86. Laying the Axe to the Roots of Imperfection — Second Sermon for the Nineteenth Sunday After Trinity

Synopsis — Lying, anger and stealing briefly considered — TJw higher and lower faculties of the human spirit described — How God unites our spirit to His own for our renewal — Times and other circumstances which favor the process of this union — Outwurd good works, how related to this inward process — The relation of outicard suffering to it.

Be renewed in the spirit of your fnind ; and put on the new man, who, according to God, is created in justice, and holiness of truth. Wherefore, putting away lying, speak ye the truth, every man with his neighbor : for we are members one of another. Be angry, and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your anger. Give not place to the devil. He that stole, let him now steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have something to give to him that suffereth need.— Eph. iv, 23-28.

The epistle of St. Paul, read at mass today, is full of meaning and rich in doctrine. Particularly should we hearken to the apostle's admonition : "Be renewed in the spirit of your mind." And he tells us things to do and things to avoid. Three things especially must we avoid, namely, lying, anger, and stealing: these three must first be gone from us ere we shall be renewed in God.

And what is lying? Saying something or showing some sign contrary to one's mind : the heart and the mouth are thus against each other. And there are some men who make a show of spirituality, and yet their hearts are anything but spiritual, being altogether worldly and possessed by love of created things. I am not speaking so much of men placed in a worldly state of life; I speak of worldly hearted men in a higher spiritual state of life, and yet who enjoy their fill of worldly pleasures, not being loyal to God. Even such things as dress and ornaments engage their affections rather than God. But if you tell them this, they blaze up in anger, they instantly find false excuses: they are (so they say) young and they must enjoy themselves; or they do thus and so that God may be all the better served. And all this is a foul lie. Is God better served by introducing things into thy affections that lead thee away from Him? Shall not the blessed God make thee happier than miserable creatures? It is all a base lie.

Then there are other liars, men who do certain good spiritual works, but who even in their piety ever keep themselves in mind more than God. Some of them will be thirty or forty years in this state, and never find themselves out. Nor is this ignorance guileless, for they should have searched their motives. They should have carefully considered whether it was self-interest or God's glory that actuated them — the reward of heaven alone, or God's honor. Children, it needs an earnest endeavor to clearly unveil one's motives. Day and night must one study himself, imagining himself in various ways, investigating deeply what it is that presses him on in his pious deeds. And in all this he must direct every motive, he must expend every force directly for God and God alone. Then one tells no lie in externally leading a devout life. Every good work that is diverted from God is a lie. Every good thing I do that is not done for God is idol worship.

And St. Paul forbids anger, hereby quoting from the Psalmist: "Be angry, and sin not." This means that we must bridle our irascible faculty, constantly mistrusting it. Meanwhile, when we feel an aversion against what is not for God, we must show it only by our efforts to change it for the better, if that be within our power. But we meet with men who seek to change other men for the better, and in doing so make themselves worse. These are hotheaded men, bitter minded men, full of scornful words, threatening gestures, and black looks, enemies of their own peace as well as that of others. Such a one excuses himself by saying: "I have a bad temper." But why should thy neighbor suffer on that account? If thy temper is bad, take pity on thyself as well as on thy neighbor and bridle thy irritability. If thou canst not restrain thy temper, then be silent. It is a great achievement, to be "angry and sin not.'' Wilt thou put out the fire in thy neighbor's house and meanwhile let thy own house burn down? Thou triest to heal thy neighbor's trifling wound, and givest him two or three heavy ones in the process.

St. Paul says: "Let not the sun go down upon your anger." This means that if you have quarreled with your neighbor, you should do your best to be reconciled to him before sunset that very day. And he means, too, that the sun of Christian prudence should not be obscured by angry passions. Be sure of one thing, dear children, by disobedience to this precept and by thereby gravely injuring your neighbor, you lose God's love and forfeit all the graces you have received.

And the apostle says: "He that stole, let him steal no more." Stealing is unjustly taking and keeping what does not belong to us, and it may refer both to spiritual and material things. Spiritual men steal by appropriating in many ways to their own use and profit what belongs to God alone, using spiritual offices and emoluments differently from what God wills. They interpose themselves between God and what belongs to Him alone. Let no one presume to do this. Let every one accept the emoluments of a clerical office with real fear of heart, for not only may God be offended by self-interested conduct in office, but such a transgressor is liable to be disgracefully deprived of his office. For myself, I will confess that now for these many years, I have not been able to consider myself worthy to be called a son of our father, St. Dominic or a preacher in his order.

