TRIDUUMF
1stPrelude.Imagine the scene of your first vows—the ceremony is very simple, the meaning very solemn.
2ndPrelude.Ask a full appreciation of the meaning.
POINTI. Consider the choice made by Jesus.
1. While on earth Jesus chose His Apostles: “Come ye after me, and I will make you to be fishers of men” (St.Matth.iv, 19); meaning: I will make you my co-laborers in the grandest of all works; “I have chosen you, that you should go and that you should bring forth fruit, and your fruit should remain” (St.Johnxv, 16), fruit for eternity. The Apostles could not then realize the honor offered them.
2. Christ meant to make their hearts like to His own in holiness, filling them with love for God and men, generosity, humility, mildness, fidelity, etc.
3. He meant to make them ornaments of Heaven, the twelve great constellations of the celestial Paradise. Then consider that the same Blessed Saviour has chosen you for the same three purposes. Acts of thanks, self-abasement: “I, although most unworthy,prostrate before the feet of thy Divine majesty, etc.”
POINTII. Consider what were your sentiments at the time of your first vows.They were most earnest and sincere. You were of age, you knew the real meaning, you had been tried, you had full liberty to accept Christ’s offers or to refuse them, you were enlightened by the grace of God and supported by His aid.
Yours were solemn words: “I do vow before the most sacred Virgin Mary, and the whole court of Heaven, to Thy Divine Majesty, perpetual Poverty, Chastity and Obedience, etc.” These vows effected a solemn consecration of your person, made you sacred, like chalices, their violation a sacrilege. These days are to prepare in you proper sentiments to renew this pledge of a sacred Knighthood, likeSt.Ignatius’snight watch of armsat Mont Serrat, really espousals with the Son of God. The breaking of such a contract is horrible before God and men. An unfaithful religious is like a false coin—apparently gold, really brass.
POINTIII. Have we been faithful?There can be no doubt of our original sincerity. Our self-immolation was sincere and generous; God supported us. Have we been living up to the lofty ideals with which we started out? Thousands before us have done so; thousands are doing so to-day; thousands are being prepared by the Holy Spirit to do the same.
These days are assigned us by our Society to examine carefully how we stand. If we find defects, weare now to correct them. We must begin the task by a careful self-examination. This is a visit, not of a Father Provincial or Father General, but of the Holy Ghost Himself to the hearts of all.
No doubt you are faithful in many things; see whether you are faithful in all things. Imagine the Holy Spirit addresses you in the words spoken in the Apocalypse to the Bishop of Ephesus, saying: “I know thy works and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them that are evil.... And thou hast patience, and hast endured for my name, and hast not fainted. But I have somewhat against thee.” Then consider whether you find really in your conduct something that needs special looking after during these three days.
Colloquy, according to the sentiments thus excited in your mind.
1stPrelude.See Christ in Heaven surrounded by a bright crowd of intimate friends (Apoc.vii, 9).
2ndPrelude.Ask for the most delicate purity of heart.
POINTI.Chastity is a most precious treasure. It was bestowed on Adam and Eve in Paradise: “They were both naked, to wit Adam and Eve, and they were not ashamed” (Gen.ii, 25). On the other hand, when “All flesh had corrupted its way” (Gen.vi, 12) the Deluge showed the indignation of God;and, soon after, to punish impurity, “The Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorha brimstone and fire ... and he destroyed these cities” (Gen.xix, 24, 25).
When the Son of God was about to come down and become a child of this sin-stained race, He prepared for Himself a temple of purity in the Blessed Virgin Mary. His favorite friends were chaste virginal souls,St.Joseph,St.John the Baptist,St.John the Apostle; and His other Apostles too left their wives and all things to follow Him. One of His first teachings was: “Blessed are the clean of heart” (St.Matth.v, 8). To teach the sanctity becoming the human body, it is anointed with sacred oil at Baptism and Confirmation, fed with the Divine Bread at Holy Communion, incensed at Solemn Mass and at burial, and laid in consecrated ground to rise again in glory. How we ought to respect this vessel of election!
POINTII.We have been selected from among thousands to constitute the virgin band of Christ’s intimate friends. These are Divine nuptials of Jesus with the consecrated virgin soul, united together into closest union. To this holiness impurity is diametrically opposed. As adultery is the grossest sin against the sacred bond of matrimony, so is impurity the most degrading vice against the religious state; and as inSt.Matthew’s Gospel (xix, 9) marital infidelity is a just cause for rejection of the guilty party, so Jesus rejects the impure. The Book of Wisdom also declares that “Wisdom will not dwell in a body subject to sins” (i, 4).
