The practice of the love of Jesus Christ - 030

XXX-“CHARITY IS KIND”-HE THAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST LOVES MEEKNESS

I. Oh, how much more is to be gained by meekness than by harshness! St. Francis de Sales said there was nothing more bitter than the bitter almond; but if made into a preserve it becomes sweet and agreeable: thus corrections, though of their nature very unpleasant, are rendered pleasant by love and meekness, and so are attended with more beneficial results. St. Vincent de Paul said of himself that in the government of his own Congregation he had never corrected anyone with severity, except on three occasions, when he supposed there was reason to do so; but that he regretted it ever afterwards because he found it turned out badly; whereas he had always admirably succeeded by gentle correction.

St. Francis de Sales obtained from others whatever he wished by his meek behaviour; and by this means he managed to gain the most hardened sinners to God. It was the same with St. Vincent de Paul, who taught his disciples this maxim: “Affability, love, and humility have a wonderful efficacy in winning the hearts of men, and in prevailing on them to undertake things most repugnant to nature.” He once gave a great sinner to the care of one of his fathers to bring him to sentiments of true repentance; but the father, in spite of all his endeavours, found his labour fruitless, so that he begged the Saint to speak a word to him. The Saint accordingly spoke with him, and converted him. That sinner subsequently declared that the singular sweetness of Father Vincent had worked upon his heart. Therefore it was that the Saint could not bear his missionaries to treat sinners with severity; and he told them that the infernal spirit took advantage of the strictness of some to work the greater ruin of souls.

Kindness should be observed towards all on all occasions and at all times. St. Bernard remarks that certain persons are gentle as long as things fall out to their taste; but scarcely do they experience some opposition or contradiction than they are instantly on fire, like Mount Vesuvius itself. Such as these maybe called burning coals, but hidden under the ashes. Whoever would become a Saint must, during this life, resemble the lily among thorns, which, however much it may be pricked by them, never ceases to be a lily; that is, it is always equally sweet and serene. The soul that loves God maintains an imperturbable peace of heart; and she shows this in her very countenance, being ever mistress of herself, alike in prosperity and adversity, according to the lines of Cardinal Petrucci: “Of outward things he views the varying guise, While in his soul’s most inmost depth Undimmed God’s image lies.”

Adversity brings out a person’s real character. St. Francis de Sales very tenderly loved the Order of the Visitation, which had cost him so much labour. He saw it several times in imminent danger of dissolution, on account of the persecutions it underwent; but the Saint never for a moment lost his peace, and was ready, if such was the will of God, to see it entirely destroyed; and then it was that he said: “For some time past the trying oppositions and secret contrarieties which have befallen me afford me so sweet a peace that nothing can equal it; and they give me such an earnest of the immediate union of my soul with God that, in truth, they form the sole desire of my heart.”

O my Jesus, I, too, abandon myself to Thee. I love Thee with my whole heart; I love Thee more than myself. I have offended Thee in times past; but now I bitterly repent of it, and I would willingly die of grief. Oh, draw me entirely to Thyself! I renounce all sensible consolations; I wish for Thee alone, and nothing more. Make me love Thee, and then do with me what Thou wilt. O Mary, my hope, bind me to Jesus; and grant me to live and die in union with Him, in order to come one day to the happy kingdom, where I shall have no more fear of ever being separated from His love!

II. Whenever it happens that we have to reply to some one who insults us, let us be careful to answer with meekness: A mild answer breaketh wrath-(Prov. xv. 1). A mild reply is enough to quench every spark of anger. And in case we feel irritated it is best to keep silence, because then it seems only just to give vent to all that rises to our lips; but when our passion has subsided, we shall see that all our words were full of faults.

And when it happens that we ourselves commit some fault we must also practise meekness in our own regard: to be exasperated at ourselves after a fault “is not humility but a subtle pride, as if we were anything else but the weak and miserable things that we are. St. Teresa said: “The humility that disturbs does not come from God, but from the devil”. To be angry with ourselves after the commission of a fault is a fault worse than the one committed, and will be the occasion of many other faults: it will make us leave off our devotions, prayers, and communions; or if we do practise them they will be done very badly. St. Aloysius Gonzaga said that we cannot see in troubled waters, and that the devil fishes in them. A soul that is troubled knows little of God and of what she ought to do. Whenever, therefore, we fall into any fault, we should turn to God with humility and confidence, and, craving His forgiveness, say to Him, with St. Catherine of Genoa: “O Lord, this is the produce of my own garden! I love Thee with my whole heart, and I repent of the displeasure I have given Thee. I will never do the like again; grant me Thy assistance!”

O blessed chains that bind the soul to God, enfold me still closer, and in links so firm that I may never be able to loosen myself from the love of my God! My Jesus, I love Thee! O Treasure, O Life of my soul, to Thee I cling, and I give myself wholly unto Thee! No, indeed, my beloved Lord, I wish never more to cease from loving Thee. Thou Who, to atone for my sins, didst allow Thyself to be bound as a criminal, and so bound to be led to death through the streets of Jerusalem. Thou Who didst consent to be nailed to the Cross, and didst not leave it until life itself had left Thee-oh, suffer me not ever to be separated from Thee again; I regret above every other evil to have at one time turned my back upon Thee, and henceforth I purpose by Thy grace to die rather than to give Thee the slightest displeasure.