Mary’s School of Sanctity                   

Lesson #26  The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius –—THIRD WEEK – EXPLANATION OF THE THIRD WEEK OF THE EXERCISES – THE PASSION AND DEATH OF OUR LORD, PART ONE

As we explained earlier in Lesson #5, the Spiritual Exercises were designed to be done over a month’s time.  In St. Ignatius’s 2^nd week, he mentions that the exercitant can add more meditations as time allows, e.g., Our Lord’s calling of His Apostles, the Sermon on the Mount, Our Lord walking on the sea, Our Lord preaching in the Temple, and the resurrection of Lazarus.[1]

Because our purpose here in this series of Lessons is to give a shortened version of the Spiritual Exercises which the laity can use to “do a retreat,” we have limited our treatment of the Second Week.

Consequently, we now proceed to St. Ignatius’s Third Week, which focuses on the Passion and Death of Our Lord.  He breaks this week into 13 meditations as follows:

1.    Our Lord going from Bethany to Jerusalem, including the Last Supper;

2.    The Last Supper to the Garden, inclusive;

 

3.    From the Garden to the house of Annas, inclusive;

 

4.    From the house of Annas to the house of Caiphas, inclusive;

5.    From the house of Caiphas to that of Pilate, inclusive;

6.    From the house of Pilate to the house of Herod;

7.    From the house of Herod back to Pilate;

8.    On the 1^st part of what happened at Pilate’s house;

9.    On the 2^nd part of what happened at Pilate’s house;

10. From Pilate’s house to the nailing to the Cross;

11. From the raising of the Cross to Our Lord’s death;

12. From the taking down from the Cross to the Burial in the Sepulcher, exclusive; and

13. From the burial in the Sepulcher, inclusive, to the house where Our Lady stayed after the burial of her Son.

 

By devoting one whole week to the reflection on Our Lord’s Passion and Death, St. Ignatius shows us that this work is of great importance to our salvation.  Indeed, Our Lord Himself has revealed to the saints throughout the centuries that He desires for us to spend our lives learning more about His Passion.  He wants us to unite our sufferings to His and learn from His examples.

 

St. Ignatius gives us a framework for the first two topics listed.  He then expects the exercitant to use this basic framework when doing as many of the remaining 11 meditations as the exercitant’s time allows.

In this Lesson we will give two separate meditations.  The first meditation is on Our Lord going from Bethany to Jerusalem which includes the Last Supper.  The second will be from the Last Supper to and including the Agony in the Garden.  We will present St. Ignatius’s framework for each one including special notes from St. Ignatius.  Then we give specific considerations to aid the exercitant in applying his senses to the Gospel accounts of these events.

St. Ignatius labels his first framework, “FIRST DAY AND FIRST CONTEMPLATION”.

The first contemplation at midnight[2] is how Christ Our Lord went from Bethany to Jerusalem, including the Last Supper.  It contains the preparatory prayer, three preludes, six points, and a colloquy.

The preparatory prayer is the same as usual: I ask God Our Lord the grace that all my intentions, actions, and works may be directed purely to the service and praise of the Divine Majesty.

The FIRST PRELUDE  is to call to mind the history, which here is how Christ Our Lord, while at Bethany, sent two disciples to Jerusalem to prepare the supper and afterwards He Himself went there with the other disciples.   How after they had eaten the Pascal Lamb and supped, He washed their feet and gave His Most Holy Body and His Most Precious Blood to His disciples.  How He gave His last discourse after Judas had gone to sell his Lord.

The SECOND PRELUDE is a mental representation of the place.  Here it will be to consider the road from Bethany to Jerusalem, whether it is broad or narrow, whether it is level, etc.  Consider likewise the room of the supper, whether it is large or small, its general appearance.

The THIRD PRELUDE is to ask for what I desire.  Here it will be to ask for sorrow, affliction, and confusion because the Lord is going to His Passion on account of MY sins.

The FIRST POINT is to visualize the persons at the supper, and reflecting within myself, to strive to gain some profit from them.

The SECOND POINT is to listen to what they say, and likewise to draw some profit from it.

The THIRD POINT is to observe what they are doing and to draw some fruit from it.

The FOURTH POINT is to consider what Christ Our Lord suffers in His Humanity or wills to suffer, according to the passage that is being contemplated.  Here I will begin with serious effort to strive to grieve, to be sad, and lament. I will strive in like manner through the following points.

The FIFTH POINT is to consider how the Divinity hides Itself.  That is to say, how It could destroy Its enemies and does not do so, how It leaves the most Sacred Humanity to suffer so cruelly.

The SIXTH POINT is to consider that all the suffering is for my sins, and what I ought to do and suffer for Him.

The COLLOQUY: Conclude with a colloquy to Christ Our Lord, and at the end say the “Our Father.”[3]

These particular meditations on Our Lord’s Passion and Death require some extra time to prepare the mind to consider the points and the heart to be inflamed to speak lovingly to Our Lord.  One should read the Gospel(s) in the section he is about to meditate on.  In this way he can set the scene in his imagination and apply his senses in order to draw some profit as St. Ignatius instructs us to do.  One can re-read verses of the Gospels as needed while he is pondering.

In this particular meditation we will focus on the Last Supper and Our Lord’s discourse at the Cenacle.[4]   We will attempt to combine some of the factual account from the Gospels with the application of our senses in order to paint the scene for the exercitant and we will give some considerations.  The exercitant is welcome to make some additional considerations and images for himself.  Indeed, these will naturally come to his mind.

Painting the Scene and Giving Some Considerations

Think about this most special evening.  It is the last evening Our Lord will spend with His Apostles—His dear ones.  He has lived with them for three and a half years.  He has instructed them by His words and examples.  They have grown to love Him and depend on Him.

Picture the furnished room with a table and couches.  The apostles take their places.  St. John, Our Lord’s beloved, leans lovingly on the bosom of Our Lord. 

He shows His tender love for them and certainly all the faithful when He says, “With desire I have desired to eat this Pasch with you.” [St. Luke 22:15]  He knows that He is the Paschal Lamb which will be sacrificed on the Cross on the morrow.  He knows that this same sacrifice is their Sacramental Food this evening.  He wants to give Himself to them to be their spiritual food and so He has instituted the Most Blessed Sacrament.

He, their Master, washed their feet as a loving slave and father.  Our Lord told Peter that He had prayed especially for him because Satan wanted to destroy Peter. He predicted that Peter will deny Him thrice; nevertheless, Peter insisted that he wouldn’t. 

Our Lord also predicted that one of them was about to betray Him.  Each one anxiously asked if he was the culprit.  Of course, Judas asks too, not surprisingly last, because it would look bad if he didn’t.  Our Lord confirms that Judas indeed is the son of perdition and then dismisses him to set about his evil task.

Then imagine the sigh of relief which must have gone around the room.  No doubt, the apostles had an inner uncomfortable feeling whenever Judas was present.  There was something very unwholesome about the man who was always worried about the money purse.

Now Our Lord opened His Heart to His apostles in a most beautiful way.  He explained how He would not leave them orphans but would send The Holy Ghost, the Paraclete.  He explained to them that if they kept His Commandments, they would prove their love for Him and He and His Father would abide in them.  They then said the customary hymn and departed the room.

 COLLOQUY:[5]

(As St. Ignatius advises us, we make our colloquy to Our Lord.)

O my Sweetest Jesus, how can I thank Thee enough for all Thy edifying examples of Thy virtues?  I have not appreciated Thee enough because I have not penetrated the depths of Thine examples.  I have not pondered Thy Hidden life and Thy Public life enough.  Help me to start a new course now where I can delve into the lessons Thou dost intend for me to learn.  Help me to appreciate Thy explanation of Thy Father and how I am supposed to dwell in Thee and Thy Father.   Help me to study Thy every action and word so I can understand how to imitate Thee.  Help me embrace Thy Sacred Heart and discover Its riches.  I want to follow Thee unto death.  I need Thee, O my Beloved.  Help me to be a docile student.  (I will close with an Our Father.)

St. Ignatius labels his second framework, “SECOND CONTEMPLATION”.

The second contemplation in the morning will be on the mysteries from the Last Supper to the Garden inclusive. [This includes the Agony]

The preparatory prayer is the same as usual: I ask God Our Lord the grace that all my intentions, actions, and works may be directed purely to the service and praise of the Divine Majesty.

The FIRST PRELUDE is the history.  Here it will be how Our Lord descended with His eleven disciples from Mount Sion, where the Supper was held, to the Valley of Josaphat.  Leaving the eight in one part of the valley, He took the other three apart into the Garden.  He then began to pray and His sweat became as drops of blood.  Three times He prayed to His Father, and three times He aroused His disciples from sleep.  After His enemies fell to the ground at the sound of His voice, and Judas gave Him the kiss of peace, after He restored the ear of Malchus which Peter had cut off, He was seized like a malefactor and He was led through the valley and back up the slope to the house of Annas.

The SECOND PRELUDE is a visualization of the place.  Here it will be to consider the road from Mount Sion to the Valley of Josaphat, and likewise the Garden: its width, its length, and its general appearance.

The THIRD PRELUDE is to ask for what I desire.  In the Passion the proper thing to ask for is grief with Christ suffering, a broken heart with Christ heartbroken, tears, and deep suffering because of the great suffering that Christ endured for me.

Notes: in this second contemplation, after the preparatory prayer and the three preludes already mentioned, the same procedure is to be followed for the points and the colloquies as is found in the first contemplation on the Last Supper. [St. Ignatius explains the times of the day when these are to be done.] Then at a separate time period the application of the senses will be made on the matter of these two contemplations, always beginning with the preparatory prayer and the three preludes, according to the subject matter.  The form is the same as that prescribed and explained for the second week.

In this second meditation lesson we focus from the end of the Last Supper to the Agony of Our Lord and His arrest.

Painting the scene and giving some considerations.

Our Lord and His apostles left the Cenacle.  They walked along and made their way to the Garden of Olives.

Our Lord continued His heart-rending discourse.  He tells His apostles how His Father is the husbandman of the vineyard Who takes care of them as the branches.  Indeed, He tells them that He is the vine and they are the branches and in this way they are united to His Heavenly Father.  Thus, He shows God makes a bond of perfection between God and men.  Furthermore, He relates that His Heavenly Father purges them by the means of trials so they can bring forth more fruit. 

He told them that they would have to suffer persecution for His sake, and in this persecution they would be imitating Him Who was persecuted first.   

The apostles surely could sense a certain special solemnity and finality in His words, especially when He told them that He would be leaving them to return to His Father.  They were disturbed and worried about what was going to happen.  Our Lord continued to console them, “In the world you shall have distress: but have confidence, I have overcome the world.” (St. John 16:33)

Next, Our Lord prayed to His Father aloud.[6]  He wanted them to hear the wording of His prayer.  This prayer is like a love letter of the Divine Son to His Heavenly Father because it clearly shows His Divine Sonship and His Infinite Love for His Father.  Oh, such an especially consoling prayer which shows Our Lord’s tender Sacred Heart!  He prayed for His Apostles and for us, too, “And not for them only do I pray, but for them also who through their word shall believe in Me; that they may be one in Us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me.”  (St. John 17:20-21)  Think about how Our Lord willed for this prayer to be recorded in the Gospel so we could benefit by reading it and pondering it.  What tremendous Providential care He manifests to His Mystical Body!

The apostles sensed a change in Our Lord.  His demeanor became even more somber.  His heart began to be afraid and heavy.  He said to them, “My soul is sorrowful even unto death.”(St. Mark 14:31)  They must have wondered about this.  What kind of burden was He carrying?  They did not realize that He was feeling the weight of all sin overtaking His soul.  This innocent Lamb of God was taking onto Himself the guilt and shame of every sin of every rational human being from the beginning of time to the end of time.  “For My iniquities are gone over My Head: and as a heavy burden are become heavy upon Me.”(Ps. 37:5)

He told His apostles to sit and pray, and He took Peter, James, and John with Him.  He went forward a little and fell flat on the ground.  He prayed earnestly that His Heavenly Father would take the chalice of suffering from Him.  Of course, He wants to do the Will of His Father and adds, “But not what I will, but what Thou wilt.”

He went to the three and found them sleeping “for sorrow”.   They were overcome with the tension of the night.  Our Lord woke Peter up and said to him, “Simon, sleepest thou?  Couldst thou not watch one hour?  Watch ye, and pray that you enter not into temptation.” (St. Mark 14:37)

“And being in an agony, He prayed the longer” (St. Luke 22:43).  Our Lord persevered in prayer, especially when in great need.  This is mentioned for us in the Gospel because Our Lord wants us to follow His example.

What did Our Lord see that brings upon Him so much grief?  He saw so many souls going to hell in spite of the Passion and Death He was about to undergo.  Yes, even the majority of Catholics go to hell!  He died for the sins of all mankind yet so many sinners never repent.  He saw the ingratitude of so many Catholics and saw them being lukewarm.  He saw the Church militant being persecuted.  He saw His clerics, religious, and prelates, including Popes, trying to destroy His Mystical Body.  What mental anguish for Our Dear Lord! 

He began to sweat blood.  Beads of blood formed on all of His skin, clotted, and were borne to the ground by His profuse sweat.  “I am poured out like water.” (Ps. 21:15)  His skin, which was perfect, became extremely tender and sensitive to any touch.  Remember, He willed to suffer everything because He loves His Father.  Everything that touched His skin caused Him intense pain.  He will suffer so many blows, scourges, and then the additional suffering of having His clothes torn off of His tender body.  Oh what exquisite pain!  Remember, He saw all this in advance and even though He had not yet experienced all of it, the mere anticipation of it must have added to His anguish.

He not only felt the weight of guilt for all sins, He also felt all their malice to His Heavenly Father.  He felt the insult which sin inflicts on His Father’s honor and the displeasure which sin causes His Father.  “Thy wrath is strong over me: and all thy waves thou hast brought in upon Me.” (Ps.87:8) and again, “Thy wrath hath come upon Me: and Thy terrors have troubled Me.” (Ps. 87:17) Yes, sin is ugly and He was taking every wretched stain and the guilt of sin upon Himself.  This is the price of the Honor and Majesty of God!

He has suffered the bitter scorn of His nation.  He was the outcast of the people and He felt their hatred, even after He had shown them so much love and goodness in His miracles and doctrine.  They had already despised Him in His public life so far and then with their unjust demands for His death on the Cross, they will show their hatred all the more.  “They are multiplied above the hairs of My head, who hate without cause.” (Ps. 68:5)  He sees all of this in advance and this adds to the extreme sorrow of His Heart. “O all ye that pass by the way, attend, and see if there be any sorrow like to My sorrow: for he hath vintage of Me, as the Lord spoke in the day of His fierce anger.” (Lamentations of Jeremias, 1:12)

God the Father gave the Elect to the Son, and in order to give the Elect back to His Father, He must pay the price of salvation.  Few are chosen, because God wants quality not quantity.  Our Lord is preparing His Body for the strikers by undergoing this bloody sweat so His Body would be extra sensitive to the pain that would come.  See how much He loves His Heavenly Father and wants to pay for sin.  It is as if He chose to suffer in the most horrific ways to show His Infinite Love for His Father.  Certainly, He proves that He can pay the Infinite price for the malice of sin and restore the Honor of His Father.

How heart-breaking it must have been for Him to see Judas, one of His own apostles, coming with the soldiers and the multitude to arrest Him.  How is it that this traitor will betray Our Lord with a sign of affection?  The touch of that kiss on Our Lord’s cheek must have burned because of the great hypocrisy of this son of perdition.  “Judas, dost thou betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

Our Lord asked whom they seek.  They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” What power Our Lord showed to them all, including Judas who was standing among the enemy, when Our Lord answered, “Ego sum”, that is, “I am.”  How fitting it was that upon declaring His Divinity in these words, that His assailants all fell backwards onto the ground.  They did not do as men usually do when falling—try to break their fall by putting their arms behind themselves; they simply fell backwards with no control over the results.  Yet, they were so blind with pride they continued in their folly of attempting to arrest the Messiah.  Our Lord allowed them to arrest Him.  Peter, so much in love with Our Lord, put up a fight and cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest, Malchus.  Our Lord healed the ear immediately and told Peter to put his sword away.

How blind Judas and the enemy are with pride that they do not recognize these wonderful works of Our Lord, namely, His throwing them all backwards to the ground!  The apostles did not fall backwards, but only the enemy, and yet the enemy said nothing about what had just happened.   Then Our Lord healed the ear of Malchus in front of them all and they did not make one comment upon this.

 Our Lord then told them, “When I was daily with you in the temple, you did not stretch forth your hands against Me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”  Yes, this is their hour of evil.  Thus, He humbly submits to His arresters.  The apostles all fled.

How alone and rejected Our Lord must have felt.  “And they that were near Me, stood afar off.” And again, “I looked for one that would grieve together with Me, but there was none:  and for one that would comfort Me, and I found none.” (Ps. 68:21)

We must remember that Our Lord was the master of His own passion and death.  He could foresee all that would happen and He willed it to be this way for the greater honor and glory of His Heavenly Father.

COLLOQUY:[7] (As St. Ignatius advises us, we make our colloquy to Our Lord.)

O Lord, how often have I been ashamed of my wrongs and have tried to hide my shame or deny my wrong-doings!  Help me to embrace the shame and confusion that I deserve.  Help me to be ever-grateful to Thee for having suffered so much for me. Thou hast been so merciful to me.  Thou hast been so patient with me.  Help me to be ever-grateful to Thee for Thy tender mercies.  I thank Thee for Thy forgiveness.  I am in great need of Thy further mercy.  Help me to penetrate the profound depth of all Thy suffering.  Help me to put myself in thy shoes and thereby get a glimpse of Thy sorrow and grief.  Help me weep for my sins which caused Thee so much torment and pain, both mental and physical.  By this means I will find the courage to do the penance of reparation I need to make to Thee.  Oh, my dearest Lord and Messiah, Thou art my Savior if I am faithful to Thee unto death.  Please help me to be faithful to Thee.  Oh, and I thank Thee for Thy loving prayer that Thou hast left to prove Thy love for Thy Heavenly Father and Thy love for my poor soul.    Please teach me to love Thee with a greater love so I can belong entirely to Thee in time and in eternity. (I will close with an Our Father.)

In our next lesson we will set out a meditation on the Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord.   We will concentrate on Our Lord’s Humility and Infinite Love for His Father.

                    Mary’s School of Sanctity                   

Lesson #25 – The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius – SECOND WEEK – EXPLANATION ON THE THREE MODES OF HUMILITY

This part of the Spiritual Exercises is not, strictly speaking, set up in the form of a meditation.  But one could certainly adapt this information into a meditation.  One would take the information given by St. Ignatius and ponder these points and make the suggested colloquies.   One could structure the information like St. Ignatius does.  Below we will first set out the explanation as St. Ignatius gives it and then we will set forth a structure which one could use if he were going to meditate on the information.

THE THREE MODES OF HUMILITY

The first mode of humility is necessary for eternal salvation. This requires that I humble and abase myself as much as is possible for me, in order that I may obey in all things the law of God Our Lord.  Accordingly, I would not give consideration to the thought of breaking any commandment, divine or human, that binds me under pain of mortal sin, even though this offense would make me master of all creation or would preserve my life on earth.

The second mode of humility is more perfect than the first. I am in possession of it if my state of mind is such that I neither desire nor even prefer to have riches rather than poverty, to seek honor rather than dishonor, to have a long life rather than a short one, provided that here be the same opportunity to serve God Our Lord, and to save my soul.  Nor would I, for the sake of all creation or the purpose of saving my life, consider committing a single venial sin.

The third mode of humility is the most perfect.  This exists when the first and second forms are already possessed, and the praise and glory of the Divine Majesty being equally served, I desire and choose poverty with Christ poor[1] rather than riches, in order to be more like Christ Our Lord; [and] when I choose reproaches with Christ,[2] thus, [choosing] suffering rather than honor, and when I am willing to be considered as worthless and a fool for Christ Who suffered such treatment before me, rather than to be esteemed as wise and prudent in this world.

If one desires to attain this third form of humility, it will be very profitable for him to make the three colloquies on the three classes of men (mentioned earlier).  He should implore Our Lord to be pleased to choose him for this third form of humility, which is greater and more perfect, so that he may better imitate and serve Him, provided it be for the equal or greater service and praise of His Divine Majesty.

Now We Set Up this Information as a Meditation.

The preparatory prayer is the same as usual: I ask God Our Lord for the grace that all my intentions, actions, and works may be directed purely to the service and praise of the Divine Majesty.

The FIRST PRELUDE: is to think of the three degrees of humility that St. Ignatius sets out for us.

The SECOND PRELUDE: to ask for the grace that I desire.  Here it will be to ask of Our Lord the grace that I may attain to the third degree of humility.

The FIRST POINT: THE 1^ST MODE OF HUMILITY requires that one stay out of mortal sin.

The SECOND POINT: THE 2^ND MODE OF HUMILITY requires one to stay out of venial sin.

The THIRD POINT: THE 3^RD MODE OF HUMILITY requires one to imitate Our Lord by choosing poverty and to suffer reproaches like Our Lord did.

The COLLOQUY: We make the same type of colloquies that we made to Our Lady, Our Lord, and Our Heavenly Father in the meditation on the Two Standards.  Here I will beg for the third mode of humility which I am so unworthy of and which I need in order to have the most intimate friendship with the Holy Trinity.

Do we really desire humility?

We can well remember Our Lord’s words, “Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven.” [St. Matthew’s Gospel, 18:3-4]

How humble is humble enough?  If we find ourselves asking this question, then we might well wonder if we lack magnanimity of soul.  For magnanimity requires that we want to do the most we can to serve God Our Creator and Heavenly Father.

Our Lord is telling us that no one gets to heaven without having humility.  St. Ignatius explains to us three modes of humility and that if we possess at least one of these modes of humility we can indeed save our souls.  Yet, we must keep in mind that his explanation is given to us in order that we can examine ourselves and see how important humility is to us, and furthermore, to truly examine how much we love Christ.  Are we truly willing to imitate Christ, especially His humility?   St. Ignatius would invite us to ponder these three modes of humility so closely as to turn our pondering into a meditation bearing the fruit of begging Christ to increase our humility and our love for Him.  Indeed, St. Ignatius would have us learn so much about our own lack of humility and subsequent lack of ardor for Christ, that we will then greatly yearn for the third mode of humility and we will earnestly beg Our Lord to give us the third mode.  Now let us study the three modes of humility in order to increase our desiring the best for our souls and to foster the deepest and most beautiful friendship with Christ we can have. 

Considerations for the FIRST POINT: Those who possess the first mode of humility never want to commit a mortal sin.

St. Ignatius tells us that the souls who fall into this first mode are those souls who do not want to offend God by mortal sin.  They truly have a fear of committing mortal sin.  Yet this is the lowest degree of humility and we cannot save our souls without at least this grade of humility.  In order to preserve this degree, we must follow Our Lord’s precept to pray and be vigilant, “Watch ye, and pray that ye enter not into temptation.” [St. Matthew’s Gospel, 26:41]

It is so important to consider that to shoot for such a minimum of humility is not very generous.  What friend would we be to someone if we said to him, “We love you enough to not want to kill you”?  Surely, our love should be far greater than this!

True friends do not want to hurt each other in any way.  Therefore, we should not want to hurt Our Lord by anything that would displease Him.

The practical reality of someone being content to attain only this mode of humility is that he most likely will not be able to maintain this and will likely fall into mortal sin.  If we keep in mind how fragile our fallen human nature is, we can clearly see how easily one can fall into sin and lose his soul.  Think of the angels who were created with high intellects and fell.  Think of our first parents, who were dwelling in Paradise and fell.  Add to this the fact that King David, a man according to the heart of God, fell.  Further remember Solomon, who was endowed by God with extraordinary wisdom but fell.  Finally think of how even St. Peter, especially chosen by Our Lord to lead His apostles and His Church, yet he fell when he denied Our Lord three times.  Should we not have a great fear of becoming lukewarm and settling for mediocrity in our souls?  We should want to stay far away from any thing and any occasion which would not be Christ-like or that He would see as a danger to our souls.  May this be strong enough evidence to convince us not to be satisfied with having this mode of humility!

Considerations for the SECOND POINT: Those who possess the second mode of humility never want to commit a venial sin.

St. Ignatius tells us that the soul in this mode has reached a degree of detachment from creatures.  This soul has attained such holy indifference to temporal things, such as honor and dishonor, wealth and poverty, health and sickness, a long life or a short life.  This soul wants to avoid venial sin and all occasions of sin.

Although this soul is noble in its aspirations, where exactly does this soul stand?  Fr. Hurter gives us these self-examination questions regarding this mode of humility:

Have we attained this degree?  How easily we are deceived if we look at our good resolution and trust our frequent confessions.  But whence the many relapses into venial sin?  Why our many complaints when adversity strikes us, when the Lord is in earnest and takes us at our word, when He sends us humiliations, privations and sufferings?  Whence that craving within us, which rules us completely, for honors, comforts, and worldly joys?  Whence this dread of sacrifice, mortification, and self-abnegation?  Are we striving with all our strength to submit to the will of God?  For it is self-evident, on attentive consideration, that this is necessary if we would remain in the second degree.  “He that contemneth small things shall fall little by little.” [Eccl. 19:1]  However, we must strive for a still higher perfection.[3]

Yes, we must be on our guard constantly to work with all our efforts to despise all venial sin, especially deliberate venial sin.  We must work tirelessly to avoid those venial sins committed through weakness by recognizing our human frailty and begging heaven’s assistance in striving to please God in all things and accepting all crosses and inconveniences.

As edifying as this mode of humility is described here, we must climb ever higher.  For the tenderest friendship with Christ demands still more of us.  The holy union with Christ which He expects us to seek requires everything from us.  Remember, our God is a jealous God and wants us to love Him with our whole heart, and with our whole soul, and with our whole mind.[4] He insists on us giving Him everything.  He must be all in all to us.  This is what true charity and Divine Friendship requires.  Thus, St. Ignatius explains to us the highest level of humility to which we will now turn our attention.

Considerations for the THIRD POINT:  Those who possess the third mode of humility seek to imitate Christ in all things, even accepting poverty and reproaches for the praise and glory of the Divine Majesty.

This mode of humility is the highest.  Let us reflect on Fr. Hurter’s inspiring words to help us desire this mode of humility which leads to perfection.

This degree does not stop at indifference to poverty or riches, honor or dishonor, but provided the honor of God claims nothing else, this degree of humility actually decides in favor of that which the Savior chose as His portion, that is, poverty, shame, and suffering. What a grand, noble, and exalted disposition of the soul!  To come to such a conclusion the following motives should persuade us:

1) The love of our dear Divine Redeemer.  Indeed, we promised Him, “I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.”

2) The conviction that whatever the Lord, Who is wisdom itself, chooses, is the best, the most perfect, and will be the most useful for us.

3) The example of the saints, who were encouraged and drawn by the example of Our Divine Savior, and entered upon this road, seeking, loving, and choosing poverty, contempt, and suffering.

4) Even the example of the children of this world, who in their love of a human being, as of a child or a bride, or in their hopes of temporal gain or passing reward, even for carrying out their evil intentions, make great sacrifices, lead a very troublesome life, and take upon themselves great hardships.  Think of the soldier, the miner, the railroad-man.  Their lives are often harder than the mortified life of the penitent in the desert or the members of the strictest religious orders.

5) Glance at the reward given, not only in the hereafter, but already in this life.  There ensues even here below, as a result of a such a disposition of mind, a peace which the world does not and cannot give, and a joy of the kind which the Apostles experienced when they had been scourged. “And they indeed went from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus.” [Acts 5:41] “I am,” declares St. Paul, “filled with comfort; I exceedingly abound with joy in all our tribulation.” No wonder that such souls have a taste of joy, in fact, are filled with joy; they are even now elevated above the things of earth, and can say with the Apostle of the gentiles: “But the things that were a gain to me, the same have I counted loss for Christ.  Furthermore, I count all things to be but loss for the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord.” [Phil. 3:7]

6) The blessing which rests on them for such a disposition of mind, and on the labors for the salvation of the souls of others.  Truly Apostolic men are indeed apt instruments in the hands of Christ.  They prefer sacrifices, self-denial, and suffering.  They do not seek themselves, but the greater honor of God.  Hence, we see the real followers of Our Divine Savior on the way to the cross rendering great service in the conversion of sinners.[5]

This third mode of humility is so perfecting and beautiful we should desire with all our hearts to have it!  We should strive after this exalted degree of humility with the help of Our Lady and her Divine Son.  Let us implore God to elect and elevate us to it. Let us prepare ourselves by degrees for this grade of humility.

But exactly what is necessary to reach this mode of humility?

·         Let us resolve not only to avoid all mortal sin but to despise all venial sin, indeed to despise the very shadow of sin!

 

·         Let us resolve to make good use of the daily opportunities for mortification and self-denial, to become accustomed to patiently bear rebukes, slights, and humiliations.

 

·         Let us strive to be masters of ourselves and endeavor to be faithful followers and imitators of Christ Himself.

 

·         Let us purify our intentions, and please Our Lord as the Mystical Spouse of our souls.[6]

There is nothing higher for the soul to aspire to than the Mystical Marriage with Our Lord, the heavenly Bridegroom.[7]  Our Lord refers to Himself as the Bridegroom many times in the Gospels, for indeed, He intends that every elect soul be His spouse.  Hence, St. Ignatius tells us to implore Our Lord to choose us for this mode of humility so we can better imitate Him and serve Him in our lives.  What better result can be gotten from our cooperation in what we set out to accomplish from the first meditations on the Principle and Foundation?  What noble friendship with Our Dear Lord Jesus Christ!!

Concluding thoughts:

Now we find that we can turn our thoughts to our begging colloquies that St. Ignatius recommended to those who desire to attain this third form of humility—for only this third form should satisfy our soul’s hunger for Christ!

