V. STRIVING AFTER
PERFECTION.
1. Promptitude
Promptitude in the service of God is eagerness
to please Him. It flows from a spirit of docility animated by the love of God,
and manifests itself (1) in the exactness with which we perform the duties of
our state in life; (2) in the willingness with which we carry our cross; (3)
and in the alacrity, cheerfulness, and thoroughness with which we strive to
please God in all things. It induces us to concentrate our energies on the task
before us, and to accomplish much under disadvantages and in a short time.
2. Continuous
Effort.
By a continuous effort in the service of God we
mean that our efforts should never relax till our earthly pilgrimage is ended.
The very nature of our earthly trial demands this uninterrupted endeavor on our
part. Now time, grace, and opportunity are given us. If we employ them in God's
service we progress; if we neglect to use them we recede. In this life there is
no stopping place, no time when we are exempt from doing God's holy will.
Eternal rest awaits us in heaven. If, then, we neglect to co-operate even with
a single grace, that neglect may break the chain of graces that leads to final
perseverance, and so may be the first step to our final reprobation.
3. Gradual
Progress.
The spiritual life is composed of a divine and
a human element. The divine element is the grace of God; the human, our fallen
nature actuated by good will. Both elements combine to effect the spiritual
life within us, the human element supplying the material or favorable condition,
while the grace of God is the efficient cause of our sanctification. The human
element progresses by self-denial and patient endurance of the cross in imitation
of the Master; the divine, by an infusion of additional grace.
As the human element progresses by being more
and more subjected to the influence of grace, its progress is usually slow and
necessarily gradual, though always proportionate to the violence we do to
ourselves. The progress of the divine element, or the influence of grace, when
not miraculous^ is also gradual, because proportionate to the capacity of the
human element. God is indeed lavish, but not reckless, with His grace. He gives
the increase in proportion to our fidelity in co-operating with it, or in
proportion as we increase our capacity for grace by the gradual surrender of
ourselves through conformity to His holy will.
4. Patience.
Patience is that self-possession which enables
us to conform to the will of God in the trials of life. The trials of life
arise (1) from the nature of our earthly pilgrimage; (2) from the infirmity of
human nature; (8) from the conduct of others; (4) from the influence of the spirit-world;
(5) and from the special dispensations of divine Providence.
Patience (1) makes us masters of ourselves and
our surroundings; (2) makes us Christlike in our love of the cross; (3) makes
us the be- loved children of God; (4) entitles us to the reward of heaven; (5)
and gives that "peace of God, which surpasseth all
understanding" (Phil. iv. 7). To
possess our souls in patience St. Alphonsus exhorts us (1) to anticipate the trials
that await us; (2) to pray for strength to endure them; (3) to frequent the
sacraments; (4) to live in intimate union with God.
5. Decision in
Temptation.
Decision in temptation is vigor and promptitude
in resisting the inclinations to sin. Our will may act with this decision even
when our nature is rebellious and hankers for what is forbidden. And,
practically^ the greater the effort necessary to triumph over a temptation, the
greater is also the victory and the merit.
As every temptation puts our loyalty to Jesus Christ
to the test, we should be more concerned about our decision than about the
nature of the temptation which may assail us. Our hope of triumph is in the
goodness and promises of God, but the grace of God cannot crown us with victory
before we have stood the test of resisting the temptation with decision.
To maintain this decision and conquer every temptation
we must (1) habitually despise the flesh, the world, and the devil; (2) be constant
in prayer and the frequentation of the sacraments; (3) make devout use of
blessed articles; (4) and occasionally reveal our severer temptations to our director.
Most temptations are easily overcome by making contrary acts in a spirit of
faith. The saints of God advise us, however, to turn away from temptations
against faith and holy purity, and conquer them by invoking the aid of Jesus
and Mary while occupying our minds with other subjects. The reason for this
salutary advice is because temptations against faith and holy purity are
intensified by actual opposition. "I do believe. Lord; help my unbelief
(Mark ix. 23). “As I knew that I could not otherwise be continent, except God
gave it; I went to the Lord and besought Him" (Wis. viii. 21).
6. Avoidance of
the Occasion of Sin.
The occasion of sin is something external to
us, which allures us to sin. For one it is association with a certain person,
for another the reading of a certain book, for a third the frequentation of a
certain place. Again, some occasions are dangerous to faith, others to modesty,
to temperance, to justice, or to charity.
