of fervor is that our life calls for men of uncommon virtue. The whole
history of our Order proves this truth. Every generation of our members
has had numerous heroes, conspicuous for their spirit of self-sacrifice.
Every generation has had much need of solid virtue on the part of all
its members to perform the difficult tasks imposed on them. For the
present we are passing through a crisis in the world’s history, which
calls for the most patient endurance of ills, and the most generous
spirit of sacrifice, that can be expected from brave and faithful men
supported by the grace of God. Such virtue as you shall need during your
lifetime, if you do not want to disgrace the name you bear, can only be
acquired by leading a life of prayer, and by the ever faithful
performance of your duties, no matter what sacrifices they may require.
_POINT III._ The purpose for which we have entered on this career is
well worthy of all the sacrifices it may demand of us. No grander
purpose can be conceived. God Himself never holds out a higher aim than
that which we are vowed to labor for, namely most perfect happiness for
ourselves and for a countless multitude of other souls. In fact, the aim
of our lives is identical with that for which the Son of God came down
from Heaven, and toiled and suffered upon earth, namely the procuring of
the greater glory of God; _Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam_.
We could not have entered upon this grand career if the Lord had not
given us extraordinary graces to do so. He has deigned to make the
sacrifices implied in it comparatively easy and full of consolations;
and if only we keep up our trust in Him, He will make the rest of our
lives flow on in the same even current of loving worship. They will not
be lives of ease and earthly comforts; far from it. They will be
successions of sacrifices, as was the life of Christ. But he rides
smoothly along whom the grace of God carries onward, _facile equitat
quem gratia Dei portat_; and we shall be cheered on at every step by the
prospect of eternal bliss: “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
Going they went and wept, casting their seeds; but coming they shall
come with joyfulness, carrying their sheaves” (Ps. 125).
_Colloquy._ Ask earnestly for a thorough renovation of the spirit of
generous service, which is to be the fruit of this triduum.
MEDITATION II
Sin the Chief Hindrance to Our Progress
_1st Prelude._ Imagine Christ speaks to you from the tabernacle and
says: “You are my friends if you do the things that I command you” (St.
John xv, 14).
_2nd Prelude._ Ask for copious light and grace to observe God’s
commandments perfectly.
_POINT I. Consider how much we ought to hate even the smallest sin._
In our first meditation we considered the grand purpose for which we
live, the attainment of eternal bliss for ourselves and others and the
greater glory of God. Now sin is the greatest obstacle in our way; it
bars our road to Heaven and directly insults our Lord. The condition of
Christ’s friendship is the observance of His commandments: “You are my
friends if you do the things that I command you.” To sin is to break
those commandments. If it does not always turn us against God, it at
least displeases Him. Even a venial sin is a greater evil than any
temporal loss. We should rather die than wilfully commit one.
This disposition is the second degree of humility, on which we resolve
to live in every good retreat. To it Christ lovingly invites us, saying:
“He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me;
and he that loveth me shall be loved by my Father; and I will love him,
and will manifest myself to him.... If any one love me, he will keep my
word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our
abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my word” (St. John
xiv, 21-24).
_POINT II. Consider the principal causes of sins._
1. One general cause is our thoughtlessness; we are unmindful of the
great truths of religion, the supernatural light of which is allowed to
grow dim amid the distractions of a busy or a frivolous life.
Ecclesiasticus warns us, saying: “In all thy works remember thy last
end, and thou shalt never sin” (vii, 40). Now the remedy of this
thoughtlessness is provided for us in our spiritual exercises: our
meditations, examinations of conscience, spiritual readings, etc. The
religious who is accustomed to perform these faithfully and fervently is
not likely to commit many sins, and he will gradually become more and
more virtuous.
2. Another copious source of sins consists of unmortified passions. When
any passion is aroused, it blinds us to the dictates of reason and the
whisperings of grace. You see this in the conduct of an angry man: he
says and does things which he is afterwards ashamed of and sorry for. It
is so with all unrestrained passions. Consider what are your most
frequent faults and what are their causes. What passions need
particularly to be watched and checked. The triduum is just the time for
self-introspection, examinations of conscience, and for the ordering of
our spiritual exercises.
