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THE
PRIEST'S WAY
TO GOD

____________________________________________________

The
Priest's Way
to God

☩

By Thomas Plassmann, O.F.M.

Second Edition

☩

ST. ANTHONY GUILD PRESS
PATERSON, NEW JERSEY
MCMXLV

____________________________________________________

ST. ANTHONY'S GUILD

PATERSON, NEW JERSEY

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

____________________________________________________

DEDICATION

On the campus of St.
Bonaventure's Seminary, underneath the
statue of the Blessed Mother, there may be
seen the old Seminary doorstep of 1859 with
the inscription: "Where sacred feet have
trod." To these saintly pioneers and to those
who have followed them these many years,
as well as to all those who will follow in
their footsteps in the years to come, this
little volume is lovingly dedicated.

☩

____________________________________________________

Imprimi potest.

Fr. Bertrand Campell, O.F.M.,

Nihil obstat.

Henry J. Zolzer,

Censor.

Imprimatur.

✠ Thomas H. McLaughlin,

Bishop of Paterson.

November 3, 1945

____________________________________________________

[[ TRANSCRIBER'S PREFATORY NOTES ]]

>> Subject to expansion and revision as the work progresses <<

JMJA

This text is being digitally transcribed in good faith,

not for filthy lucre but to the edification of the brethren,

by a poor worm of the earth. Please pray an Ave for his salvation.

If you are the copyright holder

and you would like this taken down,

please inform me and I will comply.

Please contact me:

if you find any typographical errors;

if you know the source of an uncited quotation;

if you know of an authoritative or approved translation

of any phrase I have attempted to translate myself;

if you have any corrections for these translations;

if you have any other helpful information;

or if you have any questions at all.

CONCERNING the NOTES included in the TEXT:

The transcriber has added notes throughout the text, between paragraphs,

to provide citations for quotations, some references for further study,

a few minor clarifications, and translations for Latin phrases.

For the benefit of those who have yet to learn Latin:

English translations of the Latin phrases are provided within brackets: [“Trans.”]

Citations, whenever known, are provided within parentheses: [“Trans.” (Cit.)]

When an authoritative or approved translation could not be found,

my own translation is given, denoted by an asterisk: [*“Trans.”], and,

when a more direct translation than that given in the approved text has seemed helpful,

my alternative translation, in part or whole, is given within braces, preceded by "or" and an asterisk: [“Trans.” {or*“Alt.”}]

If a translation is given once, it will not be repeated below.

When the author gives a quotation in English,

if the Latin version is known, it will also be noted.

Some quotations given by the author,

especially those which abridge a longer phrase in the original text,

will be expanded or provided in full, for greater clarity and edification.

The translation provided will include {the words omitted} by the author in braces,

the author's phrasing will follow, including {the redacted words} also in braces,

and these two – the translation and the original – will be joined by an arrow,

always emanating from from the Latin;

redundancies or gratuity will be omitted with an ellipsis...

Example:

The author quotes “Hic parvus porcus”[1] without finishing the phrase.

[1. “This little piggy {went to market}” ← “...porcus {venit in forum.}”]

References will sometimes be introduced

with a brief explanatory comment

always proceeded by: “ NOTE: ”

LIST of SOURCES CITED and their ABBREVIATIONS

>> Most abbreviations are my own <<

English translations for verses of SACRED SCRIPTURE from:

Richard Challoner's Douay-Rheims Edition

Available online at: www.drbo.org

Biblical abbreviations can be found in most Bibles or online.

PAPAL DOCUMENTS referenced:

MQ == Ministeria Quaedam, Paul VI, 1972

English translations of readings in the ROMAN BREVIARY from:

The Roman Breviary translated by John of Bute, 1908

References from the Breviarum Romanum:

(BR, Day)

BR, Ss. Nom. J. == Dominica II. post Epiphanium. Sanctissimi Nominis Jesu.

[Second Sunday after Epiphany. Most Holy Name of Jesus.]

Citations of the ORIGINAL WORKS referenced from the BR:

Bern. Cant. C. == Sancti Bernardi, Sermones in Cantica Canticorum

[St. Bernard, Sermons on the Canticle of Canticles (in 86 sermons)]

English translations of the RITE OF ORDINATION from:

The Rite of Ordination according to the Roman Pontifical

translated by the Very Rev. J.S.M. Lynch, D.D., L.L.D.

Second Edition, 1892

English translation of the EPISCOPAL CONSECRATION from:

The Order Followed in the Consecration of a Bishop,

according to the Roman Pontifical

Translated and Edited by the Rev. Joseph Henry McMahon,

Director of the Cathedral Library of New York

1892

ABBREVIATIONS for the parts of the Roman Pontifical

De Ord.Conf. == De Ordinibus Conferendis. [“Rite of Ordination” {or*“On Conferring Orders”}]

De Cler. Fac. == De Clerico Faciendo. [“The Making of Clerics”]

De Minoribus Ordinibus: [Minor Orders]

De Ord. Ost. == De Ordinatione Ostiariorum. [“The Ordination of Porters” {or*“of Ostiaries”}]

De Ord. Lect. == De Ordinatione Lectorum. [“The Ordination of Readers” {or*“of Lectors”}]

De Ord. Ex. == De Ordinatione Exorcistarum. [“The Ordination of Exorcists”]

De Ord. Ac. == De Ordinatione Acolythorum. [“The Ordination of Acolytes”]

De Sacris Ordinibus in genere: [Holy Orders]

De Ord. Sub. == De Ordinatione Subdiaconi. [“The Ordination of Subdeacons”]

De Ord. Dcn. == De Ordinatione Diaconi. [“The Ordination of Deacons”]

De Ord. Pres. == De Ordinatione Presbyteri. [“The Ordination of Priests” {or*“of Presbyters”}]

De Con. El. Ep. == De Consecratione Electi Episcopum [“The Consecration of a Bishop” {or*“of a Bishop Elect”}]

...

De Ben. prim. == De Benedictione et impositione primarii lapidis pro Ecclesia ædificanda.

[*“On Blessing and imposition of the first stone for building a Church”]

...

De Alt. sin. == De Altaris Consecratione quæ fit sine Ecclesiæ Dedicatione.

[*“On Consecrating an Altar apart from the Dedication of a Church”]

English translation of THE IMITATION OF CHRIST from:

the version of the Right Rev. Richard Challoner, D.D.

OTHER WORKS REFERENCED in the transcriber's NOTES

For all below cited (ANF), the English translation is taken from:

Philip Schaff's Ante-Nicene Fathers, 1885

Cornel. Com. == Commentaria in Scripturam Sacram, R.P. Cornelii a Lapide, S.J.

[Commentary on the Sacred Scripture]

Lac. Divin. Instit. == Lactantii, Divinarum Institutionum

[Lactantius' The Divine Institutes (ANF)]

Lex. S. Thom. == A Lexicon of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Roy J. Deferrari

Pas. Death == The Passion and the Death of Jesus Christ, St. Alphonsus, Ed. Rev. Eugene Grimm

[[ END of PREFATORY NOTES ]]

____________________________________________________

FOREWORD
TO THE SECOND EDITION
____________________________________________________

AT THE suggestion suggestion of esteemed friends in the hierarchy, this second edition of “The Priest’s Way to God” has been augmented by a Fifth Part under the title “Episcopal Consecration.” It is devoutly hoped that what is being offered here in the spirit of humble coöperation will be received with kindly forbearance.
______With the exception of a few minor alterations, the main text remains in the second edition as it was in the first. Pursuant to the basic purpose if the book, no attempt has been made to crowd the pages with detailed references.[1] In order to avoid revision of the entire text, all Scriptural quotations continue to follow the Rheims-Douay Version.[2] Sayings of the Fathers, Doctors and other writers are taken, for the most part, from the “Aurifodina Universalis” of the Capuchin, Father Roberto (Paris, 1865-1866, 4 volumes). The Encyclical “Mystici Corporis Christi” is cited either according to the official text in “Acta Apostolicae Sedis” (XXXV, Jul. 1943) or according to the English translation, “The Mystical Body of Christ,” published by the Paulist Press. In rubrical matters the authority followed is Eisenhofer, “Handbuch der Liturgik” (Freiburg i. B., 1932-1933, 2 volumes).
THE AUTHOR.
St. Bonaventure, New York.
Feast of Christ the King,
October 28, 1945.
[1. NOTE: As explained above, in the prefatory notes, the transcriber has thought it good to include numerous notes, chiefly to provide translations of the Latin phrases; if these prove unnecessary, distracting, or otherwise unhelpful, please do ignore them.]
[2. NOTE: Perhaps an allusion to the publication of the Confraternity Version?]

____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________

FOREWORD

TO THE FIRST EDITION [1]

____________________________________________________

BECAUSE the atmosphere today is filled with the din of the rocking and quaking foundations of every human structure — religious and scientific, industrial and social — there is a tendency everywhere to search for origins, for beginnings, for fundamental causes and principles. In this, perhaps, the present volume reflects the temper of the age.

[1. NOTE: The First Edition, in place of this subheading, gave the quote: “Leviticae benedictionis ordine clarescant.” → “shine in the order of Levitical benediction.” (Ord. Dcn.)]

______In the course of preparing seminarians for their sublime goal, for the “dies quam fecit Dominus,”[2] the writer was accustomed to follow the text of the rite of Ordination, as set forth in our Pontifical; and gradually he gained the conviction that among all our spiritual, ascetical and mystical writings, there was none to equal this venerable text in loftiness of standards, orderliness of presentation and practicality of direction. Convinced that the pages of the Pontifical voiced the mind of Mother Church, “sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper,”[3] he felt that the holy Priesthood could best be re-established in Christ (Eph. I.10)[4] by faithfully rehearsing and explaining to our future ministers of the altar the time-tested teachings of this sacred volume.

