28 March 2013
Reverend and dear Fathers, The recent publication of the Doctrinal Declaration, addressed by the General Council of the Society of St Pius X to the Church authorities in Rome on April 15 last year, confirms our worst fears. We waited for nearly a year to know what it contains. It proves once and for all that the present leadership of the Society of St Pius X means to lead it away from the direction set for it by Archbishop Lefebvre, and towards the ideas and ideals of the Second Vatican Council. However busy you may be with the daily ministry, this is bound to concern you because it means that the souls under your care are, through you, coming under Superiors meaning to lead them and yourselves towards, even into, the great apostasy of modern times. We recall that it is Superiors who mould their subjects and not the other way around – have we not observed a number of good Society priests, one after another, giving up the fight for the Faith as we know Archbishop Lefebvre led it, and instead going with the flow, with the strong and very different current flowing for some years now from the top of the Society downwards ? Detailed analysis will confirm the danger of each of the Declaration’s ten paragraphs, as outlined only briefly below:-- I Fidelity promised to the “Catholic Church” and to the “Roman Pontiff” can easily be misdirected today towards the Conciliar Church as such, and to the Conciliar Pontiffs. Distinctions are needed to avoid confusion. II Acceptance of teachings of the Magisterium in accordance with Lumen Gentium # 25 can easily be understood, especially in conjunction with Rome’s 1989 Profession of Faith which is mentioned in a footnote of the Declaration, as requiring acceptance of Vatican II doctrines. III,1 Acceptance of Vatican II teaching on the College of Bishops as contained in Lumen Gentium, chapter III, is, despite the “Nota Praevia”, a significant step towards accepting Conciliar collegiality and the democratisation of the Church. III,2 Recognition of the Magisterium as sole authentic interpreter of Revelation runs a grave risk of submitting Tradition to the Council, especially when the interpretation of any break between them is automatically to be rejected (cf. III,5 below). III,3 The definition of Tradition as “the living transmission of Revelation” is highly ambiguous, and its ambiguity is only confirmed by the vague words about the Church, and by the quotation from the equally ambiguous Dei Verbum #8, which follow. III,4 The proposition that Vatican II should “throw light” on Tradition by “deepening” it and “making it more explicit”, is thoroughly Hegelian (since when did contradictories explain and not exclude one another ?), and it risks falsifying Tradition by twisting it to fit the multiple falsehoods of the Council. III,5 The statement that the novelties of Vatican II must be interpreted in the light of Tradition, but that no interpretation implying any break between the two is acceptable, is madness (All shirts are to be blue, but any non-blue shirt must be taken to be blue !). This madness is none other than that of Benedict XVI’s “Hermeneutic of continuity”. III,6 Giving credit to the novelties of Vatican II as being legitimate matter of theological debate is gravely to underestimate their harmfulness. They are fit only to be condemned. III,7 The judgment that the new sacramental Rites were legitimately promulgated is gravely misleading. The New Order of Mass especially is much too harmful to the common good of the Church to be a true law. III,8 The “promise to respect” as Church law the New Code of Canon Law is to respect a number of supposed laws directly contrary to Church doctrine. Reverend Fathers, whoever studies these ten paragraphs in the original text can only conclude that their author or authors have given up the Archbishop’s fight for Tradition, and have gone over in their minds to Vatican II. Do you wish yourself and your flock to be moulded by such Superiors ? Nor let it be said that the first two and last three of the ten paragraphs are broadly taken from the Archbishop’s own Protocol of May 5, 1988, so that the Declaration is faithful to him. It is well known that on May 6 he repudiated that Protocol because he himself recognized that it made too many concessions for the Society to be able to continue defending Tradition. Another error is to say that the danger is over because the Declaration has been “withdrawn” by the Superior General. The Declaration is the poisoned fruit of what has become a liberal mind-set at the top of the Society, and that mind-set has not been recognized, let alone retracted. A third misconception is to say that since no agreement has been signed with the apostates of Rome, then there is no further problem. The problem is less the agreement than the desire of any agreement that will grant to the Society official recognition, and that desire is still very much there. Following the whole modern world and the Conciliar Church, the Society’s leadership seems to have lost its grip on the primacy of truth, especially Catholic Truth. Reverend Fathers, “What cannot be cured must be endured.” Blind leaders are a punishment from God. However, the least that you can do about this disastrous Declaration is to study it for yourselves with everything that led up to it, otherwise you will lose your Society without realizing it, just as the mass of Catholics lost their Church with Vatican II, and did not realize it. Then having made the disaster clear in your own mind, you must tell the truth to your Society flock, namely the danger in which your Superiors are placing their faith and therewith their eternal salvation. To all of us in that Society which Archbishop Lefebvre made into a worldwide fortress of the Faith, Our Lord is now putting the question of John, VI, 67: “Will you also leave me ?” To any and all of you I gladly impart the episcopal blessing of your servant in Christ, +Richard Williamson, Nova Friburgo, Maundy Thursday, 2013. ![]() Although we are baptized with water and the Spirit, the latter is much superior to the former, and is not therefore to be separated from the Father and the Son. There are, however, many who, because we are baptized with water and the Spirit, think that there is no difference in the offices of water and the Spirit, and therefore think that they do not differ in nature. Nor do they observe that we are buried in the element of water that we may rise again renewed by the Spirit. For in the water is the representation of death, in the Spirit is the pledge of life, that the body of sin may die through the water, which encloses the body as it were in a kind of tomb, that we, by the power of the Spirit, may be renewed from the death of sin, being born again in God. And so these three witnesses are one, as John said: "The water, the blood, and the Spirit." 