the time of the Protestant Reformation there was a widespread spirit of
rebellion against the authority of God; independence replaced obedience.
The Holy Ghost then inspired St. Ignatius to institute a religious Order
whose characteristic virtue should be that of obedience. He had been a
brave soldier, and he wished to assemble a band of men, a company
obeying orders with the promptness, punctuality and generosity of
soldiers ever in active warfare. “Especially I desire,” he writes, “to
see you most perfect in the virtue of obedience.” His letter on
Obedience is the greatest masterpiece written on this matter, and his
Institute is the most perfect exhibition of this virtue in action. It
is, in fact, a close imitation of the obedient life of the God
Incarnate. None but very obedient men are true Jesuits. Father
Franciosi, in his work “The Spirit of St. Ignatius,” has collected
thirty pages of eulogies pronounced by the Saint on this his favorite
virtue (pp. 61 to 92). He calls it “the noblest and most beautiful
virtue,” “the sweetest sacrifice, most pleasing to the Divine Majesty,”
“a kind of martyrdom.” He writes: “Obedience ennobles and elevates man
greatly above his condition, causing him to put off self and to put on
God, the sovereign good, who is accustomed to fill the soul so much the
more as He finds it less occupied with self-will; so that those who have
reached this state may truly, provided they obey from the bottom of
their hearts, say with the Apostle: ‘I live, now not I, but Christ
liveth in me.’”
_POINT III. How perfect ought our obedience to be?_
I. _In the execution_, it must be prompt, leaving even a letter
unfinished; exact, rendered with military precision; generous, shirking
no difficulty; universal in all things commanded and even at a mere sign
of a superior’s will without an express command; without show of
reluctance, as a corpse is moved or an old man’s staff employed.
2. _In the will_, which is exchanged for the will of the superior, so
that there can be no conflict of wills.
3. _In the judgment_, “as far as a devout will can bend the
understanding,” says St. Ignatius, which can always be done when there
is no compelling evidence to the contrary. Hence never any criticism,
but such docility as the child Jesus showed when taught by St. Joseph
the rules of his trade without suggesting any improvement.
_Colloquy_ with our dear Lord, asking for perfect obedience.
MEDITATION IV
On Strength of Character
_1st Prelude. Recall the words of St. Paul_: “Be not overcome by evil,
but overcome evil by good” (Rom. xii, 21).
_2nd Prelude._ Ask to improve in vigor of character.
_POINT I. What is strength of character?_ It is power of the will to
control one’s own actions, independently of one’s inclinations and of
the opinions of men. A weak character is led by mere feelings. These
must be brought under control, conquered by the strength of the will and
made to obey the dictate of reason. For this purpose we must resist our
inclinations: “_Vince teipsum_,” “Conquer thyself”; “_Tantum profeceris
quantum tibi vim intuleris_,” “Your progress will be proportioned to
your self-victories,” are undoubted maxims. And Christ says in the
Apocalypse: “To him that shall overcome I will give to sit with me in my
throne” (iii, 21).
What must we overcome? Whatever we find during the triduum to be
disorderly in our daily conduct. Examine your rising at the first
signal, your morning visit, meditation, hearing of Mass, reception of
Holy Communion, and all the successive actions of the day. Resolve to
correct what is faulty, to supply what is wanting, etc. Mere wishes are
worthless; you must set to work.
_POINT II. Whence comes strength of character?_
1. It is of course, like every precious power, a gift of God: “Every
best gift, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the
Father of light” (St. James i, 17). Like all other gifts of God, it can
be increased by earnest and persevering prayer. Many are fond of
frequently repeating the petition: “Lord, grant me the grace of doing
what Thou commandest, and then command what Thou wilt.”
2. But it is not all a gift of God. Our will is free; nothing is so
truly our own as our will. Even God will not control it. Being an
immaterial power, it is not affected by sickness nor old age, as is
evident from the heroism of the Martyrs.
3. A person’s character may undergo great changes. Thus we read of St.
Francis of Sales that his gentleness of temper was the result of
strenuous and continuous efforts. In St. Ignatius “Unalterable calmness
was the result of his vigorous perseverance in combatting the
irascibility to which his constitution much inclined him” (Franciosi,
Spir. of St. Ign., p. 149).
4. Often men of strong passions make most progress in virtue, as St.
Ignatius found in Peter Ribadineira and Edmund Auger, who triumphed over
great defects of character (Ib., p. 141).
_POINT III. How is strength of character increased or diminished?_ This
is chiefly effected by the successive acts of our free will. Every
virtuous act strengthens our power of doing such virtuous acts again,
and every yielding to our passions strengthens those passions, and in
the same proportion weakens our power of resistance to their promptings.
For habits are formed by the repetition of acts, and habits become like
a second nature. We are all bundles of habits; the habits determine the
cast of character.
It is proper for each one to examine during the triduum whether he is
now different from what he was at former times; for instance, at the
completion of his novitiate or his entrance on more active duties—better
or worse. We cannot long remain just the same. The religious life is
like rowing against the current of a river: if we cease rowing, we are
carried back. What is my present condition of fidelity to duty, of zeal,
charity, obedience, piety, etc.?
_Colloquy_, as the occasion suggests.
MEDITATION V
On Co-operation with Grace
_1st Prelude._ Imagine you see the thousands of happy souls in Heaven
who worked out their salvation in our Society while on earth.
_2nd Prelude._ Ask for abundant grace to follow in their footsteps.
