Part V. Principles and Counsels Concerning the Interior Life

Our zeal, to be efficacious, stands in need of the assistance of Jesus Christ in such a manner, that in all we do Jesus is the chief agent, and we are only instruments in His hands. Jesus will not bless our labors, if we put our trust in ourselves or in mere natural means. ‘“‘ We should labor so earnestly, as if success depended entirely on our efforts,” says St. Alphonsus, “and at the same time we must put our whole trust in God, who alone can give us success, in our apostolate.” But we cannot expect God’s assistance or blessing in our labors, if self-love is our object, instead of the love of God.

It is our sacred duty to engage in the works to which God calls us. We should not seek to have our own way and work independently of God, or of our lawful superiors who hold His place in our regard. We should so perform the duties of our apostolate, that, far from injuring our interior life, they may always promote it. We should never so overburden ourselves with work, as to be unable to perform our spiritual exercises, for they are the food of our soul necessary to maintain its strength and spiritual life. The more we have to do, the more also our need of the strength imparted by the exercises of the interior life. Every apostolic laborer should have an ardent desire not only to sanctify others, but first of all to sanctify himself and to use all the means necessary for this. He should therefore earnestly resolve to use these means; and as Mental Prayer is the principal and most indispensable of these means, OUR FIRST AND MOST FIRM RESOLUTION MUST BE:

I Will Faithfully Make Mental Prayer Every Morning

The faithful carrying out of this resolution will be the KEystone of the Arch of our spiritual edifice, and the principal means of securing God’s blessing on our apostolic labors. To be a priest, a religious or even only a simple Christian, how great the dignity, and how grand its ideal! The priest, the religious, the Christian, each is bound, according to his state and dignity, “to put on Jesus Christ ” and reproduce in himself His life and virtues, for “as many of you as have been baptized, have put on Christ” (Gal. 3. 27), and, therefore, to resemble our divine Saviour. Jesus, then, should be the light of our reason, the rule of our actions both internal and external, and of our affections, our strength in trials, combats and labors, and the nourishment of our interior life. But the most indispensable means for forming our interior life after Jesus, our Model, is mental prayer faithfully practised. Without some practice of mental prayer we cannot resemble Jesus Christ for he who is devoid of all good thoughts, of good sentiments, resolutions and prayers, is surely not on the road to salvation. But he who regularly and faithfully makes mental prayer is protected from every side by an impenetrable armor against his own frailty, the world and the dangers of his own position. Father Desurmont, C.SS.R., one of the most experienced conductors of retreats of his time, says that Priests and Religious must “either make mental prayer or they will be exposed to a great risk of being lost.’ Cardinal Lavigerie declares that “ for an apostolic laborer there is no alternative between holiness, at least desired or pursued, and progressive perversion.” And the Royal Prophet chants as follows: “O Lord... unless Thy law had been my meditation, I had perhaps perished in — my abjection; (therefore) Thy justifications I will never forget, for by them Thou hast given me life” — (Ps. 118. 92, 93).

Priests and religious are to be judged according — to their mental prayer. He who faithfully makes his morning meditation, or mental prayer, at the appointed time and never, without real necessity, omits it, or puts it off to a later hour, and always makes it apart from the prescribed thanksgiving after Mass or holy Communion, and does not turn it into a preparation for his sermon, etc., he, I say, efficaciously desires or tends to holiness. He, however, who acts differently, or does not seriously endeavor to make good meditations, will gradually lapse into that dangerous state of wilful tepidity, so displeasing to God, as we can see from the mes- — sage Jesus sent to the bishop of Laodicea (Apoc 3. 15, 16).

In the life of priests and of religious all their duties are connected together. He who gives up meditation, or omits it wilfully, or through carelessness, will soon say Mass, receive holy Communion without recollection, without fervor and, therefore, without personal fruits. His recitation of the Divine Office, of vocal prayers, will be only mechanical and burdensome to him, and will but feebly express his union with the official prayer of the Church. Such a one will hardly exercise selfwatchfulness, the spirit of recollection, and, consequently, will omit making ejaculatory prayers and his spiritual reading. Hence his apostolate will become always less and less fruitful. Such a one seldom | will make any particular examen, or sincerely examine his conscience, or discover his faults and the dangers to which he is exposed; wherefore even his confessions also will be wanting in fervor and good results.