_POINT III. Consider some faults in particular_, against which a
religious should be guarded.
1. Violation of fraternal charity, whether in word or thought; ever
remember the words of Christ: “Amen, I say to you, as long as you did it
to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me” (St. Matth. xxv,
40).
2. Irreverence in prayer: disrespectful posture, wilful or careless
wandering of the mind, want of proper preparation, etc.
3. Sensuality in food and drink, or in the indulgence of superfluous
sleep.
4. Immodesty of touch or look, effeminate softness of manner or
language, imprudent familiarity.
5. Human respect, more anxiety to please men than to please the Lord,
and therefore doing or saying what is unlawful or imprudent, or omitting
to do what conscience dictates to be our duty.
_Colloquy._ Earnestly beg pardon for faults committed and resolve to
avoid the occasions of sin.
MEDITATION III
Fidelity in Little Things
_1st Prelude._ Behold Christ occupied in simple manual labor.
_2nd Prelude._ Ask the grace of understanding the value in God’s sight
of perfect fidelity in even the least observances.
_POINT I. What is meant by fidelity in little things?_ It means such
fidelity in doing God’s will on all occasions as to neglect no details,
even the least important. What is there in those details that makes them
precious? It is their conformity to the will of God. That is what Christ
valued in them. The greatest things on earth are insignificant trifles
in the sight of God; but the least act of conformity to God’s will has a
Divine worth, and therefore is more precious than any merely natural
performance. Faith teaches us to appreciate this truth; Christ came to
enforce it by the example of His private life. How do I act in this
matter? Am I habitually faithful in observing all my rules, even those
which seem to be of less importance?
_POINT II. Consider the importance of such fidelity._
1. This fidelity is a necessary precaution against the commission of
great faults. For Ecclesiasticus tells us: “He that contemneth small
things shall fall by little and little” (xix, 1). And our Blessed
Saviour teaches: “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful
also in that which is greater; and he that is unjust in that which is
little is unjust also in that which is greater” (St. Luke xvi, 10). Thus
small faults in the matter of charity, poverty, sensuality, chastity,
etc., gradually lead to grievous sins. No one becomes at once a great
sinner or a great saint.
_Nemo repente fit summus_, says the old proverb. Before Judas sold our
Lord for thirty pieces of silver, he had accustomed himself to lesser
acts of injustice, as St. John tells us, saying of him that “he was a
thief, and having the purse, carried the things that were put therein”
(xii, 6).
2. Our lives are mostly made up of minor acts, as were the private lives
of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and countless Saints. A Martyr’s crown in
Heaven may consist of one brilliant gem, the ruby of his heroic death;
but the crowns of most Saints are made up of countless sparkling little
diamonds, each the reward of fidelity in a little thing. Thus too in
human things, in which perfection depends on minor details. For
instance, the politeness of the man who is to the manner born is not
displayed in extraordinary actions, but in that delicate tact which
makes him know his place, so that he never acts amiss, and always says
the right word and does the right thing at the right time. This fidelity
is, in spiritual things, what good taste is in literature and the other
fine arts. Masterpieces differ from common works in the perfection of
the least details; for instance, in sculpture, painting, etc., etc.
_POINT III._ It is by fidelity in minor matters that we acquire the
solid virtues needed to perform heroic deeds when the occasion calls for
them. This is brought about in two ways.
_1. Naturally._ Our conduct on all occasions, even the most important,
depends to a great extent on the good or evil habits we have acquired.
Now habits are acquired by the frequent repetition of acts. It is only
in little things that actions can be frequently repeated; for few of us
have numerous opportunities to do great things. Therefore our habits,
good or bad, are ordinarily the result of our fidelity or infidelity in
little things.
_2. Supernaturally._ Acts of virtue practised by us obtain for us
additional actual graces to practise yet more acts of virtue: and thus
faithful souls constantly strengthen the chain of graces which binds
them ever more closely to God. Unfaithful souls forfeit these additional
helps of grace that were in store for them; and thus their chain of
graces is gradually weakened, so that temptations may occur which cause
them serious falls into sin. Examine your daily conduct of fidelity to
grace.
