CHAPTER IV: ON THE ORDERING OF LOVE, PLEASURE, DRESS, REFECTION, AND THE CUSTODY OF THE
ON THE ORDERING OF LOVE, PLEASURE, DRESS, REFECTION, AND THE CUSTODY OF THE SENSES, GESTURES, AND THOUGHTS.
§ 1. The inordinate love of creatures.
§ 2. Mortification of carnal delights.
§ 3. Moderation in dress and furniture.
§ 4. The manner of bodily refreshment.
§ 5. The government of the tongue.
§ 6. The custody of the senses.
§ 7. Manners and gestures.
§ 8. The control of our thoughts. __________________________________________________________________
§ 1. The inordinate Love of Creatures.
RECALL frequently to mind that thou art a Christian, not for the sake of the present but of the future life; and, despising earthly and transitory things, transfer thy affections to those which are heavenly and eternal. Thy soul is formed of so noble a nature that this whole world is not sufficient to satisfy it. Transitory and worthless things will never satisfy thee; but God alone, who is the supreme and eternal Good, will satisfy thee. And this will be fulfilled in thee when, being received into heaven, thou shalt see God as He is. There is nothing here on earth but a miserable exile, and bitter winter; in heaven is our true home, and a most delicious summer. How short is this life, however long it may be, compared to eternity! It can hardly be called a moment of time. How quickly do all things in this world pass by, flee away, and decay! If thou attachest thyself to things which pass, thou wilt pass away with them. Attach thyself to God, who remaineth unchanged, and never passeth away. What, I pray, will it avail thee, if, for the present, thou aboundest in riches, honours, and worldly delights and pleasures, and afterwards shouldst be cast into everlasting fire? Reflect within thyself, my friend; think diligently of this.
Make use of creatures here for the honour of God; but beware of clinging to them with faulty affection. Keep thyself free and pure within, as far as thou art able. Do thou refer entirely to the Creator, and to thy heavenly home, whatever beauty, elegance, sweetness, fragrance, melody or perfection, thou perceivest in created things; for all the fairness, sweetness, and perfection of creatures flows from God. Thou mayest indeed receive some solace in God from these created things; but them shouldst not cling to them, nor perversely seek in them thy self-will or thy own delight.
Therefore thou shalt not attach thyself with in ordinate love to any man, although he be very pious and holy; nor shalt thou desire that any one should so attach himself to thee, but be content with thy God, and delight in Him. Words cannot express how dangerous and hurtful is an inordinate love and affection towards any one. more especially when a person binds himself to another of different sex by this sort of affection and incautious familiarity. Love thyself and all men in God, and for the sake of God; but love God for His own sake.
I beseech thee, delight in Jesus Christ, thy sweet Creator and Redeemer, thy true riches, thy true and most joyful good. If thou art not able to love Him ardently, love Him as thou canst, and as much as He deigns to give thee grace. Desire that thou mayest be enabled to love Him perfectly by His own merciful will. And if thou feelest not this desire, do thou at least desire to have the desire. Say to thy gracious Lord: "O good Jesus, I ought and I wish to love Thee with my whole heart; deign to supply for me what is wanting to my ardent desire and love." Thou mayest also say, "O Lord, I ought to be, and I wish to be, humble, resigned, patient, kind, gentle, modest, chaste, sober, active, and devout; do Thou in Thy goodness deign to supply all my deficiencies in these virtues." For as often as thou shalt thus piously and from thy heart pray to Christ Jesus (even if thou shouldst do it a thousand times a day), so often will He doubtless offer Himself to His Father for thee, and perfectly supply thy defects by the love of His Heart, by His humility, resignation, patience, benignity, &c. __________________________________________________________________
§ 2. Mortification.
As a pilgrim and stranger in this world, despise impure delights, that is to say, those of which God is not the cause, and which do not tend to union with God, and are not necessary to the support of nature. If thou still boldest the pleasures of the flesh in esteem and art much given to them, thou dost not yet sufficiently understand that thou art a stranger and pilgrim here.
Remember that thou art not an animal, but a man endowed with reason. Happy is the truly spiritual man, to whom it is sometimes given to experience how far heavenly and divine delights surpass and exceed those which are earthly and carnal. Happy is he who, beholding with the eyes of faith the pride of the flesh and the pomp and glory of the world, recognises that they are nothing: and in truth they are like a flower that quickly falls and withers away. __________________________________________________________________
§ 3. Moderation in Dress and Furniture.
Seek not vanity, luxury, and unlawful superfluity in dress and furniture: but observe moderation and measure according to thy condition. __________________________________________________________________
§ 4. Bodily Refreshment.
Be moderate in taking food and drink, and avoid all unbecoming voracity, and eagerness for sensual pleasure. If, perchance, simple and rough fare is provided, let not the patience and peace of thy heart be lost by murmuring: but receive with thanksgiving what is given and provided by God. Even if exquisite dainties be provided; [2] yet seek not by desire the indulgence of thy flesh, nor dwell upon the earthly pleasure that thou feelest. Be ashamed to seek after dainties beyond thy reasonable and just wants, when for thee thy Lord Jesus Christ was given gall and vinegar to drink. [3] Judge thyself unworthy to receive even black bread.