[2. “the day which the Lord hath made” (Ps.cxvii.24)]

[3. *“as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be” (Doxologia Minor)]

[4. “instaurare omnia in Christo” → “to re-establish all things in Christ”]

______And this conviction was mingled with the regret that whenever, on ordination morning, he beheld the Levites kneeling in the sanctuary, anxious, excited, overcome with the solemnity of the hour, the golden words of the Pontifical failed to reach the bottom of their hearts, the while graces ineffable flooded their souls and the finger of God imprinted thereon an indelible mark. And so this modest little book was compiled, that the aspirant might assimilate beforehand at his leisure the lessons of the most glorious hour of his life; and that, when this hour had passed, the ordained priest might reflect upon them in calmer moments and make them his norm in life.

______The Pontifical, or “Bishop's Book,” aims to give matter rather than form. With care and precision the venerable Latin text moves along, as if carrying a precious burden — which burden is, indeed, the Master's sacrosanct commission, set to word and symbol, of the eternal Priesthood. The text comes from a great distance and has a long way to go; but the force and the fire of its sentences bespeak perpetual youth and the determination to press forward to the end of time. Put together mosaiclike from the inspired words of Holy Writ and the deftly phrased sayings of the early pontiffs and bishops — a happy blending of bright Eastern colors and sober Western philosophy — this remarkable document portrays, with apostolic freedom and with Roman precision, a complete picture of the holy Priesthood of the Church. Cicero might have frowned upon some of the words or constructions — but the substance would have turned his criticism into admiration and reverence. The sublimity of the teaching infuses new life, power and beauty into the raw and rugged words of post-classical Latinity. Why do we hesitate to use the Pontifical as a text in the Latin courses of our curricula?

______Christ our Highpriest founded the Church; erected at its center the Altar of Sacrifice; and instituted the Priesthood to serve it forever. His words, “Hoc facite in meam commemorationem”[5] (Luke XXII:19), were accepted by the Church not merely as a command but as a precious bequest, a task of love and joy. “Habemus altare”[6] (Heb. XIII:10) was the proud boast of the infant Church, as it is ours; and from the very first Mother Church bestowed her most loving care upon the training of her priests and of the inferior ministers who were given charge, as need and opportunity prompted, of the various sacred functions and duties in God's temple.

[5. “Do this for a commemoration of me.”]

[6. “We have an altar,”]

______Decorum first and last and in every place; order and decorum above all in the soul of the minister! It could not be otherwise. It was the Highpriest's peremptory and solemn command. There must be sanctity, or all is lies and hypocrisy. And His voice, vibrating with love and power, rang from the Cenacle to every Sanctuary. St. Paul's “Probet autem seipsum homo”[7] (I Cor. XI:28) was only their echo. Indeed, of all the words that have come from on high, no others have such universal appeal to human hearts as those of Isaias: “Mundamini qui fertis vasa Domini”[8] (LII:11).

[7. “But let a man prove himself:”]

[8. “be ye clean, you that carry the vessels of the Lord”]

______“How unsearchable His ways!”[9] exclaims St. Paul (Rom. XI:33). And yet, as we view these same ways of the Lord, we discern the unmistakable traces of His finger. We discover that in the works of sanctification, in the bringing of the soul nearer to its Maker, the Holy Spirit follows certain parallel lines of operation. Such parallels are discernable in the rite of Ordination, in the science of the spiritual life, and in the life of the Highpriest, the Teacher and Exemplar of holiness. Advancing her candidates for the priesthood from order to order, from menial functions in the sacristy to the highest place before the altar, Mother Church leads them on, in the words of the Pontifical, “from virtue to virtue”[10] until, as St. Paul says. “Christ be formed” in them (Gal. IV:19)[11]. Asceticism, or the spiritual life, follows the identical course. In a comparison of the prayers, admonitions and ceremonies of the Pontifical with the progressive lessons and axioms of the spiritual masters, a remarkable and beautiful similarity will be readily seen. Thus, Tonsure sets forth the preparation, or the dispositions and means to holiness. The first three Minor Orders coincide with the “Via Purgativa”[12] of the masters; Acolyteship and Subdeaconship rise to the “Via Illuminativa”; while Deaconship and Priesthood speak the language of the “Via Unitiva.” Details may differ, and allusions rather than explicit references may sometimes serve to carry the trend of thought. But the substance is there. “It is the spirit that quickeneth”[13] (John VI:64).

[9. “quam {incomprehensibilia sunt judicia ejus, et} investigabiles viae ejus!” → “how {incomprehensible are his judgments, and} how unsearchable...”]

[10. “ibunt de virtute in virtutem” → “they shall go from...” (Ps. lxxxiii.8 ; Cf. De Ben. prim. , De Alt. sin.)]

[11. “donec formetur Christus in vobis” → “until Christ be formed in you”]

[12. “the Purgative Way” ; “the Illuminative Way” ; “the Unitive Way”]

[13. “Spiritus est qui vivificat:”]

______“Ubi sum ego, illic et minister meus erit”[14] (John XII:26). The Highpriest cannot remain away. A book for priests is incomplete without Him. As that noble priest, St. Bernard, says: “Si scribas, non sapit mihi, nisi legero ibi Jesum.”[15] All the Master's words and deeds are fitting everywhere, at any time. But after all He lived His life with the thought of His priests, His chosen friends, uppermost in His mind. To them His earthly pilgrimage was to serve as a guiding star “from the morning watch even to the night”[16] (Ps. CXXIX:6). And so His childhood days hold out many beautiful lessons for the youth who from his home, school or college looks forward to the priestly career, laying the foundations of priestly sanctity, as the rite of Tonsure so well sets forth. Again, the appearance of the Precursor, and the first acts in the public life of Jesus bear out the lessons of the Purgative Way. It is the period of the Acolyteship and Subdeaconship, which are designed to conform the candidate in sanctity. Finally, the Master's last days on earth, so replete with suffering and glory, usher in the Unitive Way. Here the deacon and priest should find what they have sought — perfect union with the Master, to last for all eternity.

[14. “and where I am, there also shall my minister be.”]

[15. “If thou writest, thou hast no meaning for me if I read not of Jesus there.” (BR, Ss. Nom. J., Lectio vi ; Bern. Cant. C., Sermo XV)]

[16. “A custodia matutina usque ad noctem,”]

______Along these three simple parallels this little book has been written. It is not a textbook on the spiritual life. It only gathers up crumbs as we move along. Priestly holiness is its aim: The Highpriest of the Scriptures is the Source and Pattern; Christian perfection, as set forth by His lips and propounded by the Holy Spirit through inspired or saintly men of the Church, is the way; the Pontifical, written by the hand of Mother Church, is the staff on the journey. May the simple and plainspoken words of this venerable and holy book sink deep into the heart of every priest of God!

FR. THOMAS PLASSMANN, O.F.M.

1937.[17]

[17. NOTE: The Fist Edition includes: “St. Bonaventure, New York. Feast of SS. Philip and James, May 1, 1937”]

____________________________________________________

THE PRIEST'S WAY TO GOD

____________________________________________________

Illustration: Christ Our Highpriest, Frontispiece

FOREWORD to the Second Edition

FOREWORD to the First Edition

* * *

PART I: THE PREPARATION

Haec est generatio quaerentium Dominum. [1]

Illustration: St. Priscillian, Cleric
CLERICAL TONSURE
          1. The Call to Holiness
          2. The Desire for Holiness
          3.   The Breath of Holiness
          4.   The Presence of the All-Holy
          5. The Shrine of Holiness
          6. Direction in Holiness
          7. Instruction in Holiness
          8. The Knowledge of God
          9. The Knowledge of Self
          10. Love for God's Saints
        11. Love for the Mother
        12. Love for the Master
        13. The King's Domain
    14. The King's Ministers
    15. The King's Throne
    16. The King's Banquet
    17. The King's Court
    18. The Image of the Master
    19. Grace Within
20. Dignity Without
21. Discipline Withal
22. The Rule of Life

[1. “This is the generation of them that seek the Lord.” (De Cler. Fac. ; Cf. Ps. xxiii.6)]

* * *

PART II: THE PURGATIVE WAY

Omnem immunditiam et nequitiam ejiciatis. [2]

Illustration: St. Peter, Exorcist
THE PURGATIVE WAY
THE OSTIARIATE
        1. Watchfulness
          2. The External Senses
        3. Responsibility
        4. Fidelity
        5. Promptness
        6. Docility

THE LECTORATE
1. Exactness
        2. The Internal Senses
3. Mental Prayer
4. Holy Example
5. Truthfulness
6. Assiduity

THE EXORCISTATE
1. Hatred of Sin
2. The Spirit of Penance
3. The Capital Sins
4. The Ruling Passion
5. Judgment
6. Temptations
7. Spiritual Ills

[2. “drive {from your own minds and bodies} all uncleanness and wickedness” ← “{a mentibus et corporibus vestris} omnem...” (De Ord. Ex.)]

* * *

PART III: THE ILLUMINATIVE WAY

Ut illuminati vultus splendoris tui. [3]

Illustration: St. Tarsicius, Acolyte
THE ILLUMINATIVE WAY
THE ACOLYTATE
        1. Obstacles to Grace
          2. The Way of Love
        3. The Interior Life
        4. Affective Prayer
5. The Following of Christ
6. Sacred Theology

SUBDEACONSHIP
        1. The Divine Office
          2. The Virtues
        3. Humility
        4. Prudence

5. Justice
6. Religion
7. Obedience

8. Fortitude
9. Constancy
10. Patience

11. Temperance
12. Chastity
13. Faith

14. Hope

15. Charity
16. Fraternal Charity

[3. “illumined by the sight of Thy splendor” (De Ord. Ac.) ; NOTE: Out of three texts, including the one appended within this same volume, all read vultu not vultus.]

* * *

PART IV: THE UNITIVE WAY

Inviolabili caritate in virum perfectum. [4]

Illustration: St. Stephen, Deacon
THE UNITIVE WAY
THE OSTIARIATE
        1. Preparedness
          2. Detachment
        3. Perfect Virtue
        4. The Seven Gifts
5. The Gift of Wisdom
6.   The Gift of Understanding
        7.   The Gift of Counsel

8.   The Gift of Fortitude
9.   The Gift of Knowledge
        10.  The Gift of Piety

11. The Gift of Fear of the Lord
12. The Fruits of the Holy Ghost

THE PRIESTHOOD
        1. Leadership
          2. Spiritual Manhood
        3. Edification
        4. The Beatitudes

5. Poverty in Spirit
6. Meekness
7. Mourning

8.   Hunger after Justice
9.   Mercy
        10.  Purity of Heart

11.  Peace
12.  Persecution for Justice' Sake
        13.  Self-Immolation

14.  Love of Benevolence
15.  Contemplation in God
        16.  Conformity with the Master

17. Abandonment to the Master
18. Friendship with the Master
19. Zeal for the Master

20. Waiting for the Master

[4. “{rise by} stainless charity unto a perfect man” ← “...perfectum ... {resurgant.}” (De Ord. Pres.)]

