Chapter VII. Devotion

1. The sixth and last wing of the ecclesiastical Seraph, without which the others can accomplish nothing, and which is, therefore, the most necessary of all, is piety or devotion to God. It incites zeal for justice, infuses loving compassion, strengthens patience, sets up an edifying example, and enlightens discretion. This is the " unction of the Spirit," teaching all things beneficial for salvation, as St. John says : " Let the unction which you have received from him, abide in you. And you have no need that any man teach you ; but as his unction teacheth you of all things." *

2. Piety enlightens the mind to know what is best. " He [the Holy Ghost] will teach you all things, and bring all things to your mind." 2 *i John 2, 27. 2 John 14, 26. It inflames the soul with a desire for what is good. " They that eat me, shall yet hunger ; and they that drink me, shall yet thirst." 3 It infuses strength for attaining perfection. " It is God who worketh in you, both to will and to accomplish." 4 It engenders horror of sin. " I have hated and abhorred iniquity." 5 It leads to the practice of virtue.6 " He brought me into the cellar of wine, he set in order charity in me." 7 It regulates external conduct and expression. " Never have I joined myself with them that play; neither have I made myself partaker of them that walk in lightness." 8 It renders knowledge of faith sweet. " For the wisdom of doctrine is according to her name," 9 namely, delicious knowledge. It raises hope to confidence. " For the Spirit himself giveth testimony to our spirit, that we are sons of God." 10 It kindles the love of God. " The charity of God is poured forth in our hearts, by the Holy * Phil. 2, 13. 8 Tob. 3, 17. BPs. 118, 163. 9Ecflus. 6, 23. eApoc. 10, 10. 10Rom. 8, 16. g6 Virtues of a Religious Superior Ghost, who is given to us." n It places us on familiar terms with God. " The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man is wont to speak to his friend." 12 It instills confidence towards God. " We have confidence towards God. And whatsoever we shall ask, we shall receive of him." 13 It enriches our prayers. " May thy whole burnt-offering be made fat," 14 and, " Make a fat offering." 15 It produces devotion and fervor. " Sweet, beneficent, and gentle is the spirit of wisdom." 1G It nourishes humility. " To whom shall I have respect, but to him that is poor and little." 17 It extracts the oil of the spirit as in a hot cauldron. It bestows constancy in adversity. " The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?"18 St. Paul in his devotion says : " Who then shall separate us from the love of Christ?"19 It makes all good works delightful. " Her con- " Ps. 19, 4. 19 Rom. 8, 35. « Ecclus. 38, ". versation has no bitterness, nor her company any tediousness, but joy and gladness." 20 It raises the mind to heaven. " If he turns his heart to him, he shall draw his spirit and breath unto himself." 21 It engenders disgust for the world. " I have seen all things that are done under the sun, and behold all is vanity and vexation of spirit." 22 It arouses a desire for heavenly things. " I am straitened between two: having a desire to be dis solved and to be with Christ." 23 It wipes out sin and the punishment of sin. " Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much." 24 It increases supernatural merit. "If riches be desired in life, what is richer than wisdom, which maketh all things." 25 It greatly edifies our neighbor. " Offer sacrifice to God, incense and a good savour for a memorial." 26 " We are a good odour of Christ." 2T It drives away devils. " The smoke thereof driveth away all kinds of devils." 28 It invites the Angels and Saints. " Princes went before joined with singers." 29 " When thou didst pray with tears, ... I of fered thy prayer to the Lord." 30

3. These and many other blessings are con ferred by the grace of piety or devotion. Hence a superior who has to guide souls ought to make every effort to possess it, for by means of it he is always informed of what should be done, assisted in doing it, and safeguarded against neglect. He should not only pray for himself, but also for those that have been en trusted to his care and for those whom he is not able to preserve from evil without the help of God. " Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it." 31 The superior should be a mediator between God and his subjects, in order that, solicitous for the interests of God among them, while instruct ing, correcting, and guiding them on the way to higher things, he may also faithfully promote their interests before God by conciliating 2» PS. 67, 26. ®i Ps. 126, i. Him, imploring His grace, and preserving the brethren from evil. Then he may say with Moses : " I was the mediator and stood between the Lord and you." 32