COLLOQUY:[8]

[Addressing Our Lady as St. Ignatius advised us to do.] O, my mother Mary, I desire with all my heart to have this third degree of humility.  Thou, tender Mother and excellent model of humility, were uniquely fashioned by God to help me, thy poor child to learn humility.  I place myself in thy maternal hands.  Please assist me to despise all sin and all things which are displeasing to Thy Son.  Please aid me, dearest, tenderest, Mother, to embrace all suffering, both moral and physical, so I can better learn to imitate thy Divine Son.  The Divine Bridegroom is attractive to me and I need thy help, O Mary, to properly dispose my soul for Him.  I beg thee, dearest Mother Mary, to guide me and teach me all I need to know in order to please thy Son. I will say a Hail Mary.

[Then St. Ignatius has us address Our Lord with a similar colloquy.] O my dearest Lord Jesus Christ, I love Thee and I need Thee.  I beg Thee to help me by giving me this third mode of humility.  I know I am so unworthy of having this tremendous gift, and yet, I beg Thee from the bottom of my heart to grant me this deep humility.  O my sweet Jesus, Thy humility is so attractive and charming to me!  O how I long to imitate Thy humility!  Alas, I am so weak and inexperienced in imitating Thee that I have no real idea how to begin.  But I know that Thou will not despise my petition because Thou hast Thyself invited me when Thou said, “Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart,” and “Ask and you shall receive.”  I throw myself at Thy Feet and beg Thee to keep Thy countless examples of humility ever before my mind so I can ponder them and endeavor to imitate them. Close with an Anima Christi.

[Then I will address the Father with a similar colloquy.] O almighty Father, Thou hast given Thy Dear Son to us to be our Model of virtue. I beg Thee to help me follow Thy Son’s examples and imitate Him in all things.  Help me to faithfully use every circumstance as a golden opportunity to imitate Thy Divine Son.  Help me to have the strength to suffer whatever Thou art pleased to send me, both moral and physical suffering, even poverty and bearing the reproaches others inflict upon me. 

Help me to always see that nothing is more important than faithful service to Thee.  Likewise, help me to ever remember that whatever Thou hast chosen for my life and its circumstances, is because of Thy Providential care.  Thou hast loved me from all eternity and thus, all things are for my good and for Thy Divine Honor and Glory.  Let me delight in seeing Thee glorified in all things.  Also, I beg Thee to help me be ever grateful to Thee for all Thou dost in time and in eternity. Close with an Our Father.    

We have studied the Three Modes of Humility and have hopefully acquired a great desire to be of the third mode.  In our next two lessons we will study intimately Our Dear Lord’s Passion which will further help us pour out our hearts to beg Him to help us imitate His profound humility.  By our faithful imitation of Him we hope to better dispose our souls to receive the wonderful gift of the third mode of humility.   We hope to grow this noble heart-felt desire in these upcoming lessons/contemplations on the Passion of Our Lord.

                    Mary’s School of Sanctity                   

Lesson #24 – The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius – SECOND WEEK – MEDITATION ON THE THREE CLASSES OF MEN

In this lesson we study St. Ignatius’s famous meditation called the Three Classes of Men.  This meditation is a more subtle one and we must strive to understand the key message that St. Ignatius is giving us in this meditation.

His message harkens back to the proper use of creatures from our meditation on the Principle and Foundation Part II which was Lesson #11.[1]  There we discussed how creatures are supposed to be used solely for the service of God and to help us save our souls.  When one discovers there is a creature that is not useful for his salvation and the service of God, then he must rid himself of it. 

In this current meditation, St. Ignatius wants us to make a close examination of our own particular use of creatures.  We, no doubt, have some attachment to a creature which is an obstacle to our perfect service of God and to our salvation.  We must be convinced, like the third class of men (discussed below) that we must be completely detached from any obstacle which is between us and God.  When we are actually doing this meditation, it is often the case that we see more directly to which creature we are inordinately attached and we fortify our resolve to give up that attachment because we want to love God completely. 

This meditation helps us discover the demonic tricks which hinder us from ridding ourselves of inordinate attachments to creatures.  In this meditation we will consider the various inordinate attachments men typically have.  We will consider the consequences of delaying to get rid of bad attachments.  We will then discuss what happens if we try to retain our bad attachments by rationalizing that our attachment is not a problem after all.  Lastly, we will discuss the peace and harmony a person has within his soul when he truly renounces all inordinate attachments so he can serve God as He wills us to serve Him.

Before setting out our intended considerations, let us first see the material St. Ignatius gives for this meditation.

The preparatory prayer is the same as usual, I ask God Our Lord the grace that all my intentions, actions, and works may be directed purely to the service and praise of the Divine Majesty.

The FIRST PRELUDE: is the history.  Here it is to consider three classes of men.  Each of them has acquired ten thousand ducats, but not purely, as they should have, for the love of God.  These men all wish to save their souls and find peace in God Our Lord by freeing themselves of the serious impediment arising from their attachment to this acquired money.

The SECOND PRELUDE: is the mental representation of the place.  Here I will behold myself standing in the presence of God Our Lord and all His saints, that I may desire and know what is most pleasing to His Divine Goodness.

The THIRD PRELUDE: I will ask for the grace that I desire.  Here it will be to beg for the grace to choose what is for the greater glory of His Divine Majesty and the salvation of my soul.

The FIRST class: They would like free themselves of the attachment they have for the money they acquired, in order to find peace in God Our Lord, and to be able to save their souls, but up to the hour of death they do not take the means.

The SECOND class: They want to free themselves of the attachment, but they wish to do so in such a way as to retain what they have acquired.  They want God to come to what they desire, and they do not resolve to give up the money in order to go to God, even though this would be the better state for them.

The THIRD class: They wish to free themselves of the attachment, but in such a way that their inclination will be neither to retain the thing acquired nor not to retain it, desiring to act only as God Our Lord shall inspire them and as it shall seem better to them for the service and praise of His Divine Majesty.  Meanwhile they wish to consider that they have in their hearts broken all the attachments, striving not to desire that thing nor anything else, unless it be only the service of God Our Lord that prompts their action.  Thus, the desire of being able to serve God Our Lord better will move them either to accept things or to give them up.   

The COLLOQUY:  we can make the same colloquies that were made in the previous contemplation or the Two Standards.

This meditation focuses on what to do when we discover that we have inordinate attachments to creatures.  Let us realize that as humans it is a given fact that we all have some inordinate attachment to one or more creatures.  This is a consequence of our fallen human nature.

What sort of things are we inordinately attached to?  Some typical examples are given below.

What are we supposed to do with inordinate attachments?  We get rid of them.

We all have things/creatures in our lives that are not good for our salvation.  We must discover what they are and be completely determined to rid ourselves of them without compromise or reservation.

Not only does our salvation depend on our complete detachment from creatures, but the mystical union which Our Lord intends to have with each Catholic is hindered by the obstacles we place between ourselves and the Bridegroom of our souls.[2]

Therefore, it is crucial that we be truly detached from creatures and only use them according to the will of God.

Yet, when we come to the point of getting rid of them, humans often do one of three things and these three things correspond to the three classes of men. 

1.    The first class men are those who delay giving up the inordinate attachment(s).

2.    The second class men are those who try to rationalize that the inordinate attachment(s) is (are) somehow not really inordinate.
   

3.    The third class men are those who when they realize that the inordinate attachment(s) is (are) a danger to their salvation, they simply rid themselves of it (them). 

Let us firstly examine the typical attachments that we humans have and then analyze the way we humans commonly react to these types of attachments.   In this way we will be considering the substance of St. Ignatius’s meditation and then see how we can increase our desire to be truly like the third class of men and acquire holy indifference.

Typical obstacles in our human condition:

False human respect:

We humans often worry too much about what others think of us and our actions.  We do not want to stand out and look different.  There are strong temptations to go along with the world in its fashions, and worldly activities. 

We often worry that if we have Mary-like modesty or moral standards that please Our Lord and King, then we will be considered weird or prudish.  We worry what our extended families or friends will think of us when we should really be concerned about what Our Lord and Our Lady will think about us.

What does Our Lord say about our being too concerned about what our relatives think about us? “He that loveth father or mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me, is not worthy of Me.” (St. Matthew’s Gospel, 10:37). 

Our Lord does not want us to have inordinate attachments to people, especially if they are bad companions for us.

Further, when our worldly friends and acquaintances are hostile to us because we put Christ first, He consoles us in these words: “If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”  (St. John’s Gospel, 15:20). 

If we are worried about people not liking our principled stand on Catholic Faith and Morals, we do well to remember these precious words of Our Lord and take courage and strength from them. 

Some additional consoling words are: “If the world hate you, know ye that it hath hated Me before you.”  (St. John’s Gospel, 15:18).  “In the world you will have distress: but have confidence, I have overcome the world.”  (St. John’s Gospel, 16:33).

The Book of Wisdom teaches that worldlings despise the just.  Therefore, we must expect reproach and scorn from those who are worldly.  They will never agree with us and if we are trying to please Our Lord and Our Lady, we will necessarily be a thorn in the side of the worldly.  Our Dear Lord and His Mother suffered greatly from the worldly of their time, so we must not be surprised if we are misunderstood and held in contempt if we are imitating Our Lord and His Mother.

Comforts:

Here we must examine how we view our comforts both physical and spiritual.  Do we squawk when we encounter physical discomfort, e.g., it’s too warm or it’s too cold?  What do we do when we have some physical ailment or pain?  What do we do when we don’t feel like delving into intellectual work?   Are we prone to want to relax and take it easy?  Am I attached to some favorite clothes, shoes, or accessories?  

Gadgets:

Here we must examine our use of technology.  Do we have to have the latest electronic equipment?   How much time do we spent focused on our modern equipment?  

Pleasures:

Here we examine what delights us.  How do we spend our time?  Do we occupy our time with things that are wholesome and pleasing to God?  Are we attached to shallow and worldly amusements, travel, dining out, etc.?  Are we attached to some particular food(s) or beverage(s)?

Conveniences:

Here we examine how we use the things which make our life easier.  How do we handle circumstances when one of these useful things is not available to us at a given time?  Do we get upset?  Do we think the situation is a horrible cross?  Do we tell ourselves that we cannot manage without this object?  Now is a good time to examine how we handle circumstances, in general, that do not go favorably for us.  Are we so attached to having our own way that we do not readily accept things that come to us?  (Are we too attached to our selfish will?)

Property:

Here we examine how we view our property.  Do we have the spirit of poverty when it comes to our belongings?  If something were to happen to our property, what would our reaction be?  Is there something we own that would be considered by Our Lord or Our Lady as a worldly luxury?  Is there something we own which we use only to pamper ourselves?

People:

Here we examine our friendships and acquaintances.  Do they help us save our souls?  Do they help us increase in virtue?  By contrast, do they “drag us down”?

A sign to help us identify inordinate attachments:

One clear indication that we have a dangerous attachment to a person, place, or thing is to ask ourselves if something were to happen to [fill-in-the-blank], what would my reaction be?  Our reaction should be, “Whatever God wants is what I want”.

Like Job, we should say:

The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away: as it hath pleased the Lord so is it done: blessed be the name of the Lord.

 Job, 1:21.

If this is not our reaction, then we have an inordinate attachment.

Having found an inordinate attachment, how do humans react?

The first class of men delays getting rid of the inordinate attachment.

Men who fall into the first class do want to save their souls and yet they do not actually do what they know they should in order to save their souls.

We can truly consider how men in this class neglect to think about, let alone ponder, the Principle and Foundation.  They are considered by St. Ignatius to be procrastinators for they always tell themselves that they will take the means to save their souls later.  They put off until tomorrow what ought to be done today. They do not worry about the fact that man is created to praise, revere, and serve God and that he is to use creatures only insofar as they help him to obtain his end.  They do not weigh all of their actions in light of eternity.  Therefore, they do not have an eternal perspective.  

If they are not fulfilling the principle and foundation, what are they doing?   Fr. Hurter describes the focus of men who delay ridding themselves of their inordinate attachments:

The principles of the world rule and guide their judgment; they are not penetrated by the sentiments of Our Divine Savior.  They strive for comfort, honors, dignities, prestige and praise, not for the greater honor of God and the salvation of souls.  They have a passion for entertainments and amusements, but dread self-denial and mortification.  Spiritual exercises not binding under pain of mortal sin they neglect.  If, for some reason or other, they do attend spiritual exercises, they may indeed make some good resolutions, but without permanent results.  There is no earnest endeavor to reduce them to practice, for old customs and long-established habits choke the sprouting seeds (or correct desire to be rid of inordinate attachments).[3]

These are sufficient considerations to warn us about the danger of falling into this class.  Now let consider the second class of men.

The second class of men rationalizes and tries to make it look like the inordinate attachment is not a danger to salvation.

When a second-class man realizes that he has an inordinate attachment, he rationalizes so that he can keep the object to which he is inordinately attached.  The devil seeks to trick people to keep their inordinate attachment under the appearance of good.  The person tells himself that he could do so much good by keeping the thing he is inordinately attached to.

For example,

Ø  “I should keep associating the those (bad) companions (that are still a danger to my soul) because I can be a good example for them.”

Ø  “I should stay in that (compromise) group because I can influence them for the good from within.”

Ø  “I should receive those (compromise) sacraments because I need to get my children in the habit of receiving the sacraments.”

Ø  “I should keep my (worldly) media-streaming device because it will help me save my soul by watching (so-called) ‘holy’ movies.”

Ø  “I should not do extra penance because it will ruin my good health.” 

The devil also tempts us to think that we have a real need for something and that we cannot function without it.  When we find an attachment and we suspect it is an inordinate one, if we find ourselves coming up with a string of apparent reasons why we need the object, this is a very big clue that we have an inordinate attachment to the object.  Then it is important that we use Ignatian discernment to weigh whether at our deathbed we will have wished that we had rid ourselves of that object.  If we can see that we would regret at our particular judgment that we kept the object in our life, then we know that we have an inordinate attachment to the object.  We know what to do – detach ourselves from it!

God does not try to trick us.  Our reason must be used to weigh how we use creatures.  God expects us to use our reason to make a proper choice on how to use objects and which objects are dangerous to our salvation.  In other words, God expects us to be able to figure out whether something is an obstacle to our salvation or not.

We, therefore, have to be on our guard to not rationalize about things that we desire.   We must make our hearts docile to the Holy Ghost and to be willing to give up whatever diminishes our love of God.  We must be willing to give ourselves unconditionally to God.

Now that we have probed the subtle snares of the devil which draw men to be in the second class, let us turn our thoughts to the third class of men.

The third class of men gets rid of the inordinate attachment because he loves God and does not want to perish for all eternity.

This class of men includes those who truly want to be friends of Christ and please Him in all things.  The saints in heaven were in this class of men.  These souls did not count the cost of their sacrifices to God.  They gave Him all.  They wanted to love God above all things and would never want to offend Him in any way.  They did not want to place any obstacles between God and themselves.

This leads us back to the Ignatian holy indifference which we discussed in detail in Lesson #11.   We must be indifferent to our own wants and desires if these be opposed to God in any way.  In other words, we must be detached from ourselves.  With self-knowledge, we can easily detect if our own will is emerging and we are beginning to veer from trying to seek God’s Will.  We must pray hard to keep the will of God first and foremost in our minds.  We must watch carefully to see the circumstances and discern what God’s will actually is.  One rule of thumb to remember is that if something is out of our control, then we know that it is God’s will for us.  Then we strive to lovingly accept it and persevere in doing God’s will.

COLLOQUY:  

[Addressing Our Lady as St. Ignatius advised us to do.] O, my mother Mary, help me to root out anything in me that is displeasing to Thy Son.  Assist me to immediately cast out any inordinate attachment I have.   Please do not let the folly of procrastination enter into my soul, for I will surely perish eternally if this spirit is in me.  Help me, dear Mother, to want to focus entirely on thy Divine Son and never let any obstacle obscure my gaze on Him Who is most worthy of my love.

[Then St. Ignatius has us address Our Lord with a similar colloquy.] O my dearest Lord Jesus Christ, I love Thee and I need Thee.  I beg Thee to help me to have no attachment to things of this earth.  I want Thee to ever be my first priority in my life and for all eternity.  The sly fox, the devil, will ever try to distract me from the love of Thee.  He will tempt me with countless things to obscure my mind from thinking of my eternal end.  I need Thee, O my Savior, to guide me and keep me faithful to thee.  I never want anything to be an obstacle to my union with Thee.

[Then I will address the Father with a similar colloquy.]  O most almighty Father, I beg Thine assistance to help me see the proper use of Thy creatures.  Help me to not let any obstacle get in the way of the service and praise that I owe to Thee.  I want Thee with my whole heart.  Please grant me the grace to ever see if I am becoming attached to any creature.  Please give me the fortitude to ruthlessly detach myself immediately from such a creature.  Suffer me not to love any creature more than Thee and not to delay ridding myself from such a dangerous attachment.  Let me give myself entirely to Thee without compromise or reservation.  O be Thou King and Center of my poor heart forever in time and in eternity.

This meditation nicely complements the next lesson which is an explanation of the Three Modes of Humility.  This next lesson will also help us probe ourselves to find out how willing we truly are to suffer for Christ.

                    Mary’s School of Sanctity                   

Lesson #23 – The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius – SECOND WEEK – THE MEDITATION ON THE TWO STANDARDS

In the last several lessons we have been using St. Ignatius’ method for a special way of meditating which is to focus on the sights, sounds, and actions of those we are considering.  This method is very profitable and helps us draw many conclusions with which to subsequently gain spiritual strength. This meditation which we now undertake will use this same method in a more in-depth manner.

This is the famous meditation on the Two Standards and it is especially beneficial for our spiritual life.  We will use our imagination to become familiar with this most momentous battle that takes place here on earth, namely, the battle between Christ and Satan.  Ever since the Fall of Adam this battle has been intense and will continue until the end of time.  If we truly want to be happy for all eternity, then it is crucial for us to study all the aspects of this battle.

Let us go forward, then, and take a detailed and careful look at the two sides engaged in this battle.  We cannot withstand our enemy if we do not know him and his tactics.  Also, we cannot be faithful Soldiers of Christ if we do not have an intimate knowledge of Him.  So let us study what we need to know to be valiant warriors in the Church Militant.

St. Ignatius first shows us the leader of each camp, then he elaborates the plan of each one, and lastly, he describes how each implements his plan. 

First, we set out what St. Ignatius gives us for this meditation, and then as usual we will give some possible considerations on those points that he lays out for us.

A Meditation on Two Standards

The preparatory prayer is the same as usual: I ask God Our Lord for the grace that all my intentions, actions, and works may be directed purely to the service and praise of the Divine Majesty.

The FIRST PRELUDE is the history of the subject matter.  Here it will be how Christ Our Lord calls and wants all men beneath His standard, and how Lucifer, on the contrary, wants all men under his.

The SECOND PRELUDE is the mental representation of the place. Here it will be to see a vast plain covering all the region about Jerusalem, where the supreme Leader of the good is Christ Our Lord; and another plain in the region of Babylon, where the evil chieftain of the enemy is Lucifer.

The THIRD PRELUDE: I will ask for the grace that I desire.  Here it will be to ask for a knowledge of the deceits of the evil chieftain and help to guard myself against them, and a knowledge of the true life which the supreme and true Leader reveals, and for the grace to imitate Him.

The FIRST POINT is to imagine how the evil chieftain of all the enemy is seated in the center of the vast plain of Babylon, on a great throne of fire and smoke—a horrible and terrible sight to behold.

The SECOND POINT is to consider how he calls together countless demons, and how he scatters them, some to one city, some to another, throughout the whole world, missing no province, no place, no state of life, nor even any single person.

The THIRD POINT is to listen to the harangue which he delivers to them, how he spurs them on to ensnare men and to bind them in chains.  He bids them first to tempt men with the lust of riches (as he is most accustomed to do), that they may thereby more easily gain the empty honor of the world, and then come to unbounded pride.  The first step in his snare is that of riches, the second honor, and the third pride.  From these three steps Satan leads on to all other vices.

In like manner, we are to imagine on the other hand, the supreme and true Leader, Who is Christ the Lord.

The FIRST POINT is to consider how Christ Our Lord takes His stand in a lowly place, in that great plain about Jerusalem, and He is beautiful and gracious to behold.

The SECOND POINT is to see how the Lord of the entire world chooses so many persons, apostles, disciples, etc., and sends them throughout the world to spread His sacred doctrine among men of every state and condition.

The THIRD POINT is to listen to the discourse which Christ Our Lord makes to all His servants and friends whom He sends on this mission, charging them that they should seek to help all men; first, by encouraging them to embrace the most perfect spiritual poverty, and if it should please His Divine Majesty, to choose them for it, also to embrace actual poverty. Secondly, by encouraging them to desire insults and contempt, for from these two things come humility.  So then there are three steps: the first, poverty opposed to riches; the second, scorn and contempt, opposed to worldly honor; the third, humility, opposed to pride.  From these three steps, let them lead men to all virtues.  

The COLLOQUY: I will now address a colloquy to Our Lady and I will ask her to obtain for me from her Son and Lord the grace that I may be received under His standard, first, in the most perfect spiritual poverty, and should it so please His Divine Majesty to choose me, also in actual poverty; secondly in bearing reproaches and offenses, thus imitate Him more perfectly, provided only I can suffer them without sin on the part of any other person or displeasure to His Divine Majesty.  Afterwards, I will say the “Hail Mary.”  I will ask the Son to obtain for me the same graces from the Father, and I will then recite the “Anima Christi.”

I will also ask the Father to grant me the same graces, and I will then say the “Our Father.”

The Two Leaders and Their Corresponding Standards

The Standard of Satan

Considerations for the FIRST POINT: we make a mental representation of the plain of Babylon with the devil on his fiery throne.

Once again, we can find help from Fr. Hurter’s setting forth the meat of the meditation.

a. Holy Writ depicts the evil spirit as the prince of darkness (Eph. 6:12; Col. 1:13) and the father of lies. (John 8:44).  As such he deceives and confuses, stirs up dust so that one cannot see, awakens doubt, leads to unbelief, and brings on fickleness of character.   Wherever we notice these traits, there is the smoke of hell and the evil spirit is at work.

b. According to Holy Writ he is a peace-disturber, who sows cockle (Matt 13:25) and the seeds of discord.   As such a turbulent being he causes unrest, excitement, tears hearts asunder, and shows a restless and violent demeanor.  Where that is to be found, there the smoke of hell is rising and the evil spirit is in the background.

c. He is the prince of hell, where despair is prevalent.  Hell is “a land of misery and darkness, where the shadow of death, and not order, but everlasting horror dwelleth.” (Job 10:22)   As prince of hell he causes sadness, disappointment, despondency, makes the heart to ache, and then to despair.  Where this frame of mind is prevalent, there is the smoke of hell, and there breathes the evil spirit.

d. He is the rebel, who from the beginning of the world rose up against God and through whom the spirit of revolt invaded paradise and now pervades the whole world.  As such, he naturally urges men on to stubbornness and obstinacy, awakens in them pride, and drives them to insubordination and rebellion against authority.  Where such fruits ripen, the smoke of hell is noticeable; there the evil spirit has already gained a considerable influence.[1]

Yes, let us see this horrific scene.  Look at Babylon – the place where the people conceitedly thought that they could build a tower to reach heaven.  But God confounded them by having them speak in different tongues.  How fitting for the proud evil one to pick this place to have his pompous fiery throne.

See how the devil with his unbounded pride pretends to be so very powerful.  He presumes that he has more knowledge than he really has.  He makes a big “show of strength” and pretends to be in charge of the world—as if he has control of everything!  In this way he tries to entice us to discouragement and despair.

He displays smoke, which represents the darkness of hell.  This smoke causes confusion everywhere.  This smoke also causes fear—that age old satanic tactic used as an attempt to overcome souls!! 

Remember to consider how the devil uses this same smoke as a means to hide his deceptions and his sowing of half-truths.

Look at the fire, too!  That fires dazzles brilliantly and plays on the senses.  It excites the senses not only to pleasures but also to fear as well.  It causes noise and movement in order to agitate the soul and make the soul extremely restless.

Indeed, the devil’s attack is a subtle one.  He hates God with all his might and attacks maliciously, ferociously, and unceasingly.  Furthermore, we must never forget that he cannot force us to sin and cannot do anything to us unless God permits it.  Remember, too, that we have powerful weapons against Satan.  In fact, St. Vincent de Paul tells us that, “the most powerful weapon with which to overcome the devil is humility; because not knowing how to use it, he does not even know how to defend himself from it.”[2]

Now that the scene is set in our imagination, let us study the wretched plan of action the devil has.

Considerations for the SECOND POINT: the devil expounds his plans

We will allow Fr. Hurter’s words to paint the vivid scene for us:  

In the council of war, which he holds with his partisans, Lucifer unfolds the following plea:

Awaken in the hearts of men a love, an attachment, and a passion for earthly goods.  When they are once engrossed by worldly riches they will run, work and strive for them, forget heaven and things eternal, and neglect the salvation of their souls.  Having met with some success, they become conceited, look down upon others, seek for flimsy honors and esteem, and then become ambitious.  When they have compassed distinction, they are captured by pride: and no sooner has pride obtained the mastery of the heart of men then they will take no advice, submit to no authority, however sacred, and they will make light of every commandment.  Thus, the way is cleared to self-deification, and the evil spirit is implicated in our rebellion against God.  The way to it, therefore, is avarice, ambition, and pride.[3]

Considerations for the THIRD POINT: the devil puts his plans into action

We see in the following quotes how Fr. Hurter describes how the devil puts his plans into action:

1. The prince of darkness, to carry his cunningly devised plan into effect, sends his spirits into every land and into all places.  No one can escape their promptings and temptation.  They are bent on carrying out the orders given them so eagerly that St. Peter warns the faithful: “Be sober, and watch, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour.” {1 Peter 5:8}

It is sad, indeed, to see that thousands and thousands of men give themselves up to the devil as his assistants and tools to found and spread his kingdom upon earth, to plant his standard everywhere, and to entice their brethren into his net.  These aiders and abettors are more dangerous than the evil spirit himself.  They make use of every imaginable weapon, science, power, astuteness, deduction, threats and enticements.  They are always on the alert and work indefatigably for the ruin of souls, sparing no effort or sacrifice.  And of the terrible results the history of the world is an evident attestation.  How successful the craftiness of the evil spirit is!  What a scramble, what a striving and chasing after things of this earth!  Avarice and greed dominate the ways and doings of men.  What plans of ambition do they not pursue in all things!  How pride, emancipation from God, and self-deification of human society has increased![4]

It is obvious that the devil doesn’t miss anyone in his plan to devour souls.  He goes after both laity and religious. 

Fr. Hurter also relates how the devil attacks priests and religious in a more subtle way than he attacks the laity.  Firstly, the devil will divert religious from striving for perfection to the seeking of something for themselves in the way of bodily comforts and attachment to creatures.  In this manner the religious will become a less useful instrument in the hands of God and will not work for the salvation of souls.  The religious is then easily led to want the esteem of others, to think highly of himself and desire promotions.  Fr. Hurter gives us more insights about the cunning traps the devil lays for those consecrated to God:

He [the devil] will induce us [priests and religious] to have a high opinion of our talents and ability, to be prepossessed in our own favor, and consequently to seek preferments and places of honor, to feel easily slighted and offended, and to become jealous of others.  If he succeeds in this, our zeal for souls shall have been spoiled and we shall belong to those of whom the Apostle says: “For all seek the things that are their own, not the things that are Jesus Christ’s.” {Phil. 2:21}  He will tempt us to take any liberties by which we withdraw ourselves from the restraint of obedience, emancipate ourselves and become willful.  And thus, pride is nourished and the striving after real virtue and the following of Christ are undermined.[5]

St. Teresa of Avila gives us a similar warning about these dangers by saying, “It seems to me that honors and riches always go together: he who loves honor never hates riches, while he who hates riches seeks no honors.”[6]  

We see plainly how we must abhor riches because they are so dangerous to our salvation.  Listen to how St. Teresa of Avila is very frank when she gives a strong warning to her spiritual daughters in religion:

If poverty is real, it guards purity and all other virtues better than do fine buildings.  Keep to this, I beg of you by the love of God and His Blood.  If, with a good conscience, I could wish that the day you build a costly dwelling it may fall and kill you all – I say, if I could do so with good conscience – I would wish it and beg God to grant it.  It looks very ill, my daughters, to build fine houses with needy men’s alms!  God forbid it!  Ours should be poor and mean in every way.  Let us to this extent at least resemble our King.  He had no home except the stable of Bethlehem where He was born, and the Cross where He died.  Within these houses few luxuries could be found![7]

Because riches lead one to seek the praise of others, riches directly lead to the deadly sin of pride.  People tend to praise the rich because, in the weakness of fallen human nature, they seek to acquire benefits from the rich.  They pretend to be ‘friends’ of the rich person.  Indeed, how often is the case that if a rich person should happen to lose his riches, he is abandoned by everyone in a heartbeat! 

Rich people are impelled to feel empowered by their wealth because so many throng after them.  They commonly lord their wealth over others and soon become despotic.  This is indeed Satan’s plan.

The wealthy are incited to do anything to keep their wealth and Satan wants this aspect, too.  So obsessed does one become with money and material goods that he completely forgets and abandons God.  Satan would have every man, woman, and child on earth entrapped in this scheme if he could.

He sends his minions to capture as many souls as possible.  The lesser devils only obey Lucifer because they are afraid of him.  They hate him and they hate souls.  We must not think that the devils are perfectly united; they argue and fight among themselves as they work hard at dragging souls in their miserable direction.

As we shudder to imagine such a horrific scene, and as we acknowledge our constant danger, let us now turn to look at Our dear Lord Who will never abandon us poor exiles of this earth.

The Standard of Christ

Considerations for the FIRST POINT: we make a mental representation of the plain about Jerusalem.

