TRIDUUMD
1stPrelude.Vividly picture to yourselfSt.John Berchmans at his prayer.
2ndPrelude.Beg for copious grace to imitate his spirit of fervor.
POINTI.Consider that in the sight of Godmen differ from one another only according to their interior dispositions:Omnis gloria filiae regis ab intus, “All the glory of the King’s daughter is within” (Ps.44). It matters nothing whether a person be rich or poor, learned or ignorant, man or woman, old or young, refined or uncultured, etc. We are apt to forget this and to trust in some natural superiority, as the world does. The Lord said to His prophet Samuel: “I do not judge according to the look of man; for man seeth those things that appear, but the Lord beholdeth the heart” (IKingsxvi, 7). The right view of ourselves will be one of the great disillusionments at death. Let us now strive to view ourselves as we are in God’s sight.
POINTII. Consider this truth in special examples, comparing aSt.Alphonsus Rodriguez with an ordinary Jesuit, a Brother, a Father or a Scholastic. How similar outside. How different within. CompareaSt.John Berchmans, aSt.John Francis Regis with a Passaglia, a Tyrrell, etc., a mere boy, likeSt.Stanislaus, with a veteran religious of the ordinary cast. This interior proper disposition of which the Psalmist sings is apt to promote devotion, whichSt.Francis De Sales describes as follows: “Devotion is nothing else but that spiritual agility and vivacity by which charity works in us, or we by her, with alacrity and affection; and as it is the business of charity to make us observe all God’s commandments generally and without exception, so it is the part of devotion to make us observe them cheerfully and with diligence.... Devotion is the pleasure of pleasures, the queen of virtues, and the perfection of charity. If charity be milk, devotion is the cream; if charity be plant, devotion is the flower; if charity be a precious stone, devotion is its lustre; if charity be a rich balm, devotion is its fragrance, yea the odor of sweetness which comforts men and rejoices Angels” (“Devout Life,” chapter 1, 2). Do I cultivate this disposition in my heart with proper earnestness?
POINTIII. Consider that the purpose of the triduum is to renew this devotion within our hearts, its purity and its energy. Consider that God Himself affords this opportunity, and invites you to profit by it. His grace is ready to help you. What must you do during these three days? Our Society lays the observances before you which you are expected to follow. In her name Father Vincent Caraffa says to you: “Let each one, leaving alone all literary studies (except the work prescribed) apply himself exclusivelyto the improvement of the spirit. Certain practices in particular are pointed out, namely perfect silence as far as possible, half an hour daily of truly devout reading, half an hour likewise of earnest examination of conscience, special meditations on the renewal of the spirit of piety, a manifestation of conscience, a confession of the faults committed since the last renovation and a public accusation of defects.”
Remember in all this the saying ofSt.Ignatius: “The more generous we shall show ourselves towards God, the more generous we shall find God towards us, and the more fit we shall daily be to receive in greater abundance His graces and spiritual gifts.”
Colloquy.Ask eagerly and confidently for the grace of making a fervent triduum.
1stPrelude.Imagine Christ speaks to you from the tabernacle, offering to be your teacher in the spiritual life.
2ndPrelude.Beg of our dear Lord to teach you in what consists the interior spirit which is to be renewed during the triduum.
POINTI. In what consists that interior spirit?It is described in Holy Writ under the name of “Wisdom,” and the entire book called “Wisdom” is occupied in praising and explaining it. For instance, its seventh chapter says: “I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom came upon me, and I preferred herbefore kingdoms and thrones, and esteemed riches nothing in comparison of her.... Now all good things came to me together with her.... She is an infinite treasure to men, which they that use become the friends of God, being commended for the gift of discipline” (vii, 7-14).
Wisdom is the virtue by which we direct our acts by the best means to the best end, which is the end for which we were created, the glory of God. This is the spirit of our Society, “All for the Greater Glory of God.” And this is the spirit which we must renew within us by the exercises of the triduum. It regards the purpose or intention for which we act, and therefore it is called “the interior spirit.”
POINTII. What is opposed to the interior spirit?Two classes of faults are opposed to this interior spirit,
1. Those by which we seek sinful gratifications,
2. Those which simply fail to direct our actions to our supernatural end. Supposing that we are careful to avoid all wilful sin, let us consider how we can be wanting in the interior spirit. There are various ways: (a) We may be actuated in many of our actions by the love of praise, not seeking to please God but to please ourselves. Of course all that is done for a merely natural purpose is so much labor lost for eternity: “Take heed that you do not your justice before men, to be seen by them; otherwise you shall not have a reward of your Father who is in heaven (St.Matth.vi, 1). Thus a religious, whether a Father, a Scholastic or a Brother, may give great satisfactionto his superiors, to his brethren and to outsiders, and yet have little merit before God.”