II. Our Mental Prayer

Prayer is the elevation of the mind to God, not theoretically, but practically, for it is not a mere study, nor made for the purpose of studying, but for the purpose of regulating our conduct. Mental prayer is real work, especially for beginners. It is © a work, and requires effort for us to detach ourselves, even for a moment, from all that is not God, in order to keep our whole mind and attention fixed on God for a whole half hour and to take a new start on our way to perfection. Though arduous, if undertaken generously, it will lead to peace in the union and friendship with Jesus. “ Mental prayer,” says St. Teresa, “is a friendly and intimate communing of the heart with Jesus.” In this communing with our loving Jesus we should speak to Him in the language of faith, hope and charity, and listen to what He says to us through His inspirations, through our conscience. We _ should speak to Him in the simple and ingenuous language of a loving child, and make known to Him our misery, and desires, our wants, our good will, our resolutions, our gratitude, our sorrow for our sins; and we should offer ourselves to Him to be formed by Him as He wills, and that He may enable us to please and resemble Him in all our thoughts, words and actions. ‘“O Lord Jesus, with Thy most kind and merciful, and yet most powerful hand, deign to form my heart so that it may be like Thine.”

Ill. How We SHoutp Make MENTAL PRAYER

We should place our reason, and especially our faith and our heart, in the presence of our Lord teaching us a certain truth, or a certain virtue, and should earnestly desire to harmonize our conduct therewith; and then deplore whatever in us is contrary, opposed thereto, and foreseeing certain obstacles in this matter, we should make up our mind to overcome them; but being aware, that of ourselves we are powerless to do this, we should pray earnestly for grace to do it effectually.

Let us consider ourselves as an exhausted traveler; panting for breath and parched with thirst, looking for a cool spring. At last Video, I see one, but it is on a high steep rock. Sitio, 1 thirst. The more I look at that spring, which would so refresh me as to enable me to continue my journey, the more I yearn to quench my increasing thirst. Volo, I will, cost what it may, reach that spring; and I make every effort, but all in vain. But, Volo Tecum; there is some one near, who seems to be awaiting my request for help, in order to help me. He even carries me in the steepest places, and after a few minutes, I am able to quench my thirst. In like manner, we can drink of the living waters of grace flowing from the Heart of Jesus.

My evening spiritual reading, which is a very precious element of the interior life, has revived my desire to make to-morrow’s mental prayer. Before retiring to rest, I will briefly prepare from my meditation book to-morrow morning’s meditation, as well as the fruit I intend to derive from it.

— Now the time of my mental prayer has come. I will, as it were, leave this earth, and represent to myself a living and speaking scene to remove all distractions and temporal anxieties. This scene, though rapidly represented, should be striking enough to place me in the presence of God, which should take up all my attention and wholly penetrate me till the end of meditation. In this manner I am placed near the living, adorable and lovable Being to converse with Him. Him then do I pro- | foundly adore, with humility, sorrow for sin and protestation of entire dependence, in humble and — confiding prayer, that He may bless my communing ~ with Him. :

Video, I see. Being wholly taken up with Thy | living presence, O my Jesus, and cutting loose, as it } were, from the mere natural order, I am about to begin my conversation with Thee in the language of faith, which is more faithful than the analyses of my reason. Hence I will now read the points of my meditation. Then I resume them and concentrate my attention thereon. It is Thou, O Jesus, who speakest to me and teachest me this truth. I will enliven and increase my faith concerning this truth, relying on Thy infinite truth. And thou, my soul, repeat without ceasing: I believe this. Again repeat it still more firmly, and like a child reciting his lesson, repeat many times, that thou adherest to this doctrine and to its consequences for thy eternity. O Jesus, it is true, absolutely true, I believe it. I will that this ray of the Sun of Revelation should serve as my beacon on my journey. Render my faith still more lively. Inspire me with an earnest desire to live according to this ideal and to detest what is opposed to it. I wish to assimilate this truth as my spiritual nourishment.

Sitio; I thirst. On the frequency and the energy of my acts of faith depend the affections of my heart. These affections are like flowers a childlike heart would cast before Jesus speaking: Acts of adoration, gratitude, love, joy, attachment to the divine will and detachment from everything else, hope in God and self-surrender to Him. My heart chooses one or more of these and deeply penetrates . itself therewith, expresses and often repeats them in a loving and sincere manner, but in the simplest way. If my feelings are moved, I make use of them, for they may prove useful, though not really necessary. A calm, deep affection is more secure and fruitful than superficial emotions, which do not depend on me, and are not an index of a real and fruitful mental prayer. What is always in my power and is especially important, is the effort necessary to shake off the torpor of my heart and urge me to say earnestly: My God, I wish to be united to Thee, to empty myself before Thee, and give vent to my gratitude and cheerfully accomplish Thy will. Henceforth I wish to tell Thee in all sincerity, that I love Thee and detest all that displeases Thee.

