Sermon XVIII. On the Two Operations of the Holy Ghost

"Thy name is as oil poured out."

"Thy name is as oil poured out." What, my brethren, is that fact concerning ourselves, which the Holy Ghost desires to make us certain of by the words of this text? Surely (and it is only since my last discourse it has occurred to me¹) He intends thereby to confirm what we know from experience, namely, that His operation in us is twofold. For He not only fortifies us interiorly with virtues, unto our own salvation, but He also adorns us exteriorly with His gifts, unto the salvation of others. The former are bestowed upon us for our own sakes, the latter with a view to our neighbour's advantage. For instance, we obtain faith, hope, and charity for ourselves, as without them salvation is impossible. On the other hand, the word of wisdom and knowledge, the grace of healing, the gift of prophecy, and the like, which are in no sense necessary to the saving of our own souls, are communicated, doubtless, to be employed in promoting the spiritual interests of others. These operations or graces of the Holy Spirit, experienced in ourselves or in others, I will, if you allow me, call Infusion and Effusion, respectively, deriving the names from the ends for which they are bestowed. But of which is it said, "Thy name is as oil poured out"? Manifestly, of Effusion. For if the reference were to Infusion, it would be more proper to say, "Thy name is as oil poured in," than "Thy name is as oil poured out." Besides, it is because of the good odour of the breasts, exteriorly perfumed, that the Spouse exclaims, "Thy name is as oil poured out," attributing the aroma to the name of her Beloved, as to a sweet perfume on her breasts. In the same way, everyone who knows himself to be favoured with the gift of exterior grace, capable of being communicated to others, every sucH person, I say, may exclaim in wonder and gratitude, "Thy name is as oil poured out."

Yet, with regard to these graces, both interior and exterior, we must be on our guard against two temptations. These are, on the one hand, to give away what we have received for ourselves, and, on the other, to retain for ourselves what has been entrusted to us for the benefit of our neighbours. Certainly, you incur the guilt of keeping what belongs to another, if, whilst full of virtues, and adorned exteriorly with the endowments of wisdom and eloquence, through fear or sloth, or influenced by indiscreet humility, you seal under a useless, I should rather say, criminal silence, the "good word," which might have subserved the progress of many. Of such we read in Proverbs, "He that hideth up corn shall be cursed among the people." On the contrary, you waste and squander what you should keep for yourselves, when, without waiting for a complete infusion of the Spirit, you are impatient, although not more than half full, to empty yourselves out upon others. Thus you transgress the law which forbids us to plough with the first-born of the cow, or to shear the first-born of the sheep. I mean to say, you deprive yourselves of the life and health which you are communicating to others; because, whilst trying to serve your neighbours without purity of intention, you are but inflating yourselves with the wine of vainglory or inoculating yourselves with the poison of cupidity, or exposing to loss your own lives by fostering the swelling of the deadly aposteme of pride.

Wherefore, my brethren, if you be wise, you will make yourselves to be reservoirs rather than conduits. The difference between a conduit and a reservoir is this, that whereas the former discharges all its waters almost as soon as received, the latter waits until it is full to the brim, and only communicates what is superfluous, what it can give away without loss to itself. Remember that a curse has been pronounced against him who deteriorates the lot which has been transmitted to him.² And lest you should despise my counsel, attend to one who is wiser than I. "A fool," says Solomon, "uttereth all his mind; a wise man deferreth and keepeth it till afterwards." Yet we have in the Church to-day many conduits and but very few reservoirs. So great is the charity of those through whom the celestial streams of knowledge are communicated to us, that they want to give away before they have received. They are more willing to speak than to listen. They are forward to teach what they have not learned. Although unable to govern themselves, they gladly undertake to rule others. For my part, I think that, with regard to one's own salvation, no degree of charity is so necessary as that which Solomon proposes to us, where he says, "Have pity on thy own soul, pleasing God." If I have but a very small stock of oil for my own use, do you consider I ought to give that little away, and keep nothing for myself? But I want all I have for my own anointing, nor will I share it with others, except at the bidding of a prophet, like the widow of Sarepta at the word of Elias. And should some of those "who think of me above that which they see in me, or hear anything of me" persist in demanding a share of my oil, they shall get this answer: "Lest, perhaps, there be not enough for us and for you, go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves." But you may tell me, "Charity seeketh not her own." No, indeed, but do you know why? She "seeketh not her own" because, no doubt, nothing of her own is wanting to her, and so needing J to be sought. Who seeks for that which he already possesses? Charity is never without "her own," that is, without what is necessary for her own salvation. Not only has she what is requisite in this respect, but she has it in superabundance. She wishes to abound first unto herself, that she may also abound unto others. She keeps a sufficiency for herself, so that she may be wanting to none. For charity that is not full is not perfect.

