reckoning.
Behold, I groan in Thy sight as one guilty;
shame covereth my face because of my sin.
Spare me, a suppliant, O my God.”
“Juste Judex ultionis,
Donum fac remissionis,
Ante diem rationis.
Ingemisco tamquam reus:
Culpa rubet vultus meus:
Supplicanti parce, Deus.”
Second, at the feet of an image of Mary:
“O Mary, at once the Mother of God and the mother of the sinner, mother of the Judge and of the criminal, let not God your Son condemn your son the sinner.”
Pater. Ave.
Preparatory Prayer
First prelude. Represent to yourself the tribunal of Jesus Christ, and your soul brought into the presence of its Judge to give an account of all its works.
Second prelude. “Remember, O most loving Jesu, that for me Thou didst humble Thyself to this mortal life. Let me not be lost, I beseech Thee, on that great day.” (Dies Irae).
“Recordare, Jesu pie,
Quod sum causa tune vice;
Ne me perdas illa die.”
FIRST CONSIDERATION
The time and the place where the judgment will be held
The time will be that at which you breathe your last sigh. Represent to yourself your relatives and friends examining your lips and heart to find a breath or a beat which may yet give token of life.
While they are still asking whether you belong to time or eternity, you are already before the tribunal of your Judge. And where is this tribunal? In the room where you have just expired, beside your death-bed, before your corpse, before those who surround your inanimate remains, and who assist at this terrible scene without desiring it, and probably without thinking of it.
SECOND CONSIDERATION
The accused
It is your soul, but your soul alone with its works:
“Their works follow them” (Apocalypse 14:13). Your soul suddenly illuminated by the lights of eternity, embracing at one glance the extent of its obligations, all the consequences of the graces it received, all the circumstances of the sins it committed: “In Thy light we shall see light”(Psalm 35:10). Your soul in the presence of God, without the power to escape this awful sight. What a situation for the sinner! A worldling in the presence of that God he has never truly loved; a voluptuary in the presence of a thrice holy God, who has witnessed all his excesses, and is about to punish them; a careless man in presence of that God of whom he thought as little as if He had not existed!
THIRD CONSIDERATION
The accusers
(1) The devil. Satan will stand before the tribunal of Jesus Christ repeating the words of your consecration to the Lord. He will recall your baptismal vows. He will say, “You were asked, ' Do you renounce the world, the flesh, and the devil? ' and you replied, ' I do renounce them.' How, then, have you kept your promise?” Then turning towards our Lord, “I did not sweat blood for him; I was not crowned with thorns for him; I never shed a drop of blood for him; I was not suspended to the cross one moment for him. And yet he did not serve you, but me. I never gave my life for this soul; and yet it was not to you he gave himself, it was to me. Pronounce the sentence, then, and let him belong to me through sin, since he would not belong to you by grace.”
(2) The angels. Your guardian angel will reproach you with rejecting his inspirations, despising his counsels, sullying his looks by your sins which he witnessed: “Arise, O God, and judge Thy own cause” (Psalm 73:22). The angels charged with the souls of your brethren will reproach you with your scandals, and demand vengeance for your fatal example, which perhaps caused their loss. “Arise; O God, and judge.” The angels who watch before the holy altars will reproach you with that indifference which kept you from the holy table, or even from the temples of Jesus Christ; those irreverences which have so often outraged the holiness of sacrifice or prayer; the word of God listened to with worldly dispositions; the Sacraments rendered useless by tepidity, perhaps profaned by sacrilege. “Arise, O God, and judge.”
(3) Your own conscience. Your conscience will place your whole life before your eyes; it will show you all your works, which will say: Do you know us? We are your works: “It was thou who didst us; we will not leave thee” (St. Bernard). At each accusation of the devil or the angels, it will bear witness against you: “It is true thou art guilty of this iniquity; it was such a day, at such an hour, thou didst commit this sin.”
FOURTH CONSIDERATION
The Judge
It is Jesus Christ, once your father, your spouse, your friend, your brother; but who now, forgetting all these titles, is only your judge,-and what a judge! A Judge infinitely holy; He has an infinite horror of every sin, however small. A Judge thoroughly omniscient; there is no sin so small, so secret, that He does not know it and reveal it. A Judge infinitely just; there is no sin that He leaves without vengeance. A Judge without appeal; whose sentence it is impossible to revoke. A Judge all-powerful; how can man escape the chastisements of His justice? Behold, then, the Judge before whom you will appear to give an account of His graces, and His blood shed for you! What will become of your soul in presence of such a Judge? “What shall I do when God shall arise to judge?” (Job 31:14).
FIFTH CONSIDERATION
Your defense at the judgment of God
If you appear before the tribunal of God in mortal sin, what will you answer to your accusers? “All iniquity shall stop her mouth” (Psalm 106:42). Will you excuse yourself by your ignorance? But they will oppose to you the lights of your conscience and of the Gospel, and the instructions of the Church and its ministers. Will you excuse yourself by your weakness? But they will oppose to you the strength of grace. Will you excuse yourself by your temptations? They will oppose the means God gave you to overcome them-prayer, the Sacraments, etc. Will you excuse yourself by the scandals which led you away? They will oppose all the holy examples which ought to have strengthened you in virtue. Finally, leaving all excuses, will you have recourse to the intercession of holy Mary and of the Saints, to the mercy of Jesus Christ? The Blessed Virgin, the Saints, can no longer do anything for you, and Jesus is now the God of justice, not the God of mercy: “My eye shall not spare them, neither shall I show mercy” (Ezechiel 8:18).