The following inspiring text from Fr. Hurter shows us indeed the stark contrast between Satan and Christ:

How different is the physiognomy of Our Divine Savior, how lovely He appears in the light of the Gospel![8]

a. He is the true Light.  “I am the light of the world.” {John 8:12} As the light, He enlightens and transfigures everything, broadens the view, clears the sky, and produces serenity.  In that soul in which the sky is serene, which looks at all things in supernatural light, which is entirely filled with the light of faith, there breaks the spirit of Jesus Christ. [9]

b. Jesus by preference calls Himself the Son of man, and as such he comes forward most unassumingly, most condescendingly, and most mildly.  He is cordiality itself.  Condescension, mildness, cordiality are manifestations of the spirit of Jesus Christ.  Where we find these, we can easily conclude that it is His spirit.

c. Christ is our Savior.  “Thou shalt call His name Jesus,” said the angel to Mary in announcing His birth.  As Savior He expands the heart, sets men free from the bonds of sin, from the chains of passion and from the snares of the world; and inspires them with courage and confidence.  When one, even after mortal sin, rises quickly, does not lose courage, and confidently betakes himself to the feet of the Savior to seek forgiveness and reconciliation, there moves the spirit of Christ; there one can exclaim with Martha: “The Master is here, He calls you.” {John 11:28}

d. Jesus is the Prince of Peace.  Among the names of the future Emmanuel, the Prophet Isaias also mentions this one.  And indeed, He came to bring peace with God, with your neighbor, and with yourself.  As Prince of Peace He calms, comforts, pacifies.  If therefore, we feel within ourselves a true peace, elevated above the storms of passion, and if a friendly disposition suffuses our exterior, then we may conclude from this that the spirit of Christ dwells within us.[10]

Fr. Hurter enlightens us further on the amazing contrast between the followers of Satan and the followers of Christ:

The spirit of Jesus Christ is stamped upon the lives of the saints, whereas the spirit of the evil one marks the wicked.  The satellites of Satan are proud and full of conceit in appearance; arrogant and bold in speech; vehement and boisterous in manners; dark in expression of countenance and repulsive toward others, especially hard and heartless towards the poor.  They are real types of the hellish spirit! The saints are in appearance modest and unassuming; in their intercourse with others friendly and loving!  A heavenly peace suffuses their exterior; innocence and purity of heart beam forth from their eyes; cheerfulness transfigures their whole being.  Here it will be well for us to test our exterior and our manners, to see whether we are entirely penetrated by the spirit of Jesus Christ, or whether there is not something of the breath of the evil one upon us.[11]

Considerations for the SECOND POINT: Our Lord expounds His plan.

Fr. Hurter explains Our Lord’s beautiful plans:

What plan does our Divine Savior unfold?

He teaches His disciples and friends to warn people not to become attached to earthly things, but to be ever mindful of the fact that “we have not here a lasting city, but seek one that is to come.” {Heb. 13:14}

We are wanderers and pilgrims, and it is foolish to become altogether absorbed in earthly things which death will surely snatch away, and to forget things eternal.  They should instruct us how dangerous it is to pursue creatures that lead us away from God and our eternal destiny, and should always insist that “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” {Matt 5:3} This poverty in spirit is the first step in the following of Christ on the road to perfection.  When this is attained, it will be easier to renounce worldly honors, and to be indifferent to abuse and contempt.  When one has come thus far, the fear of God will gain the upper hand, and with it, real humility.  Where humility rules, all the other virtues thrive.  The way then to Christian perfection is poverty in spirit, contempt of the world, and humility.[12]

The quote we gave above from St. Teresa of Avila encourages us to hate honors and thereby hate riches.  She continues this theme saying:

I think that a thirst for honor always carries with it some regard for property and money; it is strange to see a poor man honored by the world, for however much he may deserve it he generally remains unnoticed. True poverty, undertaken for the sake of God, bears with it a certain dignity in that he who professes it need seek to please no one but Him, and there is no doubt that the man who asks no help has many friends, as events have taught me. [13]

 She exhorted her spiritual daughters with this sobering truth regarding the physical building(s) of their convent,

Remember, they must all fall down at the Day of Judgment, and who knows how soon that may be?  It would not look well if the house of thirteen poor women made much noise when it tumbled, for the real poor make no commotion – they must be silent or none will pity them. [14]

Considerations for the THIRD POINT: Our Lord puts His plans into action.

Once again, we find fruitful instruction regarding this point from Fr. Hurter:

2. Let us, on the other hand, cast a glance at Christ.  He sends His disciples into all the world to spread and carry out His program.  During the course of centuries, a countless number of noble souls have attached themselves to Him, and by word and example they invite us to become animated by the spirit of the Lord and follow Him.  Their virtues, their activity, their burning zeal, will edify us, and we too shall enlist under the standard of the Lord.  The zeal of His enemies will spur us on to remain true to Him and to carry out His directions courageously.

Since we have become acquainted with the spirit and strategy of the evil spirit, and on the other hand with the spirit of Our Divine Savior, His plans and views, we should, with the help of Mary, appeal to Jesus to shield us from the spirit and protect us from the snares of the evil one, to fill us with His own spirit and make us partakers of His sentiments.[15]

The Good Lord gives us the edifying examples of the saints to further hearten us.  For example, St. Teresa of Avila encouraged her spiritual daughters to embrace poverty with ripe good will, she told them:

“Life lasts but two hours: their reward is immense, but, even without that, by following the counsels of Our Lord the very imitating His Majesty in any way would be an ample recompense.[16]

We must not forget that Our Lord wants us so much!  He lived His life in poverty. Even in His Public Life, He lived in perfect poverty.  He wants us to follow His examples.  He gives us countless inspirations daily.   He wants us to have a divine friendship with Him so He may become the Spouse of our souls.

He wants us to be apostles of love who spread the knowledge of Him and His Standard.  He was thirsty for souls; He wants us to also be thirsty for souls.  He was held in contempt, “the reproach of men and the outcast of the people”, and He wants us to be willing to accept being held in scorn by others for the love of Him.  For this is the only way to learn to be meek and humble of heart as Our Lord was and is always.  Thus, He reminds us, “If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” [St. John 15:20].   Truly, one can find all three marks of His Standard, that is, poverty as opposed to riches; being ready to be scorned as opposed to honors, and humility to oppose pride.  What are these three but the imitation of Christ!   
 

Concluding thoughts:

This meditation contains the guidelines for imitating Christ.  Let us study Him and see how His Life was a supreme example of His Standard.  If we imitate Him faithfully then we will be completely on His side in the battle.  Of course, Our Lord is completely attractive and draws us to want to be under His Standard. 

COLLOQUY:[17]  [Addressing Our Lady as St. Ignatius advised us to do.] Our Lady, my Queen, I will gladly fight under Thy Son’s Standard.  Oh, but strengthen me, especially because you know, sweet Queen, the evil one has overwhelming tricks.  I need you O Mary to help me be ever watchful and on my guard against anything that would displease Thy Son!  Help me to despise riches, material goods, and worldliness.  Help me to disregard being held in esteem by others.  Let me bear the scoffs and scorn of the worldlings who think I am crazy to try to imitate Thy Son.  Do help me remember that to love and please Him is all that matters!  Increase my love of Thy Divine Son.  I will say a Hail Mary.  

[Then St. Ignatius has us address Our Lord with a similar colloquy.]  O dearest Jesus, my Lord and Redeemer, I love Thee.  I beg Thee to help me serve Thee faithfully.  Keep me safe from the evil influences of the world with all its pomps and empty honors.  Help me to embrace Thee, O Lord, and be completely satisfied with nothing else but Thee.  Help me, O Divine Master, to spread the truth and bring souls to Thee.   Close with an Anima Christi.

[Then I will address the Father with a similar colloquy.]  O tender heavenly Father, I thank Thee for preserving me and teaching me the noble standard of Thy Divine Son.  Help me by Thy grace to be loyal and loving to Thy Son.  Help me not to be afraid of persecution but to lean on Thy paternal support.  Close with an Our Father.

 With our understanding of the crucial life-long battle now improved, and armed with the tools of this meditation, we are in a better position to go on to our next lesson.  Our next lesson is St. Ignatius’ well-known meditation called the Three Classes of Men.

                    Mary’s School of Sanctity                   

Lesson #22 – The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius – SECOND WEEK – THE 3^rd, 4^th, and 5th CONTEMPLATIONS – THE TRIALS OF THE HOLY FAMILY

St. Ignatius has the exercitant study Our Lord’s life in detail.  

St. Ignatius tells us to repeat the first and second contemplation and use these as our third and fourth contemplation.  However, in his fifth contemplation/meditation, he wants the exercitant to put as much of his five senses into the imagining of the circumstances and scenes as possible.  St. Ignatius tells us that just as we use our imagination to see and hear the subjects of our contemplation, we should now try to use our sense of smell, taste and touch as well.  How do we do this in our imagination?  He tells us to smell the infinite fragrance and taste the sweetness of the Divinity, and the virtues of the persons of whom we are contemplating.  Also, he suggests to us to use our sense of touch by ‘walking’ in the places of the persons we are contemplating about and likewise to embrace and kiss the venerable places we are visiting in our imagination during these contemplations.   In this way, St. Ignatius wants us to draw more and more fruit out of each meditation.  He wants us to make many considerations from pondering Our Lord’s Life so we can come to conclusions and thereby imitate Our Lord better.

For our purposes here, we will endeavor to set up the contemplations in the similar manner that we used in the first two contemplations of the Incarnation and the Nativity.  We encourage the reader to include his other senses by applying his imagination as St. Ignatius suggests above.  Then the Spiritual Exercises become our personal pilgrimage into the Life of Our Lord as we follow in His Footsteps and make our study of His Virtues in His Hidden Life and then later on in these Exercises for His Public Life.

We must keep in mind that St. Ignatius has set out the Spiritual Exercises to be done over a period of a month with the different meditations to be done in various times during the day and some of them to be actually done during the night.  However, for our treatment of the Exercises here, we intend to give the substance of the various meditations and the reader, being the exercitant, can plan his schedule to do the Exercises when he sees fit.

So, in the second week of the Spiritual Exercises we can see how St. Ignatius has us go through several scenes of Our Lord’s Life.  We can take topics from the Gospel of Our Lord’s Life before He began His Public Life.  For this particular lesson we will set out the contemplation/meditation of the Trials of the Holy Family.  Of course, a separate meditation could be done on each of the Trials.  We will consider the Flight into Egypt, the Return from Egypt and the Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple.  First, we will set out the topics in the same manner St. Ignatius gave us for the Incarnation and Nativity.  Then we will give the actual Scriptural accounts of these three trials and lastly, we will give some possible considerations one could use when meditating on these trials.  Thus, this lesson will be basically the substance of three separate meditations given one after another.

The Flight into Egypt

The preparatory prayer is the same as usual, I ask God Our Lord the grace that all my intentions, actions, and works may be directed purely to the service and praise of the Divine Majesty.

The FIRST PRELUDE: I will to recall to mind the history of the subject I am about to contemplate.  Here it will be how the Holy Family had to flee to Egypt in order to save the Life of Our Lord who was threatened at the hands of Herod.  

The SECOND PRELUDE: I will ask for the grace that I desire.  Here I will ask for an intimate knowledge of Our Lord, Who wants me to imitate Him, that I may love and follow Him better.  I also will ask for the grace that I may follow the holy examples of Our Infant Lord, Our Blessed Mother, and St. Joseph, the foster father of Our Lord.

The FIRST POINT: First, I will SEE the three kings making inquiries about the birth of Our Lord, the King of the Jews.  I will likewise SEE Herod’s reaction and the events surrounding the visit of the three kings to the King of kings.  Then I will SEE how, after being warned in sleep, the kings took a different route back to their native lands.  I will SEE the angel warning St. Joseph in his sleep to flee.  Immediately following this, I will SEE St. Joseph awaking Mary and the Holy Family fleeing immediately.  I will SEE how Herod is incensed with anger when he perceived that he was fooled by the holy kings.  Further I will SEE the results of Herod’s rage.  I will SEE the Holy Family all during their exile in Egypt, their journey there being sorrowful while they know many innocent little ones will be murdered as substitutes for the Infant King, etc.

The SECOND POINT: I will HEAR the excited and troubled crowds witnessing the coming of the foreign kings.  I will HEAR the hurried confusion of the people as the soldiers hunt down the infant boys two years old and younger.  Especially I will LISTEN to the wailing and lamenting as Herod’s soldiers butcher all of the Holy Innocents.   

The THIRD POINT: I will CONSIDER the actions of St. Joseph and Our Lady.  I will consider the angel telling St. Joseph in his sleep what God’s will is for him and the Holy Family.  

The COLLOQUY: I will now think of what I should say to the Infant Jesus, St. Joseph, and Our Lady.   I will ask help according to the need that I feel within myself, so that I may more closely follow and imitate Our Lord Who as an Infant is already suffering the malice of His creatures and has just fled into Egypt as an exile from His homeland.  I will close with the “Our Father” 

Let us begin by reviewing the Scriptural Text regarding this event.  [These verses are from St. Matthew 2:1-18]

When Jesus therefore was born in Bethlehem of Judah, in the days of king Herod, behold, there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem, saying: Where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and are come to adore him.

And king Herod hearing this, was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And assembling together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where Christ should be born.  But they said to him: In Bethlehem of Judah. For so it is written by the prophet:  And thou Bethlehem the land of Judah art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come forth the captain that shall rule my people Israel.

Then Herod, privately calling the wise men learned diligently of them the time of the star which appeared to them; And sending them into Bethlehem, said: Go and diligently inquire after the child, and when you have found him, bring me word again, that I also may come and adore him.

Who having heard the king, went their way; and behold the star which they had seen in the East, went before them, until it came and stood over where the child was.  And seeing the star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.  And entering into the house, they found the child with Mary his mother, and falling down they adored him: and opening their treasures, they offered him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

And having received an answer in sleep that they should not return to Herod, they went back another way into their country.  And after they were departed, behold an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: Arise, and take the child and his mother, and fly into Egypt: and be there until I shall tell thee. For it will come to pass that Herod will seek the child to destroy him.

Who arose, and took the child and his mother by night, and retired into Egypt: and he was there until the death of Herod:  That it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying: Out of Egypt have I called my son.

Then Herod perceiving that he was deluded by the wise men, was exceeding angry: and sending, killed all the men children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.

Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremias the prophet, saying:  A voice in Rama was heard, lamentation and great mourning; Rachel bewailing her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

Considerations for the FIRST POINT: to use the sense of sight:

·          SEE all of Jerusalem being disturbed because of the entourage of the three kings.  They do not know what to do about these kings.

·         SEE how upset Herod is.  He cannot rest until he has removed all perceived ‘threats’ to his throne.

Let us set out some background facts and briefly see the events.  Then we will add more details as we describe what we would hear and the actions we should consider.

We must keep in mind that Herod is not a Jew and he was the first foreigner to be appointed king of the Jewish nation.[1]  With fallen human nature it is easy to see why Herod was anxious not to lose his position which was given him by the Romans. 

Also, it is sad to consider that the people were not enthused to have their Savior born.  Scripture says that all Jerusalem was troubled along with Herod.  We must not forget that these poor people were not informed properly by their leaders and were not given good examples of piously awaiting the Messiah.

The three kings came with their train of servants and camels.  They had been studying the heavens and had been following a very unusual star.  Providence had the circumstances be such that the kings who had been following this star for such a long distance, now lost the star and therefore believed that they needed to make inquiries of the local king.  Providence knew that Herod would get upset by their news of what they had seen and were now seeking.  Indeed, God wanted Herod to know this information because God knew that Herod would become enraged in his jealousy and ruthlessly seek to kill the first Martyrs in the New Testament – the Holy Innocents.

The star then appeared again and pointed the kings to the house where the Infant King was.  Of course, the three kings did not hesitate to pay homage to the Messiah of mankind.

We can imagine the kings adoring Our Infant Lord and giving His parents gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  The Blessed Mother and St. Joseph know the significance of three precious gifts: Gold to honor the Divine Royalty of Our Lord; frankincense to adore Him as their God made Man; and myrrh to prepare Him for His redemptive Sacrifice.  

Upon leaving to return to their respective native countries the three kings were warned in a dream not to return to give Herod any information regarding this Holy Infant.  Also, St. Joseph was awakened by an angel and told to flee at once in order to rescue Jesus from the hands of a jealous earthly king, namely, Herod.

We watch in our imagination as St. Joseph meekly awakens Mary to tell her they must depart at once.  We can observe them gathering what few possessions they have and leaving quickly.

Imagine the scene as the Holy Innocents are butchered.  See the bloody swords of Herod’s henchmen, his soldiers, carrying out his attempted Deicide.

Considerations for the SECOND POINT: HEAR the people conversing in excitement about the kings being in town.  They are disturbed about the rumor that these kings are seeking the King of the Jews who has now been born.  These people are not interested in the King of kings.  Hear also what the angel is telling St. Joseph.  Then try to imagine what St. Joseph is telling Mary.

Imagine the hubbub and noise in the small town where gossip spreads quickly.  The crowds were naturally curious about the foreign kings that arrived.  When they heard the three kings were seeking a new king of the Jews, they were bewildered as to what this could mean.

Contrast in your imagination this confusion with the sweet and respectful visit the three kings made to Our Infant King.  Perhaps there was not much conversation but surely devout reverence was paid to Our Dear Lord, for Scripture tells us that they fell down and adored Him.    

Imagine the angel giving St. Joseph the urgent warning about the threat to the life of the Divine Infant.  

Imagine St. Joseph gently waking Mary and telling her of the warning of the angel.  They do not speak much but make all haste to get away.

As the Scripture tells us, after the three kings were informed by the angel to not revisit Herod, they decided to return to their native lands by a different way.  Herod, because he was a vicious man, began to suspect that the three kings deceived him.  He was in a fury!

Imagine his angry outburst to his court and soldiers as he ordered that all the male children two years old and younger should be killed in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding areas.  He wanted to take precautions because he wanted absolutely no rivals for his throne.

We can also imagine the great lamentations that occurred in all those homes where this massacre of the Holy Innocents occurred.  The soldiers grabbed the little ones out of the arms of their wailing mothers.  What must it have been like for all those women when they heard what was happening all over town and the countryside and then knowing and anticipating what awaited their own infant sons?  Imagine all those grieving mothers and fathers witnessing the horrifying death of their little ones.  Imagine their grief was made so much worse because they didn’t understand why Herod had commanded this dastardly thing to be done.

Considerations for the THIRD POINT: Consider of the Holy Family’s flight into a foreign land full of pagans.   Consider the Holy Family imagining the fury of Herod and murdering so many male infants in his blood-thirsty attempt to kill the Babe he perceived to be the rival to his throne.

Now we must put our scene together and consider all the actions of all of those involved.  Since we have painted the sights and sounds about Herod and the townsfolk so graphically above, we leave it to the exercitant to fill in the details in his imagination.  We now turn our thoughts more particularly to the Holy Family.

First, let us think about the terrifying escape in the night.  Then we will reflect upon some other aspects of the sufferings of the Holy Family.

While he was sleeping, St. Joseph received the command to leave.  He arose at once and was prompt in his obedience to the angel.  As Fr. Hurter puts it, “Yet in that very night St. Joseph rises at once and with a heavy heart wakes Mary who needed sleep.  God calls; that was enough for him to obey at once.”[2]

Fr. Hurter points out four basic, poignant aspects. 

But what consoled them, what comforted them?

a. The thought—it is the will of God; and that will they esteemed above everything.

b. The thought—our heavenly Father watches over us, guides and directs us.

c. The thought—it is done for Jesus to save His life; and for doing that no sacrifice was too great for them, no effort too much, no suffering too severe.

d. The thought – Jesus is with us.  The consciousness of this sweetened everything for them.  One look at the dear little infant Jesus and fatigue vanished and hardships were forgotten.  With this fourfold thought we also should try to console ourselves in our sufferings and little crosses.[3]

Yes, the danger was real and great.  If they tarry the Infant would be destroyed by Herod’s command.

This hasty departure into exile leads us to ponder another aspect in the fact that God wanted the Holy Family to suffer privations.  We can consider why Our Lord wanted to suffer still more and to practice poverty more strictly—to have to go to a foreign land and suffer still greater wants.  Oh, how Our Lord loves poverty! 

We must remember that St. Joseph left his carpentry work in Nazareth in order to obey the decree to go back to the city of David.  Hence, Our Lord was forced to be born in dire poverty in a stable.  And now the command comes for the Holy Family to leave their homeland and go into exile.  What an additional bitter cross!

Yet, Our Lord chose this cross for Himself and His parents so they could be an example for us of being completely detached from things of this world.  Plus, the Holy Family’s suffering is meant to teach us to trust in God’s loving Paternal care of us.  We must not complain but accept God’s Will no matter what comes.  We must work and do what we can but must also know that God will provide for us when we do His Will.

Therefore, St. Joseph did not murmur but accepted this cross which was a heavier one due to the fact that the future was unknown.  How should he get to Egypt?  He had never been there before.  It was the dark of night and very dangerous to be travelling to an unknown place and over dark, potentially thief-infested, roads.

Also, St. Joseph was a prudent planner for the future needs of his family.  He must have pondered what kind of carpentry prospects he would have in Egypt, as they hastily left Bethlehem to go there. 

We must bear in mind, too, that Egypt is a pagan country.  No doubt Our Lady and St. Joseph were considering the spiritual heartache that awaited them where Satan was worshipped in the form of idols.  This land of Egypt was full of foolish superstition and massive confusion.  Indeed, it is a land and people hostile to the descendants of the Israelites. 

Although St. Joseph and Mary must have wondered what they will do in such a pagan land, they humbly submit to God’s Will.  What heroic obedience!  What humble trust in God!

One additional heartache both Mary and St. Joseph must have suffered was the thought that Herod, being such a wicked man, would stop at nothing to get what he desired.  The angel did say, “For it will come to pass that Herod will seek the child to destroy him.”  In fact, Herod was truly capable of any sort of malice.  Most likely they knew Scripture predicted that there would be a mass murder of children in Rama.  Hence, Mary and St. Joseph would feel such compassion on all those families who would be afflicted by Herod’s malice.  They knew that those children were killed in the place of Christ.  They prayed for those families.

Concluding thoughts:

So, carrying their precious Bundle, Our Infant Savior, they flee as quickly as they can on the dark obscure road which leads to the foreign pagan land.  They are ready to accept whatever God has in store for them.  They cling to Jesus, knowing that they are rescuing Him, but also that He, as God, is holding them safely in His Hands.

The COLLOQUY:  Dearest Infant being swept away from Herod’s danger by Thy dear Parents, I thank Thee for such marvelous examples of charity, humility, and long-suffering.  Please assist me to imitate Thy virtues for I am so weak.

Dear St. Joseph, I thank thee for thine example of calmly doing thy duties.  Thou art such a model of leadership.  I want to follow thy example of complete resignation to the will of God.  Please intercede for me and guide me.

Oh, tender Mother Mary, I thank thee for thine example of complete submission to God through thy humble submission to St. Joseph.  I admire your patience in all the hardships that thou hast endured.  Please teach me patience in suffering.

Oh, Holy Family, help me work out my salvation.  Guide and protect me.

Oh, dear sweet innocent victims of Herod’s jealousy, you have spilled your blood as victims in substitution for Him Who in thirty-three years will shed His innocent blood for your Redemption.  How precious it is to me to ponder all of you waiting in the Limbo of the Fathers until the day when Our Savior brings you into heaven with Him.  Your precious martyrdoms are a hope for me.  Pray for me, oh Holy Innocents, for I am still a sojourner in this confusing world.

The Return from Egypt

The preparatory prayer is the same as usual, I ask God Our Lord the grace that all my intentions, actions, and works may be directed purely to the service and praise of the Divine Majesty.

The FIRST PRELUDE: I will recall to mind the history of the subject I am about to contemplate.  Here it will be how the Holy Family finding out that Herod was dead and St. Joseph being informed in a dream to settle in Nazareth.

The SECOND PRELUDE: I will ask for the grace that I desire.  Here I will ask for an intimate knowledge of Our Lord, Who wants me to imitate Him, that I may love and follow Him better.  I also will ask for the grace that I may follow the holy examples of Our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph, the foster father of Our Lord.

The FIRST POINT: First, I will SEE the Holy Family returning to their native country after having been in exile for some considerable length of time.

The SECOND POINT: I will HEAR what St. Joseph and Our Lady may be saying to one another.

The THIRD POINT: I will CONSIDER all of the hardships of this move back to Israel and settling anew in their native country. 

The COLLOQUY: I will now think of what I should say to the Child Jesus, St. Joseph, and Our Lady.   I will ask help according to the need that I feel within myself, so that I may more closely follow and imitate Our Lord Who has just returned from the sad exile in Egypt. I will close with the “Our Father”

Let us review the Scriptural Text for this next trial of the Holy Family.  [These verses are from St. Matthew 2:19-23]

But when Herod was dead, behold an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph in Egypt, saying: Arise, and take the child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel. For they are dead that sought the life of the child.  Who arose, and took the child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 

But hearing that Archelaus reigned in Judea in the room of Herod his father, he was afraid to go thither: and being warned in sleep retired into the quarters of Galilee.  And coming he dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was said by the prophets: That he shall be called a Nazarene.

Considerations for the FIRST POINT: to use the sense of sight

SEE St. Joseph being informed in a dream again to return back to his homeland.

Fr. Hurter informs us that, “Despite all precaution, death soon put an end to the reign of Herod. He promised himself decades of years, but the vengeance of God soon overtook him.”[4]

The Church historian Bishop Eusebius tells us how Herod was struck by a sickness which consumed him.  He had a mild fever which corrupted his innards and gave him an overpowering desire for food, ulcers in his intestines and gangrene to his male organs which produced worms.  He eventually stabbed himself and, as he lay dying, he ordered the death of his third son, Antipater.  Upon giving this dreadful command he died instantly in agonizing pains.[5]  Truly a fitting end for such a vicious man!

St. Joseph was then informed again by the angel to make a journey – this time, back to Israel.  Imagine St. Joseph once again obeying the command of God, without murmuring and with promptitude.  He and Mary and the young Child Jesus gathered their few belongings and began their track back.  This meant that once more, despite any home they were able to make or carpentry business that Joseph had established, they leave all of that behind and start back to Israel.

They trusted in God when they left Israel, trusted Him the whole time they were in exile, and now they do not hesitate to trust in Him as they return.

St. Joseph being always cautious and prudent deliberated about where he should take his family to live.  He had heard that Archelaus, the son of Herod, was now ruling.  This made him wonder if living in Bethlehem would be safe.  The angel now instructed St. Joseph to settle in Galilee.

Now that we have painted the rough sketch of events, let us try to reflect on what was said.

Considerations for the SECOND POINT: HEAR what St. Joseph and Mary might say during their journey back with the young Child Jesus.

 St. Joseph tells Mary what he has learned from the angel of God.  She does not doubt St. Joseph and docilely prepares for their departure back to Israel.  They no-doubt would say prayers of thanksgiving that the danger from Herod is past.  So, they make their journey back in much quiet prayer and reflection.

Fr. Hurter gives us these words to reflect upon:

Mary and Joseph waited with patience and resignation in a strange land, until the angel came with the glad tidings: “Arise and take the child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel.”

Let us persevere in patience and resignation under the crosses which the Lord sends us, because he wills it, as long as He will it, and as he wills it. May the dear little infant Jesus breathe His spirit into us that after His example we must submit to trials, practice patience, and persevere for as long as He wishes.[6]

Considerations for the THIRD POINT: CONSIDER THE ACTIONS of the Holy Family as they fulfill God’s Will in returning to Israel, namely, settling in Nazareth in order to fulfill Scripture.

Let us now penetrate deeper into the hardship of having to move again.  St. Joseph, as the head of a family, knew how difficult it would be to basically have to start his business afresh.  It has been a long period of time since he and Mary departed Nazareth to travel to the town of David.  What would the people back in Nazareth think of the Holy Family?  Would they wonder why this couple never returned after the census?  This couple abandoned their tiny house and no one has heard anything about them.  The carpentry shop was abandoned too.  This was indeed very strange.

Then, suddenly, this couple returns with a young Child.  What would the townspeople think of this event?

And yet, St. Joseph and Mary accept all of the perhaps cruel gossip that had been told about them. They do not try to explain what has happened.  They would quietly set about picking up their former life in Nazareth.

Concluding thoughts:

What great admiration do we not owe to the Holy Family, for their fortitude and patience in all that God had sent to them!  We frail humans are so far from such resignation and virtue!  Instead, we wretched humans complain, so often, at least internally when inconveniences come our way.   So many lessons we can learn from the dear Holy Family!  They were extremely blest and also extremely tried.  God wanted them to grow in virtue and be a model for all of us.  How truly edifying they are!

They lived in want and poverty and strict obedience to the commandments of God.  It is as if we cannot have enough esteem for them!

COLLOQUY: With what an overflowing heart do I now address Thee, O Holy Child!  I see with what Providence Thy Heavenly Father has cared for Thee!  Help me O Divine Child to trust in God always.

Dear Holy Parents, teach me how to imitate thy trust in God and thy fortitude. When my life is full of trials, I will reflect how mine are nothing in comparison with yours. Guide me and teach me in all things.

The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple

The preparatory prayer is the same as usual, I ask God Our Lord the grace that all my intentions, actions, and works may be directed purely to the service and praise of the Divine Majesty.

The FIRST PRELUDE: I will recall to mind the history of the subject I am about to contemplate.  Here it will be how Our Lord’s Parents found Him in the Temple when He was twelve years old.

The SECOND PRELUDE:  I will ask for the grace that I desire.  Here I will ask for an intimate knowledge of Our Lord, Who wants me to imitate Him, that I may love and follow Him better.  I also will ask for the grace that I may follow the holy examples of Our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph, the foster father of Our Lord.

The FIRST POINT: First, I will SEE St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother bewildered when they discover that the Boy Jesus had stayed behind in Jerusalem.  I will accompany them as they return in their anguish to look for Him.

The SECOND POINT: I will HEAR what they may be saying and what the doctors in the Temple are possibly discussing with the Boy Jesus in the Temple.