* * *

PART V: THE GOOD WORK

Non honor vestium sed splendor animarum. [6]

Illustration: St. Charles Borromeo, Bishop
THE GOOD WORK
THE EPISCOPACY

1. The Oath of Fealty
2. The Vow of Sanctity
3. The Pledge of Faith
4. For the Service of the Church

5. In the Power of the Spirit
6. In the Fulness of Grace
7. In the Ministry of the Saviour
8. In Charge of the Household
9. Shepherd of the Fold
10. Keeper of the Trust
11. Preacher of the Word
12. Bearer of the Cross
13. Champion of Truth
14. Likeness of the Master

[6. “{...and now} brightness of souls rather than splendor of raiment {commends the pontifical glory unto us.}” “{...et Pontificalem gloriam} non {jam nobis} honor {commendat}vestium, sed splendor animarum.”]

* * *

THE RITE OF ORDINATION

As set forth in the Pontifical

____________________________________________________

The
Preparation

____________________________________________________

Haec est generatio querentium Dominum.

CLERICAL TONSURE

____________________________________________________

ONSURE is not an Order, but the disposition for Orders. It is a sacred rite by which a layman is received into the clerical state. The cleric renounces the world and dedicates himself to the service of God and Holy Church. He chooses the Lord as the portion of his inheritance, and prepares himself for the various duties and functions of the Minor and Major Orders which he hopes to receive when his superiors judge him fit and worthy, physically, morally, spiritually.

______The burden of all the ceremonies, prayers and instructions of the Pontifical under the rubric De clerico faciendo rests on the spiritual reform of the candidate. The Prima clericalis tonsura[1] is the first step in the spiritual life, in the way to holiness. That is the gist of it all.

[1.*“First clerical tonsure”]

______The present legislation of the Church ordains that Tonsure be conferred at the beginning of theological studies.[2] The spirit of the Pontifical, however, reaches back to the earliest blossoming of the flower of holy vocation in the heart of the youth. Mother Church, wise and experienced teacher that she is, would not have it otherwise. As the Wise Man says: “Let thy heart be in that which is good in the days of thy youth”[3] (Eccles. XI:9).

[2. (1917CIC Can. 976§1 ; Cf. Cans. 108§1, 973§1) ; NOTE: Present legislation sadly differs in the extreme: “First tonsure is no longer conferred; entrance into the clerical state is joined to the diaconate.” ← “Prima Tonsura non amplius confertur; ingressus vero in statum clericalem cum Diaconatu coniungitur.” (MQ)]

[3. “in bono sit cor tuum in diebus juventutis tuae”]

______And the words of the Pontifical will not fall on barren ground. A joyous welcome awaits them in the hallowed atmosphere of the Catholic home, the Catholic school, the Catholic college, most of all the Minor Seminary. Within these sacred precincts vocations to the Priesthood are born. In this atmosphere of devotion and faith the great Highpriest stands in “the ring of His brethren: and as the cedar planted in Mount Libanus”[4] (Ecclus. L:13). To say that the Priesthood is not holy would be desecration. Would to God that the frost of the world never blighted this beautiful faith, and that the raucous voice of Judas never shattered these holy convictions!

[4. “et circa illum corona fratrum : quasi plantatio cedri in monte Libano, {sic circa illum steterunt quasi rami palmae}” ← “...Libanus, {And as branches of palm trees, they stood round about him}” (13-14)]

______This is the time when the young aspirant must learn to dispose himself for sanctuary and for sanctity alike; when he must acquaint himself with the means of holiness. These means are not different from the common means of Christian perfection, for every Christian must strive after sanctity. The future priest is a child of his environment, of the rank and file of his kin. And these common means contain the seed of future sanctity.

______The essence of all perfection is the love of God. This is the dominant note throughout the entire ceremony of Tonsure. Brief as it is, in all the warnings, exhortations and instructions there is the steady undercurrent that the love of God is the goal of it all. It is well for the youth to realize this, for it may save him much fruitless labor. Not that he should lightly pass over the common routine imposed by parents, superiors or the Church; this he must embrace sedulously. But he must do it out of love, for love never comes without sacrifice. Speaking of the saints, Thomas à Kempis says truly: “Tota vita crux fuit et martyrium”[5] (Book I, ch. 12).

[5. “The whole life {of Christ} was a cross and a martyrdom, {and dost thou seek rest and joy?}” ← “...vita {Christi} crux...martyrium, {et tu tibi quaeris requiem et gaudium?}” ; NOTE: Erroneous citation; correction: (II.12)]

______This is the candidate's Nazareth. No sound was heard from that little town seated on the brow of the hill in Galilee where the Highpriest spent His youth. Why was He so silent — why did He not speak a few words on what was closest to His heart: sacerdotal vocation? It would have saved the Church and her shepherds much anxiety, much legislation, the writing of an endless array of books on this delicate and all-important subject. We may guess the answer: “You have Moses and the Prophets”[6] — you have the Holy Ghost to teach you all things, and the Church to direct you. Prayer, humility, obedience are learned not by dictation but by practice. Once only was the silence broken, and the few words of St. Luke tell us all that we need to know. “I must be about My Father's business”[7]; thus the Child of twelve answered Mary and Joseph when they found Him “in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions”[8] (Luke II: 46).

[6. (Cf. Lk.xvi.29) ; “Habetis Moysen et Prophetas” (Cornel. Com., Tomus xvi, in Lucam.xvi.31)]

[7. “in his quae Patris mei sunt, oportet me esse” (Lk.ii.49)]

[8. “{invenerunt illum} in templo sedentem in medio doctorum, audientem illos, et interrogantem eos.” → “{they found him}...”]

______Even so the youthful aspirant will sit at the feet of experienced masters, will learn from them the fundamental principles of the spiritual life, and under their guidance will seek and find in the sacraments and the prayers of the Church “the glory and wealth”[9] (Ps. CXI:3) stored up in the House of God, until the day when he kneels at the altar to be enrolled among the Levites of the Lord.

[9. “Gloria et divitiae {in domo ejus}” → “...wealth {shall be in his house}”]

____________________________________________________

C L E R I C A L T O N S U R E

Et quilibet dicit, Adsum. [1]

THE CALL TO HOLINESS

IT IS a solemn and sacred moment when, at the mandate of the Supreme Shepherd of the Diocese, the candidate for the holy Priesthood hears his name called out for the first time in the temple of God. He steps forward and answers “Adsum.” There is courage in his heart and conviction on his lips. This moment marks the happy fulfilment of many years of anxious waiting and fervent prayer. It is the first definite, official indication that the ardent wish of his youth is likely to be realized ; that he “is called by God, as Aaron was”[2] (Hebr. V:4). Apparently a point of order and routine, this rubric brings out two important truths: first, that the rulers of the Church alone have the authority to pass on priestly vocations; and second, that the candidate accepts this call of his own choice.

[1. *“and each one says, I am present” or “...Here I am” ; NOTE: the rubric reads respondet: “et quilibet respondet, Adsum.” → “and each one responds, Present” (De Cler. Fac.) ; only De Ord. Sub. uses dicit for the equivalent rubric]

[2. “{Nec quisquam sumit sibi honorem, sed qui} vocatur a Deo, tamquam Aaron.” ← “{Neither doth any man take the honour to himself, but he that} is...”]

______Vocation to the priesthood is God's free gift. No one can claim it as his right. Natural ability and spiritual endowments may insure one's eligibility, but not one's election.

______But does not the Holy Ghost, Who abides in the Church forever (John XIV:16)[3], awaken in us the desire for the holy Priesthood? It is true that the Third Person of the Trinity, the Author of every holy desire and of every grace, instills into the youthful heart this love and inclination ; but He has also placed “bishops to rule the Church of God”[4] (Acts XX:28). This Church is a Church of order; and to the rulers of this Church the great Highpriest said: “He that heareth you heareth Me”[5] (Luke X:16). Therefore our desire must be tested by the rulers of the Church — the call must come from them: “for God is not the God of dissension, but of peace”[6] (I Cor. XIV:33).

[3. “And I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another Paraclete, that he may abide with you for ever.” ← “et ego rogabo Patrem, et alium Paraclitum dabit vobis, ut maneat vobiscum in aeternum,”]

[4. “episcopos regere ecclesiam Dei”]

[5. “Qui vos audit, me audit”]

[6. “Non enim est dissensionis Deus, sed pacis”]

______After the analogy of the scholastic distinction of “materia et forma,” priestly vocation may be reduced to matter and form. Matter is the fitness or as Church Law says, “idoneitas,”[7] of the candidate; form is the authority of the ecclesiastical superiors who duly pass judgment on this fitness. This election of the candidate by his bishop is the formal and decisive factor in divine vocation. It is the call of God through His Church.

[7. “...canonically suitable...” ← “...canonica idoneitate...” (1917CIC Can. 973§3)]

______The “Adsum” of the candidate must contain more than his readiness to embrace the holy Priesthood. It must also express his willingness to comply with the standards and duties of this sacred state. This willingness is the best guarantee of the genuineness of his intention. For if he be not urged on by the zeal “for the better gifts”[8] (I Cor XXII:31), his Priesthood will prove barren, unprofitable, perhaps fatal.

[8. “Aemulamini autem charismata meliora.”]

______Priesthood means holiness. That is the true import of the word to the pure mind of the boy who senses in his heart the awakening of a vocation for the altar. That is what it means within the hallowed walls of a Catholic home; what it means to a pious mother, a devout father.

