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Brookline Carmel Bulletin                         J M J T

February 14, 1960

 

 

Cogitatio Sancta

(Holy Meditation)

 

Helpful Quotations on the Spiritual Life

 

“There is a vast difference between the conscience and the ‘unconscious conscience,’ which exists in one of the inner senses:  the estimative sense…  The estimative sense is the equivalent in man of instinct in animals.  By their instincts, animals, without prior experience, know what is harmful or useful to them… The instincts are determined by nature.  The estimative sense, however, because the lower part of man is destined to union with the higher rational part, is not determined by nature, but receives its determination in infant training… This estimative sense cannot reason, but it can form a sort of estimate or judgment concerning concrete things.  It lacks the flexibility of reason, which can take circumstances into account in forming a judgment.  The estimative sense is the seat of our ‘unconscious conscience,’ which simulates our conscience and is the source of many injunctions, commands and censorious judgments concerning ourselves and others.  We must learn to distinguish the true conscience from this unconscious likeness, and learn to ignore the unconscious conscience.  Spiritual direction which corrects errors of conscience leads us to a greater reasonableness of conscience, and to a greater discernment of the dictates of our true conscience which is located in our reason.”  (M Raphael Simon, O.C.S.O., M.D., Hammer and Fire, P. J. Kennedy & Sons, New York, 1959.  Chap. 29)

 

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“Progress (in the spiritual life) is not necessarily felt or understood as such by the soul.  Indeed as the soul makes progress it becomes more aware of its deficiencies; it loses the sensible devotion it experienced; it no longer derives sensible fruit from meditation as it formerly did when companionship with Jesus in prayer was so evident.  It seems to itself much less devoted to the things of God for which it may now feel a repugnance, although it is conscious of a more or less constant painful desire for God and effort to please Him.  In short, it believes sincerely that it is going backwards; perhaps it is even tempted to think it is abandoned by God, a temptation that occurs to those who are making true progress.  God does not allow the soul whose well being He is promoting to feel unduly satisfied with itself.  But all that is required to make true progress is perseverance in the effort and in the practices whereby one is striving rightly to give oneself to God despite the temptations, the dryness, and the apparent coldness of the soul toward Him.  The constant desire to please God, together with real effort to do so, is always in fact pleasing to Him.  It is true love and a certain possession of Him in which the soul can and should rejoice.  For when God is desired, He is loved; in being loved, He is possessed; and in being possessed, He should be enjoyed by the soul with rejoicing.”  (ib. Chap. 26)

 

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“’With what difficulty will they who trust in riches enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’  Understand that, by these words, Jesus means not only the man who is ‘rich’ because he possesses much, but more especially the man who is ‘rich’ because he is ‘attached’ to what he possesses.  Riches are not in themselves an obstacle to eternal salvation and sanctity, but they become an obstacle when man becomes a slave to them.  And one need not possess much in order to be a slave to earthly goods; it suffices to possess anything whatsoever ‘with attachment,’ even though it be of little or no value… What frees the soul from slavery to earthly goods is not so much material poverty as ‘poverty of spirit,’ i.e., poverty of affections and attachments, however small… ‘For we are not treating here of the lack of things, since this implies no detachment on the part of the soul if it has a desire for them:  but we are treating of the detachment from them of the taste and desire, for it is this that leaves the soul free and void of them, although it may have them… for it is not the things of this world that either occupy the soul or cause it harm, since they enter it not, but rather the will and desire for them, for it is these that dwell within it.’ (Ascent I, iii, 4)  Spiritual poverty completes and gives value to material poverty by freeing the soul from all desire and affection for earthly goods.”  (Fr. Gabriel, O.C.D., Intimita divina, ch.85)

 

 

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