The THIRD POINT: I will OBSERVE and CONSIDER what the Holy Parents are doing, suffering and their joy in finding their Divine Son in the midst of the Doctors. 

The COLLOQUY: I will now think of what I should say to each to the members of the Holy Family, starting with Our Lord, the boy Jesus, St. Joseph, the head of the Holy Family, and Our Dear Blessed Mother, the refuge of sorrowing parents who seek the salvation of their children.  I will ask help according to the need that I feel within myself, so that I may more closely follow and imitate Our Lord.  I will close with the “Our Father”

Let us review the Scriptural Text for this third trial of the Holy Family that we are studying in this lesson.  [These verses are from St. Luke 2:41-52]

St. Luke ch.2: 41-52

And the child grew and waxed strong, full of wisdom: and the grace of God was in him.  And his parents went every year to Jerusalem, at the solemn day of the Pasch. And when he was twelve years old, they going up into Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast, and having fulfilled the days, when they returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem. And his parents knew it not.

And thinking that he was in the company, they came a day’s journey and sought him among their kinsfolks and acquaintance. And not finding him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking him.

And it came to pass, that, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his wisdom and his answers.

And seeing him, they wondered. And his mother said to him: Son, why hast thou done so to us? Behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said to them: How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be about my father’s business?

And they understood not the word that he spoke unto them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and grace with God and men.

 Considerations for the FIRST POINT: I will SEE St. Joseph and Blessed Mary on their journey home and discovering that the Child Jesus is not among their kinfolk.  Also SEE them returning back to Jerusalem in haste to look for the Child Jesus.  SEE them entering the Temple and witnessing their dear Son discoursing with the wise ancients. SEE Our Lord meekly returning home with His parents. 

Before delving into the details of this trial of the Holy Family, there is some important background information to understand. We will allow Fr. Hurter to help us paint the scene.  Fr. Hurter tells us, “The hidden life of Our Lord was simple and uniform.  He passed His time in prayer and work.”[7]

The only change to their routine was the yearly visit to Jerusalem for the great holy days.  In fact, this yearly journey was a big sacrifice for the Holy Family.  We must be mindful that St. Joseph was faithful in keeping the law.  It should make a deep impression on us to remember how Our Lord did not exempt Himself from the law. Furthermore, we see how Mary also was zealous for the honor of God.  

Fr. Hurter has the following moving description of the Holy Family:

[This was] a real pilgrimage of prayer, silence and many privations.  Observe with what reverence they enter the temple, with what fervor they pray, with what heartfelt devotion they make the prescribed offerings.  Consider the sentiments which filled our Divine Savior, Mary and Joseph at their appearance before the Most High, and how long they persevered there in prayer until finally the time came for them to return.  Let us dwell on this touching sight for our edification.[8] 

An interesting comment that Fr. Hurter makes is that when the feast days were over, Blessed Mary and St. Joseph returned home with heavy hearts because they did not have the temple in Nazareth, and they loved this holy place so much.  This was how intensely they loved the service to God!

And so this heartache was with them yet another time.  However, this time they depart from Jerusalem, and without knowing it, they leave the source of all their love, the Child Jesus Himself, behind.

We see them travel “a day’s journey” (as Sacred Scripture says) and only then do they come to realize that the Child Jesus is not in the travelling group.  Of course, they hurry back to Jerusalem.

Then three days of anguish are their portion as they hunt for Him everywhere.  It is only after these days pass that they find Him in the Temple amidst the doctors. Imagine their delight at seeing Him and their amazement in hearing Him discoursing with these wise men.

His Mother speaks with Him briefly.  Then we see the Holy Family quietly withdraw and leave Jerusalem to head for home.  The Holy Son is subservient to His Mother and Foster Father.  We see Him ever meek and humble of heart.

Considerations for the SECOND POINT: HEAR what St. Joseph and Blessed Mary might say as they inquire everywhere concerning their dear Son.  HEAR the fascinating questions and answers that the ancients are discussing with the Divine Child.

Having set the scenes of this great trial of St. Joseph and Our Lady, let us spend some moments pondering the words spoken. What did the holy parents say to each other when at the end of the first day’s journey they met and realized that the Holy Child was neither of them?  They did not rebuke each other or blame each other for this mishap.  They soberly resolved to go back to Jerusalem.

They spend three days looking longingly for Our Lord.  We can well imagine them asking many people if they had seen a boy of Our Lord’s description.  Their sorrow grew with each answer in the negative.

Finally, they search one last time at the Temple, and this time they hear a Voice that they recognize—it is the Lord!  Imagine their surprise when they heard the doctors of the Law asking questions of Someone and the response of their young Son is heard in the room.  They look in the direction of the Voice and see the Child Jesus speaking in succinct answers explaining the Law and Scriptures to the group of learned men.  Imagine their delight at finding Our Lord safe.  They knew the Scriptures that the Son of Man must be put to death and yet they did not know when this would happen.  Recalling the horrific malice of Herod, perhaps they thought while they searched, that now might be the time that someone would try to kill the Child Jesus.  How very relieved they are that they found Him!

Listen to Our Blessed Mother as she asks, “Son, why hast Thou done so to us? Behold thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing?”

This is not to be thought of as a complaint, but merely the anguish of her Immaculate Heart.  The words of Simeon have been echoing in her heart these three days, “And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed.”[9] Yes, God wanted her to feel this intense sorrow of having lost her Son so that parents who lament the loss of a wayward child would be all the more willing to fly to Holy Mary’s heart, begging the assistance of one who knew well this exquisite spiritual suffering. 

Then His reply to her question was not meant as a disrespectful rebuke to His Mother, but a statement of a fact about Providence. “How is it that you sought Me; did you not know I must be about My Father’s business?”

This mysterious answer shows that God’s Providence is often hidden from us but the faithful Mother will keep and treasure His Words in her heart, pondering them again and again.  She is not angry.  He is Divine and she is not.  His Father’s business must have been urgent and she humbly submits to the Divine Will.

Considerations for the THIRD POINT: CONSIDER THE ACTIONS of the Holy Family as they fulfill God’s Will in returning to Jerusalem to do their part to look for the Child Jesus.  Consider the surprise of St. Joseph and Blessed Mary when they find Our Lord in the Temple.  Consider their relief to find Him alive and unharmed. Consider the humility in which they heard the solemn words of the Child Jesus stating that He was doing His Father’s business.

At this point we will strive to appreciate the depths of Providence’s mysterious Plans.  By reviewing the events of this momentous trial, we can get a better view of this most distinguished couple of all human history.  Let us look at their actions and the actions of Our Lord to get a better understanding of the virtues possessed and which were augmented in this trial.  Not only did Providence send this suffering to St. Joseph and Blessed Mary, but He wanted us to study them and learn how to suffer the most grievous crosses humbly and virtuously.

Now is a fitting time to share some piquant points from Fr. Hurter.

In investigating why God manifested His Will in this way, we see clearly that God wanted St. Joseph and Blessed Mary to have these sufferings to teach us the following lessons as Fr. Hurter says:

But our Divine Savior, at the bidding of His Heavenly Father, remained in the temple without letting His mother and foster father know, although He foresaw their sorrow.  But when God calls, human consideration must be set aside, and we must not consult flesh and blood; we must make sacrifices.[10]

We can also believe that Our Lord did not concern Himself with either food or shelter on these three days.

 And yet another lesson about how Providence sometimes acts:

Consider furthermore how our Divine Savior withdraws even from good and pious souls without a fault of theirs, to their great sorrow.  He withdraws sometimes in punishment for venial sins, because of sloth that has crept in, because of too great attachment to creatures, with whom He does not wish to divide His rule.  And sometimes He withdraws, but for no fault whatever, as in the present case.  Neither Mary nor Joseph was to blame that the Child remained behind.  Why does the Lord withdraw even from holy souls so that they do not perceive His presence and feel entirely abandoned and disconsolate?  It is to try them; to give them opportunities for many good works, and to ground them more and more in virtue.[11]

Another lesson which applies to how we poor sinners should react to Providence:

When Mary and Joseph realize that Our Lord is not with them, “they search for Him among relatives and acquaintances, but they do not find Him.” So too, if the Lord withdraws from us and takes away His consolation, we shall not find Him among creatures, among flesh and blood, and in entertainments.  We must go back to Jerusalem, to the temple, have recourse to the tabernacle; there in prayer we shall find Jesus the Lord, our lost consolation.[12]

A further lesson showing Our Lord’s humility:

“What modesty does not our Divine Savior manifest?  He could have put the Scribes to confusion and made His superiority felt, but He did not step out of the role of a boy and only asked and answered questions.  Let us take to heart the significant words He spoke to Mary: “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”  That should be the program of the priest.  He should be intent on the honor of God, which he should try to promote everywhere.[13]

After Our Lord had complied with the extraordinary command of His Heavenly Father, He returned to the quite-hidden life of Nazareth. 

We too must do Our Heavenly Father’s business.  Let us ask our Divine Savior for light, grace, and the strength to follow God’s Will faithfully and to make it effective in our lives.[14]

Concluding thoughts:

Yes, indeed, God chastises those He loves.  We see that He loved St. Joseph and Blessed Mary intensely because He gave them the unspeakable dignity of being the parents of the Incarnate Word, and still, He gave them most painful crosses.  He wanted to not only give us valuable examples and models of Catholic marriage and parenting, but He also wanted St. Joseph and Blessed Mary to have more merits.  Therefore, He gave them the choicest crosses! 

COLLOQUY: Sweet Child Jesus, I thank Thee for Thy wonderful examples of humility and obedience to Thy Heavenly Father and to Thy earthly parents.  Help me to lovingly obey Thy commandments. 

O St. Joseph, model of husbands and fathers, I thank God for giving you to me.  Help guide us all, especially in imitating thy complete surrender to God’s holy will and trust in His Paternal solicitude for His children.

O my Mother Mary, thy heart pierced with the sword of sorrow lies open for me to see, and I cannot help being overwhelmed with thy tender mercy for thy children.  Keep filling our hearts with confidence in thy gentle care for us and God’s never-failing love for us.  Keep us faithful to Him and never allow us to abandon Him.

With the contemplations we have set forth above, there is plenty of material for the exercitant to do three separate Ignatian contemplations/meditations on these trials of the Holy Family.  In this important manner we can increase our knowledge of Our Lord and His virtues.  In our next lesson we will apply what we have learned about Our Lord when we set out to do the well-known Spiritual Exercise called the Meditation on the Two Standards.

 

 

 

 

                    Mary’s School of Sanctity                   

Lesson #21  The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius –—SECOND WEEK –THE SECOND CONTEMPLATION—THE NATIVITY

At this time St. Ignatius brings us to our Second Contemplation for his plan of the second week.  This contemplation will be about the Nativity.

As usual we will give the text of St. Ignatius and then give some further considerations.

Besides the Contemplation on the Nativity, we are including an additional Contemplation about the Doubts of St. Joseph.  This Contemplation, in an abridged format, will be set out first because St. Joseph’s doubts occurred prior to the Nativity.  Further, this allows the exercitant to combine some of these ideas with his contemplation about the Nativity if he so wishes.  The doubts of St. Joseph are not mentioned in St. Ignatius’s plan for the second week.  Still, knowing that we can draw great profit from studying the virtue of the Universal Patron of the Church, we thought it fitting to include this separate contemplation of St. Joseph’s doubts in the same Lesson as the Contemplation of the Nativity.  Indeed, this additional Contemplation may help us increase our appreciation of St. Joseph, the foster father of Our Lord.

*** THE EXTRA CONTEMPLATIONè THE DOUBTS OF ST. JOSEPH ***

The preparatory prayer is the same as usual, I ask God Our Lord the grace that all my intentions, actions, and works may be directed purely to the service and praise of the Divine Majesty.

The FIRST PRELUDE: I will review the history concerning St. Joseph’s doubts once he found that Mary was with Child.  He is a just man and we see how God informed him in his sleep what he ought to do.              

The SECOND PRELUDE: I will also form a mental image of St. Joseph bewildered when Mary returns from visiting St. Elizabeth in Judea and is clearly with child.  I will imagine St. Joseph sleeping and him seeing in his dream an Angel to guide him.

The THIRD PRELUDE: It will be the same and in the same form as it was in the preceding contemplation.  [In the preceding contemplations –This was to ask for what I desire.  Here I will ask for an intimate knowledge of Our Lord, Who has become man for me, that I may love and follow Him better.  And in particular how Providence ordained that good St. Joseph was specially chosen from all eternity to be the foster father of the Incarnate Word.]

The FIRST POINT: We will SEE St. Joseph noticing a physical change in the sweet Virgin maid.   

The SECOND POINT: I will also consider the THOUGHTS that St. Joseph is having concerning his intended spouse with whom he has an understanding since they both have made vows of consecrated virginity.

The THIRD POINT: I will also OBSERVE and CONSIDER how St. Joseph is sleeping and being enlightened about what to do with Mary.  I see him waking from slumber and obeying the Holy Ghost by taking her into his own home.  

The COLLOQUY: Conclude with a colloquy with St. Joseph, and as in the preceding contemplation, end with the “Our Father.”   

Considerations for the FIRST POINT: TO USE THE SENSE OF SIGHT

·         SEE the situation before Mary and St. Joseph came together as man and wife.  St. Joseph was reassured by an angel in a dream that he should take Mary as his wife.  [The following verses are from St. Matthew 1:18-24:]

When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child, of the Holy Ghost.

Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately.  But while he thought on these things, behold the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost.  And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name Jesus.  For he shall save his people from their sins.

Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying:  Behold a virgin shall be with child, and bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.  And Joseph rising up from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him his wife.

Considerations for the SECOND AND THIRD POINTS: OBSERVE and HEAR what was spoken and the actions done.

We must remember that St. Joseph was espoused to Mary.  This was rather like a time of engagement.  Although, for the Jews, this really meant that the couple technically belonged to each other and could join together whenever they wished.

St. Thomas Aquinas explains several reasons why Our Lady was espoused and had a husband.  One reason was that she would not have the shame of being with child without a husband.  Another reason was because she would need a man’s protection when fleeing for the life of the Child.  Yet another reason was so the devil would not know about the Divinity of Our Lord, because God did not want the devil to know this truth and thereby prevent the crucifixion.[1]

St. Joseph was a just man and therefore he feared God and he feared sin.  He did not want to offend God.  He had vowed perpetual chastity, thus he feared that taking Mary in her condition would be a grave scandal.  He feared that he would be consenting to a sin by taking her within his home because there could be no other explanation for her condition other than adultery.  Nevertheless, St. Joseph had such a great opinion of Mary’s purity that he could not doubt her.  He could not understand the enigma.  Scripture says he “thought on these things”.  What turmoil this must have been for poor St. Joseph!  Truly a spiritual cross!  This was God’s will for St. Joseph to suffer this mental anguish for his higher sanctification and for our edification.  Mary must have likewise suffered greatly because it was not her place to tell St. Joseph the plan of God.   She would certainly have known that St. Joseph would wonder what was going on.  What suffering for both of them!   How faithful they were to God to simply trust that His Providence would take care of everything![2]

St. Joseph surely knew the scripture from Isaiah 7:14: “Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and His Name shall be called Emmanuel.”  Did he think within himself, “Is Mary this virgin?”

St. Thomas says, “So also the Lord permitted Joseph to doubt concerning the chastity of Mary, that doubting he might receive the Angelic revelation, and by receiving might believe more firmly.”[3]    

St. Joseph did not make any rash decision about what to do with Mary’s situation.  He was prudent and waited for the Lord to instruct him.  Also St. Joseph wanted to take care of the situation showing Mary the most mercy, thus he considered putting her away quietly. 

St. Thomas explains that St. Joseph was a faithful believer in God’s plan and so it was fitting that an Angel should reveal to him what he needed to know.  “However, because a corporeal apparition is miraculous, such type of apparition was not becoming to him, since he believed and was faithful.”  It was fitting for Our Lady to receive a visible apparition because the message conveyed to her was more difficult to believe because it was at the beginning of the Incarnation, whereas St. Joseph could readily notice a physical sign of the revelation being true.[4]

The angel Gabriel addressed St. Joseph as the son of David because he was of the house of David.  We must notice, too, that the angel told St. Joseph, “Fear not”, just as St. Gabriel had also told St. Zachary and Our Lady.  This angel was sent from God and was a true messenger and so there was no reason to fear.  As soon as St. Joseph found out that her conception of Our Lord was from the Holy Ghost, he had no fears.  What a wonderful consolation for him!!  With what fervor and dedication he would embrace all the trials that would come concerning Him Who Mary was to bear!

Another very edifying example to note about St. Joseph is that he immediately obeyed the angel’s command and rose up to take Mary for his wife.

The COLLOQUY: Oh dear St. Joseph, you are such an edifying example for us of trust in God and His Plan for us.  Even though you were beset with unanswerable questions and doubts, you remembered that God’s Will is for our good.  You simply prayed for guidance and had confidence that God would answer your prayers and not leave you in uncertainty.  Please intercede for us, St. Joseph and beg God’s assistance for us in our present needs and tribulations.  

Now having finished our brief look at the Doubts of St. Joseph let us turn to the main part of our Lesson, namely, the study of the Nativity of Our Lord.

CONTEMPLATION ON THE NATIVITY

The preparatory prayer is the same as usual, I ask God Our Lord the grace that all my intentions, actions, and works may be directed purely to the service and praise of the Divine Majesty.

The FIRST PRELUDE: I will review the history of the Nativity.  How Our Lady, almost nine months with child, set out from Nazareth, seated on an ass, as may piously be believed, together with Joseph and a servant girl leading an ox.  They are going to Bethlehem to pay the tribute that Caesar has imposed on the whole land.

The SECOND PRELUDE: I will form a mental image of the scene and see in my imagination the road from Nazareth to Bethlehem.  I will consider its length and breadth, and whether it is large or small, whether high or low, and what it contains.

The THIRD PRELUDE: It will be the same and in the same form as it was in the preceding contemplation.  [The preceding contemplations were to ask for what I desire.  Here I will ask for an intimate knowledge of Our Lord, Who has become man for me, that I may love and follow Him better.]

The FIRST POINT: I will SEE the persons: our Lady and St. Joseph, the servant girl, and the Child Jesus after His birth.  I will become a poor, miserable, and unworthy slave looking upon them, contemplating them, and ministering to their needs, as though I were present there.  I will then reflect within myself in order that I may derive some fruit.

The SECOND POINT: I will OBSERVE, consider what they are SAYING and to reflect within myself that I may derive some profit.

The THIRD POINT: I will OBSERVE and CONSIDER what they are doing: the journey and suffering which they undergo in order that Our Lord might be born in extreme poverty, and after so many labors; after hunger and thirst, heat and cold, insults and injuries, He might die on the cross, and all this for me.  I will then reflect in order to gain some spiritual profit.

The COLLOQUY: Conclude with a colloquy as in the preceding contemplation and with the “Our Father.”  {Note: the preceding contemplation had the following colloquy suggestion from St. Ignatius—I will now think of what I should say to the Three Divine Persons, or the eternal Word Incarnate, or to His Mother and Our Lady.   I will ask help according to the need that I feel within myself, so that I may more closely follow and imitate Our Lord Who has just become Incarnate.  Close with the “Our Father”.} 

Now let us take some time to review the events surrounding the Nativity. Here is the Scriptural account: [The following are verses from St. Luke 2:1-20]

And it came to pass that in those days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled.  This enrolling was first made by Cyrinus, the governor of Syria.  And all went to be enrolled, every one into his own city.

 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem: because he was of the house and family of David. To be enrolled with Mary his espoused wife, who was with child.  And it came to pass that when they were there, her days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first born son and wrapped him up in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger: because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds watching and keeping the night watches over their flock.  And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them and the brightness of God shone round about them: and they feared with a great fear. And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy that shall be to all the people: For, this day is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.  And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest: and on earth peace to men of good will. And it came to pass, after the angels departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another: Let us go over to Bethlehem and let us see this word that is come to pass, which the Lord hath shewed to us.

And they came with haste: and they found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.  And seeing, they understood of the word that had been spoken to them concerning this child.  And all that heard wondered: and at those things that were told them by the shepherds.  But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart.  And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Considerations for the FIRST POINT: TO USE THE SENSE OF SIGHT

·          SEE the journey to Bethlehem

What a trial it must have been for St. Joseph and Our Lady who was with Child, the Incarnate Wisdom!  The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem took several days.   Certainly it would be slower with Mary’s condition.  Dear reader, you can imagine they have a donkey as St. Ignatius suggests or if you wish, you could imagine them walking because they were very poor.  To travel from Galilee, they would have to pass through Samaria and this course was known to be dangerous because of thieves which were prevalent on this route. 

The weather was cold and damp— bone-chilling cold.  Poor St. Joseph must give up his work in order to fulfill the command of Caesar and go to the town of David.  This foreign ruler did not care about the Jewish people.  He only cared to know the count of his people so he could get more revenue out of them.

If Our Lord had been born at their home in Nazareth, it would not have been a rich palace by any means, but it would have been easier for the Holy Family.  Even though the Holy Family was poor at Nazareth, they were in far poorer conditions in Bethlehem.  Let us not forget that these circumstances were exactly as God willed them to be.

·         SEE their arrival at Bethlehem

Imagine their arrival at Bethlehem.  St. Joseph looks for lodging for Mary and the Child soon to be born.  The town is packed with people also coming to be enrolled in the Census.  The cobblestone streets are narrow and crowded.  All the inns are full and the only place that the Holy Family can find to get out of the wind is a cave used as a stable.  “He came unto His own and His own received Him not.”

They descend the steep steps to find a cloverleaf shape set of rooms—three symbolizing the Trinity. Watch how St. Joseph cleans the place the best he can without having cleaning tools.  Mary takes the handmade swaddling clothes she has brought out of her small bundle of belongings.  She prays in holy expectation of the moment of the sublime birth of her God made Man.

·         SEE  the moment of the Nativity

Let us see this wondrous Birth which is the pivot point of all human history.  This is the miraculous Birth of Our Lord shining forth as light through a glass.  Our Lady suffers nothing and remains ever-virgin. We shall consider more of the details below under the point of considering actions.   

Considerations for the SECOND POINT: HEAR what Mary and St. Joseph might say on their way to Bethlehem and during the time that St. Joseph was looking for lodging for himself and his expectant wife.  

 Can we hear what St. Joseph and Mary might say to each other?  They mostly walk in prayerful silence.  When they do speak, they have words of mutual edification and resignation.  They are determined to do God’s Will no matter what is involved.

It has been a long and tiring journey and now that they have arrived in Bethlehem, they meet with noisy crowds of complaining travelers.  St. Joseph stops at inn after inn and is refused entrance, sometimes with harsh words and other times with flimsy excuses.  He sorrowfully tells Mary the results.  They neither complain nor murmur but thank God for doing His Will through them. 

Consider how God treats His chosen ones—especially this holy couple.  He gives them the choicest crosses and sanctifies them still further.  They win abundant merits.

We can compare our wretched sinfulness to this holy pair.  Fr. Hurter, S.J., has some moving words on this point.  He says,

How often did Our Savior wish to come to you, and you did not receive Him.  You closed your heart and turned your back on Him.  Many a time, especially at Christmas, you think: Had I been living in Bethlehem at the time, how willingly I should have received Our Divine Savior in my house and waited upon Him.[5] 

Fr. Hurter exhorts us further saying,

What was not possible for you then, you can do now.  For what you do to one of your brethren the Savior considers as done to Himself.  How consoling the thought that by works of Christian charity you can make up for the cold-heartedness of the inhabitants of Bethlehem![6]

Considerations for the THIRD POINT: TO CONSIDER ACTIONS

Consider the actions of the people in Bethlehem at the time of Our Lord’s Nativity.  Consider also the actions of St. Joseph, Our Lady, and Our Dear Savior after His Birth.

What did the people of Bethlehem care about on such a momentous night?  They only cared about being as comfortable as possible in the inns.  Little did they know that the King of kings and Lord of lords had now been born physically into the world.  Fr.  Hurter has these edifying words, to say about Our Lord’s birth:

Adore the newborn Savior in the manger.  Affectionately participate in the ineffable joy of the Virgin Mother and of St. Joseph, who now forgot all hardships, privations and humiliations, since for them the stable has become a paradise.  Search into the mystery here consummated before your eyes.   All the divine perfections of goodness, mercy, love, and omnipotence shine forth from it, more than from the creation of the universe.  Already in the manger the Infant Jesus, by His example, teaches us a lesson of all virtues in a heroic degree, which later as the dying Savior He wished to recommend as a compendium from the cross.  The manger and the cross—what effective pulpits!  Learn especially one virtue from the Infant Jesus in the manger.  As humility shines from the Incarnation, so the love of poverty from His birth.  Humility and poverty are the pillars of the following of Christ.[7]

Fr. Hurter instructs us about Our Lord’s poverty.  He tells us that His poverty was perfect. Our Lord lacked necessaries and a child could not come into the world under poorer conditions.[8]

He tells us that Our Lord’s poverty was His own choice. “And this is to be wondered at since He could have redeemed us if He had been rich.”[9]

Lastly, he informs us that Our Lord’s “poverty was intended and sought.  He permitted the decree of Augustus to be issued at this time that He might come into the world among strangers and very poor.  At Nazareth the maternal solicitude of Mary would have made it too comfortable for Him.”[10] 

Yes, the actions of the Holy Parents are so inspiring for us—their willingness to suffer all things for Christ their Son and King.  They knew that they were so blest to be the guardians of their Savior.

Let us now briefly consider the message of the Holy Angels who appear to the shepherds in the fields.  These simple and poor shepherds are found worthy to hear the tremendous news that the Christ, the Messiah, has been born.  They are told that He can be found in swaddling clothes, the prefigurement of the Holy Winding Sheet and that He is lying in a manger.  Well do these shepherds know about mangers and so they know which cave to find the Infant Savior.  They go with haste to see Him.  They report to the holy couple what they have seen and heard.

Mary, His Mother, files all of what they say deep in her heart to ponder again and again.  The shepherds can see that St. Joseph is a tender protector of the Holy Family.  They can also see that this tiny Infant is indeed special. 

Our Infant King, we must keep in mind has perfect use of His reason being both God and Man.  And yet, He acts and appears like a helpless Infant.  What humility! The very one Who created heaven, earth, and all creation is allowing Himself to exist in such a lowly state.

Concluding thoughts: we will let Fr. Hurter supply our closing comments:

We shall close this meditation with a fervent prayer to the dear Infant Jesus to communicate to us that love of poverty which in the manger He so much recommended; and we shall resolve, in case we are not in duty bound to it by vow, to practice it at least in spirit by detaching our hearts from earthly goods, by bridling  our too strong inclinations towards them, by being content with the means we possess, and by reducing our superfluous expenses, so that we may dispose of the money thus saved for the greater honor of God!

COLLOQUY: Dearest Babe in the manger, oh Incarnate Word, how can I thank Thee enough for becoming Man.  Oh glorious Hypostatic Union, so mysterious to us that one Person can have two Natures.  How happy I am that Thou hast accomplished this Union and will remain so for all eternity.  Thou teacheth us so many lessons by being born so.  Such humility!  Such poverty! Such detachment from things of this world!  Clearly Thy birth in a stable shows us that the things of this world should be as nothing to us.  Unite me to Thee, O Infant King, and never let me separate myself from Thee.  I thank Thee also for giving us such holy examples in St. Joseph and our tender Mother Mary. 

Oh Mary, dear Mother of God, intercede for me.  Instruct me in the ways of poverty and detachment.  Teach me, too, how to accept all God has planned for me.  Thank you, Mary, for being such a model of virtue for your children.

Dear St. Joseph, help me to lean on thee for protection and strength.  Help me to follow your edifying examples of trust and confidence in God.  Help me to pray for guidance like you did and humbly submit to God’s plan for me.

We have done the meditations on the Incarnation and the Nativity.  St. Ignatius has us go through several scenes of Our Lord’s Life in the second week of the Spiritual Exercises. We can take topics from the Gospel of Our Lord’s Life before He began His Public Life.  For our next lesson we will set out the contemplation/meditation of the Trials of the Holy Family.  Of course, a separate meditation could be done on each of the Trials. We will consider the Flight into Egypt, the Return from Egypt and the Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple.

 

                    Mary’s School of Sanctity                   

Lesson #20 – The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius – SECOND WEEK – FIRST DAY AND FIRST CONTEMPLATION – THE INCARNATION

Now at this point of the Spiritual Exercises St. Ignatius changes the method in which he sets up his meditations because he wants us to do our meditations in a slightly different manner.  Because St. Ignatius wants to encourage us to imitate Our Lord, he sets forth a series of meditations which will be an in-depth study of Our Lord’s Life and virtues.  He will take us through the key mysteries of the life of Christ and have us spend some time in pondering each of them.  However, in these meditations he wants us to paint a scene with our imagination and focus on what we see, hear, and observe actions in the given particular scene.  He has us do this so we can draw lessons for our souls which will bring with them many fruits.  One of these fruits is a greater dedication to Our Lord in our service of Him.

First, we will give the text of what St. Ignatius calls the First Contemplation of the Second Week which is on the Incarnation.  Then we will give some further ideas for the present considerations we are making.  Here we are going to study the circumstances surrounding this very important aspect of Our Catholic Faith, the Incarnation— Our Lord becoming Man through the Hypostatic Union, namely, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity uniting to human nature in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The preparatory prayer is the same as usual, I ask God Our Lord the grace that all my intentions, actions, and works may be directed purely to the service and praise of the Divine Majesty.

The FIRST PRELUDE: is to recall to mind the history of the subject I am about to contemplate.  Here it is how the Three Divine Persons were looking upon the whole extent and space of the earth, filled with human beings.  They see that all were going down into hell, and They decreed, in Their eternity, that the Second Person should become man to save the human race.  When the fullness of time had come, They sent the Angel Gabriel to Our Lady.

