Of the Imitation of Christ as the Fruit Which We Should Gather from Meditation on His Mysteries

THE seventh thing that we should gather and should exercise ourselves upon in meditation and prayer on the Passion is imitation of the virtues that there shine forth in Christ. There are two chief reasons, so the saints tell us, why the Son of God came into the world, made Himself man, and wrought these most holy mysteries. The first and chiefest was to redeem man by His death and Passion. The second was to give man a most perfect example of all virtues, and persuade men at the same time to imitate and follow Him in the practice of them. To that end, having done at the Last Supper that work of most profound humility, going down on His knees before His disciples and washing their feet with His divine hands, He said to them thereupon: I have given you an example, that as I have done to you, so ye do (John xiii. 15). And the counsel that He then gave them as regards this work, He would have us take as applying to all the rest, as the Apostle St. Peter signifies in his first canonical epistle, where, speaking of the Lord’s Passion, he says: Christ hath suffered for us, leaving us an example that we follow in his footsteps (I Pet. ii. 21). And so the blessed St. Augustine says: “The Cross is not only the bed on which Christ died, but also the chair from which He taught us by His example what we are to do and imitate’—Crux Christi non solum est lectulus morientis, sed et cathedra docentis. And although the life of Christ was a most perfect example and pattern of virtue, yet He has seemed to wish to sum up in His Passion all that His whole life long He had taught us by word and example, making all virtues shine forth in it to their highest degree. So we should strive to draw from the consideration of these mysteries desires of imitation of the virtues of Christ, considering and weighing leisurely and attentively each virtue by itself, and drawing thence a strong sentiment and desire of that virtue in our will, and an efficacious determination and resolution to practise it and put the acts and operations thereof into execution, along with great hatred and abhorrence of the contrary vice. Thus in consideration of the humility of Christ, how, God as He was, He abased Himself and willingly gave Himself over to the insults and affronts of men—and such affronts too—a man should thereupon make naught of himself, taking himself for something small and cheap and heartily desiring that they should pay him no honor nor esteem, nor give him precedence over others; and purpose that, if any affronts and signs of contempt on the part of men do befall him, he will suffer them cheerfully and rejoice in their being offered him, the better to imitate and appear in everything like unto Christ our Lord. In the same way, considering the patience of Christ, he should purpose to suffer willingly and accept cheerfully any adversities that may befall him, and desire that they may befall him and that God may send him afflictions and pains in this life in imitation of Christ our Lord. St. Bonaventure used to say: “I do not want, O Lord, to live without wounds and pains, since I see Thee so full of them”—WNolo, Domine, sine vulnere vivere, quia te video vulneratum. In this way we should go through all the rest of the virtues —obedience, charity, meekness, chastity, poverty, abstinence—since they all shine forth here, exercising ourselves in desire to imitate Christ in them all.

Here is to be observed a point we have touched on before, that in each virtue we should descend to particular occasions that may occur, accepting them and rejoicing in them for the love of God, for this is more profitable than generalities and more necessary for us. Thus, if you are on the virtue of humility, you should descend to the imagination of particular occasions that are likely or possible to occur of your being depreciated and held in small esteem; first the easier occasions and then the more difficult ones, that you think you would feel more if they did occur, and you should dwell upon them, eliciting acts and rejoicing in them as if they were present. And in the same manner when you are on indifference, patience, mortification, or conformity with the will of God. In this manner, little by little, the virtue sinks into your soul, and the contrary passion or vice is mitigated and reduced. Thus subsequent action will be rendered easier when occasion offers, you being forewarned and forearmed to meet it; and to this end the desires and resolutions made in meditation are directed.

Here we have given very copious and abundant matter, very rich and profitable, to occupy ourselves therewith in prayer and meditation on the Passion of Christ our Lord, as also on the mysteries of His most holy life. And no one can reasonably say that he does not know what to do or how to occupy himself therein, since we have mentioned so many sentiments on which we may dwell in each point. To this we may add that in every mystery and in every sentiment suggested by those mysteries, to move ourselves the more thereto we may consider and ponder the following things: first, Who it is that suffers; secondly, what it is that He suffers; thirdly, in what disposition He suffers—to wit, the patience, humility, meekness, and love with which He suffers and embraces those afflictions and insults; fourthly, for whom He suffers; fifthly, from whom; sixthly, the end for which He suffers. These are the points generally assigned here by the saints, and we may dwell on them with great profit.

And though there were nothing else, we have in this last sentiment alone of desire of imitation matter for all our life, as may be seen in two ways. First, because we may run through all the virtues, having need of them all, and shall find them all in Christ. Secondly, because under each virtue we confront particular occasions that are likely or possible to occur. We should have the way smoothed to the practice of them all, and so smoothed as not only to meet the occasions with patience, but with joy and cheerfulness. Here we have occupation for a whole lifetime even on one virtue, much more when there are somany. And so I say that, although the other sentiments mentioned are of leading importance, yet this of imitation is the chiefest and most necessary of all. It contains the sentiment of love of God and the rest that we have enumerated, and embraces all the acts of the virtues. Thus the desire to imitate is not one sentiment only, but is a compendium and sum of all holy sentiments in which Christian life and the perfection thereof consist. This, then, should be our ordinary theme in meditation on the Passion of Christ and His most holy life, and the chief fruit that we should aim at gathering therefrom, each one insisting on the imitation of that virtue of which he stands in greatest need, resting on that, digging and delving down deep and making acts thereof until that virtue comes to saturate him through and through and take root and be deep-seated in his heart, and the contrary passion and vice mitigated and appeased. Then he may pass on to another virtue, and then to another. This is better and more profitable than nibbling in meditation at many things and passing lightly over them.