1 John 5:8 One in the mystery, not in nature. The water, then, is a witness of burial, the blood is a witness of death, the Spirit is a witness of life. If, then, there be any grace in the water, it is not from the nature of water, but from the presence of the Holy Spirit. Do we live in the water or in the Spirit? Are we sealed in the water or in the Spirit. For in Him we live and He Himself is the earnest of our inheritance, as the Apostle says, writing to the Ephesians: "In Whom believing you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, Who is an earnest of our inheritance." Ephesians 1:13-14 So we were sealed by the Holy Spirit, not by nature, but by God, for it is written: "He Who anointed us is God, Who also sealed us, and gave the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." We were then sealed with the Spirit by God. For as we die in Christ, in order to be born again, so, too, we are sealed with the Spirit, that we may possess His brightness and image and grace, which is undoubtedly our spiritual seal. For although we were visibly sealed in our bodies, we are in truth sealed in our hearts, that the Holy Spirit may portray in us the likeness of the heavenly image. Who, then, can dare to say that the Holy Spirit is separated from the Father and the Son, since through Him we attain to the image and likeness of God, and through Him, as the Apostle Peter says, are partakers of the divine nature? In which there is certainly not the inheritance of carnal succession, but the spiritual connection of the grace of adoption. And in order that we may know that this seal is rather on our hearts than on our bodies, the prophet says: "The light of Your countenance has been impressed upon us, O Lord, You have put gladness in my heart." Book 1 chapter 6 ![]() The power to forgive sins was one Christ gave to his apostles (Luke 10:16; 2 Cor. 5:18-20). After he rose from the dead Christ said to the apostles, "'As the Father has sent me, so I send you.' And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained'" (John 20:22-23). We can be truly sorry for our sins--that is essential for forgiveness--but we can't forgive our own sins. We can't absolve ourselves. That is a power reserved to God alone. Through Christ that power was conferred on his apostles and their successors, the bishops, and their helpers, the priests. Confession is not an option. It is the ordinary (normative) means through which sins are forgiven. ![]() The Sacrament of Extreme Unction "Is any man sick among you? Let him bring in the priests of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick man: and the Lord shall raise him up: and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him." (James 5:14-15)
Extreme Unction is the Sacrament which gives health and strength to the soul and sometimes to the body to persons who are in danger of death. The words "Extreme Unction" mean "last anointing." In Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders, the body is anointed with holy oil. In the Sacrament of Extreme Unction the body is anointed for the last time. Hence the name.
After praying over the sick person, the priest anoints (makes the Sign of the Cross with the Holy Oil) on the person's eyes, ears, nostrils, lips, hands, and feet. He says: "Through this holy anointing, and by His most tender mercy, may the Lord pardon you what sins you have committed by sight (hearing, speech, and so on)." The Sacrament of Extreme Unction -- Extreme Unction takes away -- Only a Catholic priest. Any Catholic in danger of death from sickness, old age or accident not only can, but should receive Extreme Unction. However, it may not be given to infants or to anyone who has never had the use of reason. Whenever the sickness or accident is so serious that it could cause death. Examples: Pneumonia, heart attack, major operation with old age, a serious car accident. Only once in the same danger of death. However, if a new danger arises, you can receive it again.Thus it can be recieved as many times as there are new dangers. Send for a priest right away, because Extreme Unction may be given even after a person is apparently dead, up to 3 hours after apparent death. Even when a person displays all the usual manifestations of death, the soul may still not have departed from the body. Therefore, the Church allows Extreme Unction to be administered for a time after "death" has occurred. Yes, it is sinful, because the sick person must be conscious in order to benefit the most from the Sacrament. A mortal sin. It often happens that a convert is the only Catholic in a family. If this is your case, therefore, you should tell your relatives to send for the priest if you are ever in danger of death. Spread a white cloth on a table beside the bed. Then put a crucifix, two blessed candles, a bottle of holy water, a glass of drinking water, a spoon and some cotton on the table. A member of the family, carrying a lighted candle, should meet the priest at the door and lead him to the sickroom. No one should talk to the priest, for he probably has the Holy Eucharist with him. Everyone should kneel down when he enters. If you do not have the above items, call the priest anyway. First, he says some prayers, sprinkles the sick person with holy water and hears his Confession. Then he gives him Holy Communion and Extreme Unction, and finally, the Last Blessing. All of these together are called the Last Sacraments or Last Rites of the Church. (Everyone else leaves the room while the priest hears the sick person's Confession.)