The country is full of able and energetic teachers, for instance, who work only for earthly rewards.
(b) We may lead a life of mere impulsive energy, getting interested in our work, perhaps to the neglect of higher duties, or we may be drawn by mere natural affections: “If you love them that love you, what reward shall you have? Do not even the publicans this?” (ib.v, 46).
(c) In many of our actions we may be doing mere routine work. If we began the task with a good intention, though we continue it without further thought of the same, this is not mere routine, but may be very meritorious. The danger is that we may waste much time and energy by merely mechanical action without any supernatural intention. Do I strive earnestly to live for God,A.M.D.G.?
POINTIII. What means can I use for this purpose?
1. Good daily meditations, by which I keep supernatural motives before my mind.
2. Careful examinations of conscience, watching in particular the motives of my actions.
3. Earnest prayer for light and grace steadily to advance in sanctity.
Such prayer is suggested in various parts of the “Book of Wisdom,” to which we referred before; for instance, “Give me wisdom, that sitteth by thy throne, and cast me not off from among thy children. For I am thy servant and the son of thy handmaid, a weakman and of short time, and falling short of the understanding of judgment and laws. For if one be perfect among the children of men, yet if thy wisdom be not with him, he shall be nothing regarded” (ix, 4-6).
Colloquy.An earnest petition for grace to renew and increase our interior spirit.
1stPrelude.Recall the words of Christ: “Amen, amen, I say unto you, He that believeth in me hath everlasting life” (St.Johnvi, 47).
2ndPrelude.Ask earnestly for an intense spirit of faith.
POINTI. Consider the value of faith in the sight of God.
1. It is one of the theological virtues, which are infused into our hearts by the Holy Ghost: and thus, coming from God they have a Divine efficacy. Therefore whatever action is prompted by faith has supernatural merit, that is deserves an eternal reward. Hence the teaching of Christ: “He that believeth in me hath everlasting life.”
2. This value of faith is praised most highly bySt.Paul, who devotes to its praise the whole eleventh chapter of his Epistle to the Hebrews, showing how all the Saints of the Old Law were sanctified by their belief in the promised Redeemer.
3. On the part of man, faith is the sacrifice of hishighest faculty, his understanding, to his sovereign Lord. By it we resign our own judgment to accept in its place the word of God.
4. It is also the exercise of the virtue of humility, by which we acknowledge the weakness of our intellect. Now we know that “God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble” (St.Jamesiv, 6).
POINTII. See how faith sanctifies our daily life:
1. It keeps before us the Divine presence wherever we be; as a sponge plunged into the sea has water all around it and within the pores of its substance, so we are in God; “For in him we live and move and be” (Actsxvii, 28). Aie, God is still more intimately present to us than the water is to the sponge, for He penetrates every particle of our substance.
2. Faith reveals to us the real presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, with body and soul, humanity and Divinity, teaching us to adore Him, to offer Him as our sacrifice and receive Him as our food.
3. Faith makes us recognize the voice of God in the words of our rules and the directions of our superiors, and thus it makes the details of our religious life full of merit.
4. Faith pierces the guise of misery and frailty, and makes us recognize in every human being the hidden presence of Him who will say at the judgment: “Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me” (St.Matth.xxv, 40).
Thus faith makes the religious life most meritorious.
POINTIII. Examine yourselves on the practical working of the spiritof faith in your daily life. Consider:
1. Whether you strive earnestly to practise the presence of God, by frequently remembering Him and honoring Him by some ejaculatory prayer; for instance, at the striking of the clock, or at the signal to begin or end an exercise. If in your own room, offer each new task kneeling to your loving Lord and His Holy Mother.
2. Do you visit the Blessed Sacrament frequently and lovingly, attend Mass devoutly, and receive Holy Communion daily, with proper preparation and thanksgiving?
3. Are you diligent in keeping your rules and docile to the directions of your superiors? Or do you criticise their orders, thereby showing that you fail to recognize in them the voice of God?
4. Do you treat all your brethren with generous charity, seeing in them so many images of Christ? Or do you take a merely human view of them, being very fond of some and cold towards others, as worldlings treat one another? Do you endeavor to benefit and console all those in need or in sorrow?
The days of the renovation of spirit offer a golden opportunity to examine the motives of all our actions, valuing them all according to the teachings of faith.
Colloquywith our dear Lord, begging for much light and grace to lead a life of lively faith, and thus to be thoroughly renewed in spirit.