______To this “Adsum” the boy must ever look forward. It is the goal in his young life; the “meta sudans”[9] of which the pagan poet speaks; the “bravium”[10] of St. Paul (I Cor. IX:24). His heart and mind should be set on one thing: to become a holy priest, or no priest at all. Then, even if he should not attain to this sublime dignity, he will not have run in vain. He will receive the prize for holiness.

[9. *“sweating turnpost” ; NOTE: a famous Roman fountain ; (poetic reference unknown; perhaps Martial's Liber Spectaculorum ? )]

[10. “{...all run indeed, but only one receiveth} the prize...” ← “{...omnes quidem currunt, sed unus accipit} bravium...”]

______When Moses was a youthful shepherd he drove his flock “to the mountain of God,” and “out of the midst of a bush” God called his name. He answered: “Adsum—Here I am.” And the Lord said: “Come not nigh hither, put off the shoes from thy feet: for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground”[11] (Exod. III:1-5).

[11. “Ne appropies, inquit, huc : solve calceamentum de pedibus tuis : locus enim, in quo stas, terra sancta est.”]

______“Holy” was the first name by which the great Highpriest was announced to earth. “The Holy Which shall be born of thee”[12] (Luke I:35), Gabriel said to Mary the Virgin; “And holy is His name,”[13] the Blessed Mother sang in her glorious ‘‘Magnificat’’[14] (Luke I:49). “When the fulness of time was come”[15] (Gal. IV:4), the Word of God “leapt down from heaven”[16] (Wis. XVIII:15) to answer the call. His coming stirred all creation, and His mighty “Adsum” rang out over the fields of Bethlehem.

[12. “quod nascetur ex te sanctum”]

[13. “et sanctum nomen ejus”]

[14. “{My soul} doth magnify {the Lord.}” ← “Magnificat {anima mea Dominum.}” (Lk.i.46)]

[15. “ubi venit plenitudo temporis”]

[16. “{omnipotens sermo tuus} de caelo, {a regalibus sedibus...} prosilivit,” → “{Thy almighty word} leapt down from heaven {from thy royal throne...}”]

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Pro ejus amore festinant. [1]

THE DESIRE FOR HOLINESS

THE very first prayer that the bishop says for the candidates (Oremus, fratres carissimi)[2] briefly touches upon the main factors in the spiritual life. It emphasizes what is undoubtedly the keynote of all priestly holiness, namely, the love of the divine Master. With manifest joy Mother Church watches her youthful candidates as they “for the sake of His love hasten to offer to Him the sacrifice of their hair.”[3]

[1. “for his love hasten” ; Cf. Note 3 below]

[2. “Dearly beloved brethren, let us beseech...” {or*“let us pray”} (De Cler. Fac.)]

[3. “ad deponendum comas capitum suorum pro eius amore festinant,” (De Cler. Fac.)]

______It is entirely fitting that the divine Master should be the center of it all. For He is the “Highpriest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens”[4] (Hebr. VII:26). To know Him is to love Him; and to love Him is to desire to become like unto Him. But likeness to the Master is the perfection of priestly holiness. And so the words, Pro ejus amore festinant, suggest the first step in priestly perfection, namely the desire for holiness. As in all other matters, the initial step toward the full possession and enjoyment of a thing is to desire it. But this desire must be born of a firm will. It is not found in the sluggard “who willeth and willeth not”[5] (Prov. XIII:4). It is recorded that, when the sister of St. Thomas Aquinas asked him what she should do to become perfect, he answered: “All you have to do is to will it.”[6] And saint and philosopher that he was, St. Thomas had in mind not a weak and hazy “velleitas,”[7] but a firm and earnest ‘‘voluntas.”

[4. “pontifex, sanctus, innocens, impollutus, segregatus a peccatoribus, et excelsior caelis factus”]

[5. “Vult et non vult {piger}” → “{the sluggard} willeth and...”]

[6. ( ? ) ; NOTE: Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger, 1877, quotes the Saint as saying: “In order to be saved it is only necessary to will it, not carelessly, but earnestly.”]

[7. NOTE: Definition: “the conditioned, the imperfect, that does not lend to deeds, that does not attain the aim of the will, velleity, the opposite of voluntas...” (Lex. S. Thom.)]

______Youth must have its ideals ; and holiness is the ideal for aspirants to the Priesthood. It should transcend all other hopes and ambitions. Surely, for the glory of God and His Church, they should strive to shine in eloquence, scholarship, leadership. Will they succeed? It is still doubtful. But there should be no doubt that they can and must excel in one thing, “according to the measure of the giving of Christ”[8] (Eph. IV:7), and that is priestly sanctity.

[8. “{Unicuique autem nostrum data est gratia} secundum mensuram donationis Christi.” → “{But to every one of us is given grace,} according...”]

______Therefore, this ideal must not be merely a dream, a poetic fancy, a mirage in the distance. It must be a fixed, firm and unflinching purpose, anchored in the vitals of the heart and focused by clear thought and steady action. In the language of the saints, it should be an “indefessum proficiendi studium.”[9] And if this desire is supernatural in its source and motive ; if it proves stronger than any other desire of the heart ; if it is borne on the wings of a childlike confidence in God ; if it submits to sound and practical judgment ; if it perseveres even when the ‘‘lac infantium,”[10] or sensible sweetness, is denied and the cross begins to weigh heavily — then there is evidence that solid sanctity is in the making.

[9. *“the indefatigable advancement of zeal, {the continual struggle towards perfection, is called perfection}” ← “...studium, {jugis conatus ad perfectionem, perfectio vocatur.}” (St. Bernard, Epist. 253 ad Abbat. Garivum.)]

[10. *“the milk of infants” ; (Cf. I Cor.iii.2, I Pet.ii.2-3)]

______In effect the desire for holiness is an enduring prayer — a prayer of love. Thus at rising in the morning, when a new task is to be begun, when the clock strikes, when the Angelus rings, before retiring at night, the heart will instinctively rise to an act of love. Such acts need not excite admiration. God’s saints practised them in the secret corner of their heart. With them it became a habit, a spiritual instinct. And so the aspirant to holiness convinces himself that every day is a new life, a new start for holiness. The Psalmist’s words, “Ad te de luce vigilo,”[11] are on his lips when he wakes, and forthwith he deliberates: “This day will never come again. Therefore, I will try to use it well. It must bring me nearer to God.”

[11. “{O God, my God,} to thee do I watch at break of day” ← “{Deus, Deus meus,} ad te... (Ps.lxii.2)]

______Church Law requires in the ordinand the “recta intentio.”[12] The desire for holiness should purify and invigorate this intention, as gold is tried in the furnace. When the day of ordination comes, he should be prepared to assume this sacred burden as Christ assumed it, for the glory of His Father and the salvation of immortal souls: ‘‘Pro hominibus constituitur in eis quae sunt ad Deum”[13] (Hebr. V.1).

[12. “right intention” ; (Precise legislation unknown ; Cf. 1917CIC Cans. 538, 974§1.2° ; Cf. 1983CIC Can. 1029)]

[13. “{For every high priest taken from among men,} is ordained for men in the things that appertain to God, {that he may offer up gifts and sacrifices for sins}” ← “{Omnis namque pontifex ex hominibus assumptus,} pro ... Deum, {ut offerat dona, et sacrificia pro peccatis}]

______The longing of the patriarchs of old for the great Highpriest was an implicit desire for holiness. They waited and prayed “until the desire of the everlasting hills should come”[14] (Gen. XLIX:26). And when He came the hearts of His kinsfolk and the very atmosphere around Him vibrated with holy expectancy. Mary “went into the hill country with haste”[15] (‘‘festinabat,” Luke I:39). On Christmas night the shepherds “came with haste”[16] (“festinabant”). Simeon was “waiting for the consolation of Israel”[17] (Luke II:25) ; and Anna “departed not from the Temple”[18] (II:37). “The fulness of time” was the fulness of the world’s hope. It thrilled the Heart of the Holy Child Who grew up at the side of “the Mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope”[19] (Ecclus. XXIV:24).

[14. “donec veniret desiderium collium aeternorum”]

[15. “abiit in montana cum festinatione”]

[16. (Cf. Lk.ii.15-16): “Et venerunt festinantes” → “And they came with haste”]

[17. “exspectans consolationem Israel”]

[18. “quae non discedebat de templo”]

[19. “{Ego} mater pulchrae dilectionis, et timoris, et agnitionis, et sanctae spei.” → “{I am} the...”]

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Ut donet eis Spiritum Sanctum. [1]

THE BREATH OF HOLINESS

MOTHER CHURCH takes the Lord Jesus at His word when she asks Him to give to the young men present the Holy Ghost. For it was on the night of the Last Supper, in the serene calm of the Cenacle, that the Master said to His first priests: “But when the Paraclete cometh, Whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth Who proceedeth from the Father, He shall give testimony of Me”[2] (John XV:26). Now, if ever, is the time, Mother Church seems to plead, that this solemn promise be fulfilled. Her petition is strong and forceful, for “donare” means ‘‘to bestow freely and generously.” Our Saviour too chose His words well. The name ‘‘Paraclete” implies aid, consolation, comfort; the name Spirit (from “spirare”’ — “to breathe’) indicates the mysterious manner in which this Divine Person dispenses His supernatural aid. He is the Sanctifier, the Author of grace, and grace is the life of the soul. Breathing is the beginning and manifestation of life;[3] and what breathing is to the body, prayer is to the soul: it is the soul’s breath. And so the Holy Spirit, Who “breatheth where He will”[4] (John III:8), stirs the soul to prayer that it may “live unto God.”[5] For prayer, it has been truly said, is the beginning of all that is good in man.

[1. “that He bestow upon them the Holy Ghost” (De Cler. Fac.)]

[2. “Cum autem venerit Paraclitus, quem ego mittam vobis a Patre, Spiritum veritatis, qui a Patre procedit, ille testimonium perhibebit de me;”]

[3. NOTE: we may assume that he means by “the beginning” the origin of all human life, i.e. Adam (Cf. Gen.ii.7)]

[4. “{Spiritus} ubi vult spirat” → “{The Spirit} breatheth...”]