![]() THE GIFT OF COUNSEL We have seen that what was necessary for the sanctification of a Christian was the: gift of Fortitude; but it is not sufficient; there is need of another gift, which completes it. This other gift is Counsel. Fortitude needs direction. The gift of knowledge is not the guide of fortitude, and for this reason: knowledge teaches the soul her last end, and gives her general rules for her conduct; but it does not bring her light sufficient for the special application of God's law to particular cases, and for the practical doing of her duty. In those varied circumstances in which we are to be placed, and in the decisions we must make, we shall have to hearken to the voice of the Holy Ghost, and this voice speaks to us through the gift of counsel. It will tell us, if we are attentive to its speaking, what we must do and what we must not do, what we must say and what we must not say, what we may keep and what we must give up. The Holy Ghost acts upon our understanding by the gift of counsel, as it acts upon our will by the gift of fortitude. This precious gift bears upon our whole life; for we are continually obliged to be deciding on one of two sides or questions. How grateful, then, should we be to the Holy Ghost, who is ever ready to be our counsellor, if we will but permit Him. And if we follow His direction, what snares He will teach us to avoid! How many illusions He will dispel, how grand the truths He will show us. But, in order that His inspirations may not be lost upon us, we must be on our guard against such miseries of our nature as the following:
By the gift of counsel, the Holy Ghost saves us from all these evils. He corrects the impetuosity, or, it may be, the apathy, of our temperament. He keeps the soul alive to what is true, and good, and conducive to her real interests. He introduces into the soul that virtue which completes and seasons every other--we mean discretion whereby the other virtues are harmonised and kept from extremes. Under the direction of the gift of counsel, the Christian has nothing to fear; the Holy Ghost takes the whole responsibility. What matters if, therefore, if the world find fault, or criticise, or express surprise, or be scandalised? The world thinks itself wise; but it has not the gift of counsel. Hence it often happens that what is undertaken by its advice, results in the very opposite to what was intended. Was it not of the world that God spoke, when He said: 'My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways my ways’. Let us, then, with all the ardent of our hearts, desire this divine gift, that will preserve us from the danger of being our own guides; but let us remember, it will only dwell in us on the condition of our allowing it to be master. If the Holy Ghost sees that we are not led by worldly principles, and that we acknowledge our own weakness, He will be our counsel; if He find that we are wise in our own eyes, He will withdraw His light, and leave us to ourselves. O Holy Spirit, we would not that Thou should ever abandon us. Sad experience has taught us how fraught with danger is all human prudence. Most cheerfully do we promise Thee to mistrust our own ideas, which are so apt to blind and mislead us. Keep up within us the magnificent gift, Thou gave us at Baptism: be Thou our counsel, yea, unreservedly and for ever. Show me, O Lord, Thy ways, and teach me Thy paths. Direct me in Thy truth, and teach me: for Thou art the God who yearns to save me; therefore have I waited on Thee, all the day long. We know that we are to be judged for all our works and intentions; but we know, too, that we have nothing to fear so long as we are faithful to Thy guidance. Therefore will we attentively hear what the Lord God will speak in us ;a we will listen to Thee, O holy Spirit of counsel, whether Thou speakest to us directly Thyself, or whether Thou sends us to those whom Thou shalt appoint as our guides. Blessed, then, be Jesus, who has sent us such a Consoler ! And blessed be Thou, O holy Spirit, who deigns to give us Thine aid, in spite of all our past resistance. We will follow with the 12 fruits of the Holy Ghost.......... ![]() We must struggle daily to do the Will of God if we wish to attain Heaven; in this consists perfection. Herein are presented some thoughts from the Saints and others, who sought the Will of God to a heroic degree, in order to give useful insights on how to continually strive towards our purpose in our daily life. Humility: The virtue of humility is deemed by the saints the foundation and the safeguard of all the other virtues. St. Augustine says that humility must accompany all our actions, must be with us everywhere; for as soon as we glory in our good works they are of no further value to our advancement in virtue. There are many quotes from Our Lord and the Bible emphasizing the importance of humility. Who will be great in God's eyes? "At that hour the disciples came to Jesus saying, 'Who then is greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?' And Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in their midst, and said, 'Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Whoever, therefore, humbles himself as this little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.'" (Matt. 18:1-4). "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6). "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will exalt you." (James 4:10). "Learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart." (Matt. 11:29). Charity: St. Margaret Mary, who received from our Divine Lord many communications relative to Charity, was shown the soul of a deceased person who had to undergo but a light chastisement, and Our Lord told her that among all the good works which this person had performed in the world, He had taken into special