of thirty years? Listen, proud man: God has bestowed upon you those natural gifts, in order that you might have something to sacrifice to Him. For the incense which we burn before God is not lost; nor are those talents left idle, not to say useless, which are employed in accordance with the Divine will. If then God is pleased that you should hold the very lowest offices, neglected by your superiors, despised by your equals, unknown to and ignored by the world, I pray you live in peace; live content with your lot; and cease to use those pitiful lamentations which we sometimes hear: "I am useless, good for nothing, a burden in the world". Good for nothing? Ah! He does quite enough in the world who fulfils the will of the Eternal Father. Let this golden saying, God wishes it so, be your buckler to repel all the assaults of pride or of self-love, and to beat down all complaints either in respect of your employment or the place of your residence, or your degree of perfection, or the condition of your health. Ah, words of deep meaning, God wishes it so! Ah, noble, noble sentiment! but noble only in the eyes of Him who loves God; not in the eyes of the lover of himself, and of the world. This is the truth which crushes every immoderate desire of pre-eminence and power; of honourable employment; of fame and human praise-haughty desire the fruitful parent of the greatest evils. For, thence flow murmurings and complaints against superiors, if they do not humour these pretensions of ours; thence come rivalries and jealousies; thence whisperings and detractions. If we but rid the soul of this plague, oh, how peaceful will be its life! how it will be watered with the gentle dew of Paradise! Wherefore, as the scope of this morning's meditation was indifference to every place, so the fruit of this present meditation ought to be indifference to every office, to every degree, and to all conditions of health. Nay, more, we ought to direct the affection of our soul to a humble and difficult state, and towards things that are disagreeable to our senses and our self-love, impelled thereto by the example of Jesus Christ, "who having joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame” (a). AFFECTIONS. O most humble Jesus, my Lord! although you were the light of the world, the blazing torch of the house of God, nevertheless you lived for so long a time concealed under a bushel, occupied in so mean a trade; and shall I, who am but nothingness and sin, shall I desire to shine in the world, to be made much of, and employed in high and honourable offices ? Away with the thought! Far from me such senseless vanity. Before the entire heavenly court, I condemn and abhor this foolish craving for preeminence, this vain ambition to enjoy high offices, and to exhibit to the world the talent which God has bestowed upon me. Henceforward, lowly offices shall be the goal of my wishes; my sole desire shall be to live in obscurity and unknown to all; Thy will alone, O Lord, shall regulate my entire conduct. I call heaven and earth to witness, 1. That I prefer to be a worm, if it so please God, than to be (a) Hebrews xii. 2. the highest of the seraphim, if He should not wish it. 2. If it be God's will, I would prefer to do nothing, and be a martyr to idleness, than to convert the entire world and die a martyr of the Faith, if that were not in conformity with the will of God. 3. I prefer, in compliance with God's will, to live hidden away in the most obscure corner of the earth, than to shine in heaven without the concurrence of His will. Provided I execute in all things the will of God, I shall always be sufficiently great, rich, and powerful. Repeat here the Affections of this morning's meditation, and what is said there about the place apply here to the office. COMPENDIUM. I. Consider the sublimity of this mystery. The Man-God, infinite wisdom, power and majesty, who had come to reform the entire world, lives hidden from all in the workshop of an artisan: those hands which created the universe are now occupied with the use of planes and hammers: that mind, which is the intelligence of the Father, is now busied in the concerns of a humble trade; and all this for full thirty years! See how this example crushes your vain desire to make a show in the world. Reflect then, 1, Who leads this hidden life? Where? For how long? II. Consider the great truth which lies veiled in this mystery. Jesus, thus concealed from public gaze, and leading in appearance an abject and useless life, nevertheless lived perfectly, and performed the greatest of all works, inasmuch as He executed the will of His Father. Therefore, our perfection does not consist in doing great things, but in executing the Divine will. If the Lord wish that you should live obscure, neglected, and despised, be content to do so, and you shall be very dear in His eyes, and you will have performed the very greatest of works, for you will have done the will of God. The fruit of this meditation is indifference to every office, and to every degree; nay, more, a holy leaning towards things that are lowly and humble. CONSIDERATION. On Mortification. Mortification is the soul not only of every kind of imitation of Christ in general, but, also, of that indifference to every place and every office which has been all along inculcated, and which is the special fruit to be gathered from the exercises of this day. For without this virtue we cannot be followers of Christ, nor can we be indifferent to all things, unless we first tear ourselves away from the love of flesh and blood, and of every other creature. Wherefore, we see not only the utility but the necessity of treating of this subject here, since it is most intimately connected with the matter which we have under consideration at present. In the present consideration, then, I shall set forth the motives why we should esteem the more highly, love the more tenderly, and desire the more ardently the acquisition of this virtue. The first motive, after that of the example of Jesus Christ (which is the strongest, and which we ought always keep before our eyes), is: I. The excellence of Mortification, since it is a virtue which bears a striking resemblance to martyrdom. S. Bernard says that "it is a certain kind of martyrdom to mortify the deeds of the flesh by the spirit; less terrible, indeed, than actual martyrdom; but more trying, because of its prolonged duration" (a); and, assuredly, to suffer hunger whilst surrounded by an abundance of dainties, to keep down our natural inclinations, to deny the senses what they long for, and to force them to accept what they abhor, is 'martyrdom without blood (b); an execution complete in all its details, save that the executioner is absent” (c). Perhaps, reader, you are one of those who would anxiously covet the privilege of dying for the Faith at the hands of pagans or infidels? Well: become cruel towards yourself, subdue yourself; conquer your rebellious appetites, and you will be a martyr; of low rank it may be, in human estimation, but, perhaps, higher in merit. By this standard calculate the excellence of mortification, II. The second motive is the necessity of Mortification. For we are bound to practise it: 1. As Christians; since, at the baptismal font, we renounced the flesh and all its sinful appetites. Whoever, then, pampers his flesh is guilty of having violated a solemn promise, and is unworthy the august name of Christian. If anyone, then, professes himself a Christian, let him live a mortified life. 2. As sinners we are bound to practise mortification. We have sinned; our conscience (a) S. Bernard Serm. xxx. in cant. |