[5. “{ut} Deo vivam: { Christo confixus sum cruci.}” → “{that} I {may} live to God: { with Christ I am nailed to the cross.}” (Gal.ii.19)]

______Prayer is an art, and the strange thing is that the least artful prayer is the best. “Unless you become like little children,”[6] is the Saviour’s condition. The art of prayer requires no great proficiency but only those things which the little child has, viz., humility, confidence, perseverance and conformity to God’s will. “For your Father knoweth that you have need of all these things”[7] (Matt. VI:32). St. Bonaventure says aptly that “in prayer the soul speaks to God”[8] ; and in the depth of our soul “the Spirit Himself asketh for us with unspeakable groanings”[9] (Rom. VIII:26). In other words, the Holy Ghost teaches us the art of prayer. He gives testimony to us of the Master, and instructs us in prayer how we may become like unto Him. Naturally our first prayers are prayers of petition. But as we advance in wisdom and grace, we “put away the things of a child”[10] (I Cor. XIII:11), and gradually learn to worship God in praise, thanksgiving and adoration.

[6. “{Amen dico vobis,} nisi {conversi fueritis, et} efficiamini sicut parvuli...” → “{Amen I say to you,} unless you {be converted, and} become as little children... (Mt.xviii.3)]

[7. “Scit enim Pater vester, quia his omnibus indigetis.”]

[8. ( ? )]

[9. “ipse Spiritus postulat pro nobis gemitibus inenarrabilibus.”]

[10. “{Quando autem factus sum vir,} evacuavi quae erant parvuli” → “{But, when I became a man,} I put...”]

______The future priest needs strength of soul. It is well that he should learn at an early age to take a deep, full breath; that he should acquire the indispensable art of prayer. “Poeta nascitur, non fit”[11] is the saying. But the case is very different here. The power of prayer is his spiritual birthright; but it needs exercise. Prayer has been aptly called the sum total of perfection. Hence the youth who evinces no taste or love for this art, and whose prayer is but a perfunctory act, should be not be encouraged to advance to the priestly state, which demands unlimited spiritual energy. All is well with the priest, no matter what his ability or success, as long as he is a man of prayer.

[11. *“A poet is born, not made.”]

______Prayer is as old as man, for the normal man is by necessity bound to raise his heart to his Creator. Noë, Abraham, David — the landmarks of human history — were men of prayer. The fields of Bethlehem were still resonant with the echoes of David’s Psalms when the Saviour, “the Son of David,”[12] was born. The long-drawn-out strains of the Messianic prayer, which is in essence the longing of the old world for the Redeemer and Highpriest, seemed to blend into heavenly harmonies around the hearth and home of Jesus. If He meant to render proof to posterity that prayer makes the priest, He succeeded well indeed. For everyone near Him caught the spirit of “the fulness of time,” which was the spirit of prayer. The most beautiful canticles flowed from their lips. Gabriel’s heavenly message and Mary’s humble and sublime response,[13] Elizabeth’s joyful greeting and Mary’s soulful “Magnificat,” Zachary’s rapt “Benedictus”[15] and Simeon’s serene “Nunc dimittis,”[16] greeted the Highpriest as He entered the world. And if the hills and valleys around Nazareth could speak, they would tell us how earth and heaven were hushed in reverent awe at the approach of the little Boy known as “the carpenter’s Son.”[17] The winds and waves had not yet felt His mighty arm; nor had the world listened to His irresistible word; but “the Father Who seeth in secret”[18] (Matt. VI:6) watched every throb of His Heart. While thirty long years swept by, and the world was storming heaven for a Saviour, the Saviour seemed not to lift a finger. He only prayed. And surely He prayed for those who some day would share His Priesthood.

[12. “filii David” (Mt.i.1)]

[13. (Cf. Lk.i.26-38)]

[14. (Cf. Lk.i.39-55)]

[15. “Blessed be {the Lord God of Israel...}” ← “Benedictus {Dominus Deus Israel...}” (Lk.i.68) ; (Cf. Lk.i.67-79)]

[16. “Now thou dost dismiss {thy servant, O Lord...}” ← “Nunc dimittis {servum tuum Domine...}” (Lk.ii.29) ; (Cf. Lk.ii.25-32)]

[17. “{Nonne hic est} fabri filius?” ← “{Is not this} the carpenter's son?” (Mt. xiii.55)]

[18. “Pater {tuus,} qui videt in abscondito” ← “{thy} Father...” ; (Cf. Mt.vi.4, 18)]

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Habitum religionis in eis conservet. [1]

THE PRESENCE OF THE ALL-HOLY

ONCE the breath of holiness, the morning breezes of prayer, have purified and sanctified the atmosphere, the work of the Spirit of God progresses with ease. St. John’s “Tene quod habes”[2] (Apoc. III:11) comes to mind, and Mother Church is deeply concerned that “the Holy Spirit preserve forever the spirit of religion” in the souls of her candidates. Perhaps Lactantius was right when he taught that the word “religion” is derived from ‘‘re-ligare.”[3] At all events, the habitus religionis may be taken as the habitual consciousness of being bound to God the All-Holly. Spiritual writers point out various means whereby the soul is kept united with God, or whereby God is ever present in the soul. Those means are manifold, as manifold as the operations of the marvelous faculties with which the Creator has endowed the human soul — intellect, will and memory; as manifold, we may almost conjecture, as the “unsearchable ways” of God (Rom. XI:33).

[1.“{...the Holy Ghost, Who shall} keep them in the practice of religion forever...” ← “{...Spiritum sanctum, qui} habitum...” (De Cler. Fac.)]

[2. “{Behold, I come quickly:} hold fast that which thou hast, {that no man take thy crown}” ← “{Ecce venio cito :} tene quod habes, {ut nemo accipiat coronam tuam.}”]

[3. NOTE: Lact. says: “We are bound and tied to God by this chain of piety; {from which religion itself received its name, not, as Cicero explained it...}” ← “Hoc vinculo pietatis obstricti Deo et religati sumus{...}” (Lact. Divin. Instit., iv.xxviii) ; St. Thomas says: “I answer that, as Isidore says (Etym. x), according to Cicero, a man is said to be religious from religio, because he often ponders over, and, as it were, reads again (relegit), the things which pertain to the worship of God, so that religion would seem to take its name from reading over those things which belong to Divine worship...” (ST.II-II.Q81.A1.C)]

______The simplest of all these means is the practice of the presence of God. Fundamentally it is a form of prayer; a short cut, we may say, to holiness. “Walk before Me, and be perfect”[4] (Gen. XVII:1), said the Lord to Abraham. There is not a single saint in heaven who did not practise this form of prayer on earth. And if we ask how so many great men and women — popes, bishops, scholars, rulers — whose busy lives were spent, nay exhausted, in the unremitting discharge of tremendous tasks and duties, could nonetheless rise to such great heights of sanctity, there is but one answer: the practice of the presence of God. They were in the world, but not of the world, because the “single eye”[5] of their soul was always fixed upon the All-Holy. To them this practice formed a rocky cliff against which the breakers of this restless world crashed with futile monotony. And, conversely, to those saints who have fled from the world and spent their days in penance, hard labor and oblivion, the same holy practice has imparted a refreshing, beautiful variety amid the monotony of life’s workaday drudgery. The practice of God’s presence, whether it consist in a single thought, a brief word, an act of love, is each time a renewal of the good intention. Like an electric current it unites the creature with the Creator, and makes every knee bend before the All-Holy.

[4. “{Ego Deus omnipotens :} ambula coram me, et esto perfectus.” → “{I am the Almighty God:} walk...”]

[5. “{Si} oculus {tuus fuerit} simplex...” → “{If thy} eye {be} single...” (Mt.vi.22 ; Lk.xi.34)]

______Our forebears in the Faith caught the priceless value of this practice. Imbued with the belief that “the heavens show forth the glory of God”[6] (Ps. XVIII:1), they devised ingenious ways of recalling God’s presence in every place and at every moment — ways which represent the wedding of nature and art before the priestess of Faith. Witness the wayside shrines and road crosses in Catholic countries ; the sacred inscriptions and statuary in monasteries ; the gracefully illuminated holy names and symbols on mediaeval manuscripts ; the beautiful practice of turning to God at the stroke of the clock, or at the beginning of a new task. The hearts that were very close to God have poured out an abundance of short ejaculatory prayers. Some of these are sacramentals ; others are enriched with indulgences. Let each one choose a method that will best appeal to his nature and temperament

[6. “Caeli enarrant gloriam Dei”]

______And the youth who some day expects to choose the Lord for his portion, should take to heart the counsel of the Wise Man, “In all thy ways think on Him, and He will direct thy steps”[7] (Prov. III:6), and the words of old Tobias to his son, “All the days of thy life have God in thy mind”[8] (Tob. IV:6).

[7. “In omnibus viis tuis cogita illum, et ipse diriget gressus tuos.”]

[8. “Omnibus autem diebus vitae tuae in mente habeto Deum”]

______Not a single word that the humble carpenter of Nazareth spoke is recorded. St. Joseph was a man not of words but of deeds — and small, everyday deeds they usually were. He was “a just man”[9] (Matt. 1:19), and that is why the Son of God elected to spend His boyhood days at his side. In his primitive workshop, by the sweat of his brow, the lowly St. Joseph crystallized the standard of sanctity we so frequently meet on the pages of the Old Testament: “Ambulabat coram Domino.”[10] In this the Boy Jesus took after His foster-father. So David had pictured Him centuries ago: “I set the Lord always in my sight for He is at my right hand, that I be not moved”[11] (Ps. XV:8). And so Luke described Him at St. Joseph’s side: “And the Child grew, and waxed strong, full of wisdom; and the grace of God was in Him”[12] (Luke II:40).

[9. “{Joseph autem vir ejus cum esset} justus...” → “{Whereupon Joseph her husband, being} a just man...” {or*“being just”}]

[10. *“He was walking in the presence of the Lord” ; (Cf. Is.xxxviii.3)]

[11. “Providebam Dominum in conspectu meo semper, quoniam a dextris est mihi, ne commovear.”]

[12. “Puer autem crescebat, et confortabatur plenus sapientia : et gratia Dei erat in illo.”]