4. Devotion may be general, or special, or continuous. It is general in divine office; special, in prayers ; continuous, in the performance of all duties. In regard to the divine office, a superior must possess a threefold zeal; namely, to see that everything is done in an orderly manner and without mistakes. " Let all things be done decently, and according to order." 33 " David and the chief officers of the army separated for the ministry the sons of Asaph, of Ham and Idithun; to prophesy with harps, and with psalteries, and with cym bals according to their number serving in their appointed office." 34 He should also see to it that the work of the Lord, namely, the divine Office, is performed assiduously. " Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceit fully." 35 He should see to its devout, rev- 33 i Cor. 14, 40. 35 jer- ^ I0< ioo Virtues of a Religious Superior erent, distinct, and attentive recitation, guard ing against interruptions and disturbances, re membering that it is said : " With the whole heart and mouth praise ye Him and bless the name of the Lord." 36

5. The Holy Ghost has commanded the recitation of the divine Office in the Church for five reasons. The first is to imitate the heavenly choirs. The Saints and Angels are unceasingly engaged in the presence of God in singing His praises. "Blessed are they," says the Psalmist, " that dwell in thy house, O Lord, they shall praise thee for ever and ever." 37 Christ, according to His promise, " Behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world," 38 deigns to be truly with us here sacramentally as well as spiritually, and hence it behooves us to the best of our ability to render Him honor and praise according to the example of the celestial Spirits, so that even though we do not praise Him continuously, as those heavenly chanters do, '36Ecclus. 39, 41. 38Matth. 28, 20. we sing at least from time to time His praises in spite of our frailty, imitating " that Jerusalem, which is above, . . . which is our mother."39

6. The divine Office has been established, secondly, that we should render thanks to God at certain hours, mindful of His blessings, and praying for His grace from time to time turn to Him, who was born of the Virgin Mary at night, dragged before the council at early morn, arose at daylight, was scourged at the third hour, and a little later sent the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, was crucified at the sixth hour, died upon the cross at the ninth, and being at supper in the afternoon gave us the Sacraments, and was buried at Compline. The celebration of Holy Mass, however, not only reminds us of the mystery of His Passion, but also exhibits the grace of His Real Presence, and under the form of the Blessed Sacra ment nourishes us in a spiritual manner with His Flesh and Blood. As it is right and proper, therefore, never to forget these things, " Gal. 4, 26. IO2 Virtues of a Religious Superior so it is also proper always to recall them at stated hours. " I will remember," says the Prophet, " the tender mercies of the Lord, the praise of the Lord for all the things that the Lord hath bestowed on us." 40

7. In the third place the divine Office was established, in order that through it we may be continuously incited to devotion and kindled with the love of God, lest through indolence and the multitude of our occupations our love grow lukewarm. In the Book of Leviticus the Lord says : " This is the perpetual fire which shall never go out on the altar. . . . The priest shall feed it, putting wood on it every day in the morning." 41 This fire is the fervor of devotion, which ought always to burn on the altar of our heart, which the devout priest ought to nourish constantly by put ting on it the fuel of divine praises, that it may never be extinguished. " I will bless the Lord at all times, His praises shall be always in my mouth." 42 <° Is. 63, 7. *2 Ps. 33, 2.

8. The fourth reason for which the divine Offioe was instituted is that we may through it draw the faithful, who know how to set aside certain hours for prayer, to the practice of devotion, so that they may assemble in church at least when the offices of divine praise are performed therein, and be less easily distracted when they see the clerics celebrating the divine Office. "All the multitude of the people," says St. Luke, " was praying without, at the hour of incense." 43 Most people would scarcely ever devote themselves to prayer if they were not called to church from worldly occupations at stated times to engage in divine service and listen to the word of God.

9. The fifth purpose of the divine Office is to exhibit the beauty of the Christian religion. Jews, Gentiles, and heretics from time to time assemble in their churches to celebrate their false rites. It is evidently far more proper and fitting for those who have the true and holy mysteries of the Sacraments to assemble often for the purpose of celebrating and vener- *3Luke i, 10. IO4 Virtues of a Religious Superior ating them and performing the solemn service of praise due to the Creator. For by this means they make themselves worthy of more grace, and of eternal life, and the laity are led to love and revere their holy religion. " To the festivals he added beauty, and set in order the solemn times, . . . that they should praise the holy name of the Lord." 44 Hence among all the external observances of religion the greatest attention ought to be given to the divine Office, so that, as has been said, 45 it may be performed in an orderly, earnest and devout manner. At other times we labor for God, but during the time of divine service we assist at His throne, are ready to listen to and address Him, and He addresses us, and at the same time we implore His help in our necessities.