The SECOND PRELUDE: is a mental representation of the place.  I will see, in imagination the great extent and space of the world, where dwell so many different nations and peoples.  I will then see particularly the city of Nazareth in the province of Galilee, and the house and room where Our Lady dwells.

The THIRD PRELUDE: is to ask for what I desire.  Here I will ask for an intimate knowledge of Our Lord, Who has become man for me, that I may love and follow Him better.

The FIRST POINT: First, I will SEE all the different people on the face of the earth, so varied in dress and in behavior.  Some are white and others black; some at peace and others at war; some weeping and others laughing; some well and others sick; some being born and others dying, etc.

Second, I will SEE and CONSIDER the Three Divine Persons seated on the royal throne of the Divine Majesty.  They behold the entire face and extent of the earth and They behold all nations in such great blindness, dying, and going down into hell.

Third, I will SEE Our Lady and the angel who greets her.  I will reflect that I may draw profit from this scene.

The SECOND POINT: I will HEAR what the people throughout the world are saying, how they converse with one another, how they swear and blaspheme, etc.  I will also listen to what the Three Divine Persons are saying, that is, “Let us work the redemption of mankind,” etc.  I shall then listen to what the angel and Our Lady are saying.  I will then reflect upon what I hear to draw profit from these words.

The THIRD POINT: I will CONSIDER what the people throughout the world ARE DOING; how they are wounding, killing, and going to hell, etc.  I will also consider what the Three Divine Persons are doing, namely, accomplishing the most Holy Incarnation, etc., also what the angel and Our Lady are doing, as the angel fulfills his office of ambassador, and Our Lady humbles herself and gives thanks to the Divine Majesty.  I will then reflect to derive some profit from each of these things. 

The COLLOQUY: I will now think of what I should say to the Three Divine Persons, or the eternal Word Incarnate, or to His Mother, Our Lady.   I will ask help according to the need that I feel within myself, so that I may more closely follow and imitate Our Lord Who has just become Incarnate.  Close with the “Our Father”.

Considerations for the FIRST POINT: TO USE THE SENSE OF SIGHT

·         SEE the world before and at the time of the Incarnation;

Let us bring to our minds, dear reader, what the world was like before the Incarnation.  Paganism was everywhere.  The Israelites were sorely tempted by idolatry and often fell into the worship of false gods.  Very few of the Israelites were faithful to the Commandments of God and the belief in the Redeemer to come, both of which were required for salvation in the Old Testament.  We can think about the few just people waiting in anticipation for the promised Redeemer.   Mary and St. Joseph were among them.

The Roman Empire had conquered most of the known world at that time.  The Romans occupied all of the land around the Mediterranean Sea including the entire coastline of northern Africa.  They owned all of Spain, France, the Netherlands and all along the English Channel in the north.  In fact, they owned most of the island we now know as Britain.  Also, in the northeast, they owned up to the Black Sea and of course they occupied the Holy Land in the east.  In this we can see God’s Providence because when Our Redeemer would set up the one true Church, He could establish His Church on the foundation of the Roman civil order.  Yet, consider how the majority of people were living in the darkness of Paganism.  On the other continents of the world where people migrated, there was the even greater emptiness of ignorance and sin.  Worldwide unhappiness prevailed.

·          SEE the Trinity overseeing the world before the Incarnation;

Behold in your mind’s eye, dear reader, how God, in His infinite mercy pitied mankind.  Try to picture the great Council of the Trinity looking down on the entire world.  Remember, Jesus is called the Angel of the Great Council.[1]

·         SEE the scene of the Annunciation:

Picture Our Lady praying in her small home in Nazareth.  The Angel Gabriel appeared to her.  Scripture tells us that she was troubled by his voice and his message.  Does this mean that she was not looking at the vision of the angel?  She, no doubt, had perfect custody of her eyes, so we can imagine that she wasn’t looking at the angel.  Or was it that she already had such a life of contemplation that the visitation of angels was a common occurrence and that it was not the vision of an angel which troubled her soul?

Considerations for the SECOND POINT: TO USE THE SENSE OF HEARING

·         HEAR the world in the period before Christ.

Picture the pagan and confused world as St. Ignatius speaks of it in his words given above; let us hear the tumult of the world.  Let us listen to the crowds of the entire world.  The people are going through life completely ignorant regarding the purpose for which they were created. 

As St. Ignatius describes for us in his text above, we can imagine the people as they scream and shout.  They laugh at all types of crude and banal things.  They chatter unceasingly about worthless things.  What a mass of confusing babble!

·         HEAR the Trinity conversing about working out the Incarnation;

As in Genesis God promised to send a Redeemer saying, “I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel” [Gen. 3:15].   God is about to fulfill His promise.  The Trinity, in our imagination, is setting out that now is the time to work the crushing of the head of Satan.  Imagine God the Father saying, “Now let us work the redemption of mankind.  Thou, My Only Begotten Son, Oh Word, shalt take flesh.   Behold Thy Mother, Our Masterpiece, will be told of Our Divine Plan.  We know that she will humbly accept the Plan and will be the Cause of Joy to Our adopted sons and daughters.”

·          HEAR what is occurring between Gabriel and Mary.

The actual Scriptural text is given here: St. Luke 1: 26-56

And in the sixth month, [of St. Elizabeth’s expectancy] the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David: and the virgin’s name was Mary.  And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

Who having heard, was troubled at his saying and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be.

 And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.  Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shalt bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name Jesus.  He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father: and He shall reign in the house of Jacob forever.  And of his kingdom there shall be no end.

 And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man?

And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee.  And therefore, also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.  And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren.  Because no word shall be impossible with God.

And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

 And Mary rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda. 

And she entered into the house of Zachary and saluted Elizabeth.  And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.  And she cried out with a loud voice and said: Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.  And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.  And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord.

And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord.  And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.  Because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid: for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed, because He that is mighty hath done great things to me: and holy is His name.  And His mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear Him. He hath shewed might in his arm: He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.  He hath put down the mighty from their seat and hath exalted the humble.  He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he hath sent empty away.  He hath received Israel His servant, being mindful of His mercy.  As He spoke to our fathers: to Abraham and to his seed forever.  

And Mary abode with her about three months. And she returned to her own house.

Considerations for the THIRD POINT: to consider actions

CONSIDER THE ACTIONS of the people in the world before and at the time of the Incarnation:

In the above sections, we have brought out the sights and sounds of the pagan world before Christ and at the time of the Incarnation; we need now to consider the actions of the people more.

They are living a banal existence.  They do not have any eternal perspective and therefore have no goal or purpose for living.  The people war against each other and the victor enslaves the defeated.  What poor people!  Think of the overall fear that the majority of people are feeling!  They have to fight for survival every day.  Not only do they have to provide for themselves from day to day, but they live in constant fear of being invaded by thieves or some foreign army.  What a terrifying existence for those who do not know God!  The people of most of the nations have no Mosaic Law for guidance and likewise they have no God-given orders about the sacrifices that God wants.  These peoples live for sensual pleasures, riches, pursuit of power.  What an empty existence they must have!  Most of them were working out their damnation and live without any hope of happiness!

They try to tell themselves that they are happy; yet, they know in their hearts that they are not convinced of this.  They commit murders and steal.  They cheat each other and gossip.  They do not trust one another. The Roman soldiers are patrolling the towns and villages.  These soldiers are watching to keep some kind of order. 

CONSIDER THE ACTIONS of the Holy Trinity– the loving providence and compassion that God has for mankind:

As we heard the Council of the Trinity above, we now consider the fulfillment of God’s promise.  Even though the human race was living unmindful of God, He is ever mindful of the human race.   As He said in Jeremiah, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love”.  [Jeremias, 31:3]  God shows that He wants the redemption of the world. “God so loved the world that He sent His Only Begotten Son.” [St. John’s Gospel, 3:16]

From all eternity God knew that He would work the Redemption by sending His Son.  He also knew when He would accomplish this task.  God now sends St. Gabriel with the joyful task of conveying to Our Lady the special mission God has for her, namely, to be the Mother of God.

Let us consider how we have not appreciated His loving care of us as we ought.  We could never be thankful enough for the gifts that God has given us.  The Incarnation alone is a wonderful gift to mankind and we must not forget that the purpose of the Incarnation was in order to atone for the sins of man and to open the gates of heaven which had been closed to man ever since the fall of Adam.  Indeed, where would we be without this Great Act of Love? 

The beautiful reality of the Hypostatic Union of God the Son to human flesh is awe-inspiring in Itself.  God the Son became man and will remain so for all eternity.  What condescension!  What a humiliation!  He wanted to give us a chance to save our souls and He wants to be our friend.    He also wanted to be a model for us to follow.

CONSIDER THE ACTIONS: of St. Gabriel and Our Lady

Let us now take some time to consider this beautiful scene of the messenger of God announcing to the Blessed Virgin, God’s Plan for her, and asking for her consent.

The entire text of this scene is given above as well as the wondrous scene of the Visitation and the Sanctification of St. John the Baptist in his mother’s womb.  We include the entire interchange between Mary and St. Elizabeth because we want to get an intimate understanding of Mary, as well as Our Lord.  Mary’s response to St. Elizabeth, which is known as her Magnifcat, shows her very profound humility.

So, the Angel Gabriel comes to Mary and tells her she is found special in the Eyes of God.  Why is she special?  It is precisely because she is full of grace.  She was full of grace ever since the moment she was conceived because the merits of the Redemption were applied to her long before Our Lord suffered His Passion and Death.  God can make an exception to His decree that all humans contract original sin.  Since He is not limited by the bounds of time, He chose to prevent original sin from ever sullying the soul of the Virgin Mary.

Thus, Mary is a pure vessel of honor and God willed her to be the place where the Hypostatic Union would occur.  Mary has ever been God’s willing handmaid.  Her parents presented her in the Temple when she was three years old.  She was taught in the Temple.  Therefore, she knew the Scriptures very well. 

What did she think when Gabriel announced that she would conceive a son and He would be called Jesus and He would be the Son of the Most High?  And of His kingdom there would be no end?  Her humility was being tested.  She would have known the passage from Isaiah, “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign.  Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and His name shall be called Emmanuel.”

She wondered if Isaiah’s prophesy applied to her.  She was cautious lest the Angel Gabriel’s words were a trap of the devil in order to tempt her to pride.  Her response shows that she did not trust the praise she had been given.  She tests the apparition to see if it is indeed from God.  She knows that she made a vow of perpetual virginity and this vow was done purely out of love for God.  God had showed her that He accepted her vow.   So now, how can this be that she could conceive since she is a virgin and not at all interested in breaking that vow?   So, she inquires of the angel how this conception can take place and indicates to him that she is a consecrated virgin. 

The angel tells her that the Holy Ghost will cause the Conception and therefore the Child so conceived will be called the Son of God.  He also reveals to her the remarkable news that her elderly cousin Elizabeth had conceived a son even though she had been considered barren.  The angel tells her this as his way of proving to her that nothing is impossible with God.

When Mary hears of this extraordinary expectancy of her aged cousin, she is convinced that this apparition is from God.  Therefore, she readily submits her will to God saying, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to thy word.”  She only wants to do the Will of God.  For her His Will is the only thing that matters.  Then, at that moment, the “Word became Flesh.”  Wisdom became incarnate; hence Wisdom became man.

We must remember that Mary was well-schooled in the Scriptures.  She knew that the Messiah was to be the Savior and Redeemer.   She knew that He would suffer a miserable death and be the “Man of Sorrows and the outcast of His people.”

As a mother she would suffer from this future suffering of her Son, and yet, she does not worry about her own future suffering, she only is concerned about doing what God wants.  Again, for her, His Will is the only thing that matters.

She humbles herself and immediately goes to be of assistance to her cousin Elizabeth who must be in need being so old and with child.  Mary’s generosity is “with haste.”

Then we see and hear Mary’s humility again when she sees her cousin and her cousin praises her.  She recites her beautiful canticle giving God all the glory of making her the Mother of God.

We have few words of Mary in the Gospels.  The Magnificat is a masterpiece of eloquent praise of God and giving Him all the credit for the glory and fame which is and will be associated with her.  “He that is mighty hath done great things to me.” 

Concluding thoughts:

Let us be astonished about how God is so loving and merciful to men as to become like unto them.  Ponder the humiliation of the Son of God at His Incarnation.  As St. Paul says, “Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal to God; emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and in habit found as a man.  He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross.” [Phil. 2:6-8]

Think about how Our Lord wanted to become our model so we could imitate His virtues and His love.  “No greater love hath a man than to lay down his life for his friend.”  What priceless love to not only become man, but to die for the sake of the salvation of men!  When Adam rejected the goodness of God in favor of Eve, Our Lord, the new Adam, reverses this dastardly act by embracing a life of suffering and the most shameful death on the Cross.  He wants us to learn humility, for His whole life was one continuous act of humility.

Think also with wonder about how Mary, the new Eve, rejected anything to do with the serpent – the evil one.  Instead, she exclaims that she owes everything to God.   She proclaims that she wants only to serve God and not act like Eve who wanted to become as a god.

COLLOQUY: How do I begin to thank Thee, O my Supreme Good for Thy mercies in becoming man to save us from hell fire?  O Holy Trinity, how sweet and how loving of Thee to give us an opportunity to share Thy divinity with us!  O, God the Father, how Thou dost provide in the extreme for us by sending Thy beloved Son to be butchered for us wretched sinners!  O, Thou Incarnate Wisdom, our words cannot praise Thee enough for Thine example of a most holy life!  Thou didst become man to be our Model, our Hope, our Savior, our Redeemer, our Friend, and our Beloved Spouse.  What more could we ask for?  Thou hast given all!  O, Holy Ghost, can our lips utter sufficient words to thank Thee for overshadowing Our dear precious Mother Mary and making her the true singular vessel of honor?  Help us, O most Holy Trinity, to love Thee with an ardent love and serve Thee ever more faithfully.  We do not deserve all Thy tender mercies shown towards us.  Help us to humble ourselves ever more and more in Thy Presence and pour forth our hearts in tearful gratitude of love. 

O dear tender Mother Mary, guide us in our homage and love of God.  Help us to imitate Thy virtues, o sweet Virgin Mary.  We, like thee, want to be generous to God and give ourselves completely in His service.  Teach us, O Mary, the countless ways we can sacrifice ourselves for God.

The possibilities for our colloquy are numerous.  The above is only a sample of what could be said.

Now that we have begun our intimate study of Our Lord, we hunger to increase our knowledge of Our Beloved Lord and Redeemer.  We have laid a foundation of desire to imitate the virtues and love of Our Lord.  Hence, in our next lesson we will continue our study of Christ by doing what St. Ignatius refers to as the Contemplation on the Nativity. 

Catholic Candle note:  Lesson 19 (below) is the latest lesson in this series.  Prior articles in this series can be found here: https://catholiccandle.org/category/resources-for-faith-and-practice/on-working-for-holiness/marys-school-of-sanctity/

 

                    Mary’s School of Sanctity                   

Lesson #19  The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius – ON THE CALL OF CHRIST THE KING [also called The Kingdom of Christ]

At this time, we bring our attention back to the content of the actual Spiritual Exercises.  As we mentioned in the introduction to the structure of the Spiritual Exercises in Lesson#5, St. Ignatius sets out his exercises to be done over a month’s time.  We now enter into the Second Week of St. Ignatius’s plan. We are going to be undertaking the meditation entitled The Call of Christ the King, one of the most famous meditations of St. Ignatius.  As we stated earlier in these lessons, under normal circumstances, we would have at this point of the retreat made a general confession.[1]

Thus, by this means, we have girded our loins and taken the breastplate of justice.[2]  St. Ignatius, having been a soldier once himself, has us consider Our Lord as on His throne inviting us to join the ranks of soldiers in His Divine army.  He is the head of the Catholic army of souls in the Church Militant.  Also, we can consider this meditation as a way to bring The Principle and Foundation back to our minds giving us greater zeal in our service of God.[3]  With this meditation to strengthen us, we can intensify our resolve to follow Christ in whatever He wills for us.

First, we will give the text of St. Ignatius’s meditation The Call of Christ the King and then expound on the various points one can use for his consideration in doing this present exercise.

St. Ignatius says:

The call of the earthly king helps us to contemplate the life of the Eternal King.

The preparatory prayer is the same as usual, I ask God Our Lord the grace that all my intentions, actions, and works may be directed purely to the service and praise of the Divine Majesty.

The FIRST PRELUDE: St. Ignatius calls this prelude “a mental picture of the place”.  Here we will see in our imagination the synagogues, villages, and towns where Jesus preached.

The SECOND PRELUDE: I will ask for the grace that I desire.  Here it will be to ask of Our Lord the grace that I may not be deaf to His call, but prompt and diligent to accomplish His most holy will.

PART ONE

The FIRST POINT: I will see in my mind a human king, chosen by God Our Lord Himself, to whom all princes and all Christians pay reverence and obedience.

The SECOND POINT: I will consider how this king speaks to all his subjects, saying, “It is my will to conquer all infidel lands.  Therefore, whoever wishes to come with me must be content to eat as I eat, drink as I drink, dress as I dress, etc.  He must also be willing to work with me by day, and watch with me by night.  He will then share with me in victory as he has shared in the toils.”

The THIRD POINT: I will consider what the answer of good subjects ought to be to such a generous and noble king, and consequently, if anyone would refuse the request of such a king, how he would deserve to be despised by everyone, and considered an unworthy knight.  

PART TWO

The second part of this Exercise consists in applying the example of this earthly king to Christ Our Lord, in these three points:

The FIRST POINT: If we heed such a call of an earthly king to his subjects, how much more worthy of consideration is it to see Christ Our Lord, the Eternal King, and before Him, all of mankind, to whom, and to each man in particular, He calls and says: “It is My will to conquer the whole world and all My enemies, and thus to enter into the glory of My Father.  Whoever wishes to come with Me must labor with Me, following Me in suffering, he also will follow Me in glory.”

The SECOND POINT: I will consider that all persons who have judgment and reason will offer themselves completely for this work.

The THIRD POINT: Those who wish to show the greatest affection and to distinguish themselves in every service of their Eternal King and Universal Lord, will not only offer themselves entirely for the work, but by working against their own sensuality and carnal and worldly love, will make offerings of greater value and importance saying:

Eternal Lord of all things, I make this offering with Thy grace and help, in the presence of Thy infinite goodness and in the presence of Thy glorious Mother and of all the Saints  of Thy heavenly court, that it is my wish and desire, and my deliberate choice, provided only that it be for Thy greater service and praise, to imitate Thee in bearing all injuries, all evils, and all poverty both physical and spiritual, if Thy most Sacred Majesty should will to choose me for such a life and state.

The COLLOQUY: St. Ignatius does not specify any particular colloquy for this meditation.  However, the above offering could be made and it is desirable to make it or something similar to it.  We should certainly speak to Our Lord and give ourselves completely to Him. 

PART I

Considerations for the FIRST POINT: a model earthly king.

St. Ignatius wants us to imagine what it would be like if an earthly king who was very noble and virtuous called everyone to help him conquer the Muslims.  If this king proposed to conquer the world for Christ and convert the entire world to Christianity, how wonderful it would be if the world truly acknowledged Christ as King!

This type of king is very much like King St. Ferdinand III who lived from 1199 A.D. to 1252 A.D.  He was a very pious king who was devoted to Our Lady and was a Third Order Franciscan.  He devoted his life to purging Castile and Leon of the Moors.  According to Butler’s Lives of the Saints, St. Ferdinand’s body is incorrupt, which is a great reminder to us that God is pleased with those who spend their lives extending the reign of Christ.

Considerations for the SECOND POINT: how the earthly king leads.

In this point, St. Ignatius has us continue to imagine our earthly king who leads us in battle against the enemy.  Here again, King St. Ferdinand fits the description that St. Ignatius sets forth above.  Here is how Alban Butler describes King St. Ferdinand in the Lives of the Saints:

His whole conduct bore testimony to the truth of his solemn protestation, “Thou, O Lord, Who searchest the secrets of hearts, knowest that I desire Thy glory, not mine; and the increase of Thy faith, and holy religion, not of transitory kingdoms.”  He set his soldiers the most perfect example of devotion.  He fasted rigorously, prayed much, and wore a rough hair-shirt made in the shape of the cross; often spent whole nights in tears and prayers, especially before battles, and gave to God the glory of all his victories. In his army he caused an image of the Blessed Virgin to be carried, and wore another small one on his breast, or sometimes when on horseback placed it on the pommel of his saddle before him.[4]

King St. Ferdinand III led his knights into battle.  He fought fearlessly at the head of his army.  His men felt drawn on by zeal and were willing to follow him into the direst circumstances.  He won victory after victory, even when he was greatly outnumbered by the Moors. There was an occasion in which it was testified by his men that St. James the Apostle, appeared at the head of the troops in the armor of a knight.  In this particular battle only eleven lost their lives—one a knight who had refused to forgive an injury, and ten additional soldiers.

King St. Ferdinand won back lands which had been in the hands of the Moors for five hundred and twenty years.

He gave the spoils of war to the Church.  For example, he rebuilt the cathedral of Toledo.  He purified the churches and places which had been desecrated by the Moors and established bishoprics in many places.

What is clear from the account of King St. Ferdinand III was that he fought valiantly with his whole heart for God, and God was with him. This king never once was wounded in battle.  God gave him victory upon victory.[5]   

Considerations for the THIRD POINT: who would not follow such a leader?

With a heart throbbing for the conversion of the heathen and the restoration of the Church’s properties, who would not burn inside to attach himself to such a noble king?  This earthly king, by his example of dedicated love of the Faith and Holy Mother Church, would and should spur us on to die for Christ and His Church.  His zeal would almost seem contagious and irresistible in its intensity.  Would we not long to follow him with confidence in his strength and power?  When we saw his tremendous victories, we would not doubt that he was a man to follow. What remarkable leadership!  What remarkable virtue!  And oh how ashamed we would feel if we did not take up arms and follow such a man!  We would have the deep guilt of having shirked our duty and our life-long vocation of the salvation of our souls.  Who could bear such shame and ignominy of deserting such an upright king and mission?

Now let us turn to the second part of this meditation where St. Ignatius wants us to apply what we considered about the worthy earthly king to the Divine King of kings, Our Lord Himself.

 

Part II

Considerations for the FIRST POINT: Our Lord Himself calls us to His service.

In this meditation, St. Ignatius is telling us that we must follow Christ for He is truly calling all of us into His ranks.  This meditation may be seen as a call to the religious life, but, in fact, it is a call to be entirely in God’s service.  It harkens back to the Principle and Foundation because this meditation reminds us that we were created to be in God’s service and use this wonderful service to save our immortal souls.

So, in this first point, we consider how, indeed, Our Lord Himself calls us to follow Him.  He says plainly to us in St. Matthew’s Gospel, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” [Matt. 16:24]

See in the following quotes how He beckons us to follow Him lovingly!

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them; he it is that loveth Me. [John 14:21]

Come to Me, all you that labor, and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Take up My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is sweet and My burden light.  [Matt 11: 28-30]

He truly wants us to follow Him in everything.  He wills to be Our Shepherd and to lay down His Life for us.  He not only wants to show us how He willed to honor His Heavenly Father by His death, but He also wants us to realize that He is setting us an example of sacrificing Himself completely for love of God. 

Thus, He wants us to know that we must be willing to follow Him in this way too, namely, unto death.  Listen to what He tells us in the following quotes:

If the world hates you, know ye, that it hath hated Me before you.  [John 15:18]

Remember My word that I said to you: the servant is not greater than his master.  If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you: if they have kept My word, they will keep yours also.  But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake: because they know not Him that sent Me.  [John 15: 20-21]

They will put you out of the synagogues: yea, the hour cometh, that whosoever killeth you, will think that he doth a service to God.  [John 16:2]  

By these weighty words Our Lord is telling us that we must be willing to follow Him in every aspect of our lives.  He will take care of us and we must not feel overwhelmed because the Paraclete will be with us to guide us.

He wants us to be apostles of the truth and spread His Kingdom.  We must be able and willing to teach Catholic Faith and Morals.  We must teach this primarily by our examples – to truly live a Catholic life during the neo-pagan times in which we live.

Are we the Catholics He desires us to be?  Are we willing to undertake the work of being true apostles of Christ?  Do we have apostolic zeal for the spread of His Kingdom and the salvation of souls?  Are we willing to be an outcast for love of Him?  Are we willing to stand up for Him and Truth?

This brings us to the consideration in the next point— who exactly is called? Is this point for those with a religious vocation only?

Considerations for the SECOND POINT: Every Catholic is expected to heed Christ’s call.

Since the Principle and Foundation applies to us all, it makes sense that Our Lord is indeed calling all of us into His service.  He is Our Creator, Our Father and Provider, Our Redeemer, Our Beloved, and Our Judge.  We owe Him everything.  Our Lord says, “I am the way, and the truth and the life.  No man cometh to the Father, but by Me.” [John 14:6]   

However, we must keep in mind that He lovingly invites us.  Here is how Fr. Hurter, S.J. in his Sketches for the Exercises of An Eight Days’ Retreat explains this invitation:

What is the form of the invitation? Our Divine Redeemer does not stand on His well-grounded rights, He does not force, He does not threaten with thunder and lightning those who hang back.  He appeals to the heart: He appeals to our generosity; He invites us. To what does He invite us?  To the grandest undertaking we can think of: To spread the kingdom of God upon earth; to glorify His Holy Name, to build up the Church of God, which shall stand invincible against all the attacks of hell: “and the gates of hell shall not prevail against her”[6]   

Both religious and laity are called to be apostles of Christ and His Church.  Fr. Hurter brings forth another noteworthy point for our apostolate. We give his point as follows:

And what are the conditions which He lays down?  He asks of us no more than He Himself has done; no greater privations than those He took up Himself; no obedience more difficult, no humility more profound, no cross more painful than He Himself submitted to.  He was the Son of God, the Lord of the world, the Innocent, and all that He did was for us.  When we come down to reality, He is satisfied with much less, with the tenth part of what He Himself has done, even with a mere shadow of it.  For such humility, such poverty, such obedience as He practiced, He does not ask us for.[7]

We cannot be indifferent to His Kingdom and the spread of the Kingship of Christ. If we are truly the friends of Christ, we must love to bring souls to Him.  However, if we hunger to bring souls to Him, we sense the real need of beginning with the perfection of our own souls.  So St. Ignatius impels us to dig deeper and to work harder on the perfecting of ourselves.  In his third point, he raises the bar of what we should expect from ourselves.  We must desire our own sanctification.  Let us consider this higher calling alluded to in the third point.

Considerations for the THIRD POINT: Our Lord wants everyone to follow Him, if not in actual poverty in the religious life, then in at least spiritual poverty.

In this third point, St. Ignatius seems to be tying the first two points together for the sole purpose of urging us to strive for high perfection.  We know that the religious life is the best means to achieve the highest perfection; however, St. Ignatius wants us to realize that the laymen are also called to perfection.  He is encouraging the laity to live a life of mortification because this is necessary even for laymen in order to come to the perfection which Christ wants for each of us.   In order to have the deepest friendship and mystical marriage with Christ, which is Our Lord’s plan for every member of the Elect, we must not put any obstacle in His way.

“I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one cometh to the Father but by Me.”  [John 14:6].  By these words, Our Lord shows us that we must wage an interior battle with our own flesh in order to master our lower nature and to be His devoted friend and fellow laborer in the field, winning souls for Heaven.

This is why St. Ignatius tells us that we must be willing to distinguish ourselves in a special service of Our Lord.  We must be willing to literally give everything up for Him and be detached from everything in order to give ourselves interiorly and exteriorly to Him.  Thus, we must fight the battle against ourselves and bring our passions into subjection.  Bearing this complete detachment in mind, we then lovingly root out our disorderly self-love which so often manifests itself in our passions.

Because we cannot help others to come to the Faith if we are not properly disposed ourselves, St. Ignatius reminds us to work hard on our own perfection.

Fr. Hurter explains this concept of properly disposing ourselves when he says:

In saving souls, we are but instruments in the hands of God.  But the force of the master enters sooner and more perfectly into the instrument, the better it is adapted to the artist and, as it were, coalesces with him.  We shall be more useful, docile, and pliable as instruments in the hands of Our Divine Savior if there be less in us that resists Him.  That is, we must mortify and deaden within us all that is opposed to God, viz., our evil passions and disorderly self-love.[8]

Concluding thoughts:

In the light of all these considerations of how Our Lord is inviting our souls to Him in true friendship, we should be very willing to repeat the prayer that St. Ignatius gives us above (in his third point, in the introduction of this meditation).  We should give Our Lord our entire selves to use as He sees fit.  If He wants us to have actual poverty, then we embrace His will.  If He is not causing us actual poverty, then we tell Him that we will heartily embrace the spirit of poverty.  With this resolution we can imitate Him as He desires us to do.  

COLLOQUY:  Oh, dear Lord how can I thank Thee for such a loving invitation to follow Thee in all things, yes, even to death for love of Thee?  Oh, allow me to have the strength to conquer my inordinate self-love so I can give myself entirely to Thee without reserving anything for myself!!  I repeat the words that St. Ignatius gave above.  Indeed, it is my desire to give myself to Thee, to embrace actual poverty if Thou dost wish, and to have a true spirit of poverty so as to imitate Thee my Lord and Master.  I want no extravagant life, nothing that would distract me from abandoning myself completely to Thy holy service.  Please give me strength to die to myself and not to fear to stand up for Thee and Thy Truth.  Be Thou the King of my soul, and this means I will try to show my neighbor that he, too, must have Thee reign in him and in society.

We are now resolved to begin a more earnest and in-depth study of Our Lord and His virtues.  Hence, in our next lesson, we will begin our study by doing what St. Ignatius refers to as the Contemplation on the Incarnation. 

