How Devotion Is Suited to All Kinds of Vocations and Professions.
When God created the world, He commanded the plants to bear fruit, each according to its kind. So does He command Christians, who are the living plants of His Church, to produce fruits of devotion, each according to his quality and state. Devotion must be practised differently by the gentleman, the artisan, the servant, the prince, the widow, the maiden, and the married woman; and not only this, but the practice of devotion must also be adapted to the strength, affairs, and duties of each individual. I ask you, Philothea, would it be fitting for the bishop to wish to live as a solitary, like the Carthusians? And if married people wished to amass no more than the Capuchins, and if the artisan were in church all day like the religious, and the religious were exposed to every kind of encounter in the service of his neighbour, like the bishop, would not such devotion be ridiculous, disorderly, and unbearable? This fault, however, occurs very often; and the world, which does not distinguish, or does not wish to distinguish, between devotion and the indiscretion of those who believe themselves devout, murmurs and cries out against devotion, which has nothing to do with these disorders.
No, Philothea, devotion spoils nothing when it is true; or rather, there is nothing that it does not perfect; and if it harms anyone’s legitimate vocation, that is proof that it is false. The bee, says Aristotle, draws its honey from flowers without harming them in any way, leaving them fresh and whole as it found them. But true devotion does even better, for not only does it in no way spoil the vocations and affairs in which one finds oneself, but on the contrary it adorns and embellishes them. All kinds of precious stones, when cast into honey, become more brilliant, each according to its colour: so, too, each person becomes more pleasing in his vocation when he joins devotion to it: the care of the family thereby becomes more peaceful, the love of husband and wife more sincere, the service of the prince more faithful, and every kind of occupation sweeter and more agreeable.
When God created the world, He commanded the plants to bear fruit, each according to its kind. So does He command Christians, who are the living plants of His Church, to produce fruits of devotion, each according to his quality and state. Devotion must be practised differently by the gentleman, the artisan, the servant, the prince, the widow, the maiden, and the married woman; and not only this, but the practice of devotion must also be adapted to the strength, affairs, and duties of each individual. I ask you, Philothea, would it be fitting for the bishop to wish to live as a solitary, like the Carthusians? And if married people wished to amass no more than the Capuchins, and if the artisan were in church all day like the religious, and the religious were exposed to every kind of encounter in the service of his neighbour, like the bishop, would not such devotion be ridiculous, disorderly, and unbearable? This fault, however, occurs very often; and the world, which does not distinguish, or does not wish to distinguish, between devotion and the indiscretion of those who believe themselves devout, murmurs and cries out against devotion, which has nothing to do with these disorders.
No, Philothea, devotion spoils nothing when it is true; or rather, there is nothing that it does not perfect; and if it harms anyone’s legitimate vocation, that is proof that it is false. The bee, says Aristotle, draws its honey from flowers without harming them in any way, leaving them fresh and whole as it found them. But true devotion does even better, for not only does it in no way spoil the vocations and affairs in which one finds oneself, but on the contrary it adorns and embellishes them. All kinds of precious stones, when cast into honey, become more brilliant, each according to its colour: so, too, each person becomes more pleasing in his vocation when he joins devotion to it: the care of the family thereby becomes more peaceful, the love of husband and wife more sincere, the service of the prince more faithful, and every kind of occupation sweeter and more agreeable.
It is an error, and even a heresy, to seek to banish the devout life from the company of soldiers, the workshops of artisans, the courts of princes, and the households of married people. It is true, Philothea, that purely contemplative, monastic, and religious devotion is impracticable in such occupations; but besides these three kinds of devotion, there are many others very well suited to perfecting those who live in the world. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Job, Tobit, Sarah, Rebecca, and Judith bear witness to this in the Old Testament; and as for the New, Saint Joseph, Lydia, and Saint Crispin were surely very devout in their workshops; Saint Anne, Saint Martha, Saint Monica, Aquila, and Priscilla very devout in their households; Cornelius, Saint Sebastian, and Saint Maurice very devout among the arms; Constantine, Helena, Saint Louis, Blessed Amadeus, and Saint Edward very devout upon their thrones. Indeed, it has happened that many have lost perfection in solitude, which is nevertheless so favorable to the perfect life, and preserved it in the world, which seems so opposed to it. Lot, says Saint Gregory, who was so chaste in the city, defiled himself in solitude. Thus, whatever our state may be, we can and must aspire to the perfect life.