Introduction to the Devout Life, Chapter ii (47)

Continuation of the same subject.
Saint Augustine says excellently that those who begin in devotion commit certain faults which are blameworthy according to the full rigour of the laws of perfection, but praiseworthy for the good omen they give of the piety to come, for which indeed they serve as dispositions. This low and gross fear, which engenders excessive scruples in those who have but newly turned from the paths of sin, is a commendable virtue at this beginning, and a sure omen of great purity of conscience; but this same fear would be blameworthy in those who are far advanced, divine love being bound little by little to drive out this servile fear and to reign sovereignly in their heart.

Saint Bernard, at the beginning of his ministry, was full of rigor and severity toward those who placed themselves under his guidance. He announced to them at the outset that they must leave the body behind and come to him with the spirit alone; when hearing their confessions, he showed extraordinary severity toward all manner of faults, however small they might be, and he so troubled those poor novices in the pursuit of perfection that, by pressing them toward it too hard, he drove them away from it, making them lose heart and breath by urging them too vigorously up that steep and rugged ascent. You see, Philothea, it was the ardent zeal of perfect purity that led this great saint to adopt such a method; and this zeal was a great virtue, yet a virtue that was nonetheless blameworthy. God Himself accordingly corrected him for it by a holy apparition, which left in his soul a gentle, sweet, gracious, and tender spirit; and having thus become quite another man, he greatly accused himself of having been so harsh, and became so gracious and indulgent toward everyone that he truly made himself all things to all men, that he might win them all to Jesus Christ. Saint Jerome relates that Saint Paula, his dear daughter, was not only excessive but also stubborn in the practice of bodily mortifications, to the point of refusing to yield to the contrary counsel given her in this matter by Saint Epiphanius, her bishop; then, adding that she was so carried away by grief at the death of her loved ones that she was always in danger of dying, he concludes in this manner: It will be said that instead of praising this holy woman, I am censuring and criticizing her; but I call Jesus to witness, whom she served and whom I desire to serve, that I depart from the truth on neither side, and that I relate quite simply the story of her life, as a Christian ought to do when speaking of a Christian woman, being able, moreover, to say in all truth that her vices would have been virtues in many others. Now you understand very well, Philothea, that by this he means that what were regarded as faults in Saint Paula would have passed for virtues in souls less perfect; for there are certain actions that are regarded as imperfections in those who are perfect, and that would pass for great perfections in those who are imperfect. It is a good sign in a sick person when, on coming out of his illness, his legs swell; for this shows that nature, already strengthened, is casting off superfluous humors; but this same sign would be bad in one who was not sick, for it would prove that nature was not strong enough to disperse and resolve the humors.

Let us think well, O Philothea, of those in whom we see the practice of virtue, though some imperfections be joined thereto; for the saints themselves have often practised virtue in this manner. But as for ourselves, we must take care to exercise ourselves therein, not only faithfully, but prudently; and to this end, closely observe the counsel of the Wise Man, which is that we lean not upon our own prudence, but upon those whom God hath given us to be our guides.

There are certain things which many esteem virtues, and which are not virtues at all: I must say a word to you about them. These are ecstasies or raptures, insensibilities, impassibilities, divine unions, elevations, transformations, and other such perfections treated of in certain books, which promise to raise the soul to purely intellectual contemplation, to the essential application of the spirit, and to the supereminent life. Take heed, Philothea: these perfections are not virtues, but rather rewards which God gives to virtue, or else foretaste communications of eternal felicity, of which God sometimes gives man a taste beforehand, in order to make him desire its full and complete enjoyment. One must by no means aspire to such graces, since they are not necessary for serving and loving God well, which ought to be our sole aim. Besides, they are often not graces which may be acquired by labor and application, but rather purely passive states, wherein we have only to receive, without being able to do anything of ourselves. I add that, having no other intention here than to become good people, devout men and devout women, this alone is what we must pursue. And if it thereafter pleases God to raise us to these angelic perfections, then shall we be good angels; but meanwhile, let us simply, humbly, and devoutly exercise ourselves in the little virtues which Our Lord commends to our care and labor, such as patience, gentleness, mortification of the heart, humility, obedience, poverty, modesty, condescension toward our neighbor, forbearance with his imperfections, diligence, and holy fervor. Let us willingly leave the heights to souls raised aloft; we deserve no such high rank in God’s service: we shall be only too happy to serve Him in the lowest posts, and to be numbered among His most humble servants; as for places of honor and intimacy with His council, it is for Him to call us thereto, if it so please Him. Let us remember, Philothea, that this King of glory rewards His servants not according to the dignity of the offices they perform, but according to the love and humility with which they perform them. Saul, seeking his father’s asses, found the kingdom of Israel; Rebecca, watering Abraham’s camels, became the wife of his son; Ruth, gleaning after the reapers of Boaz and lying at his feet, was chosen to be his wife. Certainly, aspirations to extraordinary things are greatly liable to illusions and deceptions; and sometimes it happens that those who think themselves angels are not even good men, and that, in truth, there is more grandeur in their words than in their feelings and deeds. Yet we must neither despise nor rashly censure anything; but, while blessing God for the elevation of others, let us remain humbly in our own lower, but safer, state, less splendid, but better suited to our weakness, and let us be convinced that if we persevere therein faithfully, God will raise us to heights far exceeding all our hopes.