MEDITATIONIVThe Interior Spirit Is Fostered by Hope
1stPrelude.Recall the words of the Psalmist: “Trust in the Lord, and do good.... Delight in the Lord, and He will give thee the requests of thy heart” (Ps.36).
2ndPrelude.Ask for a lively confidence in the help of God to lead a holy and successful life.
POINTI. The virtue of hope inspires lofty aspirations.All men must hope for such graces from God as will enable them to attain the ends to which they are called. But as religious, and as Jesuits we are certainly called to attain perfection for ourselves and abundant fruit in the souls of others. Unless a Jesuit aims at these two objects, he falls below the mark of his vocation; He is a spiritual abortion. All other aims are trivial in comparison. That we are called to this twofold success is declared by the second rule of the Summary; and therefore the words of Christ are meant for us: “I have chosen you and have appointed you that you should go and should bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain” (St.Johnxv, 16). This lofty aim is the spirit of our vocation. It is fostered by the virtue of hope.
POINTII. The virtue of hope gives us confidence of success.The sanctification of our own soul and of many others is certainly above the power of any man. If therefore we had not the help of God for this purpose, we could not attain this effect. But with thehelp of God we can do wonders: “I can do all things in him who strengthened me” (Phil.iv, 13). Two sentiments must combine in me for the purpose: an intimate conviction of my total inability to save souls, and a firm confidence in the power and goodness of God to effect this result through my weakness: “The foolish things of the world hath God chosen, that He may confound the strong; and the base things of the world and the things that are contemptible hath God chosen, and things that are not, that he might bring to naught things that are; that no flesh should glory in his sight” (ICor.i, 27-29). The more humble our opinion of ourselves and the more lively our confidence in God, the more earnest no doubt will be our efforts to sanctify ourselves and others, and thus the more we shall foster in us the spirit of our vocation.
POINTIII. To attain supernatural results we must trust in the use of supernatural means.All the Philosophy of the world cannot convert a Pagan; nor all theology a Protestant, nor all literature a sinner. Conversion and sanctification are the work of grace. Now grace is obtained by prayer, by sacrifice, self-immolation, mortification. This lesson our dear Lord teaches us with much emphasis, saying: “Amen, amen I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, itself remaineth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit” (St.Johnxii, 24, 25). The minister of God is like a grain of wheat; as the wheat must be cast into the moist and hot furrow and corrupt before it can produce a new and fertile plant, so God’s minister must not spare himself,but be mortified and suffer debasement before he can produce abundant fruit in souls. Still remember that study and work, when done for supernatural motives, become thereby supernatural means, and are then as good as prayer, and often better than prayer. For whoever would neglect his appointed tasks to give extra time to prayer would not please the Lord. Hard work in the service of God is our habitual duty; through it we must sanctify ourselves and others. One of the sayings attributed toSt.Ignatius is: “Work as if all your successes were going to depend on your own efforts; and trust in God as if all depended on Him, nothing on yourself.” And of course where all depends on the infinite power and goodness of God, we may expect abundant fruit.
Colloquywith our dear Lord, begging for a lively hope in His assistance.
1stPrelude.See the glorified members of our Society around Jesus in Heaven, looking down on us with tender affection.
2ndPrelude.Beg for a liberal share of the spirit of love.
POINTI.Consider thatperfection consists in the love of God; therefore whatever increases the love of God within us increases our perfection, fosters our interior spirit. To increase this love of God, let us study its excellence: it makes us really friends ofChrist, who said to His Apostles, and says to all who strive to imitate their example: “I will not now call you servants, for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doth. But I have called you friends, because all things whatsoever I have heard of my Father I have made known to you” (St.Johnxv, 15). Has not Christ given to the true Jesuit an intimate knowledge of Himself? Does He not treat us all as His true friends, rather than servants? The servant is simply expected to obey orders without knowing the why and the wherefore, without understanding what it is all about. To us Christ has given, through the Exercises ofSt.Ignatius, a clear insight into the entire plan of sanctification, which even our Brothers and our novices soon get to understand remarkably well. Should we not then highly appreciate this Divine light and faithfully walk in its radiance?
POINTII. This friendship with God has various degrees of perfection:
1. The lowest degree of friendship is that which at least avoids all that would so offend a friend as to sever the friendship entirely, and rather turn it into hatred. In case of our friendship with God, this severance is produced by any mortal sin. Of course a true Jesuit commits no mortal sins. Any one who would commit such sins frequently has fallen below the normal standard of religious life.