_Colloquy_, according to the sentiments evoked by these considerations.
MEDITATION IV
The Observance of Our Rules
_1st Prelude._ Imagine you see St. Ignatius, as he is often painted,
with the book of his Constitutions in his hands.
_2nd Prelude._ Beg through his intercession for a high appreciation of
our rules.
_POINT I. What are the rules of our Society?_ They are a summary of
those wonderful Constitutions which the Holy Ghost has used for the
conversion and sanctification of countless multitudes of souls during
the last four centuries, namely:
1. Of the numerous members of our Society during the successive
generations, so many of whom have given evident proofs of having
attained heroic sanctity.
2. Of vast numbers of other persons of the clergy and the laity who have
been saved and sanctified by the virtues and the labors of the members
of our Society.
_POINT II. Why are these rules so productive of sanctity?_
1. Because they are not merely human work; for St. Ignatius, in writing
his Constitutions, obtained by fervent prayer the special assistance of
the Holy Ghost. This is evident from the history of the Saint. (For
instance, Genelli’s “Life of St. Ignatius,” p. 248).
2. Because they lead the way to the perfect imitation of Christ. By his
Spiritual Exercises St. Ignatius makes us conceive the most lofty
ambition that can be aroused within the human heart, namely to make
itself comformable to the heart of Jesus; and by his rules he guides us
through all the details of our earthly career to the realization of this
lofty purpose.
_POINT III. How do our rules accomplish this end?_ By animating all our
actions with the spirit of the three highest virtues: of Faith, Hope and
Charity.
1. They aid us to lead _a life of faith_. For whenever we observe a
rule, we thereby elicit an act of faith, accepting the letter of the
rule or the word of our superior as the expression of the Divine will.
Our life is thus made to consist of a succession of supernatural acts.
2. They make us live _a life of hope_. He that follows his own judgment
leans on a fragile reed; but he that acts because the rules prescribe a
certain course thereby trusts God more than his own reasoning and thus
hopes in the help of God. He shall not be disappointed.
3. They perfect in us _the love of God_. For they constantly prescribe
what tends to the greater glory of God: _Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam_.
Do I observe all my rules faithfully? Does any of them cause me a
special difficulty? Perhaps I do not understand it well; all of them, if
rightly understood, are most reasonable.
_Colloquy_ with our dear Lord, asking for great fidelity to observe all
our rules.
MEDITATION V
Zeal for Souls
_1st Prelude._ Hear Christ saying: “I am come to cast fire on the earth;
and what will I but that it be kindled?” (St. Luke xii, 49).
_2nd Prelude._ Ask earnestly that this fire be enkindled in your heart
and that you may help to spread it far and wide.
_POINT I. That fire is Divine Charity._ It is poured forth into the
hearts of men by the Holy Spirit who is given to us (Rom. v, 5). It
makes us lead a supernatural life, the life of children of God, and in
this sense a Divine life. As the vegetable life transforms the clod of
earth into the fairest flower and the most luscious fruit; as animal
life turns the food into the wonderful organism of the human body; so
the life of grace gives to our acts a heavenly value. By it sinners
become saints, true children of God. Christ shows intense earnestness in
spreading this fire, which is really His greatest work: the most Divine
of all Divine works is the salvation of souls. The Angels are
ministering spirits to aid in this task. All human efforts are
children’s play in comparison with this. To save a soul is a grander
achievement than to conquer an empire.
_POINT II. This sublime work is done chiefly through the agency of men._
Its great promoter was the God-man Himself, the Son of God incarnate.
But He has deigned to associate to Himself the Apostles and their
successors, the bishops and priests of His Church, till the end of time;
to whom He has said: “Going therefore teach ye all nations ... and
behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world”
(St. Matth. xxviii, 19, 20). With these the Lord has associated in a
special manner, through the mission of His Church, various apostolic
Orders of religious, our own Society in particular: “I have chosen you
and have appointed you that you should go and should bring forth fruit,
and that your fruit should remain” (St. John xv, 16).
When Christ first addressed these words to a few poor fishermen, how
unlikely it was that the promise should be fulfilled? Yet it has been
most wonderfully verified. So it will be in our case also if we trust in
God. Yet two thirds of mankind are still pagans. Zeal is needed.
