That This Third Degree of Humility Is the Means to Overcome All Temptations and Obtain the Perfection of All Virtues

CASSIAN says that it was the tradition of those ancient Fathers, and a sort of first principle among them, that one cannot obtain purity of heart, nor the perfection of virtues, unless one first knows and understands that all one’s industry, diligence, and labor is not sufficient thereunto without the special aid and favor of God, Who is the author and giver of all good. And this knowledge he says must not be speculative, because so we have heard and read, and faith tells us so, but we must know it practically and by experience, and be as settled and resolved upon this truth as though we saw it with our eyes and touched it with our hands; which description answers word for word to that third degree of humility of which we have been treating. And of this humility are to be understood those innumerable texts of Holy Writ which promise good things to the humble. And therefore with much reason do the saints assign this for the highest and most perfect degree of humility, and say that it is the foundation of all virtues and the preparation and disposition to receive all the gifts of God.

Cassian follows this matter up more particularly, treating of chastity. He says that no labor avails to gain it until we understand by experience that we cannot gain it of our own strength, but it must come to us from the bounty and mercy of God. St. Augustine quite agrees with this, since the first and principal means that he assigns for gaining and preserving the gift of chastity is this humility, not allowing you to think that your own power and efforts are sufficient—you deserve to lose it if you take your stand upon that; but you must understand it to be a gift of God that must come to you from on high, and therein you must place all your confidence. And so said an old man of those ancient Fathers, that a certain person would go on being tempted in the flesh until he well made up his mind that chastity is the Lord’s gift, and not the fruit of our own strength.

Palladius confirms this by the example of Abbot Moses, a man of wonderful strength of body, united to a most vicious soul, who at last was converted with all his heart to God. He was at the outset of his conversion very severely tempted, to impurity especially, and by advice of the holy Fathers took the usual means to meet these attacks. He prayed so much that for six years he spent the greater part of the night in prayer, standing up, without sleeping. He worked hard with his hands; he ate nothing but a little bread; he went round the cells of the aged monks, carrying water; and practised other great mortifications and austerities. For all that, he did not succeed in getting the better of his temptations; he was on fire with them and in great danger of falling and abandoning his profession as a monk. While he was in this distress, there came to him the holy Abbot Isidore, and said to him on the part of God: “From this moment in the name of Jesus Christ all your temptations shall cease.” And so it was; they never came again. And the saint went on to declare to him the reason why hitherto God had not given him a complete victory over them. ‘Moses, it was that you might not glory, thinking that your own practices had given you the victory, and therefore God allowed this long struggle for your benefit.” This Moses had not gained the gift of distrust of himself, and God left him so long that he might gain it and not fall into pride. For all his heroic and holy practices he did not gain that victory over this passion which others have gained with less labor.

The same Palladius relates of Abbot Pacon that, though he was an old man of seventy years, he was much molested with impure temptations. He said and affirmed on oath that after he was fifty years of age, so severe was the struggle and so habitual the combat, that he never passed a day or night all that time without being assailed by this vice. He did many extraordinary things to rid himself of these temptations, and they did him no good. One day while he was lamenting, thinking that the Lord had abandoned him, he heard a voice that said to him interiorly: “Understand that the reason why God has permitted in you this severe conflict has been to teach you your weakness and poverty, and the little or nothing that you have of your own, that so you may humble yourself henceforth, not trusting in anything of your own, but recurring in all cases to Me and asking My aid.” And he added that that teaching so consoled and comforted him that he never felt the temptation any more. God wishes that we place all our confidence in Him, and distrust ourselves and our own methods and contrivances.

This doctrine is taught us not only by Augustine, Cassian, and those ancient Fathers, but by the Holy Ghost Himself in set terms. The Wise Man in the Book of Wisdom joins theory and practice together thus: As I knew that I could not be continent otherwise than by the gift of God—and that itself was a point of wisdom, to know whose gift it was—I approached the Lord, and besought him, and spoke from the depths of my heart (Wisdom viii. 21). Continent (éyxeatys) here is a general name, embracing not only the restraint of the passion that is contrary to chastity, but of all the other passions and appetites that militate against reason; so that text of Ecclesiasticus (xxvi. 12): No weight of silver is worthy to be put in the scales against a continent soul. A continent soul means one who in all directions keeps in and restrains his affections and appetites, that they stray not beyond the bounds of virtue and reason. Solomon then (Wisdom viii. 21) means to say: “Knowing what I knew, that without a special gift of God I could not always contain those powers and passions of my soul and body within that golden mean of truth and virtue, but that they must sometimes overleap it—and to know this was great wisdom—lI had recourse to the Lord and entreated Him with all my heart.” Thus this is the only way to be continent, and to be able to restrain and govern our passions, and keep them within bounds, and gain victory over all temptations and the perfection of all virtues. This the prophet quite recognized when he said: Unless the Lord build the house, in vain have they labored who build it. Unless the Lord keep the city, he watcheth in vain who keepeth it (Psalm exxvi. 1).