consideration certain humiliations to which she had submitted in the world, because she had suffered them in the spirit of charity, not only without murmuring, but even without speaking of them. Our Lord added that, as a reward, He had given her a mild and favorable judgment. "Charity covereth a multitude of sins." (1 Peter 4:8) St. Jane Frances, desiring that all actions of her daughters might proceed from a spirit of charity, had written upon the walls of the halls through which they most frequently passed the qualities which St. Paul gives to this sublime virtue: "Charity is patient, is kind; charity envieth not; dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up; is not ambitious; seeketh not her own; is not provoked to anger; thinketh no evil." If it happened that one of her spiritual daughters failed in charity, she sent her to read this sentence, which she called the mirror of the monastery. Eternity, the Great Thought: "In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin." (Ecclus. 7:40). The honors, riches and pleasures of the world are transitory things. Nothing is truly great but that which is eternal. Even the most hardened sinners have often been converted from their wicked ways to a penitential life by the terror of these thundering truths: Death, judgment, hell, eternity. Keep in mind the eternal years. "What shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul?" (Mark 8:36). "The best way to prepare for death is to spend every day of life as though it were the last. Think of the end of worldly honor, wealth and pleasure and ask yourself: And then? And then?" (St. Philip Neri). Devotion to Mary: One of the greatest means of salvation is devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. The saints are unanimous in saying that, "A devout client of Mary shall never perish." St. Thomas Aquinas said that "many souls are now in Heaven through the prayers of Mary who otherwise would not be there." St. Alphonsus de Liguori says that "devotion to Mary is morally necessary for our salvation." St. Louis de Montfort said, "I have no better way of knowing if a man is for God than if he likes to say the Hail Mary and the Rosary." The Church teaches us to honor Mary as the patroness of a good death by means of the last words of the Angelic Salutation: "Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death." Whoever says this prayer piously, will die as happily as he will die holily. A dying man once asked: "Whence comes the joy which beams on your face at the moment when you see you are about to expire?" "It is," he replied, "because having prayed so often during all the days of my life to the Blessed Virgin for a holy and a happy death, I cannot believe that she will refuse me a favor I have asked for so often." Let us say the Hail Mary with equal attention and fervor, and we shall have the same consolation at our last hour. Resignation to the Will of God: Like Our Lord, we must yield ourselves as living sacrifices to God, content, as far as our will goes, to accept health or illness, wealth or poverty, interior peace or the conflict with temptation. God knows what is best, and He can and will provide the necessary means of sanctification for each of the souls that are so dear to Him, and this thought should help us to cast all our care on Him. Prayer: "Prayer is nothing else than speaking to God; and to speak to God without concentrating our attention upon Him is a thing most odious to His Divine Majesty. Being a good servant of God does not mean always being spiritually consoled, or always feeling sweet and calm, or never feeling repugnance or aversion to what is good. If this were so, neither St. Paul nor St. Catherine of Siena could have served God well. Surely sin, and sin only should cast us down and grieve us. If we have sinned, when once our act of sorrow has been made, there ought to follow in its train joy and holy consolation." (St. Francis de Sales). False peace: "We may be misled in many ways by worldly peace. For instance, some people have all they require for their needs, besides a large sum of money shut up in their safe as well; but as they avoid mortal sin, they think they have done their duty. They enjoy their riches and give an occasional alms and never consider that their property is not their own, but that God has entrusted it to them as His stewards for the good of the poor, and that they will have to render a strict account of the time they kept it shut up on their money chests, if the poor have suffered on account of their hoarding and delay." (St. Teresa of Avila) Fear of offending God: "Have a holy fear of consciously doing anything that may grieve the Holy Spirit; a holy fear of going anywhere, entering into any engagements, amusements, societies, friendships, intimacies, which can come between God and your soul. I have been often asked whether it is lawful to go to theater. My answer has been always, 'I cannot forbid you. If you ask what I advise, I say without hesitation, Do not go. I would to God that those who can refrain from such things, as an offering to our Divine Redeemer, would refrain forever." (Cardinal Manning, 1808-1892). Mortification: "Mortification in eating is the alphabet of a spiritual life; and he who knows not how to subdue his gluttony will find it no easy matter to triumph over other vices which are much more difficult to conquer." (St. Vincent de Paul). Four graces: St. Alphonsus Liguori insists repeatedly that in all our devotions, at Mass, at Holy Communion, in all our visits to the Blessed Sacrament, we should pray for these four graces for ourselves, namely: the forgiveness of our sins, the love of God, the love of prayer, and final perseverance. When these graces are secured, our salvation is assured. The Mercy of God: "I am a God of love... never