SIXTH CONSIDERATION
The sentence
To the just it will be said, “Come, ye blessed of My Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning.” To the wicked it will be said, “Begone, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for Satan and his angels” (Matthew 25:34, 41). Begone: that is to say, every tie between us is broken; go far from Me, wandering sheep, I am no longer your shepherd; go far from Me, faithless spouse, I am no longer thy spouse; go far from Me, unnatural child, I am no longer your father; begone, you shall have no part in My friendship, in My kingdom, in any thing belonging to Me. My Mother is no longer your mother; My angels are no longer your guardians; My saints no longer your protectors. Begone, ye cursed, cursed in every sense, which has each its punishment,-cursed in thy mind, which shall never have one good thought; cursed in thy heart, which shall be given up to despair without end. Begone to everlasting fire,-to that fire where thou wilt have a furnace for thy dwelling, flames for thy food, burning coals for thy couch, devils for thy society, tortures for thy repose; to that fire which will last as long as I am God. Begone to the fire prepared for Satan. I take heaven and earth to witness it was not prepared for thee. I protest before angels and men that I neglected nothing to save thee from this eternal fire. Behold My angels, to whose care I committed thy soul. Behold My Mother, whom I gave thee for thy mother and patroness. Behold My wounds, and My heart open and pierced for thy salvation. But since thou wouldst not have My graces and My friendship, begone from Me, and begone for all eternity: “Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.”
AFFECTIONS
Colloquy, first, at the feet of Jesus crucified
“O most just Judge,
bestow upon me, I beseech Thee,
the gift of pardon before that day of reckoning.
Behold, I groan in Thy sight as one guilty;
shame covereth my face because of my sin.
Spare me, a suppliant, O my God.”
“Juste Judex ultionis,
Donum fac remissionis,
Ante diem rationis.
Ingemisco tamquam reus:
Culpa rubet vultus meus:
Supplicanti parce, Deus.”
Second, at the feet of an image of Mary:
“O Mary, at once the Mother of God and the mother of the sinner, mother of the Judge and of the criminal, let not God your Son condemn your son the sinner.”
Pater. Ave.
WEEK 1 : DAY 13
St. Ignatius calls each of the four periods of his retreat a "week" but some "weeks" are longer than others.
INSTRUCTIONS ON VENIAL SIN
St. Ignatius calls each of the four periods of his retreat a "week" but some "weeks" are longer than others.
INSTRUCTIONS ON VENIAL SIN
ON VENIAL SIN
Preparatory Prayer
First prelude. Represent to yourself the fires of Purgatory, and a soul in these fires expiating the sins it committed on Earth.
Second prelude. Ask of God the knowledge and the hatred of venial sin.
FIRST CONSIDERATION
The malice of venial sin
Venial sin is essentially an offence against God. It is consequently a contempt of the majesty of God, an ingratitude towards His goodness, a resistance to His will, an injury to all His perfections―a slight injury if compared to that which mortal sin offers to God, but very serious if considered in itself; for it is an offence against Infinite Majesty by a vile creature, and for a vile motive.
Venial sin is, then, really the evil of God. Meditate well on these words: An evil against God; that is to say, an evil so great that it surpasses all the temporal and even eternal evils of creatures.
The destruction, or above all the damnation, of the whole human race would be a great evil; and yet it would be a sin to wish, if we had the power, to save the human race from destruction or hell at the price of one venial sin.
It is an evil so great that all the sacrifices and virtues of creatures render less glory to God than one venial sin takes from Him.
It is an evil so great that neither the mind of man can comprehend it, nor his will hate it as it deserves to be hated, nor any expiation of his suffice to repair it. For it requires nothing less than the mind, the will, and the atonement of a
God.
SECOND CONSIDERATION
The effects of venial sin
Venial sin, it is true, does not destroy in us habitual grace; but, nevertheless, how deplorable are its effects in the soul!
(1) It imprints a stain which tarnishes its beauty. It is to the soul what an ulcer is to the body.
(2) It weakens the lights of the spirit and the fervor of the will; and from that arise languor in prayer, in the use of the Sacraments, and in the practice of Christian virtues.
(3) It deprives the soul of the superabundance of graces—choice graces, which God only gives to purity of heart.
(4) It deprives the soul of a greater degree of grace and glory which it would have acquired by its fidelity, and which is lost by its fault. A God less glorified eternally, less loved, and less possessed, such are the consequences of venial sin to the soul.
(5) It leads to mortal sin as sickness leads to death; for the repetition of venial sins insensibly weakens the fear of God, hardens the conscience, forms evil attachments and habits, gives fresh strength to the temptations of the enemy of our salvation, nourishes and develops the passions. Hence the Holy Spirit says, “He that contemneth small things, shall fall by little and little” (Ecclesiasticus 19:1); and that of our Savior, “He that is unjust in that which is little, is unjust also in that which is greater” (Luke 16:10).