By the law of self-preservation we are bound to
avoid the proximate occasion of sin. When this is impossible we must render its
danger, or allurement, remote by special vigilance and prayer. For the Holy
Ghost says: ''He that loveth the danger shall perish in it” and " He that
contemneth small things shall fall by little and little" (Ecclus. iii. 27;
ix. 1).
As long as we (1) avoid the proximate occasion
of sin when we can; (2) render the occasion remote where it is impossible to
avoid it; (3) renew our determination to avoid every sin; (4) and fortify
ourselves by prayer, we have a claim on the special protection of Providence,
and may rest assured that God will deliver us. But, to seek the occasion of
sin, or tarry voluntarily in it, besides incurring the guilt of the sin, is an
act of presumption in which Samson, the strongest, and Solomon, the wisest, of
men, succumbed.
7. Search for the
Occasion of Doing Good.
An occasion of doing good is an opportunity of
pleasing God. All are given the opportunity of fulfilling the duties of their
state in life, as well as the opportunity of performing various acts of
fraternal charity and Christian mercy. Our first aim should be to perform the
duties of our state in life conscientiously, and then to seek those occasions
of doing good (1) which harmonize with our calling; (2) which are most urgent;
(3) which are nearest at hand. It is better to seek the ordinary occasions of
doing good rather than the extraordinary, and to prefer the hidden ones to
those which earn for us the applause of the world.
8. Sadness and
Cheerfulness.
Sadness is a depression of heart which tends to
exaggerate our troubles, to paralyze our energies, and to make us rebel at the
trials of life. It may be caused (1) by physical infirmity, (2) by nervous
strain, (3) by a sulky mood of our wounded pride or self-love, (4) by the
weight of the burdens of life, (5) by remorse of conscience, (6) by the
possession of an evil spirit, (7) by an extraordinary visitation of Providence.
Cheerfulness, on the other hand, is a buoyancy
of spirit which inclines us to look on the bright side of things, fills us with
enthusiasm, and enables us to bear the burdens of life with ease and pleasure.
It may be caused (1) by the glow of health, (2) by the gratification of our
pride or self-love, (3) by congenial occupation or surroundings, (4) by the
peace of a good conscience, (5) by sensible fervor, (6) by the alluring
influence of grace.
We can repress tendencies to sadness and cultivate
cheerfulness by resigning ourselves unreservedly to the dispensations of
Providence, and by seeking to please God alone in all things.
9. Attention to
Details.
Attention to details is essential to produce a
perfect work. Our daily life is made up mostly of minor obligations and petty
trials. Heroic sacrifices are rarely required in a lifetime. Though the main
duties of our calling demand our first attention, the details are also of
obligation. By performing these with due attention, we also fulfill the former
well and thus bring forth fruit a hundred-fold. Continual attention to details
in shunning evil and doing good is not only the greatest evidence of our
loyalty to God, but also the evidence of virtue as heroic as is found in the
lives of the canonized saints.
10. Good Use of
the Present Moment.
The present moment links the eternity of the past
with the eternity to come. The past will never return; the future is in God's
keeping. The present is the time of grace and opportunity. If we concentrate
our energies on the present moment, our labor will be easy because sustained by
grace, and our burden light because proportioned to our strength.
The present moment is so precious that St.
Augustine calls it "a drop from the ocean of eternity." When used
well it accumulates treasures for us in heaven, but when neglected or misspent
it will be evidence of our guilt for the day of wrath.
11. Frequent
Renewal of Our Good Intention.
As the hand of the compass turns to the North
so human nature instinctively inclines to earthly things. To concentrate our
energies on spiritual things we must counteract the downward tendency of our
corrupt nature by a frequent renewal of our good intention. No matter how clear
our perception of the Christian ideal, how complete the conquest over our enemies,
how sincere our intention, how ardent our desires, and how determined our
resolution, if we do not recollect ourselves and renew our intention from time to
time, our fervor will cool, our generosity will decrease, and our vigilance will
relax. In this lamentable condition we not only squander time and grace and
commit many faults, but are apt to succumb to any serious temptation. On this
account all Christians are exhorted to renew their good intention at least
every morning. St. Alphonsus exhorts us to make good intention at the
beginning of every undertaking, to renew it when the clock strikes, and to make
it efficacious by the practice of ejaculatory prayer and the occasional recitation
of a Hail Mary. At least let us accustom ourselves to repeat as often as we
think of God, ''All for the glory of God and the good of souls. All out of love
for Jesus and Mary. All according to God's holy will."
12. Fidelity