_POINT I. What manner of men were they on earth?_
They were very much like ourselves. They had the same human passions to
control, the same rules to observe, the same labors to perform, the same
sacrifices to make, etc. And to help them along they had the same aids
that we have: the same loving Lord, who had called them from amid the
dangers of the world, as He has called us; the same training by the
Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, the same holy Sacraments, the same
everything; not of course in the same proportion for every individual
soul; but enough of grace for all to live up to our grand vocation, and
in due time to be with our blessed brethren in Heaven, as we are now
their associates in the Society of Jesus on earth.
_POINT II. To what do those happy souls owe their success?_
The same grace of God in their case and in ours being presupposed, they
owed their success to their faithful co-operation. The grace of God is
in the matter of sanctification, what the spring is in a watch. All the
movements of the wheels and the hands come from the spring; when that
breaks all the other parts come to a perfect standstill. The powers of
our body and soul are like the wheels of the watch which must work along
with the spring to indicate the correct time. And of them one is free,
namely our will. When our free will co-operates with grace, we lead holy
lives. The spring of God’s grace never fails; the only fear of failure
regards our own free will. Now the purpose of this triduum is to examine
how faithfully our will is seconding the promptings of grace. In this
meditation we must ask God’s light to understand the real condition of
our soul, and next examine our conduct with care, to see whether our
lives are up to the standard of faithful and fervent religious. How is
God pleased with us? How are our superiors and our brethren in religion
satisfied? Has any one a right to complain of us? What improvement can
we make?
_POINT III. How can we obtain an increase of grace?_ By prayer and
faithful co-operation.
1. _Prayer_ is the universal means by which all blessings can be
obtained: “Ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full” (St.
John xvi, 24). But of course we must pray fervently and perseveringly;
careless prayer leads to tepidity and loss of grace, rather than its
increase. How fervently have I been praying of late?
2. Co-operation with graces given me is the most efficient means of
obtaining a further supply of grace. And in proportion as graces abound
the service of God is facilitated, and thus again further graces are
secured: _Facile equitat quem gratia Dei portat_, “he rides along with
ease who is carried up by the grace of God,” is a familiar axiom. On the
other hand, the want of co-operation with the grace given us makes us
unworthy of a future liberal supply of God’s help, and gradually leads a
soul into tepidity, with all its serious consequences. We may be much
encouraged to improve ourselves in these two means of sanctification,
namely prayer and co-operation with grace, by frequently recalling to
mind the examples set us by the Saints of our Society. These two means
made them Saints and the same means will make us Saints, if we employ
them with the same earnestness and perseverance as they did. Pray like
the Saints, co-operate with the grace of God as the Saints habitually
did, and you will soon be holy yourselves.
_Colloquy_ with Jesus and Mary, to obtain great progress in the
imitation of the Saints.
MEDITATION VI
The Perfection of Our Actions
_1st Prelude._ Behold our Divine Lord as a youth occupied in humble
labor.
_2nd Prelude._ Ask for light and strength of will to do all things well.
_POINT I. The life of Christ is summed up in the words, “He hath done
all things well,” Bene omnia fecit_ (St. Mark vii, 37).
For Jesuits these words contain a most safe, most effective and most
comprehensive rule of action. This follows from the fact that our life
is directly intended to be a close imitation of the life of Christ
Himself. Such was certainly the grand ideal of our founder, St.
Ignatius. The perfection he teaches is the imitation of Christ; and the
entire life of Christ is described in this statement, “He did all things
well.” Any one of Ours who aims steadily at this practise is on the
highroad to perfection; and one who does so throughout his life is a
real saint. To such persons applies the saying of Father Isidore
Boudreaux, S.J., which is quoted in our Menology: “The good novice makes
the good scholastic and the good scholastic makes the good priest.”
Without this aim the pursuit of perfection is an illusion.
_POINT II. In this pursuit of sanctity we have no time to lose._ See how
much was done in a short time by our young Saints, Aloysius, Stanislaus,
Berchmans, and really by all our great models. For instance, St. Francis
had only ten years given him to accomplish his grand success in India
and Japan. Very many of the Saints fulfilled a long space in a short
time; a St. Catherine of Sienna, who benefited the Church so
conspicuously, died at the age of 33 years. The career of any of you may
be much briefer than you expect; but no matter how brief it be, it will
be a very successful one if you do all things well.
_POINT III. What is required to do all things well?_ It requires:
1. A good motive on all occasions; for the end specifies the act,
determines its moral nature. In all your actions seek purely God’s
glory, the good of souls, the will of God, or any purpose that the faith
proposes to us. “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever else you do, do
all to the glory of God,” wrote St. Paul (I Cor. x, 31). It is not so
much the offering of our actions to God that is here recommended, but
rather the aiming in all we do at a supernatural effect. This higher aim
renders our acts pleasing to God and meritorious for ourselves.
2. Attention to the least details of what you do, striving to impart to
it the highest perfection you can. Thus the perfection of any work of
art depends, not on the general outline only, but rather on the beauty
imparted to every portion of the production, be it a painting, a statue,
a literary composition, etc.
3. Careful avoidance of all negligent or defective work. For indulgence
in carelessness not only spoils the task actually in hand, but also
renders us less disposed to act well on subsequent occasions. Every
moral fault we commit fosters an evil habit. Let me examine with care
with what perfection I have lately been accustomed to perform my
actions, and resolve to amend all that needs correction.
_Colloquy_, according to the present condition of my soul.
THE END OF THE TRIDUUMS
● Transcriber’s Notes:
○ Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).