THIRD CONSIDERATION
The punishment of venial sin
Even in this life God has often inflicted most rigorous vengeance for venial sin. Moses and Aaron were excluded from the promised land in punishment of a slight distrust; the Bethsamites were struck dead for an indiscreet look at the Ark; seventy thousand Israelites were carried off by a destructive scourge in punishment of the vain complaisance of David in the numbering of his subjects.
But it is above all in the next life that venial sin is punished with the most alarming rigor. Enter in spirit this blazing prison, where the justice of God purifies His elect, and meditate attentively on the following circumstances:
(1) What is the victim suffering in purgatory? It is a predestined soul; a soul confirmed in grace, and that cannot lose it; a soul so dear to God that He is impatient to give it the most magnificent testimony of His love, that is to say, the possession of Himself.
(2) What does it suffer? Pain which man cannot conceive; that is, fires which differ in nothing from those which devour the damned-it is the opinion of St. Augustine, confirmed by St. Thomas, “The same fire forms the torment of the damned and the purification of the just;” and the privation of God, which delivers up the soul to all that is most agonizing in regrets and desires.
(3) Why does it suffer? For some of those faults which almost every moment are committed from the weakness of our will.
End by looking into your conscience. Examine the faculties of your soul and the senses of your body. Call to mind how far divine faith regulates the use of them with regard to God, your neighbor, and yourself. Examine all the venial faults you commit each day in these different points, through ignorance, levity, or weakness-perhaps even with malice and reflection. Humble yourself before God, and say with the prophet: “For evils without number have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I am not able to see. They are multiplied above the hairs of my head, and my heart hath forsaken me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me” (Psalm 39:13-14).
Preparatory Prayer
First prelude. Represent to yourself the fires of Purgatory, and a soul in these fires expiating the sins it committed on Earth.
Second prelude. Ask of God the knowledge and the hatred of venial sin.
FIRST CONSIDERATION
The malice of venial sin
Venial sin is essentially an offence against God. It is consequently a contempt of the majesty of God, an ingratitude towards His goodness, a resistance to His will, an injury to all His perfections―a slight injury if compared to that which mortal sin offers to God, but very serious if considered in itself; for it is an offence against Infinite Majesty by a vile creature, and for a vile motive.
Venial sin is, then, really the evil of God. Meditate well on these words: An evil against God; that is to say, an evil so great that it surpasses all the temporal and even eternal evils of creatures.
The destruction, or above all the damnation, of the whole human race would be a great evil; and yet it would be a sin to wish, if we had the power, to save the human race from destruction or hell at the price of one venial sin.
It is an evil so great that all the sacrifices and virtues of creatures render less glory to God than one venial sin takes from Him.
It is an evil so great that neither the mind of man can comprehend it, nor his will hate it as it deserves to be hated, nor any expiation of his suffice to repair it. For it requires nothing less than the mind, the will, and the atonement of a
God.
SECOND CONSIDERATION
The effects of venial sin
Venial sin, it is true, does not destroy in us habitual grace; but, nevertheless, how deplorable are its effects in the soul!
(1) It imprints a stain which tarnishes its beauty. It is to the soul what an ulcer is to the body.
(2) It weakens the lights of the spirit and the fervor of the will; and from that arise languor in prayer, in the use of the Sacraments, and in the practice of Christian virtues.
(3) It deprives the soul of the superabundance of graces—choice graces, which God only gives to purity of heart.
(4) It deprives the soul of a greater degree of grace and glory which it would have acquired by its fidelity, and which is lost by its fault. A God less glorified eternally, less loved, and less possessed, such are the consequences of venial sin to the soul.
(5) It leads to mortal sin as sickness leads to death; for the repetition of venial sins insensibly weakens the fear of God, hardens the conscience, forms evil attachments and habits, gives fresh strength to the temptations of the enemy of our salvation, nourishes and develops the passions. Hence the Holy Spirit says, “He that contemneth small things, shall fall by little and little” (Ecclesiasticus 19:1); and that of our Savior, “He that is unjust in that which is little, is unjust also in that which is greater” (Luke 16:10).
THIRD CONSIDERATION
The punishment of venial sin
Even in this life God has often inflicted most rigorous vengeance for venial sin. Moses and Aaron were excluded from the promised land in punishment of a slight distrust; the Bethsamites were struck dead for an indiscreet look at the Ark; seventy thousand Israelites were carried off by a destructive scourge in punishment of the vain complaisance of David in the numbering of his subjects.
But it is above all in the next life that venial sin is punished with the most alarming rigor. Enter in spirit this blazing prison, where the justice of God purifies His elect, and meditate attentively on the following circumstances:
(1) What is the victim suffering in purgatory? It is a predestined soul; a soul confirmed in grace, and that cannot lose it; a soul so dear to God that He is impatient to give it the most magnificent testimony of His love, that is to say, the possession of Himself.
(2) What does it suffer? Pain which man cannot conceive; that is, fires which differ in nothing from those which devour the damned-it is the opinion of St. Augustine, confirmed by St. Thomas, “The same fire forms the torment of the damned and the purification of the just;” and the privation of God, which delivers up the soul to all that is most agonizing in regrets and desires.
(3) Why does it suffer? For some of those faults which almost every moment are committed from the weakness of our will.