Stealing may also be connected with accepting alms, which is a matter very easily disquieting to an enlightened conscience. One should carefully consider why he accepts them and how he has merited them. It is true, children, that both the old and new testament allow me to accept alms on account of my priesthood, (for he that serves the altar should live by the altar) ; and yet I dread them. If at the beginning I had known as much as I do now, I had rather have chosen to be supported by my family inheritance than by alms.

St. Paul says : "Be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind." A man's spirit has various names, according to its activities, and according to one's point of view in considering it. Sometimes our spirit is called a soul, inasmuch as it gives life to the body, dwelling in every limb, and imparting all movement. Sometimes it is distinctively named the spirit ; and in this sense it has a close kinship with God, who dwells in it by ineffable union. For God is a spirit and the soul is a spirit sprung from the divine Spirit. And our spirit is ever inclined to contemplate God's spirit, and to return again to union with its divine origin : this tendency of return to God is never absent from our soul. Sometimes our spirit is called the mind, a beautiful being indeed, the assemblage of all the faculties of will, memory and understanding. And above and beyond the working of these faculties, it has an interior and essential object; namely, God. For if the mind be but rightly directed to God, all its other activity is rightly ordered; and when it is directed away from God, all goes wrong with it, whether one is aware of this or not. The mind is also said to be the soul's depths, in which the holy Trinity lies hidden in its true form ; and in this the mind is noble beyond power of words to describe. Sometimes the spirit is called the center or crown of the soul : and as God can have no name that rightly tells of Him, neither can this inner sanctuary of God be rightly named. Whosoever can behold how God dwells in the soul's deepest depths, is made blessed by the sight. But this kinship of God and the nearness of God to the soul is too wonderful for man to presume to discourse of it.

"Be renewed in the spirit of your mind." Now we have said that the spirit is superior to the mental faculties, for they are to it but a drop of wine compared to a whole cask; and it is in this supreme spirit that the apostle bids us to be renewed. This is accomplished by an energetic penetration into the inner life, associated with a practical and very direct love of God, viewing all things in Him only. It is an attribute of the spirit — considered apart from its faculties — that it is able to adhere to God steadfastly and without intermission; while the faculties can have no uninterrupted union with God. And the renewal of a man must be effected in his spirit. God is a spirit uncreated, and hence it must be man's created spirit that shall be united to Him, man being elevated to Him and absorbed in Him in a wholly purified spirit. Before creation man was in the divine Spirit in Eternity, as God foresaw his existence; and now in his created life it must be by the spirit that he shall be united again to God.

The learned ask this : If a man wilfully gives himself up to things that pass away, does not his spirit pass away with them? And commonly they answer yes, as long as he thus remains. But a great teacher says : "As soon as a man returns again to God with his spirit and with his whole will, and directs his spirit into God's spirit as He dwells in eternity, so shall all his spirit's dignity be restored to him, and that instantaneously — all that was lost is recovered." A thousand perversions of the spirit may thus be remedied over and over again in this work of God's love, ending in a true renewing of the spirit and reunion with God. And to this reunion may be applied the Psalmist's words: "This day have I [newly] begotten thee," (Ps. ii, 7). When the spirit is thus mingled with God's being and melted into Him in its innermost life, it is re-formed and renewed. And that transformation of human spirit is perfected in God's spirit, in proportion to the fidelity and purity of intention with which the soul has persevered in this kind of spiritual life, ever keeping God in view. And as the air is so lighted up with the sun's rays that one cannot distinguish air from light, so it is in the union of the spirit of man with the Spirit of God. Who can ever behold this union, so far transcending all natural union — this union all divine, in which the human spirit is immersed in the abyss of its infinite origin ? If a common man could see the human soul thus united to God's spirit, he would without doubt think that he saw God Himself. Never did eagle fly towards the sun in the sky so swift as does the soul of man fly to God, in this renewing of the spirit of his mind. And yet in this flight the soul goes onward into a divine obscurity, as Job says: "To a man whose way is hidden, and God hath surrounded him with darkness" (Job iii, 23). He knows now the deep things of God that are far above all that may be described; nameless and formless is this knowledge of God and super essential.