And even when I sincerely try, but my heart remains cold and is wanting in fervent expressions, — I will acknowledge to Thee, my Jesus, both my — humiliation and my desire, and will prolong my — sorrow for this, with the hope that Thou wilt graciously accept my desire.

O Jesus, how beautiful is the ideal I perceive in Thee. But is my conduct in harmony with this perfect model? I examine this point in Thy presence, who seest all things, who art now all Mercy, but wilt be all justice in my particular judgment, when Thou wilt with a single glance examine all the actions and the motives of my whole life. Does my life correspond to this ideal? Were I to die now, my Jesus, wouldst Thou not find that my conduct is in opposition to this ideal?

O my good Master, deign to indicate in which points Thou wishest my amendment? Help me to find out first, the obstacles that prevent me from imitating Thee, and then the internal and the externaf causes and occasions of my shortcomings. How do I fulfil my obligations as a Christian, a religious, a priest? The Commandments of God, the precepts of the Church, my vows, Mass, Divine Office, prayers, ministry, labors, charity, the use of my time, modesty, custody of the senses, behavior in church, recollection, presence of God, etc. Dost Thou not, O Sacred Heart of Jesus, require of me more fidelity, more fervor, more purity of intention, more efforts, more considerateness, in performing . such and such a duty?

The sight of my miseries and difficulties urges me, O my adorable Redeemer, to express to Thee my confusion, sorrow, bitter regrets, an ardent desire to do better and generously and unreservedly to offer my whole being to Thee, for I sincerely wish to please Thee in all things.

Volo; 1 will. I am now advancing further into the school of the will. It is the language of charity in effect. The affections have given rise in me to the desire of amendment. I have found out the obstacles, and my will should say, I will remove them. O Jesus, my earnestness in saying, “I will” is a result of my fervor in repeating, “I believe, I love, I am sorry, I detest.” If at times this “ I will” does not come out as energetically as I would wish, my beloved Saviour, I will deplore the weakness of my will, and far from getting disheartened, I will not grow weary repeating how much I long to participate in Thy generosity in all that concerns Thy Father’s service.

To my general resolution of striving to work out my salvation and to love God, I join the special resolution of applying my mental prayer to this day’s difficulties, temptations and dangers. But I especially have at heart to renew the resolution of my particular examen, and strengthen it with motives drawn from our Saviour’s heart, and I will indicate the means of fulfilling it, and foresee the occasions for so doing, and prepare for the combats I may have to undergo. If I foresee some special occasion of dissipation of mind, of want of mortification, of humiliation, temptation, or some important matter, I will endeavor to prepare for it by watchfulness, energy, and especially by union with Jesus and recourse to Mary. If, notwithstanding all my precautions, I happen to fall, I will not get discouraged, since I know that God is glorified every time that I rise after a fall, but will begin again with renewed fervor, self-diffidence and self-abasement, to serve Thee more faithfully. It is only by so doing that I can obtain success.

Volo tecum; I will with Thy help. St. Augustine says: “It is less absurd to try to compel a lame man to walk straight than to try to succeed without Thee, my Saviour.” Why have my resolutions remained fruitless? Is it not because the words “I can do all things” are not derived from “in Him who strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4.13). I have now reached that part of my mental prayer, which, under certain aspects, is the most important,— the Supplication, or the Language of Hope. Without Thy grace, my Jesus, I can do nothing, and I am entirely unable to deserve it. But I know that my earnest entreaties, far from wearying Thee, will determine the measure of Thy help, if they reflect my ardent desire to be Thine, my self-diffidence, and my boundless confidence in Thy loving Heart. Like the Canaanite woman, I prostrate myself before Thee, O infinite Goodness. With a persistence, like hers, full of hope and humility, I beg of Thee, not a few crumbs, but a real participation in that feast of which Thou didst say: ‘“ My food is to do My Father’s will” (John 4. 34).

