《lectures11-13》

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and never opposes resistance。〃'189'







'189' Bartoli…Michel; ii。 13















The other saying is reported by Rodriguez in the chapter from



which I a moment ago made quotations。  When speaking of the



Pope's authority; Rodriguez writes:







〃Saint Ignatius said; when general of his company; that if the



Holy Father were to order him to set sail in the first bark which



he might find in the port of Ostia; near Rome; and to abandon



himself to the sea; without a mast; without sails; without oars



or rudder or any of the things that are needful for navigation or



subsistence; he would obey not only with alacrity; but without



anxiety or repugnance; and even with a great internal



satisfaction。〃'190'







'190' Rodriguez:  Op。 cit。; Part iii。; Treatise v。; ch。 vi。















With a solitary concrete example of the extravagance to which the



virtue we are considering has been carried; I will pass to the



topic next in order。







〃Sister Marie Claire 'of Port Royal' had been greatly imbued with



the holiness and excellence of M。  de Langres。  This prelate;



soon after he came to Port Royal; said to her one day; seeing her



so tenderly attached to Mother Angelique; that it would perhaps



be better not to speak to her again。  Marie Claire; greedy of



obedience; took this inconsiderate word for an oracle of God; and



from that day forward remained for several years without once



speaking to her sister。〃'191'







'191' Sainte…Beuve:  Histoire de Port Royal; i。 346。















Our next topic shall be Poverty; felt at all times and under all



creeds as one adornment of a saintly life。  Since the instinct of



ownership is fundamental in man's nature; this is one more



example of the ascetic paradox。  Yet it appears no paradox at



all; but perfectly reasonable; the moment one recollects how



easily higher excitements hold lower cupidities in check。  Having



just quoted the Jesuit Rodriguez on the subject of obedience; I



will; to give immediately a concrete turn to our discussion of



poverty; also read you a page from his chapter on this latter



virtue。  You must remember that he is writing instructions for



monks of his own order; and bases them all on the text; 〃Blessed



are the poor in spirit。〃







〃If any one of you;〃 he says; 〃will know whether or not he is



really poor in spirit; let him consider whether he loves the



ordinary consequences and effects of poverty; which are hunger;



thirst; cold; fatigue; and the denudation of all conveniences。



See if you are glad to wear a worn…out habit full of patches。 



See if you are glad when something is lacking to your meal; when



you are passed by in serving it; when what you receive is



distasteful to you; when your cell is out of repair。  If you are



not glad of these things; if instead of loving them you avoid



them; then there is proof that you have not attained the



perfection of poverty of spirit。〃  Rodriguez then goes on to



describe the practice of poverty in more detail。  〃The first



point is that which Saint Ignatius proposes in his constitutions;



when he says; 'Let no one use anything as if it were his private



possession。' 'A religious person;' he says; 'ought in respect to



all the things that he uses; to be like a statue which one may



drape with clothing; but which feels no grief and makes no



resistance when one strips it again。  It is in this way that you



should feel towards your clothes; your books; your cell; and



everything else that you make use of; if ordered to quit them; or



to exchange them for others; have no more sorrow than if you were



a statue being uncovered。 In this way you will avoid using them



as if they were your private possession。  But if; when you give



up your cell; or yield possession of this or that object or



exchange it for another; you feel repugnance and are not like a



statue; that shows that you view these things as if they were



your private property。'







〃And this is why our holy founder wished the superiors to test



their monks somewhat as God tested Abraham; and to put their



poverty and their obedience to trial; that by this means they may



become acquainted with the degree of their virtue; and gain a



chance to make ever farther progress in perfection; 。 。 。 making



the one move out of his room when he finds it comfortable and is



attached to it; taking away from another a book of which he is



fond; or obliging a third to exchange his garment for a worse



one。  Otherwise we should end by acquiring a species of property



in all these several objects; and little by little the wall of



poverty that surrounds us and constitutes our principal defense



would be thrown down。  The ancient fathers of the desert used



often thus to treat their companions。 。 。 。 Saint Dositheus;



being sick…nurse; desired a certain knife; and asked Saint



Dorotheus for it; not for his private use; but for employment in



the infirmary of which he had charge。 Whereupon Saint Dorotheus



answered him:  'Ha! Dositheus; so that knife pleases you so much!



Will you be the slave of a knife or the slave of Jesus Christ! Do



you not blush with shame at wishing that a knife should be your



master?  I will not let you touch it。' Which reproach and refusal



had such an effect upon the holy disciple that since that time he



never touched the knife again。' 。  。  。







〃Therefore; in our rooms;〃 Father Rodriguez continues; 〃there



must be no other furniture than a bed; a table; a bench; and a



candlestick; things purely necessary; and nothing more。  It is



not allowed among us that our cells should be ornamented with



pictures or aught else; neither armchairs; carpets; curtains; nor



any sort of cabinet or bureau of any elegance。  Neither is it



allowed us to keep anything to eat; either for ourselves or for 



those who may come to visit us。  We must ask permission to go to



the refectory even for a glass of water; and finally we may not



keep a book in which we can write a line; or which we may take



away with us。  One cannot deny that thus we are in great poverty。







But this poverty is at the same time a great repose and a great



perfection。  For it would be inevitable; in case a religious



person were allowed to own supernuous possessions; that these



things would greatly occupy his mind; be it to acquire them; to



preserve them; or to increase them; so that in not permitting us



at all to own them; all these inconveniences are remedied。 Among



the various good reasons why the company forbids secular persons



to enter our cells; the principal one is that thus we may the



easier be kept in poverty。  After all; we are all men; and if we



were to receive people of the world into our rooms; we should not



have the strength to remain within the bounds prescribed; but



should at least wish to adorn them with some books to give the



visitors a better opinion of our scholarship。〃'192'







'192' Rodriguez:  Op。 cit。; Part iii; Treatise iii。; chaps。 vi。;



vii。















Since Hindu fakirs; Buddhist monks; and Mohammedan dervishes



unite with Jesuits and Franciscans in idealizing poverty as the



loftiest individual state; it is worth while to examine into the



spiritual grounds for such a seemingly unnatural opinion。  And



first; of those which lie closest to common human nature。







The opposition between the men who HAVE and the men who ARE is



immemorial。  Though the gentleman; in the old… fashioned sense of



the man who is well born; has usually in point of fact been



predaceous and reveled in lands and goods; yet he has never



identified his essence with these possessions; but rather with



the personal superiorities; the courage; generosity; and pride



supposed to be his birthright。  To certain huckstering kinds of



consideration he thanked God he was forever inaccessible; and if



in life's vicissitudes he should become destitute through their



lack; he was glad to think that with his sheer valor he was all



the freer to work out his salvation。  〃Wer nur selbst was hatte;〃



says Lessing's Tempelherr; in Nathan the Wise; 〃mein Gott; mein



Gott; ich habe nichts!〃  This ideal of the well…born man without



possessions was embodied in knight…errantry and templardom; and;



hideously corrupted as it has always been; it still dominates



sentimentally; if not practically; the military and aristocratic



view of life。  We glorify the soldier as the man absolutely



unincumbered。  Owning nothi
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