POINTIII. Means to protect and perfect purity.
1.Prayer.The Book of Wisdom says: “As I knew that I could not otherwise be continent except God gave it, and this also was a point of wisdom to know whose gift it was, I went to the Lord and besought him” (viii, 21). This is one strong reason why religious should do so much more praying than seculars, that they are vowed to a life of perpetual purity. In particular there is need in this matter of habitual recourse to prayer at every assault of temptation.
2.The practice of mortification; for to the spirit of impurity apply the words of Christ: “This kind can go out by nothing but by prayer and fasting” (St.Markix, 28).
3. Modesty of all the senses, especially of the eyes: “I made a covenant with my eyes, that I would not so much as think upon a virgin,” said Holy Job (xxxi, 1), clearly indicating that the source of evil thoughts lies chiefly in the objects presented to the eyes.
4.Avoiding the occasionsof temptations; for, while many other passions are best subdued by direct resistance to their promptings, that of lust must be overcome by flight. Therefore Ecclesiasticus warns us that “he that loveth danger shall perish in it” (iii, 27). Few servants of God had shown such heroic proofs of fidelity to duty amid multiplied and protracted trials as had King David; and yet the imprudence with which he exposed himself to an impure temptation made him in a few days an adulterer, atyrant and a murderer, and filled his remaining years of life with bitter sufferings.
We must carefully consider in every retreat how faithfully we make use of these various protections of angelic chastity; for “We have this treasure in earthen vessels” (2Cor.iv, 7).
Colloquywith our dear Lord and His Holy Mother.
1stPrelude.Behold Christ learning a trade fromSt.Joseph.
2ndPrelude.Ask for high appreciation of obedience.
POINTI. Consider that all human beings must obey.A wise God must establish order in all His works; hence the maxim: “Order is Heaven’s first law.” The material universe obeys the law of gravitation, the moral universe obeys the law of subordination of wills of inferiors to superiors, that is the law of obedience. Common sense teaches all mankind that children must obey their parents, servants their masters, subjects their lords, etc. When God came to share your nature, He put Himself to obey, and carried this virtue to the highest perfection, “becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross” (Phil.ii, 8). In positive legislation God has made this law universal. The Fourth Commandment directly enforces it (Ex.xx, 12). The law of Deuteronomy is still more forcible, saying: “He that willbe proud and refuse to obey the commandment of the priest who ministereth at the time to the Lord thy God, and the decree of the judge, that man shall die, and thou shalt take away the evil from Israel” (xvii, 12); and laying down the law for sacred services, God inflicted a sudden and disgraceful death on two young priests for using common instead of sacred fire (Levit.x, 1-3). He wished to set an example for all future ages.
POINTII. Obedience is the characteristic virtue of our Society.At the time of the Protestant Reformation there was a widespread spirit of rebellion against the authority of God; independence replaced obedience. The Holy Ghost then inspiredSt.Ignatius to institute a religious Order whose characteristic virtue should be that of obedience. He had been a brave soldier, and he wished to assemble a band of men, a company obeying orders with the promptness, punctuality and generosity of soldiers ever in active warfare. “Especially I desire,” he writes, “to see you most perfect in the virtue of obedience.” His letter on Obedience is the greatest masterpiece written on this matter, and his Institute is the most perfect exhibition of this virtue in action. It is, in fact, a close imitation of the obedient life of the God Incarnate. None but very obedient men are true Jesuits. Father Franciosi, in his work “The Spirit ofSt.Ignatius,” has collected thirty pages of eulogies pronounced by the Saint on this his favorite virtue (pp.61 to 92). He calls it “the noblest and most beautiful virtue,” “the sweetest sacrifice, most pleasing to theDivine Majesty,” “a kind of martyrdom.” He writes: “Obedience ennobles and elevates man greatly above his condition, causing him to put off self and to put on God, the sovereign good, who is accustomed to fill the soul so much the more as He finds it less occupied with self-will; so that those who have reached this state may truly, provided they obey from the bottom of their hearts, say with the Apostle: ‘I live, now not I, but Christ liveth in me.’”
POINTIII. How perfect ought our obedience to be?
I.In the execution, it must be prompt, leaving even a letter unfinished; exact, rendered with military precision; generous, shirking no difficulty; universal in all things commanded and even at a mere sign of a superior’s will without an express command; without show of reluctance, as a corpse is moved or an old man’s staff employed.