But, O my brother, thy salvation has yet to be secured. Thy charity is either non-existent, or so delicate and reed-like that it bends to every blast, gives credit to every spirit, "is carried about with every wind of doctrine." And yet so great is it that, not content with what is of precept, it inclines thee to go beyond and to love thy neighbour even more than thyself; whilst, at the same time, it is so little, that contrary to what is commanded, it dissolves in consolation, faints under fear, loses its peace in sadness, is contracted by greed, distracted by ambition, disquieted by suspicion, disturbed by reproof, tormented with care, inflated with honour, consumed with envy. Then, by what strange madness, I ask, dost thou, perceiving thyself to be such, desire or consent to be the director of others? But hear the counsel given by a cautious and vigilant charity: "Not that others should be eased," writes St. Paul, "and you burthened, but by an equality." "Be not over just." It suffices that thou lovest thy neighbour as thyself, and "by an equality." David prayed, "Let my soul be filled as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips." That is, he wished to receive before communicating. And not only to receive, but even to be replenished, so that his giving might resemble in its easiness rather the eructation of satiety than the yawning which proceeds from an empty stomach. In this manner he observes caution, lest "others should be eased" and he himself "burthened." He also preserved a right intention in imparting his gifts in imitation of Him "of Whose fulness we have all received." Do thou, likewise, my brother, learn to belch forth of thy fulness, and do not desire to be more generous than God. Let the reservoir imitate its fountain. The fountain sends out no current, and forms no lake until it has first filled itself with its waters. It ought to be no shame to the reservoir that it does not surpass its source in prodigality. Was not the very Well- Spring of life full in Himself and of Himself ere He would, like a brimming fountain, overflow and pour out His divine treasures first into those secluded heavenly regions that lay nearest, viz., the angelic creation, and there "fill all things with good"? Then, having replenished all the loftier and more secret parts, He streamed down upon the earth, and out of His superabundance, "saved men and beasts, according as He hath multiplied His mercy." First, He filled the higher and more interior spaces. Afterwards, overleaping the bounds of heaven, "He hath visited the earth in many mercies," inebriated it with gladness, "and many ways enriched it." Therefore, "go and do thou in like manner." Fill thyself in the first place, and then endeavour to fill others. The charity which combines prudence with generosity is wont to flow in before flowing out. "My son," says Solomon, "do not let slip." And the Apostle, "Therefore ought we more diligently to observe the things which we have heard, lest perhaps we should let them slip." What! Art thou holier than St. Paul, or wiser than Solomon? Otherwise, I do not want to be made rich by thy self-spoliation. And if thou art evil to thyself, to whom wilt thou be good? Help me, if thou canst, out of thy abundance. But if thou hast nothing to spare, then spare thy little for thyself.

But hear now, my brethren, what and how much is necessary to one's own salvation, what and how much ought to be poured into us before we can safely presume to pour anything out. At present, I must compress this part of my instruction within very narrow limits, for the time has slipped and I shall soon have to finish. The Divine Physician has come to the wounded man, the Holy Spirit to the soul. For where is the soul which has not been transpierced with the devil's sword, even after the remedial virtue of Baptism has healed the wound of original sin? When, therefore, the Holy Spirit approaches the soul which has invoked Him, and which says, "My sores are putrified and corrupted because of my foolishness," what is the first thing to be done? Surely, to cut away any ulcerous growth which may have appeared in the wound, and which would prevent or retard its healing. Hence, let the keen knife of compunction remove the tumour of sinful habit. The pain shall indeed be very sharp. But let it be soothed with the sweet ointment of devotion, which is nothing else than the joy conceived from the hope of pardon. This hope is itself begotten of the experience of the power to control our passions, and of the victory we have gained over sin. Then the soul gives thanks and cries, "Thou hast broken my bonds; I will sacrifice to Thee the sacrifice of praise." Next is applied the medicament of penance, a healing poultice of watchings, fastings, and prayers, and of all other kinds of penitential exercises. But whilst engaged in the labours of penance we must not forget to nourish ourselves with the meat of good works, lest otherwise we faint. And what this meat is the Divine Master tells us in the words, "My meat is to do the will of Him That sent Me." So, let the works of piety, which are a source of strength, accompany our practices of penance. "Alms," says Tobias, "shall be a great confidence before the Most High God." But meat excites thirst, which has to be slaked. Therefore, we must add to the solid food of good works the drink of prayer, which by moistening this meat of virtuous action shall make it more easy to digest for the stomach of the conscience, and render it more pleasing to the Lord. It is in prayer that we drink the "wine which rejoiceth the heart of man," the wine of the Spirit, which intoxicates the soul with holy love, and banishes from her the memory of sensual delights. This wine irrigates the parched interior of the conscience, facilitates, as already remarked, the digestion of the meat of good works, and distributes the nutriment amongst the members of the soul (if you allow me the expression), confirming faith, fortifying hope, enlivening and regulating charity, and anointing all our actions with the rich unction of grace.