_POINT III. What must we do to spread the love of God?_ We need not do
any novel thing; we must follow the beaten path, travel along the
highroad of our religious life. _Age quod agis_; perform your daily
duties; but do everything well, to the best of your power.
In particular realize in your conduct that,
1. _You are to be the light of the world._ For this purpose you must
form your intellect upon the teachings of Christ. Master His views of
time and eternity, by earnest meditations, sound readings, recollection,
much prayer. Do not contract false views of life by following false
guides, reading worldly authors extensively, imbibing their spirit. The
light that is in you, your intimate convictions, will necessarily shine
around you, through your language, through your conduct. If you are
thoroughly religious, real Jesuits, it will be the light of Christ, and
will truly enlighten the portion of the world where Providence will
place you. If your views are false, you will not do God’s work.
2. _You are the salt of the earth_; incorrupt yourselves, you must keep
others from corruption. This requires pure and holy affections of the
heart, soundness of the will. If we Jesuits, with our training do not
live innocent and holy lives, what remedy can we find? “If the salt lose
its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is good for nothing any more
but to be cast out, and to be trodden on by men” (St. Matth. v, 13).
These words were spoken by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount, when He
was laying down the platform of His campaign for the conquest of the
world to the Kingdom of His Father. We are soldiers in that campaign.
How worthy is our conduct of such a cause and such a King.
_Colloquy_ with our Divine Lord, promising fidelity and zealous
exertions in this lofty vocation.
MEDITATION VI
Devotion to the Blessed Virgin
_1st Prelude._ See the Blessed Virgin exalted in Heaven, surrounded by
the Saints and the Blessed of our Society.
_2nd Prelude._ Beg for an increase of devotion to her, invoking her
under the title of Queen of the Society of Jesus.
_POINT I. Why is all the Church so devoted to Mary?_ Because God wishes
to be honored by man especially in connection with the grandest
exhibition of His love for man, the mystery of the Incarnation. Now in
this mystery Mary holds a most prominent place; she is the key to the
proper understanding of it. Besides, as Jesus was given to mankind
through Mary, so through her He is given to individual souls. Therefore
the Church salutes her as “Mother of Divine Grace”; and many holy
writers say that every grace comes to all individual souls through her
intercession.
_How do we know that God is pleased with so great a devotion to Mary?_
1. From the constant teaching of the Church, which has applied to her
such texts as these: “He that shall find me shall find life and shall
have salvation from the Lord” (Prov. viii, 35); “They that work by me
shall not sin” (Ecclus. xxiv, 30); etc.
2. From the Doctors of the Church, who have exhausted all their
resources of learning to inculcate this devotion. Such are Sts.
Augustine, Bernard, Liguori, Anthoninus, Bonaventure, etc.
3. From the workings of the Holy Ghost, who has fostered this devotion
in the lives of numberless Saints and of other highly favored servants
of God, as well as in the practice and prayers of the Church itself, and
the unanimous teachings of her theologians.
4. From so many miracles performed through the invocation of the Blessed
Virgin in every land.
_POINT II. What part has our Society taken in fostering this devotion?_
1. A most conspicuous part. For instance St. Ignatius ascribes his
conversion to the vision he had of her, he made himself her Knight at
Montserrat, he makes us meditate on her and pray to her in our retreats.
2. In the life and death of St. Stanislaus, St. Berchmans, St.
Alphonsus, St. Francis Hieronymo and, in fact, all her Saints and her
great men generally.
3. In her zeal to propagate devotions to Mary by means of her
Sodalities, her devotions of the month of Mary, and countless writings
of her ablest men. No one is considered as a worthy member of our Order
who has not a marked devotion to Mary. How do I strive to honor her? Is
there any practice that I used to perform in her honor that I have
gradually abandoned? What improvement can I make in this respect?