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Corda eorum defendat. [1]

THE SHRINE OF HOLINESS

“KNOW you not,” St. Paul challenges the Corinthians, “that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”[2] (I Cor. III:16.) The conviction of this truth is deeply rooted in the consciousness of Mother Church, and consequently she loses no time in beseeching the Spirit of God that He protect and defend the hearts of her future ministers; for the heart is the shrine of holiness. Nor does she deem it premature at this early hour in their spiritual lives to mention by name the two chief obstacles that are certain to beset their first steps on the path of perfection: A mundi impedimento ac saeculari desiderio corda eorum defendat.

[1. “{and} protect their hearts {from the stumbling blocks of the world, and from worldly desires} ” ← “{et a mundi impedimento, ac sæculari desiderio} corda...” (De Cler. Fac.)]

[2. “Nescitis quia templum Dei estis, et Spiritus Dei habitat in vobis?”]

______Mundi impedimentum brings to mind the Roman soldier who was wont to call his heavy baggage “impedimentum,” because it impeded his progress on the march. Similarly, our progress in holiness is impeded by such worldly distractions as prevent inwardness, recollection, silence. When the Master says: “Lo, the kingdom of God is within you”[3] (Luke XVII:21), He lays down a fundamental direction for the spiritual life, which is essentially an interior life. As the pearl of great price is found at the bottom of the ocean ; as the Holy of Holies was at the far end of the tent, veiled from the gaze of men — so does God dwell in the deepest depth of the soul. There we must seek Him. The spirit must enter within itself and the world must be kept out. This is the important art of recollection. It is an ancient art, but by no means antiquated, for its necessity grows apace with the ever-increasing noise and bustle of the world around us. And the shrine of holiness is ever built after the ancient design.

[3. “Ecce {enim} regnum Dei intra vos est.” → “{For} lo, the...”]

______The world may not enter this sacred shrine, but neither may the spirit go out after the things of the world. St. Paul coined the expression “‘saeculare desiderium”[4] (Tit. II:12), which is the innate urge of human concupiscences. Its earliest awakening must be checked, lest the hallowed atmosphere of the shrine of the heart be contaminated by secular and evil influences, and holy peace be disturbed. As the mundi impedimentum endangers the spirit of recollection, so does every saeculare desiderium threaten the peace of the soul, which is an equally essential disposition to sanctity.

[4. “{denying ungodliness and} worldly desires, {we should live soberly, and justly, and godly in this world}” ← “{abnegantes impietatem, et} saecularia desideria, {sobrie, et juste, et pie vivamus in hoc saeculo}”]

______Is it futile to practise recollection and peace of soul in busy college life, among a throng of buoyant youth? The saints of youthful age did not think so. There is no need of closing the doors behind us, nor even of closing our eyes, when we desire to cast a glance at Him Whose image is engraved upon our very being. Studies, games and other duties should engage our interest and attention, but with proper judgment and self-control we can always reserve a little corner where the peace of God may reign supreme.

______From our earliest youth we should create for ourselves a philosophy which will safeguard our peace of mind. It will Prove our greatest natural treasure and a sure way to sanctity. To be effective this philosophy must take due account of personal qualifications, leanings, temperament. Happy is he who forgets evils that are past: “Let the dead bury their dead.”[5] And why should the future worry us? It is in God’s hand. Hence the present alone remains. If it brings us joy, let us be moderate; if praise, let us not become foolish. If we have erred, let us be humble. Little wonder we made this or that blunder—and what is more, it will not be the last. If misfortune knocks at the door, let God's holy will be done. In need, our Father in heaven will provide. In pain, let us suffer for His sake. The only evil that remains is sin, and for this also we have a remedy. That was the philosophy of St. Peter, our first pope, a man of many disappointments, troubles and worries, who yet calmly counseled his flock: “Casting all your care upon Him, for He hath care of you”[6] (I Pet. V:7).

[5. “{Sequere me, et} dimitte mortuos sepelire mortuos suos” → “{Follow me, and} let...” (Mt.viii.22), or: “Sine ut mortui sepeliant mortuos suos {: tu autem vade, et annuntia regnum Dei.}” → “...dead: {but go thou, and preach the kingdom of God}” (Lk.ix.60)]

[6. “omnem sollicitudinem vestram projicientes in eum, quoniam ipsi cura est de vobis.”]

______The Master set us a glorious example of recollection and peace of soul. Born in a stable which was not His own, driven away from His native country, spending thirty years in a town where He was “not accepted,”[7] not having even “where to lay His head,”[8] He was indeed free from “the shackles of the world and secular desire.” Little Nazareth has become the symbol of spiritual peace. There was Mary who “kept all these words, pondering them in her heart”[9] (Luke II:19) ; Joseph the carpenter, earning a meagre livelihood “in the sweat of his brow”[10] ; and above all the Holy Child ‘‘full of grace and truth.”[11]

[7. (Cf. Jn.i.11): “In propria venit, et sui eum non receperunt.” → “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” ; (Cf. Lk.iv.24): “nemo propheta acceptus est in patria sua.” → “no prophet is accepted in his own country.”]

[8. “{Filius autem hominis non habet} ubi caput reclinet.” → “{but the son of man hath not} where...” (Mt.viii.20 ; Lk.ix.58)]

[9. “{Maria autem} conservabat omnia verba haec, conferens in corde suo.” → “{But Mary} kept...”]

[10. (Cf. Gen.iii.19): “In sudore vultus tui vesceris pane...” → “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread...”]

[11. “{Et Verbum caro factum est, et habitavit in nobis : ...}plenum gratiae et veritatis” → “{And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, ... ,} full...” (Jn.i.14)]

____________________________________________________

Dextera manus ejus. [1]

DIRECTION IN HOLINESS

THE law that the young should be taught by the old, disciples by masters, is as old as the world. “Ask thy father, and he will declare to thee: thy elders and they will tell thee”[2] (Deut. XXXII:7). Authority, learning and probity are necessary qualifications of the teacher, but experience is his most valued asset. “Much experience is the crown of old men”[3] (Ecclus. XXV:8). All the ingenuity, sagacity and brillance of youth cannot compare with a tiny grain of that experience which gives the proper seasoning to all human affairs and judgments. Hence it is meet that youth look up to those who have “borne the burden of the day and the heats”[4] (Matt. XX:12). And if this be true in the learning of the arts and sciences of the world, how much more does it apply to the acquiring of the noblest of sciences, the science of the saints, to the learning of the art of arts, how to lead a holy life. So, in the marvelous organism of Christ’s Mystical Body, the process of spiritual nutrition follows the simple, clear-cut plan: “He that heareth you, heareth Me” (Luke X.16).

[1. “{so that even as they are changed in outward appearance,} He {may likewise grant them an increase of virtue}” {or*“{so may} his right hand {grant them...}”} ← “{ut, sicut immutantur in vultibus, ita} dextera manus ejus {virtutis tribuat eis incrementa,}” (De Cler. Fac.)]

[2. “{Memento dierum antiquorum, cogita generationes singulas :} interroga patrem tuum, et annuntiabit tibi : majores tuos, et dicent tibi.” → “{Remember the days of old, think upon every generation:} ask...”]

[3. “Corona senum multa peritia, {et gloria illorum timor Dei.}” → “...men, {and the fear of God is their glory.}”]

[4. “{...et pares illos nobis fecisti, qui} portavimus pondus diei, et aestus.” → “{...and thou hast made them equal to us, that have} borne...”]

______The director in the spiritual life is the “right hand” of the Holy Ghost. His work is twofold, positive and negative. His is to direct the candidates in “the growth of virtue” (incrementa virtutum) and “to open their eyes against all spiritual and human blindness” (ab omni caecitate spirituali et humana). No wonder “the father of lies,”[5] “the spirit of darkness,”[6] hates and fears the thrusts of this right hand of the Holy Ghost!

[5. (Cf. Jn.viii.44): “Vos ex patre diabolo estis... quia mendax est, et pater ejus.” → “You are of your father the devil... for he is a liar, and the father thereof.”]

[6. (Cf. Eph.vi.12 , Lk.xxii.53)]

______Spiritual blindness is the darkening of spiritual vision; it arises from human frailty, concupiscence and human respect. Such ailments cannot be cured by reading or study. Individual treatment must be given by one who understands: by one who knows the heart, and speaks the language of the patient.

______It is of great importance, in fact it is indispensable for his spiritual progress, that the candidate for the Priesthood make up his mind at the very threshold of the spiritual life to choose a learned, prudent, pious and fatherly director. Once this choice is made there should be no changing, except for a very serious reason. The director should be ‘‘the shepherd and bishop”[7] of the candidate’s soul (I Pet. II:25). To this guardian he should cling with pure affection, with absolute confidence and sincerity, with unwavering constancy, with reverence and docility. Some day he will understand the Psalmist’s words: “Adhaesit anima mea post te: me suscepit dextera tua” (Ps. LXII:9).

[7. “{Eratis enim sicut oves errantes, sed conversi estis nunc ad} pastorem, et episcopum {animarum vestrarum.}” → “{For you were as sheep going astray; but you are now converted to} the shepherd and bishop {of your souls.}”]

[8. “My soul hath stuck close to thee: thy right hand hath received me.”]

______Pride was the cause of the first sin committed. It is Lucifer’s ruling vice. His power is as strong, his craftiness as insidious, as it was in the days of yore. He is the prince of the fallen angels, and his efforts are bent upon infusing the poison of pride into the hearts of those who aspire to walk the path of angels. He hates and despises men, and it is the deadliest blow to his pride when one of them is permitted to share the intimate confidences of a God-loving soul. To open the heart to a spiritual director is true humility, and humility is Satan’s defeat.

______In this age of brazen-faced irreverence and haughty precocity, it is refreshing to read the story of young Samuel, the disciple of Heli. Three times in the night he promptly arose and answered the call of God, and then made the classic reply: “Speak, Lord, Thy servant heareth”[9] (I Kings III:10).

[9. “Loquere, Domine, quia audit servus tuus.”]