Having thus satisfied her hunger and thirst, what now remains for the sick soul, except to rest and to give herself up to the quiet of contemplation after the painful fatigues of action? But whilst she thus slumbers in the peace of prayer, she sees God, as in a dream. That is to say, she sees Him "through a glass, in a dark manner," and not yet "face to face." Nevertheless, although He is not so much perceived as He is in Himseli and immediately, as vaguely felt and apprehended,³ and that but in a passing way, and by the light of a sudden and momentary blaze of glory, so great a flame of love is enkindled in her by this obscure and transient vision that she exclaims, "My soul hath desired Thee in the night, yea, and my spirit within me." Such a love is full of zeal. Such a love is becoming in the friend of the Bridegroom. Such a love must be possessed by "the faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath appointed over His family." Such a love fills up the soul's capacity; it waxes hot and boils over. Then may it securely pour itself out, overflowing and overleaping its bounds and crying aloud, "Who is weak and I am not weak? Who is scandalised and I am not on fire?" Let him that is such preach the word and make it fructify; let him multiply signs and wonders; because there is no room for vanity in the soul where all is charity. For charity is the fulfilling of the heart no less than of the law, if yet it be full in itself. "God is charity," and there is nothing in the world capable of filling a creature made to God's image excepting that alone which is greater than the creature, viz., the charity which is God. Until this has been acquired, no man can be appointed to responsible office without the gravest peril to himself, whatever other virtues he may seem to possess. If one should have all knowledge, if he should distribute all his goods to feed the poor, even should he deliver his body to be burned, still, without charity he is empty. Behold now how much has to be poured into us inorder that we may venture to pour out, giving of our plenitude, not of our poverty. Firstly, compunction; secondly, devotion; thirdly, the endurance of penance; fourthly, the exercise of piety; fifthly, the fervour of prayer; sixthly, the quiet of contemplation; seventhly, the fulness of love. "All these things one and the same Spirit worketh, dividing to everyone according"to the operation which I have named Infusion. And He does so in order that the other operation, called Effusion, may be exercised purely (and therefore securely) for the praise and glory of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth for ever. Amen.

Footnotes

1. This seems to be the simplest and most natural rendering of the parenthetical clause — quod occurrit interim. It is not contradicted by the reference to the twofold operation in the preceding sermon, since what is said to have been suggested in the meantime is not the twofold character of the Spirit's operation, but the connexion of that with the words of the text. St. Bernard sometimes uses the word "interim" to denote the present life, in which sense it is possible to understand it here. The meaning then will be that the experience of the two operations of the Holy Ghost, Infusion and Effusion (the gratia gratum faciens and gratia gratis data of later theologians), is limited to our earthly existence, which is certainly true. Less warranted both by the words themselves and by the context is the interpretation given by some: "which is next in order." — (Translator.) *74 ↩

2. This seems to be an allusion to the land-laws under which the Hebrews received and retained their lots. See Leviticus xxv. — (Translator.) ↩

3. For a comparison of the mystical with the Beatific Vision of God, see Poulain's Graces oj Prayer, p. 261, Eng. Trans. The knowledge obtained in both is said to be experimental; yet the difference is not only in degree of clarity but in kind. For it is only in the Beatific Vision that God is revealed as He is in Himself. Theologians are not agreed as to whether this Vision has ever been granted transiently to any saint as a viator. The most probable case seems to be that of St. Paul, when he was rapt up to the third heaven and "heard secret words which it is not granted to man to utter." — (Translator.) ↩