                    Mary’s School of Sanctity                   

Lesson #18  The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius – ON THE MERCY OF GOD

The meditations we have done on hell, with both its moral and physical suffering; death; and the judgments were intended to sober us and to foster sorrow for our sins.  Yet to prevent ourselves from falling for the temptation of discouragement, which is a lack of trust in God, we now add a specific meditation on the Mercy of Our Lord.  Our Lord does not want us to ever forget His Providential care for us.  He wants us to truly appreciate His kindness and His mercy.  This meditation was not included in St. Ignatius’s original Spiritual Exercises.  Still, because appreciation of Our Lord’s Mercy brings great gratitude, humility, and filial love for God, we include this meditation here.

This meditation will be set out in the style of St. Ignatius.

The preparatory prayer is the same as usual, I ask God Our Lord the grace that all my intentions, actions, and works may be directed purely to the service and praise of the Divine Majesty.

The FIRST PRELUDE is the mental representation of the place.  Here it will be to see with my imagination Our Lord as the Good Shepherd or Our Lord on the Cross suffering greatly for my soul.  

The SECOND PRELUDE is to ask for the grace:

To weep tears of gratitude for the many countless blessings and mercies that the Lord has poured out on my soul.  Also, I will beg Our Lord to have continued mercy on me.

The FIRST POINT is to consider what God has done for me.  He has taken such tender care of me.  He had me baptized and has given me innumerable blessings.

The SECOND POINT is to consider how Our Lord died for my sins.  He became Man for the purpose of dying on the Cross for me, a sinner.  He truly wants my salvation and has promised His constant forgiveness if I am truly sorry for my sins.

The THIRD POINT is to consider that Our Lord has not allowed me to die and be condemned to everlasting death in the tomb of hell.  He wants my salvation more than I do.  I must be grateful for His tender mercies that He has shown to me.

The COLLOQUY: I will pour out my heart to Our Lord, the Sacred Heart, and the Good Shepherd of my soul.  I will thank Him for ever seeking my soul, I who am so unworthy of His love.  I will beg Him to keep me ever close to His Heart and to never let me forget what I owe to Him.  I will beg Him to ever increase my love Him..

Considerations for the FIRST POINT: the blessings God has bestowed on me.

We tend to rely on ourselves[1] and do not think about the fact that we need God.  Yet when we reflect honestly within ourselves and look back on our life so far, we find countless things that God has done for us.

We can consider them in chronological order: He created me, He had me baptized as a Catholic etc.  Not only these, but He also gave me (and each of us) insights and knowledge that He did not give to others.  He drew me to the traditions of the Church.  He has given me the means to stay informed about the truth I need in order to maintain my Faith and Morals.  Indeed, He continues to instruct me every day if I truly am docile to what He wants to teach me.

Yes, He even has given me blessings in the form of crosses and I have not been grateful for this fact.  Here is what St. Alphonsus de Ligouri says of how valuable crosses are to us:

The saints have done but little to acquire Heaven. So many kings, who have abdicated their thrones and shut themselves up in a cloister; so many holy anchorites, who have confined themselves in a cave; so many martyrs, who have cheerfully submitted to torments, to the rack, and to red-hot plates have done but little.  “The sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared to the glory to come." (Rom. 8:18.) To gain heaven, it would be but little to endure all the pains of this life. Let us, then, brethren, courageously resolve to bear patiently with all the sufferings which shall come upon us during the remaining days of our lives: to secure heaven they are all little and nothing.  Rejoice then; for all these pains, sorrows, and persecutions shall, if we are saved, be to us a source of never-ending joys and delights. “Your sorrows shall be turned into joy.” (John 16: 20.)  When, then, the crosses of this life afflict us, let us raise our eyes to heaven, and console ourselves with the hope of Paradise.  At the end of her life, St. Mary of Egypt was asked, by the Abbot St. Zozimus, how she had been able to live for forty-seven years in the desert where he found her dying.  She answered: “With the hope of Paradise.”  If we be animated with the same hope, we shall not feel the tribulations of this life. Have courage! Let us love God and labor for heaven. There, the saints expects us, Mary expects us, Jesus Christ expects us; He holds in His Hand a crown to make each of us a king in that eternal kingdom.[2]

With these consoling words to encourage us, let us resolve to forge ahead accepting everything that God deigns to send us.

Let us pass on to the next consideration of how to appreciate God’s mercy that He has shown us.

Considerations for the SECOND POINT: Christ’s sufferings for the salvation of souls.

In St. John’s Gospel, we see Our Lord has such tender love for souls, for He says, “I am the Good Shepherd.  The Good Shepherd giveth His Life for His sheep.” [John 10:11] 

St. Alphonsus tells us in his beautiful sermon on the Mercy of God how Our Lord truly wants our salvation.  Listen to his consoling words:

Oh! With what tenderness does God embrace a sinner that returns to Him! This tenderness Jesus Christ wished to declare to us when He said that He is the good pastor, who, as soon as He finds the lost sheep, embraces it and places it on His own shoulders.  “And when He hath found it, doth He not lay it upon His shoulders rejoicing?" (Luke 15:5.)  This tenderness also appears in the parable of the prodigal son, in which Jesus Christ tells us that He is the good Father, Who, when His lost son returns, goes to meet him, embraces and kisses him, and, as it were, swoons away through joy in receiving him. ”And running to him, he fell upon his neck and kissed him."  (Luke 15: 20.) God protests that when sinners repent of their iniquities, He will forget all their sins, as if they had never offended Him. “But, if the wicked do penance for all the sins which he hath committed. … living, he shall live, and shall not die.  I will not remember all his iniquities that he hath done.” (Ezech. 18: 21, 22.) By the Prophet Isaias, the Lord goes so far as to say: “Come and accuse Me, saith the Lord. If your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made white as snow.” (Isa. 1:18.)[3]

We can see the tender care Our Lord takes of us and how in the Gospels there are countless examples of His mercies that He shows to us, His poor sheep. He searches for us and the angels rejoice over the repentant sinner, “There shall be joy in heaven upon one sinner that doth penance, more than ninety-nine just, who need not penance.” (Luke15:7)

He wants us to lean on Him and trust in Him. By doing so, we foster humility.

In our last consideration, we must ponder on how we must be completely committed to showing our gratitude to God by being willing to see our nothingness and our unworthiness of His mercy.  We must also have sorrow for all our sins.

Considerations for the THIRD POINT: I am still alive and I can dedicate the remainder of my life to more fervent service of Our Lord.

Let us see yet another instructive quote from the preaching of St. Alphonsus de Ligouri.

But no!  God cannot despise a humble and contrite heart. “A contrite and humble heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” (Ps. l: 19.)  To show mercy and grant pardon to sinners, God regards as redounding to His own glory. “And therefore shall He be exalted sparing you.” (Isa. 30:18.) The holy Church says that God displays His omnipotence in granting pardon and mercy to sinners. “O God, Who manifested Thy omnipotence in sparing and showing mercy.”  Do not imagine, dearly beloved sinners, that God requires of you to labor for a long time before He grants you pardon: as soon as you wish for forgiveness, He is ready to give it.  Behold what the Scripture says: “Weeping, thou shalt not weep, He will surely have pity on thee.” (Isa. 30: 19.) You shall not have to weep for a long time: as soon as you shall have shed the first tear through sorrow for your sins, God will have mercy on you. “At the voice of thy cry, as soon as He shall hear, He will answer thee." (Ibid.) The moment He shall hear you say: Forgive me, my God, forgive me, He will instantly answer and grant your pardon.[4]

These words show us again how God will only listen to those who are striving with all their might to be truly His friend.  Those who are indifferent to God do not take the time or make the effort to be concerned about how they live and act.  In the following passage of St. Alphonsus, he shows us the extreme patience God has for souls.

The same Prophet [Isaiah] answers: “The Lord waiteth that He may have mercy on you.” (Isa. 30:18.) God waits for sinners that they may one day repent, and that after their repentance, He may pardon and save them.  “As I live, saith the Lord, I desire not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” (Ezech. 33: 11.) St. Augustine goes so far as to say that the Lord, if He were not God, should be unjust on account of His excessive patience towards sinners.  By waiting for those who abuse His patience to multiply their sins, God appears to do an injustice to the Divine honor.  “We,” continues the saint, “sin; we adhere to sin (some of us become familiar and intimate with sin, and sleep for months and years in this miserable state); we rejoice at sin (some of us go so far as to boast of our wickedness); and thou art appeased!  “We provoke Thee to anger; Thou dost invite us to mercy.”  We and God appear to be, as it were, engaged in a contest, in which we labor to provoke Him to chastise our guilt, and He invites us to pardon.  Lord, exclaimed holy Job, what is man, that thou dost entertain so great an esteem for him? Why dost thou love him so tenderly?  “What is man that thou shouldst magnify him?  Or why dost Thou set Thy Heart upon him?” (Job. 7: 7.)  St. Denis the Areopagite says, that God seeks after sinners like a despised lover, entreating them not to destroy themselves.  ‘Why, ungrateful souls, do you fly from Me?  I love you and desire nothing but your welfare.’  “Ah, sinners!” says St. Teresa, “remember that He Who now calls and seeks after you, is that God Who shall one day be your Judge.  If you are lost, the great mercies which He now shows you shall be the greatest torments which, you shall suffer in hell.”[5]

Indeed, these words are both consoling and sobering!  Yes, we must want to show Christ that we belong entirely to Him.  How could we not love Him for His constant display of mercy and kindness to us, unworthy sinners!  So overwhelmed should we be from these powerful inspirations and admonitions, that we should not want to take God’s mercy for granted.

COLLOQUY: How can I thank God for the edifying instructions from the doctors of the Church?  I see more than ever before how I must not take God’s mercy for granted.  He does not owe me anything.  I will thank Our Lord, for giving me many insights.  I will beg Him under the titles of the Good Shepherd, my Redeemer, etc., reminding myself that even though God gives His blessings for free, I must be serious and sober about how I use them.  I will pour out my heart to thank Him devoutly and beg His continued mercy for my soul and for my loved ones.     

In our next lesson, we will consider St. Ignatius’s famous meditation on The Call of Christ the King.  This next meditation begins St. Ignatius’s Second Week which has been referred to as the ‘true’ beginning of the retreat because we are now ready to launch out into the depths of learning about how to imitate Our Lord.

Mary’s School of Sanctity

Lesson #17  The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius –—ON THE PARTICULAR AND THE GENERAL JUDGMENT [In the state of grace VS In the state of mortal sin]

Now after the sobering meditations that we have done on the pains of hell both of the senses and pain of the loss of God, and on death, we now consider how we can  increase our sobriety by meditating on our particular judgment and the general judgment at the end of time.  This meditation was also not included in St. Ignatius’s original Spiritual Exercises; however, since we know that we are poor creatures and cannot be too serious about our salvation, we must endeavor to take more means to help us be as sober as we can.

For the same reason, we should do meditations on hell, on death, and on judgment often in order to keep the seriousness of the goal of our life ever before our eyes.

This meditation will be set out in the style of St. Ignatius.

The preparatory prayer is the same as usual, I ask God Our Lord the grace that all my intentions, actions, and works may be directed purely to the service and praise of the Divine Majesty.

The FIRST PRELUDE is the mental representation of the place.  Here it will be to see with my imagination my particular judgment before God.  My body and soul have been separated and I am aware of my past and know exactly how I have been.  

The SECOND PRELUDE is to ask for the grace:

To weep for my sins while I still have time and to put my life in order before it is too late for me, knowing that my eternity will be determined by the way I live my life now.

The FIRST POINT is to consider what the particular judgment of my immortal soul is.  What is involved in the particular judgment?   Our Lord Jesus Christ will be my Judge.  He will repay me for all I have done and all I have neglected to do.  I will also consider what my particular judgment will be like if I am in the state of grace.  I will contrast this with what my particular judgment will be like if I am in the state of mortal sin.

Furthermore, I will consider that the sentence from the Divine Judge will be final.  I will resolve to live my life now at present the way I will want to be found at my particular judgment— which will occur as soon as my soul leaves my body.

The SECOND POINT is to consider the general judgment.  What will this scene be like?  I will try to form an image in my mind of the valley of Josaphat where the Church teaches that the general judgment will occur.

I will consider Our Lord judging the just and the damned.  On which side will I be?

The COLLOQUY: the possibilities for the colloquy are numerous. I will ask Our Lady and St. Joseph to help me live now the way I would have wanted to have lived when I am called to stand before the tribunal of the Incarnate Wisdom, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

I will now humbly beg Our Lord, Our Lady, St. Joseph or all three to help me live with the thought of pleasing God ever before my eyes.  I want to fear my Judge, Our Lord Jesus Christ with a filial fear, that is, a loving fear of displeasing my dear Lord and the Spouse of my soul.  Because I know that I will die the way I lived, I will beg for the grace of perseverance in my daily struggles and the gift of final perseverance.

Considerations for the FIRST POINT: the particular judgment

I have just drawn my last breath.  My body is motionless and those attending me have already assumed that my soul is gone, but no, my soul’s departure will happen in God’s mysterious way and in His timing.  No one can guess the exact moment.  Some time has passed.  But oh!  It is now, and the pain is like no other pain that I have ever felt before!!!  My will says, “Oh, my Lord, be merciful to me, help me!” [If I am in grace, I do hope I prayed that last prayer well.] [If I am in wretched sin, I did not think to say it but instead I have cursed that awful pain!] This last pain of my life, this tremendous pain, is only lasting one moment, but to be torn asunder in such a manner!!  WOW!! Unspeakable pain!!  Alas, my soul is now severed from my body.  How did I fair?  Lo, the Judge is already here to ask me the ONE TERRIBLE QUESTION—WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE TALENTS I GAVE YOU?  RENDER AN ACCOUNT OF YOUR STEWARDSHIP BECAUSE YOU CAN BE STEWARD NO LONGER!!!

He sees everything I have ever thought, imagined, said, done or left undone.  Nothing is hidden from Him.  I am alone and I must answer.  I know how I stand in that instant of judgment after that ultimate moment of pain, that is, my death.  Now the next instant – THE SENTENCE.  What will it be?

St. Alphonsus De Liguori preached these words:

BELOVED Christians, of all the goods of nature, of fortune, and of grace, which we have received from God, we are not the masters, neither can we dispose of them as we please; we are but the administrators of them; and therefore, we should employ them according to the will of God, who is our Lord. Hence, at the hour of death, we must render a strict account of them to Jesus Christ, our Judge. “You are not," says St. Bonaventure, in his comment on these words, “a master, but a steward over the things committed to you; and therefore, you are to render an account of them."[1]

St. Alphonsus de Liguori goes on to comment on Our Lord’s words, “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall render an account for it on the day of judgment” [Matt 12:36] by saying:

But if every glance, every idle word, and even good works, shall be judged, with what rigor shall immodest expressions, blasphemies, grievous detractions, thefts, and sacrileges be judged? Alas! On that day every soul shall, as St. Jerome says, see, to her own confusion, all the evils which she has done.[2]

St. Augustine says referring to Our Lord in regard to the particular judgment of each soul that, “He will come in love to the good, in terror to the wicked.”[3]

Keeping these wise words in mind, let us investigate the death of a member of the Elect versus the death of a reprobate.
           

The Particular Judgment for those in the state of grace:                               

 We must remember, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints” Ps. 115:15; and “the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them.”  Wisdom 3:1

 St. Alphonsus De Liguori tells us that, “the just man is not afflicted at the thought of being obliged to take leave of the goods of the earth, for he has always kept his heart detached from them.”[4]

Here is another encouraging quote from St. Alphonsus:

He who dies loving God, is not disturbed by the pains of death; but, seeing that he is now at the end of life, and that he has no more to suffer for God, or to offer Him other proofs of his love, he accepts these pains with joy.  With affection and peace he offers to God these last moments of life, and feels consoled in uniting the sacrifice of his death to the sacrifice which Jesus Christ offered for him on the Cross to His eternal Father. Oh! How great the peace of the Christian who dies abandoned and reposing in the arms of Jesus Christ, Who has loved us to death, and has condescended to suffer so cruel a death in order to obtain for us a death full of sweetness and consolation.[5]

Death of the Just

Thus, the soul that dies in the state of grace is a friend of Christ and loves Christ above all things.  What a consolation for this just soul to hear the sweet words, “Come ye blessed of My Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world!” [Matt. 25:34] Or to hear the following: “Well done, good and faithful servant, because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord!” [Matt. 25:21]

These are very consoling and peaceful words, indeed!  Our Lord says these words to the straight-to-heaven saints.  Yet to most souls who die in the state of grace the words are modified to convey to the soul the need to expatiate in the horrible fires of Purgatory.  Tradition tells us that these fires are the same as hell, except, of course, the fires in Purgatory will have an end, therefore the souls in Purgatory are not in despair but in holy hope.  Also, it must be remembered that the souls retained in Purgatory suffer with love and longing for Heaven. What consolation for the Holy Souls to know that they will eventually be going to Heaven!

Of course, the souls of the best friends of Our Lord bypass purgatory and enter into the joy of their Lord immediately. They enter upon the reward for their heroic efforts—the Beatific Vision!

One can also think about how the devil will accuse the just man at his particular judgment, however, Our Lady, St. Joseph and the man’s patron Saint will be there to defend him.  From this peaceful pondering of the saved, let us pass on to the terrifying punishment of those who were not friends of Christ.

 
The Particular Judgment for those in the state of mortal sin:

What happens to the one who is so unfortunate as to die in the state of deadly sin [that is, mortal sin]?  

St. Augustine says, “Above shall be an enraged Judge; below, a frightful chaos; on the right, sins accusing him; on the left, the devils dragging him to punishments; within, a burning conscience:  beset in this manner, whither will the sinner fly!”[6]

St. Alphonsus De Liguori tells us,

In the first place, the Judge shall demand of sinners an account of all the blessings and graces which He bestowed on them in order to bring them to salvation, and which they have rendered fruitless. He will demand an account of the years granted to them that they might serve God, and which they have spent in offending Him.[7]

Thus, the reprobate will face his Judge with nothing good to say for himself.  Listen to St. Bernard’s words referring to the sins of the reprobate which will accuse her [meaning the soul of the reprobate]:

Her very sins shall accuse her [the soul] and they shall say: “You have made us; we are your work; we shall not desert you.  We are your offspring; we shall not leave you: we shall be your companions in hell for all eternity.”[8]

In addition to the fitting punishment just described, St. Alphonsus quotes some very striking words of St. Augustine as follows:

The devil will be at hand, and will recite the words of your profession [whether religious vows or other vows made].  He will charge us before our face with what we have done, he will state the day and the hour in which we have sinned.”[9]

St. Alphonsus gives the following impressive quote St. Cyprian describing what the devil will say to Our Judge, “I have suffered neither stripes nor scourges for this man."  Then St. Alphonsus explains the deeper meaning of St. Cyprian’s words.  Basically, the devil is saying here, “Lord, I have suffered nothing for this ungrateful sinner, and to make himself my slave he has turned his back on thee who has endured so much for his salvation. He, therefore, justly belongs to me.”[10]

The reprobate will be overcome by his shame.

St. Basil says, “That she [meaning the soul] shall be tortured more by her shame and confusion than by the very fire of hell.” [11]

Imagine the terror that seizes the reprobate, because he, of course, knows his own guilt for having rejected Our Lord during his life, as he now hears the sentence to DEPART FROM ME into EVERLASTING FIRE!!

God wants no part with this sinner who has hated Him.  This sinner has wanted his own version of so-called happiness without God in the picture and so now this unrepentant sinner will be condemned to unhappiness for all eternity.  He is getting what he deserves.  He really wanted no part with God in his lifetime while on earth, so he can possess no part with God in his eternal death in hell.

By the following strong words, St. Alphonsus exhorts us who are still alive to beware:

"Before judgment, prepare thee justice." [Eccl. 18: 19] Let us adjust our accounts before the day of accounts. Let us seek God, now that we can find him; for the time shall come when we will wish, but shall not be able to find him. “You shall seek me, and shall not find me." [John 7: 36] “Before judgment," says St. Augustine, “the Judge can be appeased, but not in judgment." By a change of life, we can now appease the anger of Jesus Christ, and recover his grace; but when he shall judge, and find us in sin, he must execute justice, and we shall be lost.[12]

Now let us turn our attention to the second point of this meditation, the General Judgment.

Considerations for the SECOND POINT: the general judgment

The general judgment, an article of our Catholic Faith, is a reality which we must drill into ourselves, deeply, and establish this reality into the very marrow of our bones.

If we keep this terrifying day in our minds, then how many evils and sins would be avoided by us?  Yes, we know we must not displease Our Dear Lord, but when we feel frail and sorely tempted or influenced by the world around us, we have to pull out the scene of the General Judgment and fear the whole world knowing the sin publicly that we are being tempted to commit right now.  If we really think about this particular single sin we could commit right now as being viewed by every human being that ever existed, exists right now, and will exists in the future, would we commit this sin?  Would to God that this scene of the terrifying Wrath of God would convince us of the evil of sin, every sin, great or small!

Apocalypse paints the scene of the General Judgment very vividly. First, we know that the present world will be destroyed by the final conflagration.  Nothing will escape this purifying fire. This fire will kill all the rest of mankind.  Every soul will have a particular judgment.  So much for worldly amusements!  So much for seeing the world!  The earth has been defaced by sin so it is fitting that God renew it and make a new heaven and a new earth.  “Heaven and earth shall pass away but My word shall not pass away.” [St Mark 13:31]

Yes, St. Alphonsus puts this fact aptly when he says, “all shall become one heap of ashes.”[13]

Indeed, do we not pray, “Thou shalt renew the face of the earth” in the prayer to the Holy Ghost?  Yes, we want our hearts to be renewed in the dew of the Comforter.

After the final conflagration, the angels will gather the Elect from the four corners of the world.  The trumpet will sound and all will rise again for the great assembly of mankind for the final judgment.  Then the angels shall come and separate the reprobate from the elect, placing the latter on the right, and the former on the left.

St. Jerome used to say: “As often as I consider the Day of Judgment, I tremble. Whether I eat or drink, or whatever else I do, that terrible trumpet appears to sound in my ears, arise ye dead, and come to judgment”[14] and St. Augustine declared, that nothing banished from him earthly thoughts so effectually as the fear of judgment.[15]

We wonder what the bodies of the just and damned look like and how the Elect and the damned will feel.

St. Alphonsus answers our questions in these awe-inspiring words:

At the sound of that trumpet the souls of the blessed shall descend from Heaven to be united to the bodies with which they served God on Earth; and the unhappy souls of the damned shall come up from Hell to take possession again of those bodies with which they have offended God. Oh! How different the appearance of the former, compared with that of the latter! The damned shall appear deformed and black, like so many firebrands of Hell; but the just shall shine as the sun (Matt xiii 43) Oh! How great shall then be the happiness of those who have fortified their bodies by works of penance![16]

But the reprobate, like goats destined for the slaughter, shall be placed on the left, to await their last condemnation.  St. Chrysostom says, “On the day of judgment there is no hope of mercy for poor sinners.” Furthermore, St. Augustine says, “The greatest punishment of sin in those who live in enmity with God, is to lose the fear and remembrance of the divine judgment.”

Continue, continue, says the Apostle, to live obstinately in sin; but in proportion to your obstinacy, you shall have accumulated for the day of judgment a treasure of the wrath of God “But according to thy hardness and impenitent heart , thou treasurest up to thyself wrath against the day of wrath” [Rom 2:5]

 Then sinners will not be able to hide themselves but, with insufferable pain, they shall be compelled to appear in judgment. "To lie hid” says St. Anselm, “will be impossible, to appear will be intolerable."[17]

Fr. Cochem tells us that the bodies of the elect will be beautiful to behold and fragrant, whereas the bodies of the damned will be utterly disgusting and hideous to see emitting such a horrific and vile stench.  The damned will howl and shriek as they are forced by the angels to assemble for judgment in the Valley of Josaphat.[18]

Then the Sign of the Cross and the instruments of Our Lord’s Passion will be brought to be visible by all.  Then Our Lord Himself, the Just Judge will appear.

According to St. Jerome, the presence of Jesus Christ will give the reprobate more pain than Hell itself. “It would,” he says, “be easier for the damned to bear the torments of Hell than the presence of the Lord.”[19]  Hence, on that day, the wicked shall, according to St. John, call on the mountains to fall on them and to hide them from the sight of the judge. “And they shall say to the mountains and the rocks: Fall upon us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.” [Apoc. 6:16.]

With what kindness will Our Lord speak to the sheep, the Elect!!

Let us listen to the beautiful and consoling text of St. Alphonsus:

But now comes the sentence.  Jesus Christ will first turn to the elect, and address them these consoling words: Come, ye blessed of My Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…How great will be the joy of the elect in hearing the Judge say to him: Come, blessed children, come to a kingdom; for you there are no more pains, no more fears; you are and shall be saved forever. I bless the blood which I have shed for you and I bless the tears which you have shed for your sins.  Let us ascend into Paradise, where we shall remain together for all eternity! The most holy Mary will also bless her servants, and will invite them with her to heaven.  And thus, singing Allelujas, the elect will enter heaven in triumph, to possess, to praise, and to love God forever.[20]

Let us contrast the above beautiful words St. Alphonsus gives us to ponder with the terrifying words that come from the Lamb of God showing God’s just Anger and Wrath as He speaks to the damned.

But on the other hand, the reprobates, turning to Jesus Christ, will say to Him: What will become of us?  The Judge will say, since you have renounced and despised my grace, Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire. Depart; begone from Me; I wish neither to see nor to hear you ever more.  You cursed, go, and since you have despised by blessing, go accursed.  And where, O Lord, will they go?  Into fire, into hell, to burn both in soul and in body.  And for how many years, or how many ages?  Into everlasting fire; for all eternity; as long as God shall be God.  After this sentence, says St. Ephrem, the reprobate will take leave of the angels, of the saints, of relatives, and the divine Mother. “Farewell, ye just! Farewell, O Cross! Farewell, O Paradise! Farewell, fathers and children, for we shall never see any of you again! Farewell O Mary, Mother of God![21]

St. Alphonsus tells us that the punishment of being separated from the sheep is a huge loss for the damned.  Here he cites St. John Chrysostom, “This punishment alone would be sufficient to constitute a hell for the wicked”.[22]

Then considering the finality of the sentence St. Alphonsus has this to say:

What excuses can save the wicked on that day? Ah! they can offer no excuses. “The just shall see, and shall rejoice, and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.” [Ps. 106: 42.) Their very sins shall close the mouth of the reprobate, so that they will not have courage to excuse themselves. They shall pronounce their own condemnation.[23]

St. Bernard says, that, “the sentence of the elect, and their destiny to eternal glory, shall be first declared, that the pains of the reprobate may be increased by the sight of what they lost.”[24]

Concluding thoughts:

On which side will I be?  I must consider with fear and trembling that I could easily be on the side with the goats.  I must examine my life and amend all defects I detect.  I must ask others for their advice about defects they find in me.  And I must do penance and not neglect my soul.  Indeed I must never forget that I will die the way I have lived and my eternity depends on how I live and how I die.

COLLOQUY: How can I thank God for the instruction I have received from all of these considerations!  What a healthy fear they have stirred up in my soul!  What a desire they have burnt into me to truly want to serve God as I ought and love Him with my whole heart and soul! 

I can beg Our Lord to help me always remember that I will have to render an account of myself to Him.  Likewise, I will beg my Mother Mary to guide and protect me in this life so I can be rendered safe for all eternity.  Also, I will fly to St. Joseph, the Patron of the dying to help me live virtuously, so I can die virtuously and be safe both at my particular judgment and at the General Judgment.  I will close with an Our Father, Hail Mary, and a Glory Be.

In our next lesson, we will consider the great Mercy of God, not only in His Redemption of Mankind, but in His having preserved us in life and having given us the Faith and insights to follow Him well.

 

                    Mary’s School of Sanctity                   

Lesson #16  The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius — ON DEATH [In the state of grace vs. In the state of mortal sin]

In addition to the meditation on both the pains of the senses and the horrific pain of the loss of God, we now include a meditation on death.  This also was not included in St. Ignatius’s original Spiritual Exercises; however, it is so valuable for fostering man’s proper desire for God and to work for God’s glory and praise.  Furthermore, if we are to acquire the holy indifference[1] that St. Ignatius wants us to have and keep, we must meditate on death, not only within the framework of the Spiritual Exercises, but also on a regular basis. In other words, he who meditates often on death will be able to prepare for death and die well. 

This meditation will be set out in the style of St. Ignatius.

The preparatory prayer is the same as usual, I ask God Our Lord the grace that all my intentions, actions, and works may be directed purely to the service and praise of the Divine Majesty.

The FIRST PRELUDE is the mental representation of the place.  Here it will be to see with my imagination my death bed or the scene of my death.

The SECOND PRELUDE is to ask for the grace:

1) to understand the gravity of sin now while there is still time for me; 2) to truly see that my life here on the earth is a test in which I am merely an exile; 3) to see that I must be detached from this world in order to have an intense desire for God in heaven, and 4) to be convinced that by understanding these truths, I will be preparing to die well.

The FIRST POINT is to consider what death is in itself. First, I will consider the following attributes of death.

1) Death is certain—all humans have to die.

2) Death takes everything—our possessions, our time, our body.

3) Death is painful— [the separation of the soul from the body] an instantaneous change.  A person may linger and be ‘dying’ for a long period of time but the actual substantial change which occurs when the soul departs the body is one intensely painful moment.

4) Death’s circumstances are unknown. — No one knows the actual time and place in which he will die. God could reveal this to someone, but for most people He does not reveal these facts.

The SECOND POINT is to consider what will happen to me spiritually at my death, e.g., what spiritual battles will I encounter at my death?

I will also consider what my death would be like if I am in the state of grace.  I will contrast this with what my death would be like if I am in the state of mortal sin.

Furthermore, I will consider what the spiritual struggle and combat at death will involve for both of these states of soul.

The COLLOQUY: the possibilities for the colloquy are numerous. I will let the Holy Ghost guide me for my colloquy. I will draw on the considerations which struck my heart the most and address myself to Our Lord, Our Lady, St. Joseph or all three.  I will pour out my heart to them, now thanking them for their mercy, now petitioning for their help at my death so I can die well, etc.