2.In the will, which is exchanged for the will of the superior, so that there can be no conflict of wills.
3.In the judgment, “as far as a devout will can bend the understanding,” saysSt.Ignatius, which can always be done when there is no compelling evidence to the contrary. Hence never any criticism, but such docility as the child Jesus showed when taught bySt.Joseph the rules of his trade without suggesting any improvement.
Colloquywith our dear Lord, asking for perfect obedience.
MEDITATIONIVOn Strength of Character
1stPrelude. Recall the words ofSt.Paul: “Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good” (Rom.xii, 21).
2ndPrelude.Ask to improve in vigor of character.
POINTI. What is strength of character?It is power of the will to control one’s own actions, independently of one’s inclinations and of the opinions of men. A weak character is led by mere feelings. These must be brought under control, conquered by the strength of the will and made to obey the dictate of reason. For this purpose we must resist our inclinations:“Vince teipsum,”“Conquer thyself”;“Tantum profeceris quantum tibi vim intuleris,”“Your progress will be proportioned to your self-victories,” are undoubted maxims. And Christ says in the Apocalypse: “To him that shall overcome I will give to sit with me in my throne” (iii, 21).
What must we overcome? Whatever we find during the triduum to be disorderly in our daily conduct. Examine your rising at the first signal, your morning visit, meditation, hearing of Mass, reception of Holy Communion, and all the successive actions of the day. Resolve to correct what is faulty, to supply what is wanting, etc. Mere wishes are worthless; you must set to work.
POINTII. Whence comes strength of character?
1. It is of course, like every precious power, a gift of God: “Every best gift, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of light” (St.Jamesi, 17). Like all other gifts of God, it can be increased by earnest and persevering prayer. Many are fond of frequently repeating the petition: “Lord, grant me the grace of doing what Thou commandest, and then command what Thou wilt.”
2. But it is not all a gift of God. Our will is free; nothing is so truly our own as our will. Even God will not control it. Being an immaterial power, it is not affected by sickness nor old age, as is evident from the heroism of the Martyrs.
3. A person’s character may undergo great changes. Thus we read ofSt.Francis of Sales that his gentleness of temper was the result of strenuous and continuous efforts. InSt.Ignatius “Unalterable calmness was the result of his vigorous perseverance in combatting the irascibility to which his constitution much inclined him” (Franciosi,Spir.ofSt.Ign.,p.149).
4. Often men of strong passions make most progress in virtue, asSt.Ignatius found in Peter Ribadineira and Edmund Auger, who triumphed over great defects of character (Ib.,p.141).
POINTIII. How is strength of character increased or diminished?This is chiefly effected by the successive acts of our free will. Every virtuous act strengthens our power of doing such virtuous acts again, and every yielding to our passions strengthens those passions, and in the same proportion weakensour power of resistance to their promptings. For habits are formed by the repetition of acts, and habits become like a second nature. We are all bundles of habits; the habits determine the cast of character.
It is proper for each one to examine during the triduum whether he is now different from what he was at former times; for instance, at the completion of his novitiate or his entrance on more active duties—better or worse. We cannot long remain just the same. The religious life is like rowing against the current of a river: if we cease rowing, we are carried back. What is my present condition of fidelity to duty, of zeal, charity, obedience, piety, etc.?
Colloquy, as the occasion suggests.
1stPrelude.Imagine you see the thousands of happy souls in Heaven who worked out their salvation in our Society while on earth.
2ndPrelude.Ask for abundant grace to follow in their footsteps.
POINTI. What manner of men were they on earth?
They were very much like ourselves. They had the same human passions to control, the same rules to observe, the same labors to perform, the same sacrifices to make, etc. And to help them along they had the same aids that we have: the same loving Lord, who had called them from amid the dangers of the world,as He has called us; the same training by the Spiritual Exercises ofSt.Ignatius, the same holy Sacraments, the same everything; not of course in the same proportion for every individual soul; but enough of grace for all to live up to our grand vocation, and in due time to be with our blessed brethren in Heaven, as we are now their associates in the Society of Jesus on earth.
POINTII. To what do those happy souls owe their success?