End by looking into your conscience. Examine the faculties of your soul and the senses of your body. Call to mind how far divine faith regulates the use of them with regard to God, your neighbor, and yourself. Examine all the venial faults you commit each day in these different points, through ignorance, levity, or weakness-perhaps even with malice and reflection. Humble yourself before God, and say with the prophet: “For evils without number have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I am not able to see. They are multiplied above the hairs of my head, and my heart hath forsaken me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me” (Psalm 39:13-14).
WEEK 1 : DAY 14
St. Ignatius calls each of the four periods of his retreat a "week" but some "weeks" are longer than others.
INSTRUCTIONS ON THE PRODIGAL SON
St. Ignatius calls each of the four periods of his retreat a "week" but some "weeks" are longer than others.
INSTRUCTIONS ON THE PRODIGAL SON
FIRST EXERCISE
The Prodigal Son
Preparatory Prayer
First prelude. Represent to yourself the prodigal son returning to his father after long wanderings.
Second prelude. Ask of our Lord the grace to imitate the repentance of the prodigal, and, like him, obtain pardon for your past sins.
THE WANDERINGS OF THE PRODIGAL SON
“A certain man had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of substance that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his substance. And not many days after, the younger son, gathering all together, went abroad into a far country, and there wasted his substance, living riotously. And after he had spent all, there came a mighty famine in that country, and he began to be in want. And he went and cleaved to one of the citizens of that country. And he sent him to his farm to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him” (Luke 15:11-16).
Consider well all the circumstances of this history.
(1) He is young. The passions of youth here we see the cause of his error. Youth is the age of illusions: the prodigal promised himself a happy and brilliant life away from the paternal mansion. Youth has a passion for pleasure: the prodigal sighed after gaieties of the world; he envied other youths of his age the pleasures of idleness, the noisy joys of their amusements, the success of their mad passions. Youth is, above all, jealous of its independence: the prodigal is weary of the constraint his father's presence imposes on him; he wishes to be the master of his liberty, and the arbiter of his destiny. Look within yourself : what have been the causes of your errors, if not the illusions of the world, the passion for pleasure, the fatal love of independence?
(2) “Father, give me the portion of substance that falleth to me.” He asks of his father that portion of the heritage which comes to him. What ingratitude! The name alone of father, ought it not to have recalled to him all the benefits bestowed by paternal tenderness, the cares which surrounded his infancy, the lively affection of which he received fresh testimonies every day? What unjust pretensions! This substance which he claims belongs to his father, who received it from his ancestors, or who perhaps owes it to a long series of labors or to prudent economy. By what right does he take it during his father's lifetime? And what title has he to exact the division of a fortune not yet belonging to him? What foolish temerity! This property once in his hands, what will become of it? Scarcely will he be master of it before he will dissipate it in luxury and debauchery. Apply these reflections to yourself. Is not God your Father in the order of nature and in the order of grace? When you left Him to serve the world, did you not act like the prodigal, ask for your portion of the heritage, that is, the free disposal of yourself, as if you were not the property of God, who created you and redeemed you, as if you could for a moment become master of yourself without making yourself miserable? What ingratitude in your departure from God! What injustice! What folly!
(3) “And not many days after he went abroad into a far country.” Being now master of his property, the prodigal goes into a distant country. If he remained in the neighborhood of his father's house, too many memories would trouble him in the midst of his pleasures; he would be in constant fear of the remonstrances of his father's friends, the presence perhaps of this father himself, the reproaches of his own heart. To give himself up to pleasure with less trouble and more liberty, he goes into a distant country. An image this of your wanderings, when you gave yourself to the world. You dreaded the exercises of piety, prayer, frequenting of the Sacraments; the society of good people; even meeting the ministers of Jesus Christ, whose zeal might have brought you back to Him; your own reflections and the reproaches of your own conscience―all these you feared. You fled as far from yourself and as far from God as possible, for fear that grace should find you out and restore you, even against yourself, to your Father and God.
(4) “And there wasted his substance, living riotously.” Away from his father, the prodigal child has soon dissipated his fortune. He does not consider that it is the fruit of his father's toil; that it is his sole resource for the future; that this fortune, however brilliant it may be, must come to an end in the expenses of luxury and sin. A few months are scarcely passed, and there remains to him nothing of his riches, nothing but dread poverty: “He wasted his substance.” And what treasures of grace have you not dissipated, far from God! Recall to mind all these losses, and weep for them with tears of blood―loss of the friendship of God; loss of your past merits; loss of those holy inspirations, which you have continually despised; loss of those good examples rendered useless; loss of that Christian education of which you have abjured the principles; loss of those happy dispositions of nature, of that taste for virtue, that uprightness of heart, of that delicacy of conscience, of those favorable tendencies to piety; loss of your talents, which you have prostituted to the service of pleasure and sin; loss of your reason, of your faith, of which you have perhaps even smothered the light. What a sad use of the gifts of your God! “He wasted his substance in riotous living.”
(5) “He began to be in want, and he cleaved to one of the citizens; and he sent him into his farm to feed swine.” Sad consequences of the profusion and libertinism of the prodigal!-want, slavery, degradation, and infamy.