______Although Jesus came among us as “the brightness of eternal light, and the unspotted mirror of God’s majesty”[10] (Wis. VII:26), “the only-begotten Son Who is in the bosom of the Father”[11] (John I:18), still He did not deny us the lesson of the value of spiritual direction. In the hallowed halls of the Temple the venerable Simeon steps forth to impart his blessing and the first direction. “Behold this Child is set,” he says to Mary, “for . . . a sign which shall be contradicted; and thy own soul a sword shall pierce”[12] (Luke II:34, 35). From that moment the Cross of Calvary looms darkly in the lives of mother and Son. Yet never is there an instant's wavering. “Dominus regit me”[13] (Ps. XXII:1), the future Highpriest calmly replies. He is subject to Mary and Joseph for thirty years, and to His Father till His last breath. Even when He teaches “as one having power”[14] (Mark I:22), He humbly insists : “Amen, amen, I say unto you, the Son cannot do anything of Himself, but what He seeth the Father doing”[15] (John V:19).

[10. “candor est enim lucis aeternae, et speculum sine macula Dei majestatis, {et imago bonitatis illius.}” → “{For she is} the brightness ... majesty, {and the image of his goodness.”]

[11. “{Deum nemo vidit umquam :} unigenitus Filius, qui est in sinu Patris, {ipse enarravit.}” → “{No man hath seen God at any time:} the only ... of the Father, {he hath declared him.}”]

[12. “Ecce positus est hic in {ruinam, et in resurrectionem multorum in Israel, et in} signum cui contradicetur : et tuam ipsius animam pertransibit gladius {ut revelentur ex multis cordibus cogitationes.}” → “...set for {the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for} a sign ... pierce, {that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed}”]

[13. “The Lord ruleth me: {and I shall want nothing}” ← “...me, {et nihil mihi deerit}”]

[14. “{erat enim docens eos} quasi potestatem habens” → “{For he was teaching them} as...”]

[15. “Amen, amen dico vobis : non potest Filius a se facere quidquam, nisi quod viderit Patrem facientem”]

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Lumen eis gratiae aeternae concedat. [1]

INSTRUCTION IN HOLINESS

THE Pontifical speaks aptly of “the light of grace,” because one of the usual functions of actual grace is to illumine the intellect. Such illuminations are frequent at spiritual instruction, whether it be imparted through sermons, conferences or spiritual reading.

[1. “{and, opening their eyes, deliver them from all spiritual and human blindness and} bestow upon them the light of everlasting grace.” ← “{et ab omni cæcitati spirituali et humana, oculos eorum aperiat, et} lumen eis æternæ gratiæ concedat.” (De Cler. Fac.)]

______The natural advantage of imparting instruction to groups lies in the fact that it prevents exclusiveness and singularity, on the one hand, and promotes uniform practice and sound moderation, on the other. No wonder that such instruction should appeal to the Church on principle. As her purpose and her name, both in Greek (“Kuriaike” — “the Lord’s house”)[2] and in Latin (“Ecclesia,” from the Greek word for “assembly”),[3] imply and indicate, she is the society of the faithful, Christ’s Mystical Body. In this spiritual organism the members are interdependent parts of the whole. St. Paul writes: “Now you are the body of Christ, and members of member”[4] (I Cor. XII:27). But what affords health and growth to this organism is, to use a metaphor, the word of God. Our Saviour suggested this idea when He said: “Not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God”[5] (Matt. IV:4). And so the teaching office of the Church may be said to provide spiritual sustenance.

[2. “ κυριακόν ” , kuriakón ?]

[3. “ ἐκκλησία “ , ekklesia]

[4. “Vos autem estis corpus Christi, et membra de membro”]

[5. “Non in solo pane vivit homo, sed in omni verbo, quod procedit de ore Dei.”]

______In the Old Law the office of teaching and instructing was committed to priests, elders and prophets. In the New Law it is assigned to the Apostles and to there successors and co-workers in the Vineyard. The infant Church first used apostolic preaching to spread “the glad tidings of the kingdom.”[6] “Fides ex auditu,”[7] says St. Paul (Rom. X:17). This was the oral Gospel. With the spread of Christ’s doctrine, the written Gospel and the other writings were added under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Now both continue, side by side, the former as Tradition, the latter as the Holy Bible. And the Fathers, doctors and saintly men of the Church have added to this holy lore, which now rises before us like a glorious mountain of spiritual truth.

[6. (Cf. Rom.x.15): “Quam speciosi pedes evangelizantium pacem, evangelizantium bona!” → “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, of them that bring glad tidings of good things.”]

[7. “Faith {then} cometh by hearing; {and hearing by the word of Christ}” ← “{Ergo} fides ex auditu, {auditus autem per verbum Christi.}”]

______To our saints this mountain has afforded shelter, strength and nourishment. On one occasion before his conversion the great St. Augustine heard the voice: “Tolle, lege.”[8] He took the book and read, and forthwith started on the road to sanctity. St. Ignatius, when a soldier, found an old motheaten volume of the Lives of the Saints at the castle of Pampeluna. He read it and laid the foundation of a life of holiness and leadership. St. Clare, from her cloistered retreat, begged and pleaded that a priest come regularly to preach to her the word of God. And so have all the saints of God partaken of this spiritual nutriment.

[8. *“Take up, read.” (Confessions, viii.12)]

______Docility has always been a condition of sanctity; a mark of a real vocation. God's word does not depend upon the eloquence, scholarship or literary elegance of the speaker or writer. A critical attitude in reader or hearer spoils the fruit of what is imparted. Of course prudence must guide us in making our own selection in reading ; constancy and sincerity must direct us while we read. Our reading should be a prayer ; it should stimulate thought and action. Haste, superficiality, fickleness prevent the good seed from taking root. The reverence, the docility and humble obedience that we owe our director, as stated in the previous chapter, we also owe to those who, as St. Francis tells us, “administer to us spirit and life.”[9]

[9. “{Et omnes theologos et qui ministrant sanctissima verba divina, debemus honorare et venerari, sicut qui} ministrant nobis spiritum et vitam” ← *“{And all theologians and those who administer the holy divine word, we ought to honour and venerate, for they} administer...” (Testamentum)]

______All the fine reverence and unbounded confidence that the Hebrew nation through its priests and prophets had shown for the sacred Thorah, the written word of God, for centuries past, seemed to be crystallized among the kinsfolk of Him Who was the Incarnate Word of God. The greeting of Elizabeth, the Canticles of Zachary and Mary and Simeon, are mosaics in song set together from inspired words and texts of the Old Testament. In the home of Nazareth, the Law of Moses reigned supreme. The great Highpriest’s life was mapped out by David and the prophets. Such was the setting into which the Child Jesus stepped at twelve. It was the parchment, as it were, “of the earth, earthly,”[10] upon which the Child wrote words “from heaven, heavenly” (I Cor. XV:47) when He said: “How is it that you sought Me? Did you not know that I must be [oportet me esse] about My Father’s business?”[11] (Luke II:49). His “Father's business” was with the doctors of the Law and consisted in “hearing them and asking them questions.”[12] Let the little word “oportet” stand at the head of our daily horarium; let it become the axis of the routine of our student life. It leads to solid sanctity.

[10. “{Primus homo} de terra, terrenus : {secundus homo} de caelo, caelestis.” → “{The first man was} of the earth, earthly: {the second man,} from heaven, heavenly.”]

[11. “Quid est quod me quaerebatis? nesciebatis quia in his quae Patris mei sunt, oportet me esse?”]

[12. “audientem illos, et interrogantem eos.” (Lk.ii.46)]

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Deus meus es tu. [1]

THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD

THE chanting of Psalm XV changes the scene at the sacred rite of Tonsure. With rare foresight has Mother Church ordained that the sweet fragrance of this Psalm fill the sanctuary while the ordinands bend their heads upon the bishop’s knees to receive the symbol of the Saviour’s Crown of Thorns (similitudinem coronae tuae). David, the perfect type of the Redeemer, steps forward in the figure of full-grown manhood. Hard pressed by numerous enemies, he is carried in spirit to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he sees in prophetic vision the agonizing Saviour pouring out His soul to His heavenly Father.

[1. “{I have said to my Lord,} thou art my God,” ← “{Dixi Domino :} Deus...” (2)]

______Every word of the Psalm is expressive of that unspeakably sad, that overwhelming hour. It is a prayer of filial trust and confidence — a prelude, as it were, to the Saviour’s own heart-stirring confession: “Abba, Father, all things are possible to Thee: remove this chalice from Me; but not what I will, but what Thou wilt”[2] (Mark XIV:36).

[2. “Abba pater, omnia tibi possibilia sunt, transfer calicem hunc a me : sed non quod ego volo, sed quod tu.”]

______On a previous occasion the Saviour had made the confession: “No one knoweth the Son, but the Father: neither doth anyone know the Father, but the Son”[3] (Matt. XI:27). This self-revelation throws heavenly light upon the words which the Psalmist places on the sacred lips quivering in bitter agony: Dixit Domino : Deus meus es tu. Would that His future disciples who now receive the first mark of the Master could share at least a small measure of that heavenly knowledge which was His!

[3. “nemo novit Filium, nisi Pater : neque Patrem quis novit, nisi Filius, {et cui voluerit Filius revelare.}” → “...the Son, {and he to whom it shall please the Son to reveal him.}”]

______The philosopher says rightly: “Ignoti nulla cupido.”[4] We must know God in order to love Him and serve Him. The more perfect our knowledge of God, the more fervent our love, the more faithful our service. And the measure of our fervor and fidelity will be the measure of our holiness. The clerical life aims at a very high degree of perfection, but it cannot reach that height unless it be built upon a proportionate knowledge of God. This knowledge is not purely intellectual or speculative; it is gently borne in upon the soul on the wings of love. It is that knowledge which elicited from the priestly heart of St. Paul the beautiful confession: “I count all things to be but loss for the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord”[5] (Phil. III:8). It was the search for that knowledge which urged St. Thomas as a schoolboy to besiege the monks at Monte Cassino with the eternal question, “Quid est Deus?”[6] It was that knowledge to which the Seraphic Doctor referred when, asked to manifest the source of his learning, he simply pointed to the crucifix, saying: “This is the book I read.”[7] It was that knowledge for which St. Augustine, the greatest intellectual giant of all times, prayed when like a little child he spoke these beautiful words: “Domine Jesu, noverim me, noverim te, nec aliquid cupiam nisi te.”[8] “For to know Thee,” the Wise Man says, “is perfect justice : and to know Thy justice and Thy power, is the root of immortality”[9] (Wis. XV:3). Hence the cleric must learn to combine prayer with study, or rather to turn his study into prayer.