_POINT III. In what does devotion to Mary chiefly consist?_ It is an
acquired habit, the result of countless acts of ours in compliance with
the grace of God. Such are:
1. The devout celebration of her festivals, preparing for them by
novenas and continuing them by the celebration of their octaves;
2. The daily recitation of the Rosary, or at least of the third part of
it, the Beads, of the Litany of the Blessed Virgin and the Office of her
Immaculate Conception;
3. The wearing of her scapular of Mount Carmel, and of medals blessed in
her honor;
4. The recitation of set prayers to her at rising in the morning and
retiring at night, at the sound of the Angelus bell, morning, noon and
night;
5. Fervent invocations during the day, especially at the approach of
temptations;
6. Reading and meditation on her prerogatives;
7. Conversing on the same, or in any way promoting her devotion. We can
render no greater service to any one than to make him devout to the
Blessed Virgin Mary. Are we doing as much as we can in this respect?
_Colloquy_ with Mary, asking her guidance to learn to love her more and
to lead many others to love her.
TRIDUUM D
MEDITATION I
The Purpose of This Triduum
_1st Prelude._ Vividly picture to yourself St. John Berchmans at his
prayer.
_2nd Prelude._ Beg for copious grace to imitate his spirit of fervor.
_POINT I._ Consider that in the sight of God _men differ from one
another only according to their interior dispositions_: _Omnis gloria
filiae regis ab intus_, “All the glory of the King’s daughter is within”
(Ps. 44). It matters nothing whether a person be rich or poor, learned
or ignorant, man or woman, old or young, refined or uncultured, etc. We
are apt to forget this and to trust in some natural superiority, as the
world does. The Lord said to His prophet Samuel: “I do not judge
according to the look of man; for man seeth those things that appear,
but the Lord beholdeth the heart” (I Kings xvi, 7). The right view of
ourselves will be one of the great disillusionments at death. Let us now
strive to view ourselves as we are in God’s sight.
_POINT II. Consider this truth in special examples_, comparing a St.
Alphonsus Rodriguez with an ordinary Jesuit, a Brother, a Father or a
Scholastic. How similar outside. How different within. Compare a St.
John Berchmans, a St. John Francis Regis with a Passaglia, a Tyrrell,
etc., a mere boy, like St. Stanislaus, with a veteran religious of the
ordinary cast. This interior proper disposition of which the Psalmist
sings is apt to promote devotion, which St. Francis De Sales describes
as follows: “Devotion is nothing else but that spiritual agility and
vivacity by which charity works in us, or we by her, with alacrity and
affection; and as it is the business of charity to make us observe all
God’s commandments generally and without exception, so it is the part of
devotion to make us observe them cheerfully and with diligence....
Devotion is the pleasure of pleasures, the queen of virtues, and the
perfection of charity. If charity be milk, devotion is the cream; if
charity be plant, devotion is the flower; if charity be a precious
stone, devotion is its lustre; if charity be a rich balm, devotion is
its fragrance, yea the odor of sweetness which comforts men and rejoices
Angels” (“Devout Life,” chapter 1, 2). Do I cultivate this disposition
in my heart with proper earnestness?
_POINT III. Consider that the purpose of the triduum is to renew this
devotion within our hearts_, its purity and its energy. Consider that
God Himself affords this opportunity, and invites you to profit by it.
His grace is ready to help you. What must you do during these three
days? Our Society lays the observances before you which you are expected
to follow. In her name Father Vincent Caraffa says to you: “Let each
one, leaving alone all literary studies (except the work prescribed)
apply himself exclusively to the improvement of the spirit. Certain
practices in particular are pointed out, namely perfect silence as far
as possible, half an hour daily of truly devout reading, half an hour
likewise of earnest examination of conscience, special meditations on
the renewal of the spirit of piety, a manifestation of conscience, a
confession of the faults committed since the last renovation and a
public accusation of defects.”
Remember in all this the saying of St. Ignatius: “The more generous we
shall show ourselves towards God, the more generous we shall find God
towards us, and the more fit we shall daily be to receive in greater
abundance His graces and spiritual gifts.”
_Colloquy._ Ask eagerly and confidently for the grace of making a
fervent triduum.
MEDITATION II
The Interior Spirit
_1st Prelude._ Imagine Christ speaks to you from the tabernacle,
offering to be your teacher in the spiritual life.
_2nd Prelude._ Beg of our dear Lord to teach you in what consists the
interior spirit which is to be renewed during the triduum.