Want. A great famine falls upon the country where the prodigal has gone; and, his riches wasted in luxury, he is left in shameful poverty. In vain he addresses himself to the companions of his excesses, to the friends on whom he had bestowed pleasure and fortune; he is left alone without resource, and forced to beg his bread from the pity of a stranger. This country a prey to famine is the world. This hunger is the devouring hunger of the passions, which incessantly cry from the depths of the guilty heart, “Bring, bring” (Proverbs 30:15). This indigence is the emptiness of a soul tormented by the want of happiness, and begging it in vain from creatures, which only offer him agitation, regret, disgust, weariness, and afflictions without end. O my God, how true it is that in losing You the sinner loses all! “What can be more lost than what is out of God?” (St. Bernard). “What do you possess if you possess not God?” (St. Augustine).
Slavery. What a sad change! This young man so jealous of his liberty obliged to take service with a hard and unfeeling master! he who was such an enemy of all restraint reduced to the lowest occupations! He so haughty confounded with the vilest slaves! And is not this the humiliating state of the sinner? Like the prodigal, he is the slave, not of one master, but of innumerable tyrants; slave of Satan, who reigns over his mind, his imagination, his heart, his senses; slave of his inclinations, which every moment require the sacrifice of his repose, his conscience, his reason; slave of the world, and so must respect its judgments, applaud its maxims, spare its susceptibility, humor its caprices, satisfy its exigencies, dissimulate, and suffer without complaint all its ingratitude and injustice; slave of habits, which become a sort of necessity and second nature and which defy all the efforts of grace, all the reflections of reason, all the remorse of conscience. What a slavery! “Such is the fate of whoever refuses himself to his Father” (St. Peter Chrysologus).
Degradation. The prodigal reduced to feed unclean animals, and even envying them their degrading food. What disgrace! It is that of the sinner away from his God. There is no pleasure, however gross and brutal, from which he does not seek happiness; he even descends to envy the lowest libertines their most shameful excesses, their most monstrous debauches. He even envies the stupid condition of the brutes, wishing to have like them no law but instinct, no other destiny than the gratification of sense: “Man, when he was in honor, did not understand: he bath been compared to senseless beasts, and is become like to them” (Psalm 48:13).
SECOND EXERCISE ON THE PRODIGAL SON
Preparatory Prayer
First prelude. Represent to yourself the prodigal son returning to his father after long wanderings.
Second prelude. Ask of our Savior the grace to imitate the repentance of the prodigal, and to obtain from Him the pardon of your past wanderings.
THE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL
The prodigal returning to himself, said, “How many hired servants in my father's house abound with bread, and I here perish with hunger. I will arise and will go to my father, and say to him: ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee! I am not now worthy to be called thy son! Make me as one of thy hired servants!’ And rising up, he came to his father. And when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion; and running to him, fell upon his neck and kissed him. And the son said: ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee! I am not now worthy to be called thy son!’ But the father said to his servants: ‘Bring forth quickly the first robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet; and bring hither the fatted calf and kill it, and let us make merry: because this my son was dead, and is come to life again; was lost, and is found!’” (Luke xv. 17-24).
Consider two things: the conversion of the prodigal, and the welcome which he receives from his father.
1. THE CONVERSION OF THE PRODIGAL.
(1) The misfortunes of the prodigal are the beginning of his conversion. He had forgotten his father when he was rich and happy; miserable and poor, all his thoughts turned to this father so unjustly abandoned. Acknowledge the value of affliction; God always visits with His grace those whom He visits with tribulation.
(2) The prodigal, thus cast off by the world, returns to himself, and begins to reflect on his unhappiness and his sins. The injustice, ingratitude, and perfidy with which the world recompenses our services, will they not make us also return to ourselves? What subjects of reflection does not a soul that has left God for creatures find in itself! 0 God, what have I gained by leaving Thee? What rest, what happiness have I found in the world? Was it requisite, Lord, to take from Thee my heart, renounce Thy grace, lose my peace of conscience, risk my salvation and my eternity, for pleasures so fleeting, so empty, so degrading?
(3) Returning to himself, the prodigal compares his state to that of his father's servants: “How many hired servants in my father's house abound with bread, and I here perish with hunger!” Unfaithful soul, what a difference between your state and that of the servants of God! What peace in their souls! What interior joy! What fullness of consolation, even in the midst of their sacrifices! In your heart, on the contrary, what troubles! What bitterness! What agonies! What a difference between you and them! Recall what even your heart was under the empire of the Divine grace; see what it is become under the empire of sin; and by the troubles of your present state learn to regret the happiness of your past condition: “Who will grant me that I might be according to the months past, according to the days in which God kept me?” (Job 29:2).
(4) The prodigal arms himself with a noble and courageous resolution: “I will arise and go to my father.” He does not stop at words and wishes only. He does not put off his change to a distant future. He is not afraid of the talk and the raillery of the world at the change. He does not draw back before the sacrifice of his attachments and his passions. What an example of true conversion!
(5) Finally, It is by the humble avowal of his faults that the prodigal wishes to return to his father's favor: “I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee.” Let that be the first step also of your conversion. Go, throw yourself at the feet of Jesus Christ, present in the person of the priest, and say to Him, I have sinned against heaven and before Thee; against heaven by the scandal of so many iniquities committed in the light of day; before Thee by so many secret sins, which, though buried in my heart or hidden in darkness, are not less clear to Thy invisible eye. Ah I am not worthy to be called Thy child―I will be too happy if Thou wilt deign to admit me among Thy servants: “I am not now worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.”