doubt My readiness to forgive. I am a Father full of compassion and never harsh. Knowing human frailty and infirmity, My Heart stoops to poor sinners with infinite mercy. I love those who after a first fall come to me for pardon. I love them still more when they beg pardon for their second sin, and should this happen again, I do not say a million times but a million million times, I still love them and pardon them, and I will wash in my blood their last sin as fully as their first. Does not a father love a sick child with special affection and greater care and solicitude? So too, is the tenderness and compassion of My Heart for sinners. Tell them that the mercy of My Heart is inexhaustible." (Our Lord's words to Sr. Josefa Menendez, June 1, 1923). St. Gertrude once heard these words in a vision, "My child, there are many more saved than thou thinkest; I condemn no one who does not willfully resist My grace." ![]() Temperance We must take a good look at the word temperance and its true meaning in order to fully grasp the subject concerning temperance as a cardinal virtue Temperance is one of the four cardinal virtues upon which swings the gates of life. To be temperate in common language which usually means to be moderate to be reserved, but this is only a part of the picture. Just as with fortitude which was the overcoming or avoiding of the evil so as to obtain the good, with temperance the same applies. But temperance is more than merely doing of good acts, it involves the ordering of the inner self. It implies that we look to ourselves and our state or condition and focus on self. Beware! For this turning to look on ourselves can have two kinds, one is selfish the other selfless.
Genuine self-preservation is the turning of man towards himself, but with the condition that he does not fix all his attention upon himself. So we can say that Temperance is selfless self-preservation Intemperance, on the hand is self destruction through the selfish degrading of the powers we have, which should be aimed at self-preservation. When this order becomes upset we say that the passions have got the better of us, but in fact it is not our passions which are bad, for they are merely the material which can be used for either good or bad, but it is we ourselves that either hold up or destroy this order. As St. Paul says, “ For I do not the good that I wish, but the evil that I do not wish that I do.” Romans Ch. 7, v. 19. Take the example of a gun, it is an instrument for propelling at high speed a metal projectile. In itself it is neither good nor bad, yet it can be used to save life or destroy it, to kill or to protect from being killed. The evil comes not from the gun but from the use of the gun, that is from man. The powers to which temperance refers are the most essential for preserving our life and for the preserving of the human race. They are also the ones which are first to work in the opposite direction, they can most easily bring unrest to the soul because they belong to the very essence and core of man. This turning to self with a selfless self-preservation, is a loving of our true self, it is an ordering so that man does not miss the target. We must not seek ourselves blindly but correspond with open eyes to the true reality, God, ourselves and the world. Therefore to desire the inner order for its own sake become ridiculous. True love is selfless, it is the desire to see good done to the object of our love, all the good we see in ourselves is a refection of the goodness of God. So in loving the true self and wish true good to ourselves, is loving and wishing good to God. Our Lord was asked what was the greatest of the commandments and he answered, “ to love the Lord God with all our heart, strength and soul, and to love our neighbour as ourselves.” Now if we are commanded to love our neighbour as ourselves then we are commanded to love ourselves with a true love. To retain the order in our souls shows that we truly love ourselves. Temperance then is the preservation of the inner order of man. Temperance not only preserves the order but defends it, and by defending the order from attack, the order is maintained. The enemy is the selfish disorder, selfish love which disregards the good, and wants only to satisfy and use nature for perverted ends. Chastity and Unchastity Unchastity destroys the structure of the person, but how? Unchastity falsifies and corrupts the virtue of prudence. Everything that attacks and is in conflict with the virtue of prudence, originates in most cases from unchastity. Unchastity brings with it a bindness of spirit which pretty well excludes all understanding of the goods of the spiritual part of man. It splits and makes difficult the power of decision, as well as making the ability for contemplation and concentration very difficult. This is why chastity is a necessary requirement for contemplation, and prayer, so only after demanding chastity from Subdeacons does she impose upon them the prayer of the Church the Breviary. The process of blinding a man’s mind by unchastity is not like a plant which wilts because you forget to water it, but this blindness is the very essence of unchastity, which is by its very nature destructive. It is not its outward effect and something that follows as a consequence, but this blindness is its essential property. Unchastity destroys in a special way the self-possession which comes from acting in accord to reason. This unchaste abandon and the self-surrender of the soul to the world of sensuality paralyses the very depths of a man’s person: the ability to perceive and understand, in silence, the call of reality, and as well to make in this silence, the decision here and now for the concrete action which needs to be done. The essence of prudence is to face squarely all the