Grace having made me a member of Thy mystical body, I participate in Thy life and merits. Wherefore through Thee, my Jesus, I pray: Holy Father, I beseech Thee by the blood of Thy Son, crying to Thee for mercy for me, and Thou canst not reject this my prayer: “ Hear me, O Lord, for I am needy and poor” (Ps. 85. 1). Clothe me with Thy strength and glorify Thy power in my weakness. Thy goodness, Thy promises, Thy merits, O Jesus; my misery and my confidence are my only claims for obtaining, by my union with Thee, the custody of my heart and the strength I need this day. If I meet with some obstacle, temptation, or the neces- ) sity of making some sacrifice, the text or the thought I choose as my spiritual bouquet, will cause me to inhale the perfume of prayer, which has enveloped ymy resolutions, and will urge me to raise an efficacious supplication to God. This habit, as the fruit of my mental prayer, will also be its touchstone. “By their fruits you shall know them” (Mat. 7. 16). » When I shall have made such progress as to live by faith and by an habitual thirst for God, then only the labor of going through the Video may be sometimes omitted, and the Sitio and the Volo will flow forth at the very beginning of the meditation, which will then consist chiefly in producing affections and self-offerings, and in strengthening our firm will, and in beseeching Jesus, directly or through Mary Immaculate, the angels or the saints, for a more intimate and constant union with the will of God. Now the holy Sacrifice of the Mass is to take place, and my mental prayer has prepared me for it. My participation in Calvary in the name of the

Church, and my holy Communion will be, as it were, a continuation of my mental prayer. During my thanksgiving I will include in my petitions the welfare of the Church, the souls entrusted to me, my labors, relatives, friends, benefactors, the dead, etc. In the course of the day let us intersperse fervent acts of love of God, spiritual communions and various ejaculatory prayers, and strive to make our particular examen, a Visit to the Blessed Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to recite a third part of the rosary, and spend some time in spiritual reading. In this manner we shall sanctify the whole day and become always more and more united to Jesus.

IV. Our second resolution should regard the custody of our heart, for it is an essential requisite — for the apostolate. Hence let us say: “O Jesus, I am resolved to be habitually solicitous to preserve my heart from every stain, and to unite it always more and more to Thy Heart in all my occupations, conversations, recreations, etc. By this resolution we repudiate all stain both in the motive and in the execution of our actions. Hence we must begin our every action with a pure intention, and keep up this pure intention during its whole progress. Our am- bition, in fact, should be to intensify during its performance the faith, hope and love animating us. This resolution will be the index of the practical value of our first resolution, for our interior life will be gauged by the custody of our heart, for, says the Holy Ghost, “ with all watchfulness keep thy heart, because life issueth out from it” (Prov. 4. 23). The custody of the heart enables the traveler to profit by the food he takes before starting on his way or when he stops to rest. It is nothing else than the habitual, or at least the frequent, solicitude to preserve all my acts, in their order, from everything that might vitiate or spoil their motive, or their performance. Our solicitude should be calm and trustful, since it is based on a childlike recourse to God. It is rather a work of the heart and will than of the mind which should remain free to perform its part. Far from impeding our action, the custody of the heart perfects it by regulating it according to the spirit of God and adapting it to the duties of our state.

This exercise may be performed at any time by our heart viewing our present actions, and paying a moderate attention to the diverse parts of the action we are performing. It is actually putting into ht practice the maxim “ Age quod agis,” “ Attend to 4 what thou art doing.” Our soul, like a watchful sentinel, exercises its solicitude over all the motions of our heart, over our whole interior, our impres- sicns, intentions, passions and inclinations, as well — as over all our thoughts, words and deeds. The — custody of the heart requires a certain degree of recollection. By frequent exercise it becomes a habit.

Whither am I going, and for what? How would ~

Jesus act now, were He in my place? What does

He now require of me? Such are the questions which come spontaneously to the mind of him who is eager to become an interior man. For the soul — that is wont to go to Jesus through Mary, the custody of the heart is more affective, and becomes an incessant want of his heart to have recourse to Mary. Through her is realized this injunction of Jesus: “ Abide in Me, and I in you” (John 15. 4). We can succeed to abide in Jesus through Mary’s help, and likewise to have Jesus abiding in us. When we invoke Mary, it is because we seek Jesus, for “it is good for me to adhere to God” (Ps. 72. 28). In all our labors we should seek to do God’s will, and His will alone; in other words, our only object should be to do God’s will.