2. THE WELCOME THE PRODIGAL RECEIVES FROM HIS FATHER
(1) “When he was yet a long way off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion.” His father perceived him at a distance, and was immediately moved with compassion. So, when feelings of repentance arise in your heart, God looks upon you with pity. He forgets everything―your revolt against His will, your having despised His mercy and His justice, your having resisted His grace, your obstinacy and hardness in sin; He no longer remembers that you were ungrateful and rebellious, He only sees in you your misery and your penitence.
(2) “He ran to him, fell upon his neck, and kissed him.” Does it not seem as if the prodigal's father ought to have waited for his son; then, restraining his tenderness, leave him for some time at his feet, and only grant pardon to the importunity of his prayers? Far from that, this father runs to meet him, throws himself on his neck, and clasps him to his heart. See in this description the goodness of God: you abandoned Him; and now that creatures abandon you, ought He not to withdraw Himself in His turn? Does He not owe it to His honor to reject your heart as creatures do? to His holiness, not to encourage sin by so easily forgiving a sinner like you? To His justice, by treating you as He has treated so many unhappy ones, whom He punishes in hell without pity for the same crimes you commit so boldly? And yet He seeks you; He does not wait for you to ask pardon, He offers it to you; He does not allow you to remain at His feet, He embraces you and presses you to His sacred heart: “Thus does this Father judge, thus does He chastise, thus does He give His erring son, not the rod, but a kiss. I ask you, then, where is there room for despair?” (St. John Chrysostom).
(3) “Bring forth quickly the first robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand.” To pardon the repentant son seems little to this tender father; he wishes to restore to him all the marks, and at the same time all the rights, of his first condition. No reproaches for the past, no trial for the future; immediately he reinstates him in all the prerogatives of his birth. Thus the Lord treats the soul which returns to Him. In restoring to him His friendship, He restores all that sin had deprived him of; and He restores it without delay: “Our Father does not know what it is to make us wait for pardon” (St. Peter Chrysologus). With pardon what will you not regain? innocence, peace, your merits, your rights to the glory of heaven, your title to the esteem of the good, all your dignity as man and Christian; and all this you regain in a single moment: “At this very moment I may, if I desire, become the friend of God” (St. Augustine).
(4) “Bring hither the fatted calf, and let us eat and make merry.” Finally, the prodigal's father orders a splendid feast to celebrate the return of his son; and he wishes all his friends and his servants to take part in the joy of this feast; “For,” said he, “my son was lost, and is found; he was dead, and is alive again.” So the heavenly Father celebrates your return by a solemn festival, where He gives you the body of His Divine Son, who is every day offered, in order to be given to us at the Eucharistic table. He invites just men and angels to rejoice at our spiritual resurrection; He wishes that the day of our conversion should be a feast-day for all the family, that is to say, for His Church. After this, why do we delay returning to the arms and the heart of this good Father?
COLLOQUY
Cast yourself at the feet of Jesus Christ, like the prodigal child at his father's feet, and solemnly promise never more to forsake Him.
Anima Christi.
The Prodigal Son
Preparatory Prayer
First prelude. Represent to yourself the prodigal son returning to his father after long wanderings.
Second prelude. Ask of our Lord the grace to imitate the repentance of the prodigal, and, like him, obtain pardon for your past sins.
THE WANDERINGS OF THE PRODIGAL SON
“A certain man had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of substance that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his substance. And not many days after, the younger son, gathering all together, went abroad into a far country, and there wasted his substance, living riotously. And after he had spent all, there came a mighty famine in that country, and he began to be in want. And he went and cleaved to one of the citizens of that country. And he sent him to his farm to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him” (Luke 15:11-16).
Consider well all the circumstances of this history.
(1) He is young. The passions of youth here we see the cause of his error. Youth is the age of illusions: the prodigal promised himself a happy and brilliant life away from the paternal mansion. Youth has a passion for pleasure: the prodigal sighed after gaieties of the world; he envied other youths of his age the pleasures of idleness, the noisy joys of their amusements, the success of their mad passions. Youth is, above all, jealous of its independence: the prodigal is weary of the constraint his father's presence imposes on him; he wishes to be the master of his liberty, and the arbiter of his destiny. Look within yourself : what have been the causes of your errors, if not the illusions of the world, the passion for pleasure, the fatal love of independence?
(2) “Father, give me the portion of substance that falleth to me.” He asks of his father that portion of the heritage which comes to him. What ingratitude! The name alone of father, ought it not to have recalled to him all the benefits bestowed by paternal tenderness, the cares which surrounded his infancy, the lively affection of which he received fresh testimonies every day? What unjust pretensions! This substance which he claims belongs to his father, who received it from his ancestors, or who perhaps owes it to a long series of labors or to prudent economy. By what right does he take it during his father's lifetime? And what title has he to exact the division of a fortune not yet belonging to him? What foolish temerity! This property once in his hands, what will become of it? Scarcely will he be master of it before he will dissipate it in luxury and debauchery. Apply these reflections to yourself. Is not God your Father in the order of nature and in the order of grace? When you left Him to serve the world, did you not act like the prodigal, ask for your portion of the heritage, that is, the free disposal of yourself, as if you were not the property of God, who created you and redeemed you, as if you could for a moment become master of yourself without making yourself miserable? What ingratitude in your departure from God! What injustice! What folly!