things that surround our concrete actions. Unchastity constricts man and makes him incapable of seeing objective reality. An unchaste man wants above all something for himself; he in distracted by an unobjective “interest”; his constantly strained will-to-pleasure prevents him from confronting reality with that selfless detachment which alone makes genuine knowledge possible. An example is that of the lion who, at the sight of a stag, is unable to perceive anything but the anticipated meal. In an unchaste heart, attention is not merely fixed upon a certain track, but the “window’ of the soul has lost its “transparency”, that is, its capacity for perceiving reality, as if a film of dust had covered it. The inner nature of unchastity lies in selfishness. St. Augustine says that, “Chaste is the heart that loves God without looking for reward.” We say that prudence is most of all poisoned and perverted by unchastity, but how does this happen? Prudence implies a transformation of the knowledge of truth into decisions which correspond to the real world. This is done in three steps: thinking about what has to be done, judging what should be done, then making the decision to act upon all this. Here is a table to show the difference between someone who is temperate, and one who is intemperate, when it comes to being prudent, Prudence The Temperate man
The Intemperate man
Chastity renders one able to see reality, not only everyday things as they really are, but also the ultimate reality, enabling a man to the most selfless dedication of love, that is contemplation, where a man turns towards the Divine being and is enabled to become aware of this truth, which is also the highest good. ![]() THE GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING This sixth gift of the Holy Ghost raises the soul to a still higher state. The first five gifts all tend to action. The fear of God keeps man in his right place, for it humbles him; godliness opens his heart to holy affections; knowledge enables him to discern the path of salvation from that of perdition; fortitude arms him for the battle; counsel directs him in his thoughts and works:--thus gifted, he can act, and pursue his journey with the sure hope of coming at length to his heavenly home. But the Holy Ghost has other favours in store for him. He would give him a foretaste, here below, of the happiness that awaits him in the next life: it will give him confidence, it will encourage him, it will reward his efforts. Contemplation--this is the blissful region thrown open to him, and the Holy Ghost leads him thither by the gift of understanding. There will be a feeling of surprise and hesitation arising in the minds of many at hearing this word, contemplation. They have been taught to look on contemplation as an element of the spiritual life which is rarely to be hoped for, and almost impossible for persons who are in the ordinary walks of life. We must begin, then, by telling them that such an idea is a great and dangerous error, and one that checks the progress of the soul. No: contemplation is a state to which, more or less, the soul of every Christian is called. It does not consist in those extraordinary effects which the Holy Ghost occasionally produces in some privileged souls, and by which lie would convince the world of the reality of the supernatural life. It is simply a relation of close intimacy existing between God and a soul that is faithful to Him in action. For such a soul, unless she herself put an obstacle, God reserves two favours: the first is the gift of understanding, which consists in a supernatural light granted to the mind of man. This light does not remove the sacred obscurity of faith: but it enlightens the eye of the soul, strengthens her perception, and widens her view of divine things. It dispels clouds, which were occasioned by the previous weakness and ignorance of the soul. The exquisite beauty of the mysteries is now revealed to her, and the truths which hitherto seemed unconnected, now delight her. It is not the face-to-face vision which heaven gives, but it is something incomparably brighter than the feeble glimmer of former days, when all was mist and doubt. The eve of her spirit discovers analogies and reasons, which do something more than please--they bring conviction. The heart opens under the influence of these bright beams, for they feed faith, cherish hope, and give ardour to love. Everything seems new to her. Looking at the past, and comparing it with the present, she wonders within herself, how it is that truth, which is ever the same, has a charm and a power over her now which once it had not. The reading or hearing of the Gospel produces an impression far deeper than formerly: she finds a. relish in the words of Jesus, which, in times past, she never experienced. She can understand so ranch better the object of the institution of the Sacraments. The holy liturgy with its magnificent ceremonies and sublime formulas, is to her an anticipation of heaven. She loves to read the lives of the saints; she can do so, and never feel a temptation to carp at their sentiments or conduct: she prefers their writings to all others, and she finds in these communications with the friends of God a special increase. of her spiritual good. No matter what may be the duties of her station in life, she has, in this glorious gift; a light which guides her in each of them. The virtues required from her, however varied they may be, are so regulated, that one is never done to the detriment of another; she knows the harmony that exists between them all, and she never breaks it. She is as far from scrupulosity as from tepidity; and when she commits a fault, she loses no time in repairing it. Sometimes the Holy Ghost layouts her with an interior speaking, which gives her additional