Children, that turning to God is the essential one; and the stillness of night is the most favorable time for effecting it. When one has had a sound sleep before matins, let him then abstract all his senses and powers as if stealing them, and right after matins let him sink them away from him and place himself beyond all the forms and images of these faculties, and lift himself above their activity. But let him not in his littleness aspire to that supernal obscurity of which a certain saint said: "God is darkness to the sharpest eyes and in the clearest light because in His essence He is unknowable in any human fashion." Abandon thyself in all singleness of mind to God, and ask no further questions, thinking God and living God — that alone. Cast everything upon the unknown God, even thy failings and thy sins; give him charge of all thy affairs in a very practical spirit of love, placing all in the obscure, and divine will. Beyond this, such a man must think of nothing, desire nothing, neither devotional methods, nor tranquility, nor activity, nor anything whatsoever, but only to be given over entirely to the will of God.

And now suppose that while a man be thus engaged in this blessed interior occupation God guides him to give it up, and to do an outward good work, as to visit a sick person. In that case let him do it with much joy. If I were one of those favored men, and God called me out of this deep recollection of spirit to preach, it might well happen that God would be especially present with me in my busy work, in which, perhaps, he would de me more favor than in the highest contemplation. Therefore, after some hours of the night and early morning have been given to this interior absorption in God, then as the day opens and God's will places thee in outward labors, do them gladly and in all peace of soul. If thou meanwhile keepest God's presence in mind, thou niayst perhaps receive more graces than in the still prayer of the night.

St. Paul bids us labor with our hands, for the maintenance of ourselves and our neighbor. Now the truly poor in spirit are the men we have been considering; for they deny themselves the bliss of contemplation, for their neighbors' sake, following God's will in either the quiet of recollection or the active care of others. But young and eager souls need to give God much longer time in the interior life; for otherwise when they go forth to outward cares they will be in danger of remaining outside altogether. And if one has no savor of God's deep interior working, let him stand his ground patiently in faith; in this state of pain and desolation he will advance more in perfection than in outward exercises of religion.

Children, you cannot conceive what great progress such a soul makes, a progress extending into every thought, word and act, even the most trifling. All that he does is meritorious. To these men long life on earth is a great boon ; for every day advances them in the renewing of their spirit, if they are faithful in all points as I have explained. To be sure they are not conscious of their blessed state, and live in great simplicity of spirit and suffer much. This is because nature might easily be inflated with pride, and so God hides the work of love He is doing in them. Sometimes, however, God selects a deeply humble spirit to whom He manifests it all. Alas, those who can bear this are few in number ; for the more a thoroughly humble soul learns of God's love for him, so much the more does he refer it all to God's honor ; the deeper does he sink into his interior depths, and the less he attributes anything to himself.

It is mostly in enduring sufferings that such men make progress, for our Lord tries them in every possible manner. And they are sorely tried by all those who are associated with them. If, for example, there are one or two of these holy souls in a community, all the others turn upon them and by words and deeds afflict them, as if they were beating them with strokes of a hammer. Of old the heathen and the Jews martyred the Christians ; but now, poor child, thou shalt be martyred by those who seem very holy, and who do more good works than thou dost. They say to thee that thou hast gone wrong; that they have heard and studied much and know much, and that thou knowest nothing; the like of this they say to thee, till thou canst not tell whither to turn or what to try for thy relief. All this cuts thee to the marrow :

and now is the time to be on thy guard, and to suffer in silence, yielding meekly to all. Say interiorly : Beloved Lord : Thou knowest well, that I mean nothing but Thee in all I am, or do, or suffer. The faultfinders would sit in judgment on these interior souls, and force them to stiff uniformity with the common practices of devotion. But this is not to be done, for it is not possible, and everyone must be allowed liberty to follow his own special calling from God.

And so must we all be renewed in holiness of truth, and in justice. Holiness and justice that is our own, children, is all nothing but lack of justice, spiritual uncleanness, a nameless thing before God's eyes. Children, it must all be according to God's justice that we shall be made holy, not in our self-chosen wrays or words or anything else of ours, but all of Him and in Him. May we sink deep into Him and be poured out into Him. And may He grant that we shall all be found renewed in Him in all truth. Amen.