(3) “And not many days after he went abroad into a far country.” Being now master of his property, the prodigal goes into a distant country. If he remained in the neighborhood of his father's house, too many memories would trouble him in the midst of his pleasures; he would be in constant fear of the remonstrances of his father's friends, the presence perhaps of this father himself, the reproaches of his own heart. To give himself up to pleasure with less trouble and more liberty, he goes into a distant country. An image this of your wanderings, when you gave yourself to the world. You dreaded the exercises of piety, prayer, frequenting of the Sacraments; the society of good people; even meeting the ministers of Jesus Christ, whose zeal might have brought you back to Him; your own reflections and the reproaches of your own conscience―all these you feared. You fled as far from yourself and as far from God as possible, for fear that grace should find you out and restore you, even against yourself, to your Father and God.
(4) “And there wasted his substance, living riotously.” Away from his father, the prodigal child has soon dissipated his fortune. He does not consider that it is the fruit of his father's toil; that it is his sole resource for the future; that this fortune, however brilliant it may be, must come to an end in the expenses of luxury and sin. A few months are scarcely passed, and there remains to him nothing of his riches, nothing but dread poverty: “He wasted his substance.” And what treasures of grace have you not dissipated, far from God! Recall to mind all these losses, and weep for them with tears of blood―loss of the friendship of God; loss of your past merits; loss of those holy inspirations, which you have continually despised; loss of those good examples rendered useless; loss of that Christian education of which you have abjured the principles; loss of those happy dispositions of nature, of that taste for virtue, that uprightness of heart, of that delicacy of conscience, of those favorable tendencies to piety; loss of your talents, which you have prostituted to the service of pleasure and sin; loss of your reason, of your faith, of which you have perhaps even smothered the light. What a sad use of the gifts of your God! “He wasted his substance in riotous living.”
(5) “He began to be in want, and he cleaved to one of the citizens; and he sent him into his farm to feed swine.” Sad consequences of the profusion and libertinism of the prodigal!-want, slavery, degradation, and infamy.
Want. A great famine falls upon the country where the prodigal has gone; and, his riches wasted in luxury, he is left in shameful poverty. In vain he addresses himself to the companions of his excesses, to the friends on whom he had bestowed pleasure and fortune; he is left alone without resource, and forced to beg his bread from the pity of a stranger. This country a prey to famine is the world. This hunger is the devouring hunger of the passions, which incessantly cry from the depths of the guilty heart, “Bring, bring” (Proverbs 30:15). This indigence is the emptiness of a soul tormented by the want of happiness, and begging it in vain from creatures, which only offer him agitation, regret, disgust, weariness, and afflictions without end. O my God, how true it is that in losing You the sinner loses all! “What can be more lost than what is out of God?” (St. Bernard). “What do you possess if you possess not God?” (St. Augustine).
Slavery. What a sad change! This young man so jealous of his liberty obliged to take service with a hard and unfeeling master! he who was such an enemy of all restraint reduced to the lowest occupations! He so haughty confounded with the vilest slaves! And is not this the humiliating state of the sinner? Like the prodigal, he is the slave, not of one master, but of innumerable tyrants; slave of Satan, who reigns over his mind, his imagination, his heart, his senses; slave of his inclinations, which every moment require the sacrifice of his repose, his conscience, his reason; slave of the world, and so must respect its judgments, applaud its maxims, spare its susceptibility, humor its caprices, satisfy its exigencies, dissimulate, and suffer without complaint all its ingratitude and injustice; slave of habits, which become a sort of necessity and second nature and which defy all the efforts of grace, all the reflections of reason, all the remorse of conscience. What a slavery! “Such is the fate of whoever refuses himself to his Father” (St. Peter Chrysologus).
Degradation. The prodigal reduced to feed unclean animals, and even envying them their degrading food. What disgrace! It is that of the sinner away from his God. There is no pleasure, however gross and brutal, from which he does not seek happiness; he even descends to envy the lowest libertines their most shameful excesses, their most monstrous debauches. He even envies the stupid condition of the brutes, wishing to have like them no law but instinct, no other destiny than the gratification of sense: “Man, when he was in honor, did not understand: he bath been compared to senseless beasts, and is become like to them” (Psalm 48:13).
SECOND EXERCISE ON THE PRODIGAL SON
Preparatory Prayer
First prelude. Represent to yourself the prodigal son returning to his father after long wanderings.
Second prelude. Ask of our Savior the grace to imitate the repentance of the prodigal, and to obtain from Him the pardon of your past wanderings.
THE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL
The prodigal returning to himself, said, “How many hired servants in my father's house abound with bread, and I here perish with hunger. I will arise and will go to my father, and say to him: ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee! I am not now worthy to be called thy son! Make me as one of thy hired servants!’ And rising up, he came to his father. And when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion; and running to him, fell upon his neck and kissed him. And the son said: ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee! I am not now worthy to be called thy son!’ But the father said to his servants: ‘Bring forth quickly the first robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet; and bring hither the fatted calf and kill it, and let us make merry: because this my son was dead, and is come to life again; was lost, and is found!’” (Luke xv. 17-24).
Consider two things: the conversion of the prodigal, and the welcome which he receives from his father.