lights. The world and its maxims are mere vanities in her estimation; and when necessity obliges her to conform to what is not sinful in either, she does so without setting her heart upon it. Mere natural grandeur or beauty seems unworthy of notice to her whose eye has been opened, by the holy Spirit, to the divine and the eternal. To her, this outward world which the carnal-minded man loves to his own destruction, has but one fair side, viz: that the visible creation, with the impress of God’s beauty upon it, can be turned to its Maker’s glory. She gives Him thanks when she uses it; she elevates it to the supernatural order, by praising, as did the royal prophet, Him who shadowed the likeness of His own beauty on this world of created things, which men so often abuse to their perdition, but which were intended as so many steps to lead us to our God. The gift of understanding teaches the Christian a just appreciation of the state of life in which God has placed Him. It shows him the wisdom and mercy of those designs of Providence which have, at times, disconcerted his own plans, and led him in a direction the very opposite to his wishes. He sees that had he been left to arrange things according to his own views, he would have gone astray; whereas now, God has put him in the right place, though the workings of His fatherly wisdom were, at first, hidden from him. Yes, he is so happy now ! he enjoys such peace of soul! he knows not how sufficiently to thank his God for having brought him where he is, without consulting his poor fancies ! If such a Christian as this be called upon to give counsel, if either duty or charity require him to guide others, he may safely be trusted; the gift of understanding teaches him to see the right thing for others as well as for himself. Not that he ever intrudes his counsel upon others, or makes himself adviser-general to all around him; but if his advice be asked, he gives it, and the advice is a reflex of the inward light that burns within him. Such is the gift of understanding. It is the true life of the soul, and it is weaker or stronger according to the measure of her correspondence with the other gifts. Its safeguards are humility, restraint over the desires of the heart, and interior recollection. Dissipation of mind would dim. its brightness, or even who]ly put out the light. But where duty imposes occupations, not only busy and frequent, but even distracting, let the Christian discharge them with a pure intention, and his soul will not lose her recollection. Let him be single-hearted, let him be little in his own eyes, and that which God hides from the proud and reveals to the humble,’ will be manifested to him and abide with him. It is evident from all this, that the gift of understanding is of immense importance to the salvation and sanctification of the soul. It behoves us, therefore, to beg it of the Holy Ghost with all the earnestness of supplication; for we must not forget that it is obtained rather by the longings of our love, than by any efforts of the intellect. True, it is the intellect that receives the light; but it is the heart, the will, inflamed with love, that wins the radiant gift. Hence that saying of Isaias: ‘Unless ye believe, ye shall not understand!’ Let us, then, address ourselves to the Holy Ghost in these words of the psalmist: ‘Open Thou our eyes, and we will consider the wondrous things of Thy law! Give us understanding and we shall live!’ Let us beseech Him in these words of the apostle, wherein he is praying for his Ephesians: ‘Give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, whereby we may have the knowledge of our God! Enlighten the eyes of our heart, that we may know what is the hope of our calling, and what the riches of the glorious inheritance prepared for the saints. ![]() THE GIFT OF FORTITUDE The gift of knowledge has taught us what we must do and what we must avoid, in order that we may be such as Jesus, our divine Master, wishes us to be. We now need another gift of the Holy Ghost, from which to draw the energy necessary for persevering in the way lie has pointed out to us. Difficulties we are sure to have; and our need of support is proved enough by the miserable failures we are daily witnessing. This support the Holy Ghost grants me by the gift of fortitude, which, if we but faithfully use it, will enable us to master every difficulty, yea will make it easy to us to overcome the obstacle: which would impede our onward march. When the difficulties and trials of life come upon him, man is tempted, sometimes to cowardice and discouragement, sometimes to an impetuosity which arises either from his natural temperament or from pride. These are poor aids to the soul in her spiritual combat. The Holy Ghost, therefore, brings her a new element of strength: it is supernatural fortitude, which is so peculiarly His gift, that when our Saviour instituted the seven sacraments, He would have one of them be for the special object of giving us the Holy Ghost as a principle of energy. It is evident that, having to fight during our whole lives against the devil, the world, and ourselves, we need some better power of resistance than either pusillanimity or daring. We need some gift, which will control both our fear, and the confidence we are at times inclined to have in ourselves. Thus gifted by the Holy Ghost, man is sure of victory; for grace will supply the deficiencies, and correct the impetuosities of nature. There are two necessities, which are ever making themselves felt in the Christian life: the power of resistance, and the power of endurance. What could we do against the temptations of Satan, if the fortitude of the holy Spirit did not clothe us with heavenly amour and nerve us for the battle? And is not the world, too, a terrible enemy ? Have we not