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Brookline Carmel Bulletin                                     J M J T

June 19, 1960

 

 

Cogitatio Sancta

(Holy Meditation)

 

Faults of Beginners

(Continued from last week)

 

After outlining the faults of beginners, which spring from pride, Saint John of the Cross proceeds to paint a picture of the humble souls (Dark Night, Book I, Chapter 2).  The latter “conduct themselves very differently and with quite another temper of spirit… they consider all others as far better, and usually have a holy envy of them, and an eagerness to serve God as they do… they realize how much God deserves of them, and how little is all that they do for His sake,… holding themselves of little worth, they are anxious that others should consider them thus… if men should praise and esteem them, they can in no wise believe what they say… together with great tranquility and humility, these souls have a deep desire to be taught by anyone who can bring them profit; they are the complete opposite of those of whom we have spoken above, who are always eager to be teaching others.  These souls, on the other hand, being far from wanting to be masters of others, are very willing to set out on another road from that which they are actually following, if they be so commanded… They rejoice when others are praised; they grieve only because they are not serving God like others.  They have no desire to speak of the things that they do” (spiritual exercises, penances, good works, etc.) “because they think so little of them that they are ashamed to speak of them…These souls will give their heart’s blood to anyone who serves God, and will help others to serve Him as much as in them lies.  The imperfections into which they see themselves fall they bear with humility, meekness of spirit, and a loving fear of God, hoping in Him…God leads into the dark night those whom He desires to purify from all these imperfections so that He may bring them farther onward.”

 

Spiritual Avarice – “Many of these beginners have also at times great spiritual avarice.  They will be found to be discontented with the spirituality which God gives them; and they are very disconsolate and peevish because they do not find in spiritual things the consolation they would like.”  (Inordinate desire for consolation, “spiritual sweetness.”)

 

“Many can never have enough of listening to counsels and learning spiritual precepts, and of possessing and reading many books which treat of this matter, and they spend their time on all these things rather than on works of mortification and the perfecting of the inward poverty of spirit which should be theirs.”  (Condemns not the healthy interest in the study of spiritual matters, but the placing to too much emphasis on the theory of the neglect of the practice.  “By their fruits you shall know them.”)

 

“Furthermore, they burden themselves with images and rosaries which are very curious; now they put down one, now take up another; now they change about, now change back again; now they want this kind of thing, now that, preferring one kind of cross to another, because if is more curious.  And others you will see adorned with Agnus deis and relics and medals, like children with trinkets.  Here I condemn the attachment of the heart, and the affection which they have for the nature, multiplicity and curiousness of these things, inasmuch as it is quite contrary to poverty of spirit, which considers only the substance of the devotion, makes use only of what suffices for that end, and grows weary of this other kind of multiplicity and curiousness.”  (Condemns not the use of images, rosaries, etc., but the undue concentration on the object itself rather than the devotion if represents.  Such objects are only means to and end:  deeper devotion to God).

 

“For true devotion must issue from the heart, and consists in the truth and substance alone of what is represented by spiritual things; all the rest is affection and attachment proceeding from imperfection…”

 

Spiritual Lust – “It often comes to pass that, in their very spiritual exercises, when they are powerless to prevent it, there arise and assert themselves, in the sensual part of the soul, impure acts and movements, and sometimes this happens even when the spirit is deep in prayer, or receiving the Sacrament of Penance or the Eucharist.  These things” (impure acts and movements) “are not, as I say, under their control; they proceed from one of the three causes.”  (1) The lower nature seeking to share, in its own way, in the joys of the spirit; (2) the devil; (3) fear.

 

“Some of these persons make friendships of a spiritual kind with others which oftentimes arise from lust and not from spirituality; this may be known to be the case when the remembrance of that friendship causes not the remembrance and love of God to increase, but occasions remorse of conscience.”  (Unwholesome friendships)

 

Spiritual Anger – “When their delight and enjoyment of spiritual things come to an end, they naturally become embittered, and bear that lack of consolation which they have to suffer with bad grace, which affects all that they do… And they very easily become irritated over the smallest matter – sometimes, indeed, none can tolerate them…” (Irritability).

“They become irritated at the sins of others, and keep watch over them with a sort of uneasy zeal.”  (Impatience with others; spirit of criticism)

 

“They are vexed with themselves when they observe their own imperfections, and display an impatience that is not humility…”  (Impatience with self)

 

“They have not the patience to wait for whatever God will give them when it pleases Him…”  (Impatience with God)

 

Spiritual Gluttony – “Many of these (beginners), lured by the sweetness and pleasure which they find in such (spiritual) exercises, strive more after spiritual sweetness than after spiritual purity and discretion…Some of these persons, attracted by the pleasure which they find therein, kill themselves with penances, and others weaken themselves with fasts, by performing more than their weakness can bear… even though the contrary has been commanded them… they set bodily penance above subjection and obedience, which is penance of the reason and discretion, and therefore a sacrifice more acceptable and pleasing to God than any other…” (Performance of spiritual exercises for the pleasure one gets out of them, rather than to please God.)

 

“These persons are very insistent with their spiritual directors to be granted what they desire, extracting it from them almost by force; if they are refused, they become peevish as children…they go about clinging to their own will and pleasure…They think that the whole business of prayer consists of experiencing sensible pleasure and devotion…Being thus inclined to such pleasures, they are very weak and remiss in traveling the difficult road of the Cross; for the soul that is attached to pleasure naturally is opposed to self-denial, which is devoid of pleasure.”  (Stubbornness; attachment to one’s own will; self-indulgence)

 

Spiritual Envy – “With respect of envy, many of them frequently experience movements of displeasure at the spiritual good of others, which causes them a certain sensible pain at being outstripped upon this road…they would prefer not to hear others be praised; for they become displeased at others’ virtues and sometimes they cannot refrain from contradicting what is said in praise of them, depreciating it as far as they can; and their annoyance thereat grows because the same is not said of them…”  (Detraction; calumny)

 

Spiritual Sloth – “With respect to spiritual sloth, beginners are apt to be wearied by the things that are most spiritual, from which they flee because these things bring them no sensible pleasure…Once they fail to find in prayer the satisfaction which their taste desires…they prefer not to return to it (prayer)…sometimes they give it up altogether; at another times they continue it unwillingly…they run away from everything that is difficult, and take offense at the cross, wherein consists the delights of the spirit.”

 

“If any one would be my disciple, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” (Mt. 16:24)

 

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