2. The second degree of friendship excludes all that offends a friend deliberately, with full knowledge and consent, though in a matter of minor importance. This is done by fully deliberate venial sin. This degreeof friendship with God should be the normal condition of every good religious.
3. The third degree of friendship strives to avoid all that may displease a friend in any matter whatever, even when there is no question of giving offense. Such is the condition of fervent religious, who observe all their rules with great exactness, even those that do not bind under sin. They do so generously through the spirit of love for their Lord.
4. A fourth degree of friendship exists in those persons who are ever eager to give pleasures to their friends, never sparing any trouble to do so. Examine what is your habitual, or at least predominant disposition towards our good Lord. Do you often offend Him with full knowledge and will? Can you be more generous in doing what will please Him? What improvements can you make?
POINTIII. Consider how friendship is increased.
1. By thinking frequently of the good qualities of our friend, of the favors he has done us, of the warmth of his affection for us and the proofs he has given us of it. Therefore we meditate on the Person, the life and the sufferings of Christ, His Blessed Mother and the Saints. Can I make my meditations more fervent and more loving? For the same purpose we should read spiritual books and make ourselves familiar with devotional literature, carry on spiritual conversations when it can be done with profit, and collect notes of edifying matters for future use.
2. By emptying our hearts of all human attachments that God may fill them entirely. The Lord is ajealous lover. Perfect detachment from creatures is the condition of perfect love of God.
3. By making frequent acts of perfect resignation to the Divine will. For friendship between two persons consists mainly in union of wills.
Colloquy.Ask earnestly for an increase of love of God, and resolve to avoid all that may hinder it.
1stPrelude.Imagine you hear Christ say: “You shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you” (Actsi, 5).
2ndPrelude.Ask earnestly that the Holy Ghost may effect in you a thorough renovation of spirit.
POINTI. Consider what the Holy Ghost did for the Apostles.Though they had been taught by Christ for three years, they had still understood His doctrine very imperfectly; their affections were still earthly, set on worldly greatness; their dispositions were cowardly. What did they need? A copious infusion of light and strength. We are in a similar situation. They obtained this grace by earnest prayer: “All these were persevering with one mind in prayer” (ib. 14). In due time the effect followed: “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost” (ib.ii, 4). From that moment they understood all the doctrine correctly; and, after being scourged before the council, “They indeed went from the presence of the council,rejoicing that they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus” (ib.v, 41). This was only the beginning of their heroic lives.
POINTII. Consider what the Holy Ghost does in the Church to-day.The work of sanctification of the faithful, begun by the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, was to be continued till the end of time, and is so continued in us. Just as He has given us sanctifying grace in Baptism, and has constantly increased the same in a multitude of various ways up to the present day, so He is determined to continue this Divine work in our hearts, and to lead us to the practice of all the virtues proper to our state of life.
In particular He wishes to bestow on us the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost. The very name of “Gift” shows that we are not expected to acquire those excellent qualities by our own exertions. They may be compared to the sails attached to a boat, or to the steam or electricity propelling a machine. It is thus the Holy Ghost makes the practice of virtue easy for those who implore His assistance. Have we not all experienced this in many ways? In particular in embracing the religious state? What God has begun in us He will not desist from, provided in the future as in the past we co-operate with His graces.
POINTIII. What co-operation does the Holy Ghost expect from us?We have seen that the sanctification of the soul comes chiefly from the Holy Ghost. Yet He ordinarily requires our co-operation. In what does this consist?
1. In complying with the inspirations of His grace.This supposes that we carefully avoid all wilful sins. By mortal sins we would drive Him entirely from our souls; by deliberate venial sins we oppose His work, turning to creatures and attaching ourselves to them, thus opposing His efforts to unite our will with God’s, in which union sanctity consists. By indeliberate venial sins also we resist His influence, but to a less degree. Yet we must also strive to diminish their frequency. Then acting on the promptings of grace, we shall perform a multitude of virtuous acts, by which the Holy Spirit will advance us to ever higher sanctity.
2. Our co-operation consists in the second place in the fervor of our prayers, that is in all manner of direct intercourse with God by any of our spiritual exercises, or by aspirations after God or His gifts, uttered in the midst of distracting occupations. For these direct dealings with God are the ordinary means which He provides for the supply of light and strength to the soul, enabling it to lead a fervent and faithful life. Our prayers become all the more efficient in this regard when they are combined with the sacramental graces derived from confession, Holy Communion, the Holy Mass or visits to the Blessed Sacrament.
Am I thus faithfully and fervently co-operating with the influence of the Holy Ghost? What can be improved?
Colloquywith the Holy Ghost, asking what efforts He desires on our part, and grace to make those efforts.