1. THE CONVERSION OF THE PRODIGAL.
(1) The misfortunes of the prodigal are the beginning of his conversion. He had forgotten his father when he was rich and happy; miserable and poor, all his thoughts turned to this father so unjustly abandoned. Acknowledge the value of affliction; God always visits with His grace those whom He visits with tribulation.
(2) The prodigal, thus cast off by the world, returns to himself, and begins to reflect on his unhappiness and his sins. The injustice, ingratitude, and perfidy with which the world recompenses our services, will they not make us also return to ourselves? What subjects of reflection does not a soul that has left God for creatures find in itself! 0 God, what have I gained by leaving Thee? What rest, what happiness have I found in the world? Was it requisite, Lord, to take from Thee my heart, renounce Thy grace, lose my peace of conscience, risk my salvation and my eternity, for pleasures so fleeting, so empty, so degrading?
(3) Returning to himself, the prodigal compares his state to that of his father's servants: “How many hired servants in my father's house abound with bread, and I here perish with hunger!” Unfaithful soul, what a difference between your state and that of the servants of God! What peace in their souls! What interior joy! What fullness of consolation, even in the midst of their sacrifices! In your heart, on the contrary, what troubles! What bitterness! What agonies! What a difference between you and them! Recall what even your heart was under the empire of the Divine grace; see what it is become under the empire of sin; and by the troubles of your present state learn to regret the happiness of your past condition: “Who will grant me that I might be according to the months past, according to the days in which God kept me?” (Job 29:2).
(4) The prodigal arms himself with a noble and courageous resolution: “I will arise and go to my father.” He does not stop at words and wishes only. He does not put off his change to a distant future. He is not afraid of the talk and the raillery of the world at the change. He does not draw back before the sacrifice of his attachments and his passions. What an example of true conversion!
(5) Finally, It is by the humble avowal of his faults that the prodigal wishes to return to his father's favor: “I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee.” Let that be the first step also of your conversion. Go, throw yourself at the feet of Jesus Christ, present in the person of the priest, and say to Him, I have sinned against heaven and before Thee; against heaven by the scandal of so many iniquities committed in the light of day; before Thee by so many secret sins, which, though buried in my heart or hidden in darkness, are not less clear to Thy invisible eye. Ah I am not worthy to be called Thy child―I will be too happy if Thou wilt deign to admit me among Thy servants: “I am not now worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.”
2. THE WELCOME THE PRODIGAL RECEIVES FROM HIS FATHER
(1) “When he was yet a long way off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion.” His father perceived him at a distance, and was immediately moved with compassion. So, when feelings of repentance arise in your heart, God looks upon you with pity. He forgets everything―your revolt against His will, your having despised His mercy and His justice, your having resisted His grace, your obstinacy and hardness in sin; He no longer remembers that you were ungrateful and rebellious, He only sees in you your misery and your penitence.
(2) “He ran to him, fell upon his neck, and kissed him.” Does it not seem as if the prodigal's father ought to have waited for his son; then, restraining his tenderness, leave him for some time at his feet, and only grant pardon to the importunity of his prayers? Far from that, this father runs to meet him, throws himself on his neck, and clasps him to his heart. See in this description the goodness of God: you abandoned Him; and now that creatures abandon you, ought He not to withdraw Himself in His turn? Does He not owe it to His honor to reject your heart as creatures do? to His holiness, not to encourage sin by so easily forgiving a sinner like you? To His justice, by treating you as He has treated so many unhappy ones, whom He punishes in hell without pity for the same crimes you commit so boldly? And yet He seeks you; He does not wait for you to ask pardon, He offers it to you; He does not allow you to remain at His feet, He embraces you and presses you to His sacred heart: “Thus does this Father judge, thus does He chastise, thus does He give His erring son, not the rod, but a kiss. I ask you, then, where is there room for despair?” (St. John Chrysostom).
(3) “Bring forth quickly the first robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand.” To pardon the repentant son seems little to this tender father; he wishes to restore to him all the marks, and at the same time all the rights, of his first condition. No reproaches for the past, no trial for the future; immediately he reinstates him in all the prerogatives of his birth. Thus the Lord treats the soul which returns to Him. In restoring to him His friendship, He restores all that sin had deprived him of; and He restores it without delay: “Our Father does not know what it is to make us wait for pardon” (St. Peter Chrysologus). With pardon what will you not regain? innocence, peace, your merits, your rights to the glory of heaven, your title to the esteem of the good, all your dignity as man and Christian; and all this you regain in a single moment: “At this very moment I may, if I desire, become the friend of God” (St. Augustine).
(4) “Bring hither the fatted calf, and let us eat and make merry.” Finally, the prodigal's father orders a splendid feast to celebrate the return of his son; and he wishes all his friends and his servants to take part in the joy of this feast; “For,” said he, “my son was lost, and is found; he was dead, and is alive again.” So the heavenly Father celebrates your return by a solemn festival, where He gives you the body of His Divine Son, who is every day offered, in order to be given to us at the Eucharistic table. He invites just men and angels to rejoice at our spiritual resurrection; He wishes that the day of our conversion should be a feast-day for all the family, that is to say, for His Church. After this, why do we delay returning to the arms and the heart of this good Father?
COLLOQUY
Cast yourself at the feet of Jesus Christ, like the prodigal child at his father's feet, and solemnly promise never more to forsake Him.
Anima Christi.