VERBUM SERAPHICUM
PAX ET BONUM April -- 2003 A. D. AVE MARIA
"If thou wilt be perfect, go,
sell what thou hast, and give to the poor,
. . . and come follow Me." Matthew 19:21
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O Mary, Mediatrix of every Grace, pray for us! The Sacred Power of the Cross
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working with charity, and moved by actual graces, cooperate in the rectification of the action of the soul, directing it every onward in the pure service of God. Now, as we discussed last month, one of the chief fruits of the Sacred Power of the Cross in our lives is the grace of mortification. Mortification is the subduing of our fallen nature and brining it in subjection to the law of Christ and the love of God. It is formally distinguished from penance in this, that penance is to correct the faults of our personal sins; whereas mortification is to correct the disorder of original sin and the disorder which has come about in our soul and body because of our personal sins. And the chief disorder in our soul and body is the lack of recollection. Since the perfection of the soul's life consists in a singleness of being, purpose, and action, it follows that whatever pulls it away from this threefold singleness debilitates the life of the soul. All these things which debilitate the soul are thus distractions from the life of perfection; and as such they can only be fought through a determined effort of recollection, mounted on all fronts. And this is the first necessary work of the beginner in the way of perfection; because without a conservation of the spiritual powers of the soul, every grace and gift the Lord would give would be wasted, squandered and lost; simply because the soul would be in being, purpose and action incapable of retaining it; like a sieve is incapable of retaining the water poured into it. Now the doctrine of recollection is opposed by each and all of the enemies of our soul: by the world, by the flesh, and by the Devil. For the world advocates in every aspect of its fallen tendencies, that the . . . (turn over) St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle! |
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VERBUM SERAPHICUM
PAX ET BONUM April -- 2003 A. D. AVE MARIA
"If thou wilt be perfect, go,
sell what thou hast, and give to the poor,
. . . and come follow Me." Matthew 19:21
|
St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us! health and happiness of the soul consists in taking satisfaction in the myriad things valued by human society; but just as the wills of men are weakened by original sin, so what is valued by human society is "an abomination". It is an abomination because it replaces the love of God with the love of things, just as Christ said: "What is highly praised by men, is an abomination to God." All that the flesh advocates is also opposed to the doctrine of recollection. "Beware," says St. Paul, "for some men abandoning the guide of conscience have made a shipwreck of their faith"; and again speaking of those who but the goods of the flesh before those of the spirit, he says, For their god is their belly and their glory is their shame! In short, the love of the flesh inverses the natural order in man; putting the body in charge of the soul, which results in the enslavement of the mind and heart to satisfying the body and its desires. And the Devil and his minions too are opposed to the doctrine of recollection, and war against it without treaties. For all the fallen spirits were once good angels, assigned each to glorify the perfections of God and to promote and proclaim these in creation; now fallen into abominable hatred of God, the completely reject the perfections of God and do all the can to foment in creation the vices directly opposed to these perfections. And thus St. Paul warns us that "The Devil goes about like a lion, look for whom to devour". Thus, the work of the rectification is opposed to all the enemies of the soul, and they to it. |
Hence the great necessity of employing the Sacred Power of the Cross to conquer and triumph over these. And to take up this Power, it is necessary, as said before, to look for it in the field of humility and grasp it with faith, and hold it fast through penance and mortification. One begins the work of rectification by the life of mortification. And for this it is necessary to examine one's conscience daily, not only for the sins one may have committed, but also for the vices one has fallen into, or allowed influence ones thoughts, words, or actions, even if they seemingly led only to imperfection, rather than to sin. And this examination of conscience is easy, if one but considers all the things which distracted him from the perfect fulfillment of his duties, of charity toward God and neighbor. Hence the necessary practice of avoiding distractions, and of reflecting on those which one falls into most frequently, as the means to understanding the way to perfection. And thus it is easy to see the reasonableness and necessity of those mortifications found in the lives of the Saints: long hours or prayer, fasting, abstinence, the discipline, hair shirts, silence, guarding the eyes, avoiding idleness, avoiding idle conversation, avoiding drinking or eating between meals, dressing modestly, but poorly, keeping the dwelling cool, the furnishings austere, spending prayer time standing or on one's knees, wearing a cilice, etc. etc.. The saints were not mad; rather being wholly suffused with a singleness of spirit, they resolutely pursued the work of rectifying their souls. Published by The Franciscan Archive |