Considerations for the FIRST POINT:

One can surely take many different aspects about death into consideration, but we will limit them to the following four attributes of death.

1) Death is certain—all humans have to die. 

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment.”  Hebrews, 9:27.

In the book of Genesis, it is revealed to us that man has to die. “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the earth, out which thou wast taken: for dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return.”  Genesis, 3:19.

Death came into the world as a consequence of Adam’s sin. Therefore, no one can escape the hand of death.  There is absolutely nothing we can do to avoid death. Tradition teaches that Our Lady died even though she was conceived without original sin.  Yet, death for her was a fitting imitation of her Divine Son.  Enoch walked with God and was seen no more [Gen.5:24].  Elias was taken up in a fiery chariot with fiery horses into heaven in front of the prophet Eliseus [4 Kings, ch. 2]. Yet we know from the book of the Apocalypse that these two prophets will be martyred by the Antichrist. Hence, they will have to die like everybody else.

2) Death takes everything—our possessions, our time, our body. “For we brought nothing into this world: and, certainly, we can carry nothing out.”  [1Timothy 6:7]  Our Lord reminds us of this fact in His parable about the rich man who had plenty and thought within himself, saying, “What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said: This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and will build greater; and into them will I gather all things that are grown to me, and my goods.  And I will say to my soul: thou hast much goods laid up for many years take thy rest; eat, drink, make good cheer.”

Our Lord continues, “But God said to him: Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee: and whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?”  St. Luke’s Gospel, 12:16-20.

At death, we will have no more time.  No more time to praise, revere, and serve God.  The time for merit will be over and the time to increase in our love for God will be over.  Likewise, the time to offend God is over and we can do no more damage to our souls then.  All is ended.  All is final.  No one will go with us for we go alone. Our bodies must be left behind.

Simply stated, our souls will be summoned to the tribunal.  Our souls will be “naked” and we, along with our works, will undergo the scrutinizing inspection of God.  

3) Death is painful— [Death is the separation of the soul from the body] an instantaneous change.  This is the separation of a person’s two parts which are more intimately connected together than a person is connected with his own arm or leg – which separation is painful indeed! 

A person may linger and be ‘dying’ for a long period of time, but the actual substantial change which occurs when the soul departs from the body is one intensely painful moment.  We often hear people say such things as, “At least so-and-so didn’t suffer, or he/she died so peacefully and didn’t suffer much”, or “He or she passed quietly in his/her sleep”.  No, we must not be fooled into thinking that because someone was non-responsive at death, that his/her death wasn’t painful. Death is THE MOST PAINFUL MOMENT OF LIFE!!  No other suffering in life is as painful as death. This is because death involves acute physical suffering coupled with mental suffering.  No one is exempt from this suffering, not even infants.

People talk about giving the dying person morphine so he/she will not suffer too much.  We must remember that death is supposed to be painful and the pains of death are for our benefit and purification.  They are meant to be offered up to God as reparation for our sins. We are intended to imitate Christ in His suffering and death. We are intended to unite our death to Christ’s Passion and death. Life is a trial to see if we will be faithful to Christ, and death is our final exam.       

4) Death’s circumstances are unknown.—No one knows the actual time and place in which he will die. God could reveal this to someone but for most people He does not reveal this.  In fact, St Gregory tells us that God conceals the time of our death so that we will always be prepared to die.[2]

St. Bernard says, “Since, then, death may take away life at any time and in any place, we ought, if we wish to die well and save our souls, to live always in expectation of death.”[3]

Scripture also warns us that the timing of death is unknown to us, in order for us to take the means to prepare for it: “Delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to day; for His wrath shall come on a sudden, and in the time of vengeance He will destroy thee.” Ecclesiasticus, 5:8-9.

Here is how St. Paul warned the Thessalonians to prepare for death:

But of the times and moments, brethren, you need not, that we should write to you: For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord shall so come as a thief in the night.  For when they shall say: Peace and security, then shall sudden destruction come upon them, as the pains upon her that is with child, and they shall not escape.  But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you as a thief.  For all you are the children of light and children of the day: we are not of the night nor of darkness.  Therefore, let us not sleep, as others do: but let us watch, and be sober.  For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that are drunk, are drunk in the night.  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, having on the breast plate of faith and charity and, for a helmet, the hope of salvation. Thessalonians, 5:1-8.

Here are the words of Our Lord warning us to be always ready for death:

Watch ye, therefore, because you know not what hour your Lord will come.  But this know ye, that if the good man of the house knew at what hour the thief would come, he would certainly watch, and would not suffer his house to be broken open.  Wherefore, be you also ready, because at what hour you know not, the Son of man will come.  St. Matthew’s Gospel, 24:42-44, cf., St. Luke’s Gospel, 12:39.

And again:

Behold, I come as a thief.  Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.  Apocalypse, 16:15.

St. Peter echoes these words:

Wherefore, dearly beloved, waiting for these things, be diligent that you may be found before Him unspotted and blameless in peace.  1 Peter, 3:14.

Likewise, Holy Mother Church warns us and prays for us in the Litany of the Saints for the Rogation Days, “From a sudden and unprovided death, deliver us, O Lord.” This invocation carries with it a 300 days indulgence which inspires us to say it often.

This fact – that we know not the hour, the moment, or the circumstances of our death – helps us to remember what St. Paul tells us to work out our salvation in all fear and trembling.  With this sober thought, let us pass on to the consideration of the second point.

Considerations for the SECOND POINT:

Why is death so terrifying for us humans?  Is it only because of the horrific pain of the separation of the soul and body?  No, it is because of the unknown beyond.  We will meet Jesus Christ our Judge and He will be all just, and the time of mercy will be over.  Furthermore, there will be the formidable foe to taunt us especially at our last hours.  St. Gregory reminds us with the following words what this will mean.  He tells us:

Consider well how terrible is the hour of death, and how appalling the remembrance of our evil deeds will be at that time.  For the spirits of darkness will recall all the harm they have done us, and remind us of the sins which we have committed at their instigation.  They will not go to the deathbed of the godless only, but they will be present with the elect, striving to discover something sinful whereof to accuse them.  Alas! How will it fare with us hapless mortals in that hour, and what can we say for ourselves, seeing how innumerable are the sins to be laid to our charge?  What can we answer our adversaries, when they place all our sins before us, with the object of reducing us to despair?[4]

Fr. Cochem also tells us in his book The Last Four Things, “It is the opinion of many of the Fathers, that every one, when expiring, sees the evil enemy, at any rate at the moment of drawing his last breath, if not before.  How appalling this sight is, and with what terror it must inspire the dying, exceeds the power of words to declare.”[5]

What will our death be like?  It really depends on how we have lived.

If the tree fall to the south, or to the north, in what place soever it shall fall, there shall it be.  Ecclesiasticus, 11:4.

St. Alphonsus de Liguori explains the meaning of this passage in this quote from one of his sermons about death.

If, when the tree of your life is cut down, you fall to the south, that is, if you obtain eternal life, how great shall be your joy at being able to say: I shall be saved; I have secured all; I can never lose God; I shall be happy for ever. But, if you fall to the north, that is, into eternal damnation, how great shall be your despair! Alas! You shall say, I have erred, and my error is irremediable! Arise, then, from your tepidity, and, after this sermon, make a resolution to give yourselves sincerely to God. This resolution will insure you a good death, and will make you happy for eternity.[6]

With these realities in mind let us consider the two types of death possible to a man—death in the state of grace or in the state of mortal sin.

Death in the State of Grace

“The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them.  In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure was taken for misery: and their going away from us, for utter destruction: but they are in peace.”  Wisdom, 1:1-3.

These are very consoling words of Scripture.  They remind us that God will not ever abandon us.   The quotes given above about the attacks of the evil one at our death are dreadful, yet we know that our heavenly helpers will be with us to defend us. Our Lady and St. Joseph will come to assist us.  Also, we know that our guardian angel and patron saints will protect us.

We should work hard to foster a great love for Our Lady and St. Joseph.  By being close friends with this holy couple, they become our heavenly parents, too.  By speaking to them very often, this will help us to develop the habit of having recourse in prayer to them.  In this way we will build our confidence in them and their special protection against the evil foes who at our death will be trying desperately to drag our thoughts to darkness and despair.  Then, even when we are in the greatest weakness of our lives, that is, when we are dying – we will still be directing our thoughts and prayers to them.

Likewise, we should not forget that if we are faithful in praising, revering, and serving God in our lives, then we will look forward to finishing our course here on earth and be out of the danger of losing our souls.

How then can we be faithful in praising, revering, and serving God?  We must work on being detached from earthly goods in order to put our hearts on eternal things and on our service of God.  We must be zealous in His service because our entire eternity will be determined by how well we served Him.

Fr. Hurter, in his Sketches for the Exercises of an Eight Day’s Retreat, says:

“Whilst we have time let us work good.” [Gal 6:10] “Defraud not thyself of the good day, and let not the part of a good gift overpass thee.” [Eccl.,14:14] therefore spend your days in such a manner that you can say every evening what our Divine Redeemer said on the evening of His earthly life: “I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do.” [John 17, 4]  Then we can hope to hear the consoling words of the divine Judge: “Well done, good and faithful servant… enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” [Matt. 25:23] [7]

Therefore, death in the state of grace is a beautiful thing.  When we live loving God with all our might, then we have peace with God.  We accept what He deems best to send us even if we do not understand His plan.  We soon build trust in His Providence and will be willing to die trusting in Him.   

Now let us consider the tragedy of death in the state of mortal sin.

Death in the State of Mortal Sin

What kind of death can a person in mortal sin expect?  Whether a person be a hardened sinner, a careless sinner who foolishly thinks that he will convert on his deathbed, or a worldling who doesn’t give any serious thought of death, death will come and find him unprepared.  Hell awaits him.  Despair seizes him.  He has been living in hellish pride, no doubt, for quite some time now.

He has been living in selfishness and accustomed to giving in to sensuality.  Where was God in his life?  He either put God completely out of the picture or only had a little corner reserved for God and any communication with God.  He talked to God only when he wanted something from God. He had no real friendship with God.  He totally disregarded Our Lord’s words, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”

St. Alphonsus de Liguori describes the scene:

How will the dying man, who has always lived in sin, be able, in the midst of the pains, the stupefaction, and the confusion of death, to repent sincerely of all his past iniquities?  I say sincerely, because it is not enough to say and to promise with the tongue: it is necessary to promise with the heart.  …  What terror and confusion will seize the unhappy Christian who has led a careless life, when he finds himself overwhelmed with sins, with the fears of judgment, of hell, and of eternity!  Oh!  What confusion will these thoughts produce when the dying sinner will find his reason gone, his mind darkened, and his whole frame assailed by the pains of approaching death.  He will make his confession; he will promise, weep, and seek mercy from God, but without understanding what he does; and in this tempest of agitation, of remorse, of pains and terrors, he will pass to the other life.  The people shall be troubled, and they shall pass [Job, 34; 20].[8]

Another striking quote of St. Alphonsus is, “Having loved sin till death, he has also loved the danger of damnation.  Hence the Lord will justly permit him to perish in that danger in which he has voluntarily lived till the end of his life.”[9]

St. Paul puts the situation of the unrepentant sinner aptly when he says, “Be not deceived, God is not mocked.  For what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap.  For he that soweth in his flesh, of the flesh also shall he reap corruption.” Galatians, 6:7-8.

And what of the typical worldling who has been caught up in the pleasures of the world—one who wanted all sorts of material things and comforts?  When death approaches, he will finally realize that he must leave everything behind.  How empty he will find his life then.  He will see that he has led a very shallow life.  All the pampering of his flesh and the luxuries that he wallowed in, he can have them no more.

And of course, as we have said above, the devil will torment him now, saying that it is too late to be truly sorry and it is not worth humbling himself to beg God’s mercy. The devil will try whatever trick worked the best with the poor sinner before.  He can easily use the trick of despair or presumption.  Certainly, the devil will try with all his might to see that this poor wretch makes it to hell and makes absolutely no attempt at true repentance.

COLLOQUY: Accordingly, now after having considered these very sobering truths, I can certainly pour out my heart to the Sacred Heart and thank him for His example of how to die.  I will thank Our Lord and Our Lady for all the mercy shown to me up to this point. I will thank God for all of His insights and blessings, especially for allowing me to understand death better through considering death in all its aspects.

I will ask God for the grace of final perseverance.

I will talk to Our Lady, my Mother, to assist me in life and especially at my death.

Likewise, I will talk with St. Joseph and beg him to help me always, and especially as I draw my last breath.  

In our next lesson, we will consider both the PARTICULAR JUDGMENT and the GENERAL JUDGMENT in order to keep enhancing our love for God and to foster an even greater desire in our souls to persevere in making our greatest efforts in all we do for Him.

 

Mary’s School of Sanctity

Lesson #15: The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius – The Second Exercise on Hell—On the Pain of Loss of God; the Worm of Conscience; and the Eternity of Hell

Meditation on the pain of the loss of God and the other moral punishments of hell is so efficacious that we wanted to add it to our series of the Spiritual Exercises.  Even though the following considerations are not given by St. Ignatius, the holy writers of the Church have focused so much on them because they aid souls in increasing the soul’s desire for God and in acquiring a filial love of God.  Since the highest perfection requires the filial love of God, we Catholics should aspire to obtain filial love.  In fact, the part of this meditation about the loss of God should intensely move us to desire to love God ever increasingly.  This meditation can and should be done often to strengthen our love of God and to help us remain faithful children to Our Heavenly Father.  One crucial additional advantage to this meditation is that it helps a person have perfect contrition.    

We will set this out as in the previous exercises.

The preparatory prayer is the same as usual: I ask God Our Lord the grace that all my intentions, actions, and works may be directed purely to the service and praise of the Divine Majesty.

The FIRST PRELUDE is the mental representation of the place.  Here it is to see hell as we saw it in Lesson #14.

The SECOND PRELUDE is to ask for the grace to acquire true filial love of God and a great horror of sin and its malice which so displeases God Whom we should love with all our hearts, minds, and souls. THUS, WE SHOULD BEG GOD THAT WE BURN WITH SUCH GREAT LOVE FOR HIM THAT WE HAVE A GREAT FEAR OF LOSING OUR WILLINGNESS TO LOVE HIM WHICH COMES AS A CONSEQUENCE OF US HAVING BLINDING PRIDE.  Hence, we beg Him to give us self-knowledge in order to foster our knowledge of Him, and the proper humility necessary in order to have a divine friendship with Him.  Furthermore, we will consider an additional way to conceive a true horror for sin by trying to understand the ugly malice which is found in the mind of the damned so as to conceive a true fear of imitating such a wretched soul.  Hence, we beg God to help us shun all sinful pride.    

The FIRST POINT is the pain of the loss of God.  Here it will be to ponder deeply about what it means to lose our most beloved Spouse of the soul, Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom Himself.  I will take the sobering words of Our Lord to allow myself to feel the intense anguish of losing Him Who I was created to love and be united with for all eternity in sublime bliss.  In His parable about the foolish virgins who did not care to keep the oil of sanctifying grace in the lamps of their immortal souls while they waited for the Divine Bridegroom, Our Divine Lord said, “Amen, I say I know you not.”  And again, Our Lord tells His Apostles what He will say to those who did not love Him or want to obey His Commandments, “Depart from Me, ye cursed into everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels” [St. Matthew 25; 41].  I will make many more considerations to penetrate this GREAT LOSS.

The SECOND POINT is to consider the worm of conscience and its remorse.

The THIRD POINT is to consider ETERNITY.  The pain of loss and remorse of conscience will never end.

 The COLLOQUY: Enter into a colloquy with Our Lord speaking to Him about His mercy and thanking Him profoundly for His mercy.  Also the exercitant should humbly beg God for His continued mercy on his soul.  Included in this begging heart to heart talk with Our Lord is to beg for a humble and fervent love for Him in order to desire Him with all one’s heart and to want to be with Him for all eternity.

Considerations for the FIRST POINT – the Pain of the Loss of God

One can begin this meditation on the pain of the loss of God, by taking some moments to consider what loss means in general.  When one loses something he owns and cares about, he grieves for its loss.  Logically, the more important the object lost, the greater is his grief for having lost it.  For example, if one loses his car keys, he is not pleased.  Go further and consider if he loses the car itself, he would be even more distressed.  Now take the example of him losing his house key and think about his reaction.  Then go further and consider his house burning down from top to bottom, we would say that he suffered an enormous loss. 

Still, we can go further and consider what it is like to lose a loved one, e.g., a loving spouse, or a child.  How horribly grieved one is for such a loss!   Now we must consider the ultimate and most crucial loss possible for man: THE LOSS OF THE ALL-GOOD GOD FOR ALL ETERNITY!!!

For this to have a profound impact upon us, we must ponder deeply Who God is.  In our Lessons #10 and #11 on the Principal and Foundation, we spoke of God and His magnificent attributes.  We meditated on the fact that we were created to praise, revere, and serve God, and this really means to love Him with our whole heart and mind.  “Our hearts were made for Thee, O Lord, and are restless until they rest in Thee,” is the famous quote from St. Augustine.   Oh, how St. Augustine captured this tremendous truth!

Think about it: to be cursed by God; to be separated from our Creator, our Redeemer, and our Sanctifier!

If we were thus cursed, then this deserved curse means that we did not appreciate being created, redeemed at such an enormous price, and also that we shunned the Holy Ghost, the Divine Love, by our refusal to cooperate in His most loving assistance, to sanctify us and make us happy in this life and in eternity.

The pain of the loss of God really involves a soul realizing the lesson of what we meditated on in the Principle and Foundation.  The lesson, that is, that we are creatures of God, made in His Image and likeness in order to praise, revere, and serve Him during our lifetime, and thus save our souls and be happy with Him for all eternity.  The happiness that God planned for us to have is the only perfect happiness there is, seeing God in the Beatific Vision for all eternity.  This means seeing God in the state of glory, which St. Thomas Aquinas explains is the only way man can see God.[1]  The damned soul knows there is no possible happiness available for him.

Yet, the reprobate, whilst he was on earth did not concern himself enough or at all, with this moral obligation.  He tried to be happy in his own way and not in the way that God designed.  He was made for happiness and still wants the happiness that he was created to enjoy; yet because at his death his will was fixed against God, it remains fixed against God for all eternity.  Nevertheless, he still wants happiness in eternity in his own way, which doesn’t include God.  This constant contradiction of the truth about his happiness and his own proud designs for happiness on his own terms constitutes this horrific pain of loss.  In other words, he will never get his way.  In life this soul didn’t want to obey God’s way of things, namely, do God’s Will and therefore in hell, he does not want to do God’s will.

Let’s further penetrate the mindset of the damned.  Because the reprobate rejected God and served himself by giving into selfish sensuality, this base selfishness naturally brought forth an excessive opinion of himself, which we usually call self-conceit.  The natural result of his self-conceit is pride, which is none other than he wishing to appear above what he really is.  His reason tells him what manner of man he is and that he owes all praise to God.  However, because he is not consulting his reason when seeing himself, he becomes completely blind.   God, in His Infinite Wisdom, allows the reprobate to remain in his blinding-pride.  The reprobate lived his life on earth as the enemy of God, despising God’s precepts.

In addition to this wretched way that they lived, at their deaths these souls cared more about the punishments they deserved and their plight than they cared about the injustice their sins against God have caused.  They show further false judgment and injustice to God by not thinking about His mercy.  They falsely judge that their own wretchedness is greater than God’s Mercy, thus heaping a far greater insult on God.  This is a sin against the Holy Ghost and is known as dying unrepentant.  This sin can never be forgiven.  Because they refused to acknowledge what they owed to God, He allows them to die in their self-centered self-pity and despair.

Of course, we can also well imagine the case of a completely blinded soul caught up in the pride of presumption at his death.  This person shows his insulting and audacious pride by not recognizing the injustices that he committed against God, and presuming that God will take him to heaven.

Therefore, the souls in hell are punished not only for their malicious disregard for God’s commandments but also for their selfish disregard for His justice.

The unrepentant sinner sees at his particular Judgment that God is Just and He rightly condemns the sinner to eternal separation from the Infinite Good, namely, God.

So now in hell, being fixed in his blind pride, he knows that he deserves to be separated from God FOREVER!  We must remember that the lost soul’s heart is fixed in evil in hell as it was found at death, and indeed, as it was in his life on the earth.  As the saying goes, as we live, so we shall die.  If we try to make ourselves our own god and disregard God and His Commandments, we show that we hate God.  There are no repentant sinners in hell.  These souls think to themselves in hell, as they did in their lifetime, and at the crucial moment of their death, that, “since I cannot have happiness on my terms, I don’t want the Author of happiness at all.”  And yet they know they are miserable because they were made for God’s Way of happiness, and not their own.

They have lived according to Satan’s motto, “Non serviam,” and now they are not surprised to find that they are living that motto for all eternity.  They plainly hate God and blaspheme Him and His justice.  THEY HAVE BROUGHT UPON THEMSELVES THIS ETERNAL DENIAL OF TRUE HAPPINESS!!!

Our Lord calls their punishment eternal death.  St. Thomas Aquinas says that before the general resurrection, the damned with suffer as if they had their bodies.   And so before and after the general resurrection, their eternal death is always occurring.  They will feel the awful intense pain as if they were at the moment of their souls actually separating from their bodies, namely, death.  We must imagine in this meditation the concept of being forever on the point in which our souls are being separated from our bodies.  This is a fitting punishment for the damned because it shows all the better the absolute malice of one trying to make himself his own god and not wanting to be humble and comply with God’s Plan.

The soul that damns itself truly has rejected God.   Nevertheless, we must not think that the inability to have the happiness their human nature desires, does not give these souls the greatest pain—for truly it does!

Fr. Cochem, in his book, The Last Four Things, quotes St. Bonaventure as saying, “The most terrible penalty of the damned is being shut out forever from the blissful and joyous contemplation of the Blessed Trinity.”[2]

Likewise, Fr. Cochem follows this with the authority of St. John Chrysostom saying, “I know many persons fear hell because of its pains, but I assert that the loss of the celestial glory is a source of more bitter pain than all the torments of hell.”[3]

Fr. Cochem also informs us that:

For the vision of God is so beauteous, so blissful, so full of rapture and infinite delight, that all the joys and attractions of earth cannot compare with it in the remotest degree.  In fact, all celestial happiness, how great soever it might be, would be turned to bitterness if the vision of God was wanting; and the redeemed would choose rather to be in hell, if they could there enjoy that beatific vision, than be in heaven without it.  Just as the privilege of beholding the divine countenance constitutes the chief felicity of the blessed, the one without which all others would be no happiness at all, so it is the chief misery of hell, that the lost souls should forever be excluded from it.  On this subject St. John Chrysostom says: “The torments of a thousand hells are nothing in comparison to the anguish of being banished from everlasting bliss and the vision of God.”[4]

Let us think about what St. Paul writes, “That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love Him.”[1^st Corinth 2:9]

Also, St. Paul writes, “We see now through a glass in a dark manner, but then face to face.” 1^st Corinth 13:12.

Here St. Paul is alluding to the wonderful Beatific Vision that awaits the Elect.  Certainly the mystical saints saw visions of God and were completely in love with Him.  They were so much in love that they longed extremely earnestly for heaven.  We were all made for this union with God, which is the Beatific Vision.[5]  

Since spiritual pains are much worse than physical ones, the damned suffer the most exquisite pain in always knowing they cannot have happiness in any way whatsoever.  Now let us pass on to our second point, which we must keep in mind is ongoing in conjunction with the pain of loss.

Considerations for the SECOND POINT – the worm of conscience – “this worm that dieth not”

Fr. Cochem, in The Last Four Things, says:

All the senses of the reprobate have each their peculiar punishment: their reason, or intellect, is punished by the pain of loss – a punishment surpassing all the senses.  The memory of the reprobate is tormented by “the worm that dieth not,” that is, by a most keen and constant remorse of conscience, which will give them no rest.

The lost sinner will remember how many graces and means of salvation he had during life to save his soul; how God sent him so many good instructions, how he had the grace of  prayer within his power to enable him to practice the virtues of his state, to overcome temptation, to keep the commandments of God and the Church; how his pious friends exhorted him to lead a good life by their exhortations, but especially by their good example; he had so many opportunities of instructing himself in his obligations by the hearing of the word of God and the reading of good books, and of  strengthening himself in the discharge of his duties by the reception of the sacraments and by the practice of devotion to the blessed Virgin![6]

The damned feel an overwhelming shame.  The reprobate will see how easy it was to have saved his soul.  He will see that he could have taken the means and lived completely for God.   He could have made the necessary efforts to amend his life.

Yet he was too lazy and/or slothful.  He was seeking comfort and ease instead.  He certainly did not think about what happens to souls immediately after death, the particular Judgment.  He did not meditate on the four last things.  He could have kept his mind focused on his duty and pleasing God.  He will see all the lost opportunities for virtue and his growth in virtue.   He will constantly reproach himself and hear the reproaches of Christ and all that Christ suffered in order to help him save his soul.  But now it is too late!!  He can never change what he did in his life.  He will feel intense despair and will wail, lamenting and gnashing his teeth.  His hatred of God will ever be manifest to him and his fellow-inmates in that abode of doom.[7]

Here again we quote Fr. Cochem in The Last Four Things:

St. Thomas [Aquinas] tells us that the sins of each one will be a fully known to the others as if they could behold them with their bodily eyes.  Every one can imagine what anguish this must be.   For what is so painful on earth as to be put to open shame? [8]

Jeremiah 23:40, “I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame which shall never be forgotten.” [9]

Thus, as St. Ephrem says, this shame and infamy will be more insupportable than hell-fire itself, because it will keep constantly before their remembrance the sins whereby they defiled themselves on earth.[10]

Their shame is most bitter and is intensified by the fact that every soul in hell knows all of the sins of his fellow inmates.  All reputations will be public.  The Catholics will especially be mocked in hell because they were given the supreme benefits of the Church and they still failed to save their souls.  This suffering of intense shame will be worse because of the fact that IT WILL NEVER END!!!

This brings us to the third point—the consideration of eternity.     

The THIRD POINT is to consider ETERNITY.

Not only is this suffering without end, without mitigation, without interruption, but it is also without consolation.

Fr. Cochem explains why hell must be eternal:

Rather than humble himself before God, and implore His pardon, he [the reprobate] would endure yet greater tortures in hell.  Therefore, because the sinner will not repent of his sins, nor ask pardon for his sins, he remains eternally in a state of sin, and because his sin is never expiated or repented of, the punishment is likewise eternal.[11]

The torments of the damned will never end, never pass away.  When a thousand years have gone by, another thousand will commence and so on for evermore.[12]

One can meditate on this concept of eternity and think of how if I damn by soul I will NEVER get out of this place, I will be here FOREVER!

The damned see clearly that they will never be released from the prison that they deserve and they shriek with despair and blasphemies against their Creator and Judge for punishing them so.  THEIR DESPAIR AND HATRED ARE AT THEIR HEIGHT AND WILL NEVER DIMINISH AS LONG AS GOD IS GOD – THUS, FOREVER!!!!

COLLOQUY: After considering these points, let us speak with heart-felt prayer to Our dear Lord about all He has done for us.  Let us beg Him to give us a genuine sorrow for sins and fear of displeasing Him ever again in our lives.  Let us desire with the mystics to be with Him in the highest contemplation.   Let us beg Him to enkindle our hearts with love and gratitude for sparing our souls up to the present time and not allowing us to fall into hell.  Let us tell Him of our desire to be so strongly attached to Him that we shudder at the mere thought that anyone could actually hate Him.  Let us end our colloquy with begging Him to never let us fall into carelessness in our service of Him, knowing that such carelessness is the road to ruin.

It is also a good idea to speak to Our Lady and St. Joseph, begging their intercession in order to increase our love for God and our hatred of sin. 

 In our next lesson, we will consider DEATH both in the state of grace and in the state of mortal sin.  This meditation is done with the same motivation of intensifying our love for God and our hatred for sin.

                    Mary’s School of Sanctity                   

This meditation is on hell.  Its main purpose is to strengthen our conviction that the greatest evil that exists is sin.  In this Exercise, St. Ignatius is focusing on the pains in the senses.  As usual, we will first set out exactly what St. Ignatius tells us, and then incorporate more considerations for the exercitant to use when actually doing the meditation.

The preparatory prayer is the same as usual, I ask God Our Lord for the grace that all my intentions, actions, and works may be directed purely to the service and praise of the Divine Majesty.

The FIRST PRELUDE: This is the mental representation of the place.   Here it will be to see in imagination the length, breadth, and depth of hell.

The SECOND PRELUDE: I will ask for what I desire.  Here it will be to ask for a deep awareness of the pain suffered by the damned, so that if I should forget the love of the Eternal Lord, at least the fear of punishment will help me to avoid falling into sin.

The FIRST POINT is to SEE in imagination the great fires, and the souls enveloped, as it were, in bodies of fire.

The SECOND POINT is to HEAR the wailing, the screaming, cries, and blasphemies against Christ Our Lord and all His saints.

The THIRD POINT is to SMELL the smoke, the brimstone, the corruption, and rottenness.

 The FOURTH POINT is to TASTE bitter things, as tears, sadness, and remorse of conscience.

The FIFTH POINT is with the sense of TOUCH to FEEL how the flames surround and burn souls.

COLLOQUY:  Enter into a colloquy with Christ Our Lord.  Recall to mind the souls in hell; some are there because they did not believe in His coming, others, though they believed, did not act according to His Commandments.

 I can divide these souls into three classes:

1. Those who went to hell before the coming of Christ.

2.  Those who were damned during His lifetime.

3. Those condemned to hell after His life in the world.

I will now give Him thanks for not having permitted me to fall into any of these classes, thus putting an end to my life.

I will also thank Him for the great kindness and mercy He has always shown me until this present moment.  Conclude with an “Our Father.”