The custody of our heart is necessary to us. My God, who art holiness itself, here below Thou admittest a soul into Thy intimacy only in so far as it strives to destroy or shun every shortcoming, such as: spiritual sloth in raising one’s heart to Thee; an inordinate affection to creatures; bluntness, impatience, spite, caprice, indolence, fondness of ease and comfort; facility in speaking, without necessity, of the faults of others; dissipation of mind, vain curiosity; gossip, loquacity, vain and rash judgments; vain self-complacency; contempt of others, fault-finding; acting to draw the esteem and praise of others; presumption, obstinacy, jealousy, want of due respect for authority and murmurs; lack of mortification in eating and drinking. What a swarm of venial sins, or of wilful imperfections, which will take possession of me, if I neglect to watch over myself, and which shall deprive me of the graces Thou hast reserved for me from all eternity! If I fail to combat them, they will be apt to paralyze and sterilize all my spiritual exercises and good works! Let us not deceive ourselves by imagining that all these are — faults of mere human frailty; but let us in all earnestness watch over ourselves, that we may avoid them and correct them. ‘‘ The Kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent carry it away” (Mat. 11. 12).

The custody of the heart is based on the exercise of the presence of God. O most Holy Trinity, if, as I hope, I am in the state of grace, Thou dwellest in my heart with all Thy glory and Thy infinite perfections, although hidden to me under the veil of faith. Every moment Thou seest me and all that I do. Thy mercy and Thy justice incessantly operate in me. To punish my faults, Thou at times withdrawest Thy choice graces from me, or Thou ceasest to dispose in a maternal manner for my benefit, certain events, and sometimes Thou loadest me with fresh benefits. If I really considered Thy indwelling in me as most important to me and most worthy of my attention, would I think so seldom thereon, and fail so often in my duty of self-watchfulness? My ejaculatory prayers following each other in quick succession should have recalled to me this all-loving indwelling of God in me. Have I even marked every hour of the day by some pious

‘ aspiration? And what place do my spiritual communions occupy in my daily actions? And nevertheless, my God, Thou art ready at every moment to listen to me, to remind me of Thy indwelling in me, and to strengthen it by the infusion of fresh graces of the Redemption in my soul. What profit have I hitherto derived from all these treasures placed within my reach? How far I am from being one of those souls who, whilst attending to their tasks and to those who are with them, many and many times each day turn their thoughts and affection to Him who is their Guest, their Treasurer? “Where thy treasure is, there also is thy heart” (Mat. 6. 21).

The Devotion to Our Lady facilitates the custody of the heart. O Mary, my Immaculate Mother, thy divine Son on Calvary made me thy child, in order that thou shouldst help me to guard my heart united by Jesus to the Blessed Trinity. I purpose to invoke Thee always more and more frequently to help me to purify my heart and all its propensities, intentions, affections and desires. I will henceforth heed thy interior admonitions to avoid whatever may not be pleasing to God. Often remind me to consider before acting: ‘“ What is my real inten- tion in doing this? What would Jesus do in my place?”

Apprenticeship in the custody of the heart. I regret so long losing sight of the presence of God during my occupations, as well as the many faults which then escape me, and the danger of tepidity to which they expose me. Hence I am resolved at once to begin to practise custody of the heart. Hence in my morning meditation I will designate a special time during my work, when, without in the least neglecting my duty, I will recall most vividly God’s presence to my mind, and raise my heart to Him in love and interior prayer. A similar exercise of four or five minutes I will begin to practise morning and evening in the most fervent manner possible. This will serve as an apprenticeship to the interior life; it is a kind of spiritual retreat, short, indeed, but very efficacious, for, says St. Francis de Sales, “in the exercise of spiritual retreat and ejaculatory prayers lies the great work of devotion. This exercise can supply the lack of all other prayers, but its want can hardly be repaired by any other means. Without it we can but ill perform the duties of the active life.” This exercise will enable us to discover all the interior motives we have for our ac- tions, to correct what may be amiss therein, to purify our intention and act as Jesus would do in our place, to confide lovingly in Jesus and to ask Him for the help we need. Let us not fail at night during our examination of conscience, to examine carefully how we have performed this exercise, and to impose on ourselves some salutary penance, in case we have omitted it, or performed it carelessly. If we faithfully perform it every day, we shall soon experience its marvellous results, and draw God’s blessing on ourselves and our labors. We shall then be able to do what God wills, as He wills, and because He wills it, and our life will be, as it were, transformed and our hearts will be united to Jesus.