10. Special devotion consists in private prayers; in the customary recitation of vocal prayers, such as psalms, litanies, and others, which each one performs in secret and accord ing to his personal inclinations. " Thus shall you pray," says Christ, " Our Father," etc.,46 A second form of special prayer consists in holy meditation, when a person reflects upon his sins, misery, and future punishment, or recalls to mind the general and special favors he has received from God, the Passion of Christ, the sweet balm of His goodness and His promises of future reward, in order to derive from the consideration of these things sentiments of devotion, of fear and love of God, of desire, compunction and spiritual joy. " I meditated in the night with my own heart : and I was exercised and I swept my spirit" 47 Special devotion manifests itself, thirdly, in pious aspirations, tears and sighs, outbursts of love, and other internal and ineffable affec tions of the heart, in exaltations, ecstasies, rap tures and absorption of the soul in God. Through these " he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit " 48 with Him through the light of pure intelligence, through the knowledge of God, the ardor of His love, and a sweet 4« Matth. 6, 9. 48 i Cor. 6, 17. io6 Virtues of a Religious Superior and intimate union full of joy. " The spirit himself asketh for us with unspeakable groanings." 49 u. If a superior by the cares and distrac tions of his office is prevented from devoting himself to special devotions and prayers, he should, at least occasionally when it is possible, and as it were by stealth, engage in the practice of prayer, that he may not become entirely cold, neglect prayer, become a stranger to God, and the grace of God's mercy may not insensibly, as it were, be withdrawn from him. This was the reason why Moses, when harassed by the care of the people, frequently sought solace in the Tabernacle, entering into familiar intercourse with God and being thereby re freshed in mind and heart. Christ, after preaching to the multitudes during the day, spent the nights alone in prayer. Although a superior may have little time for prayer, still, because it is his duty to pray for others, he may sometimes for their sake be vouchsafed a greater measure of grace, in order that he may benefit also by praying those whom he benefits by his care and attention. But let him not neglect prayer, or refuse to improve the opportunity, when offered, lest he be deprived of the grace of prayer in punishment for his ingratitude.

11. Devotion should be assiduous or continuous in a superior, as in all that desire to advance in virtue. He should, first, constantly think of God. " I set the Lord always in my sight, . . . my eyes are ever towards the Lord." 50 Man ought to endeavor to find God everywhere and at every moment, as if He were really present in a visible manner. Elias and Eliseus were wont to say : " As the Lord liveth, in whose sight I stand." 51 For as the Angels do not cease to contemplate God wherever they are sent, so a virtuous man, as far as he is able, should never lose the thought of God from his heart. Should this ever happen, let him do penance. St. Bernard says : " Consider every moment lost in which you ™ Ps. 15, 8; 24, 15. 5i 3 Kings 17, i ; 18, 15 : 4 Kings 3, 14io8 Virtues of a Religious Superior do not think of God." B2 Even if you cannot always concentrate your mind on Him in meditation, direct it to Him at least by calling to mind His presence, and when an opportunity occurs, turn recollection into meditation or prayer, as an artist carries the materials for drawing about him in order to sketch a picture when he has an opportunity.

12. Secondly, a superior should continually endeavor to please God by every word and deed, always act as if He were present, avoid whatever is apt to displease Him, be sorry if he has done anything displeasing to God, and eager to please Him more and more. " We labor, whether absent or present, to please him. For we must all be manifest before the judgment seat of Christ." 53 A religious should always act as if he were about to appear before the tribunal of the Supreme Judge. " Be youthen also ready; for at what hour you think not, the Son of Man will come." 54 He sees "Luke 12, 40. whatever we do, and as He does not forget the good works that merit reward, even though a long time may elapse, so also does He not forget the sins that deserve punishment if they are not purged from the soul by penance. " Every man that passeth beyond his own bed, despising his soul, and saying: Who seeth me? . . . No man seeth me: whom do I fear? the Most High will not remember my sins. . . . And he knoweth not that the eyes of the Lord are far brighter than the sun, beholding round about all the ways of men." 55

13. The third form of assiduous or constant prayer consists in doing everything devoutly by directing at least the intention towards God, strengthening oneself by prayer for every eventuality, and rendering thanks to and praising God for every blessing. A superior should ask God to inspire him in the performance of his duties, to direct everything towards the attainment of salvation, to increase and preserve His blessings. As a sailor who sees a storm coming, hastens to reach a safe harbor, no Virtues of a Religious Superior so the religious should always fly to the harbor of prayer, in which he may escape every danger, and, in all that he does, should trust more to prayer than to his own labors and exertions. " As we know not what to do, we can only turn our eyes to thee." 56 " As the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters, ... so are our eyes unto the Lord our God."8T