St. Ignatius gives us a basic framework in which to meditate on hell.  He has told us to ask for a fear of the physical pains of hell and that our fear should be so intense that if we should forget to fear displeasing God, at least the fear of His punishments would prevent us from committing offenses against the all-good God. 

We must remember that God, Who is all-good, is also all-just.  As we considered the most horrific malice of mortal sin in our last lesson [Lesson #13], we can see plainly that such malice must have a place of fitting punishment.

We, by our fallen human nature, do not like to suffer, nor do we like to think of suffering.   Yet, by pondering the terrifying suffering of hell, the place of God’s just punishments, we can gain strength to resist the wicked inclinations of our fallen human nature.   As it says in Ecclesiasticus, “In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin.”[1]  So, in meditating often on hell, we shall more certainly escape hell after death.

 Father Hurter, S.J. tells us this truth in a striking way in his book Sketches for the Exercises of An Eight Days’ Retreat.  He says,

This meditation shows us clearly and distinctly how God judges mortal sin, and we must form our judgment according to His.  It should fill us with a holy fear. “Pierce thou”, says the Psalmist, “my flesh with thy fear, for I am afraid of thy judgment.” (Ps. 118:120) A time may come when love and fervor relax, temptations multiply, seductive occasions of sin become so enticing that only the fear of hell will keep us away from them.[2]

Let us now take an intense look at each of the senses and see their accompanying deserved pains of hell.

What do the damned see in hell? 

Although there is everlasting fire, there is no light.  The abyss is like an ocean of flames.      

Picture to yourself a pillar of fire that reached up two miles in the sky, much like what happened in the firestorms in the bombing of Hamburg during World War II.  Yet despite the fire of God’s Wrath, deep impenetrable darkness will prevail.  As Our Lord warned, “bind his hands and his feet and cast him into the exterior darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” [St. Matt. 22:13] 

Fr.  Martin von Cochem, in his book The Last Four Things, speaks of the impenetrable darkness and gloom of hell. Here are his words:

Now there is a land which is covered with the shadow of death, where no order, but an eternal horror reigns.  That land is hell.  An oppressive gloom weighs upon the lost; an indescribably terrible darkness prevails…

In this horrible darkness the damned lie helpless as blind men, or as those who have had their eyes cruelly put out.  They see nothing, for the acrid sulphur destroys their sight.[3] 

And St. John in the Apocalypse says, “To him (Satan) was given the key of the bottomless pit.  And he opened the bottomless pit; and the smoke of the pit arose as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke of the pit.” (Apoc. 9:2)

“They shall be tormented with fire and brimstone, and the smoke of their torments shall ascend up forever and ever; neither shall they have rest day and night.” (Apoc. 14:11)

However, the damned can sense the fierce demons who will be like monsters that torture the damned.  To be in the dark in a place unknown is terrifying.  What must it be like in hell where the reprobate is aware of thousands of demons and damned souls around him in this dark and noisome dungeon?

Let us now consider the source of all the gruesome noise.

 

What do the damned hear in hell?

Endless moaning, groaning, whining, weeping, screaming, howling, wailing of souls in agonies, cursing, blaspheming, laughter voices of the demons mocking the damned, the gnashing of teeth which will send a blood-curdling chill up the spines of the other damned etc.   The list could go on and on.  In short, every imaginable terrifying noise at the loudest pitches barely tolerable to human ears will be the constant torment of the damned for all eternity.  There will be no breaks or peaceful silence.   

Perhaps those who indulged in raunchy rock-n-roll so-called ‘music’ will be tormented in hell with the horrific thumping of heavy-metal bass drums like deafening thunder in their ears.  Then their ears will ache with the piercing of the demonically-inspired noise which is “rock-music”, that they found no problem listening to while on earth.  Thus, while they were alive, they tortured and scandalized other souls by forcing their trashy noise on the poor ears of others.  Most of us have had the unfortunate experience of being in a store and hearing this demonic trash blaring over the store’s public announcement system.  This demonic noise is so horrible that one’s soul actually hurts and one can get a headache.  One cannot wait to get out of that place!!

There will be the noise of hissing and growling of the demons who will take the shape of the most hideous monsters.  The damned will curse each other, especially the souls which were related by family ties, and associated with each other in life.  They will mock one another.  Catholics will especially be mocked because they were given the means to salvation and they threw their salvation away.

The damned hear resounding in their ears the severe words of the angry Judge: “Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” [St. Matthew 25:41].  These awful and dreadful words will echo and re-echo in their ears as the worm of conscience that dieth not.  They will hear their consciences rebuking them with, “You could have changed.  It was not so hard.  You liked to boast and criticize others, look where your boasting has brought you!  You thought you were so great and look at you now.  How ugly you are, you horrible monster!   You are worse than all the other trash in this place!  Cursed is the day that you were conceived, and the day that you were born!   What good was all the pampering of your body in your lifetime?  Look where all that luxurious pampering has brought you—to this reward of pitch and darkness!!  Where is your air-conditioner now?  Where is the comfort of pleasant warmth in this frozen part of hell where the fire chills you to the bone? Etc.”

Yes, there will be no end to the torment of the ears; however, we will now consider the odors of hell.

What do the damned smell in hell?

The stench of one carcass is so disgusting.  Most people have some idea of what this smells like.  Who has not at some point smelled perhaps a dead mouse or experienced smelling a piece of rotten meat?

One man we know told us that he came to a place where there were deer carcasses at room temperature which were set aside to feed some dogs.  He said the stench was so horrid that all he knew was that he had to get out of that place because staying there was not compatible with life or sanity.  What a striking thing to experience!  What if we picture “hundreds of thousands [of carcasses] heaped together, the air for miles around would be so infected that it would cause the death of all in the vicinity.”[4]

Fr. Cochem has many more forceful points about the stench of hell.  First of all, he tells us to remember that hell is an abyss filled with brimstone [sulfur].  He also mentions pitch, the residue from distilling tar which is hot and sticks to things. 

He relates how St. Bonaventure says the body of a single reprobate would so taint the air on earth as to cause the death of all living beings coming near it.  Then Fr. Cochem goes on to say that, “if one single damned body emits so horrible a stench, what can the exhalation be that rises from many millions of these wretched beings?”[5]

Fr. Cochem tells how the tyrant Maxentius used to punish a living man by binding him to a corpse, “face to face and limb to limb, until the unhappy victim fainted, or even died through contact with the dead and decomposing body.”  What an inhumane punishment to give a man!  Yet in hell, the bodies will be placed close to one other and this is a fitting punishment for the damned because God is all-just.

In addition to these nauseating and frightful examples, Fr. Cochem reminds us that the demons will also emit a vile stench which is much more offensive than the souls of the reprobates.  He says, “We read in the life of St. Martin that the evil one appeared to him upon one occasion, and the stench that filled the room was so overwhelming that the saint said to himself, ‘If one single devil has so disgusting an odor, what can the stench be in hell, where there are thousands of devils all together?’”[6]

Of course, we all have our own ideas of the most horrible odors we have experienced—rotten food with mold, sewage, vomits, rotten eggs, etc.  It is best to imagine the worst smell we have ever experienced and use that smell in this meditation.  The important thing is to incorporate the most graphic scene in order for this meditation to be the most efficacious. 

We live in very immoral times where people are loath to accept suffering of any kind, which includes people unwilling to have any distasteful odors anywhere.  We see this is true by going into the bathroom supply aisle in a store, where we find find every kind of potpourri, aerosol fragrances, scented candles, and even perfumed oils to plug into an outlet – all of which is meant to keep everything smelling wonderful at all times.  If a person finds it difficult to tolerate these odors, what is he going to do if he must endure far worse in hell for all eternity?

With this remarkable contrast in mind, let us turn to the sense of taste.

What do the damned taste in hell?

We live in very corrupt times and in very rich times, especially in more modernized countries.  Every luxury seems to be available in residential areas and most definitely on the internet. 

People so are obsessed with specialty foods and drinks.  The food industry gears its advertising to appeal to every whim people have from fancy gourmet coffee, elaborate entrees, and so-called ‘health-food’ to the lowest ‘craving’ for sweet, salty and greasy foods.  This industry is pushing more and more for us to satisfy any whim.  Obesity is on the rise even in poor countries.  In these apostate times man has truly forgotten God!!   Food, instead, has become his sole comfort.  St. Paul’s admonition fits our times well when he speaks of people “whose god is their belly”.[7]

What a contrast when comparing this to what is to be expected in hell.  Hunger and thirst forever!  Starvation without end!  All the things we mentioned about the wretched smells in hell will pervade the taste buds as well as the nostrils of the damned.

The taste buds will be tormented with the bitter tears of remorse and the fire.  The mouth and tongue will be torched and tortured with a violent thirst as Our Lord says of Dives, who wanted Father Abraham to let fall one drop of water to soothe his burning tongue.  The throat will likewise be scorched and parched, never allowed to have any relief.

In the history of mankind, we can find examples of people starving in famines and wartimes.  We can read about people eating the most disgusting and unclean things because they were starving—including eating human flesh!

Yet, what a stark contrast this picture is to modern men who, having indulged themselves at the slightest pang of hunger on earth, will have never-ending, intense gnawing-pain in their stomachs in hell!!

As Our Lord says, “Blessed are ye that hunger now: for you shall be filled,” and later on a few verses down He adds, “Woe to you that are filled: for you shall hunger.”  St. Luke’s Gospel, 6:25.

So here in this meditation we can clearly see our dear Lord’s words fulfilled.  Our Lord spoke very often about hell, but the theme that He spoke the most about when referring to hell is the everlasting fire.  With this in mind, let us now consider what torments are awaiting the sense of touch.

 

            What do the damned feel with the sense of touch in hell?

Now let us turn our attention to what is perhaps the most gripping of the physical pains in hell—the never-ending fiery flames of hell!!

Fr. Martin von Cochem has several poignant things to say about hell’s fire. We now share some of them with our fellow students in Mary’s School of Sanctity.  Because we want to avoid going to this horrible abode of the reprobate, we want to make the deepest impression on our souls and be completely filled with a just fear of the Lord.

St. Bridget says in her revelations, “The heat of hell-fire is so great that if the whole world were wrapped in flames, the heat of the conflagration would be as nothing in comparison with it.”[8]

Fr. Cochem writes, “St. Augustine tells us that the most fearful fire on earth is, in comparison with the fire of hell, like a painting of fire compared to a real fire.”[9]

Fr. Cochem continues, “When thou seest a fire, call to mind the fire of hell.  And since thou couldst not endure to put thy hand for a single instant into that fire, think what the heat of hell-fire must be, surpassing as it does so infinitely the small fire thou seest before thee.  If thou canst not bear this, how canst thou endure the other?”[10]

Most likely, we humans have done this brief reflection at some point in our lives.  Unfortunately, we most likely shrugged our shoulders and have thought within ourselves, “That’s a horrific thought.  I surely cannot endure thinking about that anymore.  At least, I will not think about it anymore right now.”

Here’s another powerful statement from Fr. Cochem:

“It has now been made clear that the damned will one day be cast, body and soul, into the huge and awful furnace of hell, into the immense lake of fire, where they will be surrounded by flames.  There will be fire below them, fire above them, fire all round about them.  Every breath will be the scorching breath of a furnace.   These infernal flames will penetrate every portion of the body, so that there will be no part or member, within or without, that is not steeped in fire.”[11]

There are times when we humans suffer a slight example of this description.  Take the case of someone who is in the heat of a ferocious fever, or someone who has taken some medication that causes a major vasodilation of the blood vessels, or some hormonal or other physical cause of a burning flush.  In these circumstances, one feels as if he would like to take his skin off if it were possible to get a little relief or coolness.  Yet, this troublesome ailment is nothing compared to the eternal internal and external intense heat of the damned.

We humans are truly frail and fickle.  Again, when we think of the corrupt times we live in, we are witnesses of how most people are continuously looking for physical comforts.  With the human body temperature being 98.6 degrees, we are very limited in what temperatures feel tolerable to us.  Indeed, it seems that mid-seventies are our best comfortable range and if conditions be anything slightly above or below this, people start to complain. 

At least in modern industrialized countries, people have air-conditioning in their homes, offices, stores, cars—just about everywhere.  People indulge in swimming pools, etc., because they feel like they cannot handle the season unless they have these amenities.  And again, people use “the heat” as an excuse to dress so scantily as if they were still in the Garden of Eden and original sin had not yet occurred.  The same type of self-indulgence occurs in the coldest months of the year.  Let’s face it, modern man wants to be comfortable all the time and not sacrifice anything.  Most unfortunately, people do not realize that their attitude is a recipe for damnation.

Using the above considerations:

“In truth, hell is a place of suffering, pain, and sadness. ‘Pierce thou my flesh with thy fear: for I am afraid of thy judgments.’ [Ps. 118: 120]”[12]

The exercitant is to read through all of the material or as much as he needs to, in order to accomplish what St. Ignatius intends, namely, to acquire:

a deep awareness of the pain suffered by the damned, so that if I should forget the love of the Eternal Lord, at least the fear of punishment will help me to avoid falling into sin.

Quoted from the Second Prelude, above.

For indeed, St. Ignatius wants the exercitant to make the considerations so he has a stronger Fear of the Lord and abhorrence for sin and especially to stir up his heart and to pour out his heart to Our Lord to thank Him for the great kindness and mercy He has always shown until this present moment.  [Bold text taken from the colloquy quoted above]

In our next lesson, we will consider the FIFTH Exercise (ON HELL) again but this time we will consider THE PAIN OF THE LOSS OF GOD.

 

 

 

Mary’s School of Sanctity

In the second, third, and fourth exercises, we address sin in its other aspects and with a greater intensity of understanding of what exactly sin is.

The preparatory prayer is the same as the first exercise: I ask God Our Lord the grace that all my intentions, actions, and works may be directed purely to the service and praise of the Divine Majesty.

THE SECOND EXERCISE {personal sin}

For this exercise the usual preparatory prayer is used which is given above. 

The second exercise’s meditation is in some ways a repeat of the first exercise.  In this meditation the FIRST PRELUDE is the same mental image of seeing one’s own soul in his corruptible body as St. Ignatius says, “the mental image will consist in imagining, and considering my soul imprisoned in its corruptible body, and my entire being in this vale of tears as an exile among brute beasts.  By entire being, I mean both body and soul."       

The SECOND PRELUDE is to ask God Our Lord for what I desire.  I shall here beg for an ever increasing and intense sorrow and tears for my sins.

THE FIRST POINT is the review of my sins.  I shall recall to my mind all the sins of my life, looking at them year by year, and period by period.  Three things will help me to do this: first, I shall recall to my mind the place and house where I lived; secondly the associations I have had with others; thirdly, the positions which I have filled.

 The SECOND POINT is to weigh my sins, considering the loathsomeness and the malice that every mortal sin has in itself, even though it were not forbidden.

The THIRD POINT is to consider who I am and abase myself by these examples:

1. What am I in comparison to all men?

2. What are men in comparison with the angels and saints of heaven?

3. What is all creation in comparison with God? Then myself alone, what can I be?

4. Let me consider all my own corruption and foulness of body.

5. Let me see myself as a sore and an abscess from whence have come forth so many sins, so many evils, and the most vile poison.

The FOURTH POINT is now to consider who God is, against whom I have sinned, recalling His attributes and comparing them to their contraries in me: His wisdom to my ignorance; His omnipotence to my weakness; His justice with my iniquity; His goodness with my sinfulness.

The FIFTH POINT is to be struck with amazement and filled with a growing emotion as I consider how creatures have suffered me to live, and have sustained me in life.  How the angels, the swords of Divine Justice, tolerated me, guarded me, and prayed for me.  How the saints have interceded and prayed for me.  How the heaven, moon, and stars, and the elements; fruits, birds, fishes, and animals have all served my needs.  How the earth has not opened and swallowed me up, creating new hells that I might suffer eternal torment in them.

COLLOQUY. I will end this meditation with a colloquy directing my thoughts to God’s mercy.  I will give thanks to Him for having granted me life until now, and I will resolve with the help of His grace to amend my life for the future.  Close with an “Our Father.”

In this second exercise St. Ignatius has us take a hurried glance over our past life in order to convince ourselves of our sinfulness.  Without entering upon an exact examination of our conscience, he wants us to consider the ten, twenty, forty, or more years which we have lived thus far.  Perhaps we will not be able to find a year without some grievous sin in it.  Perhaps there are many grievous sins.

In our examination St. Ignatius would have us not forget to examine the five senses of our body and the powers of our soul which are all desecrated and withdrawn from the service of God.  For indeed, we have sinned with our eyes, our ears, our tongue, through stubbornness, self-love, self-will, willfulness, and selfishness; we have abused all our faculties.  We must bear in mind the commandments of God and His Church which we have broken.  Likewise, we must not forget our duties-of-state which we have neglected; the capital sins of which we are guilty; the graces and the sacraments which we have abused.  Let us recall the places, hidden and public, where we stayed and not forget to recall the persons against whom we have sinned, in thought, word, and deed; our parents, our superiors, our brethren, our inferiors.  We should not forget those whom we have induced to commit sin by our bad example and by the scandal we gave.

St. Ignatius knows that this short examination is very beneficial because it wakes us up from our sleep of sin because we have indeed become lethargic and are callous to sin.  This review of our lives also reminds us of our debt to God and urges us on to do penance and return like the Prodigal Son.

Because St. Ignatius wants us to be convinced of the grievousness of sin, he sets forth his points to help us see the enormity of sin.

In his Sketches for the Exercises of An Eight Days’ Retreat, Fr. Hurter, S. J. presents many good points to help us see this enormity.  He discusses the abyss of ingratitude, the abyss of misery; the abyss of malice; and the horror of sin, both mortal and venial!!!!

Let us consider his points one by one.

I) THE ABYSS OF INGRATITUDE

Sin encloses within itself an abyss of the most hateful ingratitude because of the nature of what man does when he sins.

a. He returns evil for good.  Instead of thanking God for His innumerable benefits, he offends Him and despises His holy Will.

b. But the ingratitude of the sinner is still more contemptible because he abuses the very benefits of God to offend his Benefactor.  With the eyes which God gave him; with the tongue which God loosened for him; with all the powers and abilities which God bestowed upon him.

c. This ingratitude becomes still greater because man offends God at the very moment in which God is conferring benefits upon him and is thinking of new benefits.    For the very moment in which God preserves us in being, gives us health and strength of body and soul, and protects us against the heavenly powers who are but too eager to avenge themselves on us wretched creatures for offending their Lord and God.  [Ponder also that He brings us to a better knowledge of ourselves, brings us to contrition, and to return to Him, and then, makes us partakers of eternal bliss].[1]

Fr. Hurter relates the example of St. Polycarp being asked to deny his faith saying, “It is eighty-six years since I began to serve the Lord, and never has He done anything against me:  How can I now have the heart to blaspheme my King Who has redeemed me?”  This tremendous and edifying example is something to keep in mind when we are sorely tempted.  We see that we must ever shun ingratitude to God and we must give Him what we owe Him with devotion and love.

II) THE ABYSS OF MISERY

Grievous sin contains unspeakable misery.  Here is how Fr. Hurter sets forth some of the sad consequences which grievous sin produces in the soul:

a. The soul loses its baptismal grace.  Baptismal grace is so beautiful because God’s light shines in the soul.  But through mortal sin, the soul becomes deformed and is not acceptable to God.  Therefore, the soul that departs this life in this state must hear the words, “Depart from Me, ye cursed.”[2]

b. The innocent soul in the state of grace is a child of God, a brother of Jesus Christ, a temple of the Holy Ghost; by sin he becomes a child of wrath, a slave of the evil spirit.  Can we think of a greater degradation?  The debasement of a lost son, a child well brought up, of good parents, is but a faint picture of the degradation of a human being fallen into mortal sin.[3]

c. Before the sin the innocent one was rich in graces and merits; for all the good done in this state has a golden value, meritorious for eternity, and in the days of innocence so much was done.  But all this is lost by mortal sin.  To the sinner these words may be applied: “Because thou sayest: I am rich and made wealthy, and have need of nothing; and knowest thou not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor and blind, and naked.” (Apoc. 3:17)[4]

In addition to these consequential points, Fr. Hurter explains further,

Before sinning, the innocent man led a supernatural life, a life of grace. Sin robs him of this life. He dies, and how gruesome is his death! Death is the more disastrous, the higher the scale of life in which the creature was.[5] 

Fr. Hurter goes on to compare the life of a flower with that of an irrational animal and says that of course the death of an animal is more unpleasant because the animal is a higher form of life.  The death of an irrational animal is not as unpleasant as the death of a man[6] because man is the highest material creature. Then he says:

The corpse of a man scares us, and it takes time and self-conquest to become accustomed to the sight.  Why?  Because human life is considered more perfect.  But how much higher and more perfect is the supernatural life of grace.  Therefore, in the light of faith and in the eyes of the angels and saints, the condition of the soul that has lost this life is much more gruesome.[7]

This simple comparison really tells us the serious reality of the disaster of mortal sin.  Fr. Hurter’s words are striking when he adds:

No earthquake, no conflagration, no flood in the richest field of the earth can bring about a devastation as great as mortal sin does in the paradise of an innocent soul.  What a folly the sinner commits who at such a loss flings away the grace of God.[8]

III) THE ABYSS OF MALICE

Mortal sin contains an abyss of malice because grievous sin is an offense against God. The gravity of an offense is based upon the difference between the person offended and the offender.   The higher the dignity of the person offended, the more grievous is the offense.

This is the reason why St. Ignatius has the exercitant make the comparisons of himself with all men; men to the angels and saints in heaven; and then all creation to God. 

Fr. Hurter draws these comparisons out, as follows:

a. What is one man compared to the entire human race?  A mere cipher, a speck of dust, a drop of water compared to the ocean.  What are all men in comparison with the heavenly court? Miserable beings.  And what are all the angels when weighed against God? ‘Behold the gentiles are as a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the smallest grain of a balance; behold the islands are as a little dust.’ (Isaias 40:15) hence what am I in comparison with God?[9]

To further illustrate the wretched malice connected with sin, Fr. Hurter addresses St. Ignatius’s FOURTH POINT here:

And to become still more penetrated with my nothingness when compared with God, let me review the perfections of God.  God is so infinitely wise, and I so ignorant; God all-powerful, who poises the universe in His fingers, I so impotent, scarcely able to move a rock from its place; God immense, and I bound to space and place; God from eternity, I but from yesterday; God infinite and perfect, and I so limited and imperfect.  And yet I, a mite, have dared to say to God: ‘I will not serve.  You have indeed forbidden, but for all that I’ll do it, I do not care for Your Will.’  What malice![10]

This description is so appalling and yet an absolutely true picture of what the mortal sinner does to God, his Creator.

Fr. Hurter adds still more sobriety in his last two sub-points:

b. To this malice is allied presumption.  Or is it not rashness to sin before His eyes, in His presence? If children wish to violate the precepts of their parents, they do so secretly, behind their backs; not so the sinner, who breaks the command of God openly, before His very eyes.[11]

c. The sinner’s demeanor is indeed very bold, because he dares to offend Him in Whose Hands he is.  On His Hands depends life and death, heaven and hell.[12]

These last two points certainly show how with unspeakable audacity we humans offend God and manifest an utter lack of the gift of the Holy Ghost, that is, fear of the Lord.  We should shudder at such boldness!

If all of the above material has not yet brought the fruit of this meditation, namely intense sorrow and tears, we should beg for spiritual help from our heavenly helpers as we dig deeper into the concept of the horror of sin.  So far, we have been focusing on mortal sins; however, we must not forget that venial sins are infinite offenses against God as well!!

Are we in earnest when we resolve to avoid mortal sin above all things?  Then we must extend our resolution also to venial sin.  Without this resolution we can hardly succeed in always avoiding mortal sin.[13]

The Church also wants us to avoid venial sin.  She shows this in the conditions She requires for obtaining a plenary indulgence.  Not only are Holy Confession and Holy Communion required, but also is the intention to not have any attachment to deliberate venial sin.

Likewise, we must remember Our Dear Lord’s words, “He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them; he it is that loveth Me.  And he that loveth Me, shall be loved of My Father: and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” (St, John 14:21).  We cannot fool Our Lord.  We cannot claim to care about Him if we have no regard for His commandments.

The following are some key points given by Fr. Hurter to help rouse in us a true horror of all sin.

I.  We can look at the great multitude of our venial sins.

We can take a look at our lives in a similar way in which St. Ignatius had us examine our possible mortal sins—looking at the places we have lived, the persons we have associated with, at the senses of our bodies, the powers of our soul (which we have desecrated), at the duties we have neglected, at the graces we have abused, and bad examples we have given, by word and deed.  Truly as it says in the Mass prayers, we have “innumerable sins, offences, and negligences.”

Even though our sinfulness should startle us, we should not give up in despair, but blush for shame, and learn humility.  We should strive to diminish our daily faults and weaknesses.[14]

II. We can consider the grievousness of venial sins.

These sins are offences against God Who is infinitely great.  Thus, even the least offence to infinite majesty is a very great evil.  If we are careful so as not to offend our loved ones or friends, how much more should we take the greatest care not to offend God Who is supreme goodness and Our heavenly Father?

Venial sin defiles the soul.  Because our souls have been given sanctifying grace and thus made stately in the image and likeness of God, it is a horrific thing to stain the soul with venial sin. We would be ashamed if we were to appear before the angels in a filthy condition, let alone appear before God in this soiled state.  Therefore, it is perfectly understandable that soiled souls prefer to plunge themselves into Purgatory because they know they are unworthy to appear before God.

Venial sin shows its malicious character in the fact that it paves the way to mortal sin.  Because venial sin weakens the will, it especially weakens the soul and makes the conscience callous to sin; the soul can fall when a storm of temptation to commit a mortal sin arises. “He that contemneth small things, shall fall little by little” (Eccl. 19:1).  Therefore, it is all the more crucial to make a firm resolution not to play with venial sin, so one will not fall into mortal sin.  The saints worked to keep their consciences delicate and were truly frightened away from mortal sins.[15]

The causes of venial sin and the means to become free from deliberate venial sin.  Another helpful aspect of Fr. Hurter’s treatment of sin is his accurate assessment of the causes of venial sins and the means to become entirely free from deliberate venial sins, and at least to diminish the number of our faults and failures.

He says, “The first cause is sloth.  When this vice rules us, venial sin and faults thrive luxuriantly.  The remedy for it is fervor, for experience tells us that venial sin will disappear as a fog before the sun when we are all aglow with fervor.” 

He tells us, “The second cause is a want of watchfulness and of mortification of the senses.  If we let our senses roam about freely, the spirit of the world will soon take hold of us.  All kinds of distraction will appear, and with them temptations. The spirit being already weak will be taken by surprise and yield, now to this, then to that fault.”

Then he tells us, “The third cause is conceit.  Whoever over-estimates his own powers, is overconfident in himself, takes too little heed of danger, and is less careful to avoid occasions, will soon learn from his own experience how weak he is.  And the Lord will the sooner permit him to take a false step, the more he trusts in himself and prefers himself to others.  Pride goes before a fall.”[16] 

The means to avoid deliberate venial sins are based upon St. Ignatius’s Rules for the Discernment of Spirits.  We can see by what he says below that certainly agere contra[17] is needed to combat sin.

Fr. Hurter says, “If we are in earnest when we make a resolution against grievous sin, we must take up the fight against venial sin with unshaken firmness, and consider it no small evil with which we can afford to play.  We must be zealous, watch the various occasions, not trust too much to ourselves, and be discreet and humble.  Then with the grace of God we shall avoid all deliberate venial sin and shall considerably diminish the cloud of human weakness and miseries.”[18] 

Along with the resolution to avoid deliberate venial sin, St. Ignatius’s main goal in this Exercise is for the exercitant to have true repentance.  We have asked for intense sorrow and tears.  With all of the above considerations about mortal sin and venial sin, we certainly have much to inspire compunction of heart.  Let us try to see the entire malice of sin, and by the awareness of our own sinfulness, we shall be filled with repentance.  “My eyes have sent forth springs of water: because they have not kept thy law” (Ps. 118:136).  We must tell ourselves that for no price will we commit another grievous sin (if we have had the misfortune to have committed them in the past). This is the greatest misfortune that can befall us.

Let us beg God’s Mercy and not cease to beg Him to preserve us from such a horrific calamity!

THE THIRD EXERCISE

This is a repetition of the first and second Exercises, with three colloquies.

After the preparatory prayer and the two preludes, the first and second Exercises are to be repeated.  I [the exercitant, that is] will note and dwell upon the points in which I have felt the greatest consolation or desolation, or the greatest spiritual relish.  I will then make these colloquies in the following manner:

THE FIRST COLLOQUY is with Our Lady, that she may obtain grace for me from her Son and Lord for three things:

1.  That I may have a thorough knowledge of my sins and a feeling of abhorrence for them.

2. That I may comprehend the disorder of my actions so that detesting them, I will amend my ways and put my life in order.

3. That I may know the world, and being filled with horror of it, I may put away from me worldly and vain things.

Conclude with the “Hail Mary.”

THE SECOND COLLOQUY is with the Son of God.  I will beg Him to intercede with the Father to obtain these graces for me.  Conclude with the “Anima Christi.”[19]

THE THIRD COLLOQUY is with our Eternal Father.  I will request that He Himself grant these graces to me. Conclude with the “Our Father.”

THE FOURTH EXERCISE

 This is a résumé[20] of the third exercise.

I [St. Ignatius] have called this a résumé because the intellect, without digression, is to recall and review thoroughly the matters contemplated in the previous Exercises.  The same three colloquies should then be made.

Although we have covered three exercises in this lesson, St. Ignatius intends each of them to be done separately.  As one can see, they build off of each other but are intended to be done one at a time.  The exercitant is asking for a more intense awareness of the malice of sin and to have a true sorrow for sin and an extreme horror of sin.  We cannot build a fervent love for God if we do not fear to offend Him.

In our next lesson we will do the FIFTH Exercise ON HELL–THE PAIN OF THE SENSES.[21]