reason to dread it when we see how it is every day making victims by the tyranny of its claims and its maxims. What, then, must be the assistance of the Holy Ghost, which is to make us invulnerable to the deadly shafts that are dealing destruction around us The passions of the human heart are another obstacle to our salvation and sanctification; they are the more to be feared, because they are within us. It is requisite that the Holy Ghost change our heart, and lead it to deny itself as often as the light of grace points out to us a way other than that which self-love would have us follow. What supernatural fortitude we need in order to hate our life as often as our Lord bids us make a sacrifice, or when we have to choose which of the two masters we will serve! The Holy Ghost is daily working this marvel by means of the gift of fortitude: so that, we have but to correspond to the gift, and not stifle it either by cowardice or indiscretion, and we are strong enough to resist even our domestic enemies. This blessed gift of fortitude teaches us to govern our passions and treat them as blind guides; it also teaches us never to follow their instincts, save when they are in harmony with the law of God. There are times, when the Holy Ghost requires from a Christian something beyond interior resistance to the enemies of his soul: he must make an outward protestation against error and evil, as often as duty demands it. On such occasions, he must bear to become unpopular, and console himself with the words of the apostle: 'If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.' But the Holy Ghost will be on his side; and finding him resolute in using His gift of fortitude, not only will He give him a final triumph, but lie generally blesses that soul with a sweet and courageous peace, which is the result and recompense of a duty fulfilled. Thus does the Holy Ghost apply the gift of fortitude, when there is question of a Christian's making resistance. But, as we have already said, He imparts also the energy necessary for bearing up against the trials, which all must go through who would save their souls. There are certain fears, which damp our courage, and expose us to defeat. The gift of fortitude dispels them, and braces us with such a peaceful confidence, that we ourselves are surprised at the change. Look at the martyrs: not merely at such an one as Saint Mauritius, the leader of the Theban legion, who was accustomed to face danger on the battle-field; but at Felisitas, a mother of seven children; at Perpetua, a high-born lady with everything this world could give her; at Agnes, a girl of thirteen; and at thousands of others like them: and say, if the gift of fortitude is not a prompter to heroism. Where is the fear of death--that death the very thought of which is sometimes more than we can bear? And what are we to say of all those lives spent in self-abnegation and privation with a view to make Jesus their only treasure and to be the more closely united with Him? What are we to say of those hundreds and thousands of our fellow-creatures who shun the sight of a distracted and vain world, and make sacrifice their rule? Whose peacefulness is proof against every trial, and whose acceptance of the cross is as untiring as the cross itself is in its visit ? What trophies are these of the Spirit of fortitude! and how magnificent is the devotedness He creates for every possible duty! Oh! truly, man of himself is of little worth; but, how grand when under the influence of the Holy Ghost ! It is the same divine Spirit who also gives the Christian courage to withstand the vile temptation of human respect, by raising him above those worldly considerations which would make him disloyal to duty. It is He that leads man to prefer, to every honour this world could bestow, the happiness of never violating the law of his God. It is the Spirit of fortitude that makes him look upon the reverses of fortune as so many merciful designs of Providence; that consoles him, when death bereaves him of those who are dear to him; that cheers him under bodily sufferings, which would be so hard to bear but for his taking them as visits from his heavenly Father. In a word, it is He, as we learn from the lives of the saints, that turns the very repugnances of nature into matter for heroic acts, wherein man seems to go beyond the limits of his frail mortality and emulate the impassible and glorified spirits of heaven. O divine Spirit of fortitude! take full possession of our souls, and keep us from the effeminacies of the age we live in. Never was there such lack of energy as now, never was the worldly spirit more rife, never was sensuality more unbridled, never were pride and independence more the fashion of the world. So forgotten and unheeded are the maxims of the Gospel, that when we witness the fortitude of self-restraint and abnegation, we are as surprised as though we beheld a prodigy. O holy Paraclete, preserve us from this anti-Christian spirit, which is so easily imbibed ! Suffer us to present to Thee, in the form of prayer, the advice given by Saint Paul to the Christians of Ephesus: 'Give us, we beseech Thee, the armour of God, that we may be able to resist in the evil day, and to stand in all things perfect. Gird our reins with truth; arm us with the breast-plate of justice; let our feet be shod with the love and practice of the Gospel of peace; give us the shield of faith, wherewith we may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one; cover us with the helmet of the hope of salvation; put into our hand the spiritual sword, which is the word of God,' and by which we, as did our Jesus in the desert, may defeat all our enemies! O Spirit of fortitude! hear, we beseech Thee, and grant our prayer! |
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