The same grace of God in their case and in ours being presupposed, they owed their success to their faithful co-operation. The grace of God is in the matter of sanctification, what the spring is in a watch. All the movements of the wheels and the hands come from the spring; when that breaks all the other parts come to a perfect standstill. The powers of our body and soul are like the wheels of the watch which must work along with the spring to indicate the correct time. And of them one is free, namely our will. When our free will co-operates with grace, we lead holy lives. The spring of God’s grace never fails; the only fear of failure regards our own free will. Now the purpose of this triduum is to examine how faithfully our will is seconding the promptings of grace. In this meditation we must ask God’s light to understand the real condition of our soul, and next examine our conduct with care, to see whether our lives are up to the standard of faithful and fervent religious. How is God pleased with us? How are our superiors and our brethren in religion satisfied? Has any one a right to complain of us? What improvement can we make?
POINTIII. How can we obtain an increase of grace?By prayer and faithful co-operation.
1.Prayeris the universal means by which all blessings can be obtained: “Ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full” (St.Johnxvi, 24). But of course we must pray fervently and perseveringly; careless prayer leads to tepidity and loss of grace, rather than its increase. How fervently have I been praying of late?
2. Co-operation with graces given me is the most efficient means of obtaining a further supply of grace. And in proportion as graces abound the service of God is facilitated, and thus again further graces are secured:Facile equitat quem gratia Dei portat, “he rides along with ease who is carried up by the grace of God,” is a familiar axiom. On the other hand, the want of co-operation with the grace given us makes us unworthy of a future liberal supply of God’s help, and gradually leads a soul into tepidity, with all its serious consequences. We may be much encouraged to improve ourselves in these two means of sanctification, namely prayer and co-operation with grace, by frequently recalling to mind the examples set us by the Saints of our Society. These two means made them Saints and the same means will make us Saints, if we employ them with the same earnestness and perseverance as they did. Pray like the Saints, co-operate with the grace of God as the Saints habitually did, and you will soon be holy yourselves.
Colloquywith Jesus and Mary, to obtain great progress in the imitation of the Saints.
MEDITATIONVIThe Perfection of Our Actions
1stPrelude.Behold our Divine Lord as a youth occupied in humble labor.
2ndPrelude.Ask for light and strength of will to do all things well.
POINTI. The life of Christ is summed up in the words, “He hath done all things well,”Bene omnia fecit(St.Markvii, 37).
For Jesuits these words contain a most safe, most effective and most comprehensive rule of action. This follows from the fact that our life is directly intended to be a close imitation of the life of Christ Himself. Such was certainly the grand ideal of our founder,St.Ignatius. The perfection he teaches is the imitation of Christ; and the entire life of Christ is described in this statement, “He did all things well.” Any one of Ours who aims steadily at this practise is on the highroad to perfection; and one who does so throughout his life is a real saint. To such persons applies the saying of Father Isidore Boudreaux,S.J., which is quoted in our Menology: “The good novice makes the good scholastic and the good scholastic makes the good priest.” Without this aim the pursuit of perfection is an illusion.
POINTII. In this pursuit of sanctity we have no time to lose.See how much was done in a short time by our young Saints, Aloysius, Stanislaus, Berchmans, and really by all our great models. For instance,St.Francis had only ten years given him to accomplish his grand success in India and Japan. Very many of the Saints fulfilled a long space in a short time; aSt.Catherine of Sienna, who benefited the Church so conspicuously, died at the age of 33 years. The career of any of you may be much briefer than you expect; but no matter how brief it be, it will be a very successful one if you do all things well.
POINTIII. What is required to do all things well?It requires:
1. A good motive on all occasions; for the end specifies the act, determines its moral nature. In all your actions seek purely God’s glory, the good of souls, the will of God, or any purpose that the faith proposes to us. “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever else you do, do all to the glory of God,” wroteSt.Paul (ICor.x, 31). It is not so much the offering of our actions to God that is here recommended, but rather the aiming in all we do at a supernatural effect. This higher aim renders our acts pleasing to God and meritorious for ourselves.
2. Attention to the least details of what you do, striving to impart to it the highest perfection you can. Thus the perfection of any work of art depends, not on the general outline only, but rather on the beauty imparted to every portion of the production, be it a painting, a statue, a literary composition, etc.
3. Careful avoidance of all negligent or defective work. For indulgence in carelessness not only spoils the task actually in hand, but also renders us less disposed to act well on subsequent occasions. Everymoral fault we commit fosters an evil habit. Let me examine with care with what perfection I have lately been accustomed to perform my actions, and resolve to amend all that needs correction.
Colloquy, according to the present condition of my soul.
THE END OF THE TRIDUUMS