When thou art especially tempted by greediness and an inordinate appetite, reflect how quickly this enticing pleasure passes away, and how pernicious it is. Doubtless, if thou shalt have followed it, and satisfied it without restraint, thou wilt afterwards grieve for having done so; but if thou shalt have curbed thy evil appetite for the sake of God, and kept thyself clean, thou wilt indeed rejoice in thy conscience. In order to feed the devotion of thy mind while thou art eating, thou mayest (if thou art not prevented) mentally dip the morsels which thou takest in the Precious Blood of Christ, and take thy drink from His crimson Wounds. Thou mayest also, while thou eatest, ruminate on these words, "May the virtue of Thy divine love, my beloved Jesus, incorporate me and unite me intimately with Thee;" and when thou drinkest reflect on these, "May the sweetness of Thy divine charity, most loving Jesus, flow into my inmost heart, and penetrate my whole substance, to Thy eternal praise." In places, how ever, where there is sacred reading during meals, thou shouldst, as is fitting, attend to what is read, if thou canst understand it.
If thou shouldst, perchance, have slightly transgressed the bounds of temperance (which may easily happen, even to a pious man), pray God humbly to pardon thy want of moderation; and being thus cleansed, be of good courage. He who, setting aside sobriety, gorges himself with much meat and drink, after the manner of swine, leaves no room within himself for the Holy Spirit and the grace of God.
Thou mayest, no doubt, blamelessly grant solace to thy body by eating, drinking, resting, sleeping, and taking care of thy health.
A certain very holy virgin, when she had given such refreshment to her body, rejoiced as if she had given it to Christ, who said, "As long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me " (St. Matth. xxv. 40); for she considered herself one of His least brethren. Refresh, therefore, and revive thy body with discretion, to the eternal glory of God, in union with that love by which the sweet Jesus, made Man for thee, deigned while on earth to cat and drink, to rest and sleep; and offer to Him, in union with the same love, the bodily refreshment which thou permittest to thyself. For when we thus piously receive it. and offer it to God, united by prayer or by desire to the love and charity of Christ, it becomes very pleasing to Him, and very profitable to ourselves. __________________________________________________________________
[2] Rom. xiii. 13.
[3] Ps. lxviii. 22; St John xix. 29. __________________________________________________________________
§ 5. The Government of the Tongue.
In thy speech be circumspect, honest, chaste, and blameless. Delight in reasonable silence. Utter not vain and trifling words, nor such as excite immoderate laughter. For Christ saith in the Gospel: "Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall render an account for it in the day of judgment " (St. Matth. xii. 36).
Avoid also asperity and pungency of words, and abhor the vice of detraction and evil-speaking. If it be necessary, or evidently useful, to speak of the defects of others, see that thou introduce nothing be yond this, nor with any other intention. And then beware lest thou be impelled to speak by bitterness of spirit or ill-will.
Moreover, thou shalt not affirm for certain those things of which thou art uncertain. Flee most carefully from all falsehood, all hypocrisy, duplicity, and wicked dissimulation, and deceit. For God admits no one into His kingdom who is not simple and far removed from all false appearances.
If thou shouldst happen to hear any one uttering slanderous and evil, or improper words, thou must contrive to cut short that discourse, or even modestly and discreetly reprove him who so speaks. And, if thou art not well able to do this, show nevertheless by the sadness of thy countenance, or by sighs, or by departure, or by any other fitting sign, that those things displease thee which are displeasing to God, and close at least the ears of thy soul, lest thou consent to the evil discourse. __________________________________________________________________
§ 6. The Custody of the Senses.
Thou must guard with the utmost diligence thy tongue, and the five senses of thy body, that is to say, sight, hearing, smelling, tasting, and feeling. See, therefore, that thou use them not otherwise than is permitted. For if thou lovest much talking, and art given to indulging thy senses without restraint, thou wilt be unable to make any progress in virtue, and wilt lose the grace of God; for it flows away through the senses, as it were through crevices. __________________________________________________________________
§ 7. Manners and Gestures.
Be calm and composed in thy manners and gestures. Thou wilt do well to show thyself moderately cheerful, to the honour of God, at fitting times and places, among those with whom thou hast intercourse. Be extremely careful not to incur the guilt of scandalizing any one by thy words or deeds. __________________________________________________________________
§ 8. The Control of our Thoughts.
Keep thy thoughts and affections pure and innocent. When any bad thought, or evil image, or foolish mirth has come into thy mind, and thou feelest some impure affection arise in thy heart; be ashamed, and quickly and simply turn thyself away from it, bringing back the eyes of thy mind to God, or to some harmless subject, or making the holy and salutary sign of the cross.
Against the shameful inclinations and lusts of the flesh, it is of no little avail to reflect on the shortness and vileness of carnal pleasures, and on the corrupt nature of the flesh itself. For what is flesh, how soever fair and attractive it may appear, what is it but filth, and rottenness, and a noisome stench? If that delicate skin were taken off which displays such great beauty, the whole flesh would be hideous. We assuredly have to die, and after death the body will be come a most repulsive corpse.
The Angelical Salutation piously recited is of wonderful avail, and also the invocation of the Saints, and the fear and horror of losing the grace of God, and the diligent consideration of what it would be to be for ever separated from God and all His friends, and to be plunged into eternal torments with the devil in hell. But we most easily and happily overcome the evil suggestions of the malignant spirit, by despising them as though they were troublesome flies, rather than by answering them with much reasoning. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________