[4. *“There is no desire for the unknown.” (Ovid, Ars amatoria, iii.397) ; (Cf. ST.II-II.Q27.A4)]

[5. “existimo omnia detrimentum esse propter eminentem scientiam Jesu Christi Domini mei”]

[6. *“What is God?”]

[7. ( ? ) ; NOTE: St. Alphonsus attributes this rather to St. Bonaventure replying to St. Thomas: “This is my book whence I receive everything that I write; and it has taught me whatever little I know.” (Pas. Death, introduction)]

[8. *“Lord Jesus, let me know myself, let me know Thee, let me desire nothing save only Thee.” ( ? ; Citation for the full prayer unknown ; Cf. Note 4 of next chapter.)]

[9. “Nosse enim te, consummata justitia est; et scire justitiam et virtutem tuam, radix est immortalitatis.”]

______The Church has always been, and is now, the promoter of the highest culture and the ripest scholarship ; and her priests are her spokesmen. “For the lips of the priest shall keep knowledge, and they shall seek the law at his mouth”[10] (Mal. II:7). Hence every priest must strive to become a student, a matured and seasoned scholar. True, the crown of his scholarship is sacred Theology, but he will never excel in this science if he has not mastered the fundamentals, that is, the Humanities which make the man of culture and prepare the future theologian. Our entire schedule of studies, from the tortuous labyrinth of grammar to the devious byways of syntax, should be made to tender “a reasonable service”[11] to the highest science of all. Every new lesson, every fact or word that we learn, brings us nearer to the knowledge of God, and if the right intention guides us, nearer to the heart of God.

[10. “Labia enim sacerdotis custodient scientiam, et legem requirent ex ore ejus, {quia angelus Domini exercituum est.}” → “...mouth: {because he is the angel of the Lord of hosts}”]

[11. “...rationabile obsequium {vestrum}” → “...{your} reasonable...”]

______How we should love to know even one of the questions that the Child Jesus asked the doctors in the Temple! He knew the answers far better than they could tell Him, for every question concerned His heavenly Father. And His youthful heart bounded with joy when His Father’s name was mentioned even by frail and sinful tongues. And so at twelve He started the work in which He gloried on the vigil of His death: “I have made known Thy name to them”[12] (John XVII:26).

[12. “{Et} notum feci eis nomen tuum, {et notum faciam : ut dilectio, qua dilexisti me, in ipsis sit, et ego in ipsis.}” → “{And} I have...to them, {and will make it known; that the love wherewith thou hast loved me, may be in them, and I in them.}”]

____________________________________________________

Bonorum meorum non eges.

THE KNOWLEDGE OF SELF

WHEN the agonizing Saviour speaks the words, Deus meus es tu, quoniam bonorum meorum non eges,[1] He reveals that His heavenly Father, because of His infinite perfection, does not stand in need of the equally infinite satisfaction and merits of Redemption. We listen with reverent awe, and say with St. Paul: “O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God”[2] (Rom. XI:33). But when St. Paul continues, “Who hath first given to Him, and recompense shall be made him?”[3] (35), he suggests to our minds the glaring contrast that these same words reveal when spoken by David or any other poor mortal. It is the contrast between infinite riches and dire poverty. And this poverty of the creature is so great that even for the most indispensable things of life, nay his very existence, he must depend on a bountiful Creator. All he may claim as his own are his sins and imperfections.

[1. “thou art my God, for thou hast no need of my goods.” (Ps.xv.2)]

[2. “O altitudo divitiarum sapientiae, et scientiae Dei”]

[3. “{aut} quis prior dedit illi, et retribuetur ei?” → “{or} who...”]

______Truly the knowledge of God is a mirror. We look into it and see our poor selves. St. Augustine sets forth this counter-action in his simple prayer: “Noverim me — noverim te.”[4] All our saints have entertained the same thought and followed the same practice. To them the knowledge of self was a necessary corollary of the knowledge of God; and this knowledge of self became their pathfinder in the spiritual life.

[4. (Soliloquiorum Libri Duo)]

______Though seemingly paradoxical, it is true that great and learned men who have penetrated with profound analysis the mysteries of the heavens and the earth, who have examined the course of the stars and determined their destinies, have neglected to consider that their own destiny is the one thing that matters. “Are not you of much more value than they?”[5] (Matt. VI:26.) Modern psychoanalysis, with its accurate tests of self-scrutiny, neglects to apply to its findings the golden standard of spiritual values. It reminds us of the man in the Gospel who pulled down his old barns to “build greater.”[6] Real profit is that which makes us “rich toward God”[7] (Luke XII:18-21). The ancient philosopher knew the fundamental principle of all knowledge, “Know thyself”[8] ; but he failed to arrive at the simple and logical deduction of St. Francis: “What I am in the sight of God, that I am, and nothing more.”[9]

[5. “Nonne vos magis pluris estis illis?”]

[6. “{destruam horrea mea, et} majora faciam” → “{I will pull down my barns, and will} build...]

[7. “{Sic est qui sibi thesaurizat, et non est} in Deum dives.” → “{So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not} rich towards God.”]

[8. “ Γνῶθι σαυτόν ” , gnōthi sauton ; Latin: “nōsce tē ipsum” ; NOTE: a Delphic maxim.]

[9. “quia quantum est homo coram Deo, tantum est et non plus.” → or*“for what a man is...so much he is, and...” (Admonitiones, xix.2)]

______And so the most egregious errors in the world are made because men misjudge themselves. They fail by either defect or excess, by pessimism or optimism. Sanctity demands truth, and the truth is obtained by humble, frank and searching self-scrutiny. Such is the examination of conscience as set forth by St. Ignatius and other saints. It is an intimate personal accounting between God and man, the infinite Creditor and His sinful debtor. It begins with an act of thanksgiving for all past favors. Then follows a humble Prayer for heavenly light. Thereupon the examen is made, covering either all thoughts, words and deeds or the various actions or periods of the day. An act of sincere contrition follows, and the firm purpose of amendment concludes the simple but wholesome exercise.

______Order at the examen proper makes for thoroughness, yet routine should be enlivened by practical sense, lest it become tedious. Above all we should strive to concentrate on our predominant faults and weaknesses, to search for their roots and devise such means as give promise of definite results. It is no easy matter to understand the varied workings of our nature, to lay bare its whims and foibles, its illusions and delusions. Nor should we fail to apply the Horatian rule: “Miscetur utile dulci.”[10] The gardener finds pleasure in all his work. To him it affords satisfaction when he detects a weed or bramble; when he tears it up ruthlessly. He does not mind perspiration or fatigue. It gives him pleasure to plant seedlings, to water them and observe their growth, no matter how slow. It is well to remember that, with all our sinfulness and imperfections we may watch the growth of the most delightful thing on earth — the growth of grace in our hearts.

[10. *“He mixes the useful and the pleasant” (Cf. Ars poetica, 343): “omne tulit punctum qui miscuit utile dulci” → *“he wins every vote, who mixes...”]

______The dialogue between the Virgin Mother and her divine Son in the Temple suggests the sincerity needed. How could Mary rebuke the Son of God? “Son, why hast Thou done so to us? Behold Thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing.”[11] And how could He answer her in language so frank and plain-spoken? “How is it that you sought Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke II:48, 49.) There is a ring of sincerity and truthfulness in these words which refreshes and delights us. Duty rises over sentiment ; obedience to God over obedience to men. Eternal wisdom rules over God-loving souls. May their sincerity be ours.

[11. “Fili, quid fecisti nobis sic? ecce pater tuus et ego dolentes quaerebamus te.”]

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[[ ...TRANSCRIPTION IN PROGRESS... ]]

"The Priest's Way To God" Plassmann

The
Priest's Way
to God

By Thomas Plassmann, O.F.M.

ST. ANTHONY GUILD PRESS
PATERSON, NEW JERSEY
MCMXLV

FOREWORD

TO THE SECOND EDITION

FOREWORD

TO THE FIRST EDITION [1]

CONTENTS

THE PRIEST'S WAY TO GOD

Haec est generatio querentium Dominum.

CLERICAL TONSURE

C L E R I C A L T O N S U R E

Et quilibet dicit, Adsum. [1]

THE CALL TO HOLINESS

Pro ejus amore festinant. [1]

THE DESIRE FOR HOLINESS

Ut donet eis Spiritum Sanctum. [1]

THE BREATH OF HOLINESS

Habitum religionis in eis conservet. [1]

THE PRESENCE OF THE ALL-HOLY

Corda eorum defendat. [1]

THE SHRINE OF HOLINESS

Dextera manus ejus. [1]

DIRECTION IN HOLINESS

Lumen eis gratiae aeternae concedat. [1]

INSTRUCTION IN HOLINESS

Deus meus es tu. [1]

THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD

Bonorum meorum non eges.

THE KNOWLEDGE OF SELF

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"The Priest's Way To God" Plassmann

ThePriest's Wayto God

By Thomas Plassmann, O.F.M.

ST. ANTHONY GUILD PRESSPATERSON, NEW JERSEYMCMXLV

FOREWORD

TO THE SECOND EDITION

FOREWORD

TO THE FIRST EDITION [1]

CONTENTS

THE PRIEST'S WAY TO GOD

Haec est generatio querentium Dominum.

CLERICAL TONSURE

C L E R I C A L T O N S U R E

Et quilibet dicit, Adsum. [1]

THE CALL TO HOLINESS

Pro ejus amore festinant. [1]

THE DESIRE FOR HOLINESS

Ut donet eis Spiritum Sanctum. [1]

THE BREATH OF HOLINESS

Habitum religionis in eis conservet. [1]

THE PRESENCE OF THE ALL-HOLY

Corda eorum defendat. [1]

THE SHRINE OF HOLINESS

Dextera manus ejus. [1]

DIRECTION IN HOLINESS

Lumen eis gratiae aeternae concedat. [1]

INSTRUCTION IN HOLINESS

Deus meus es tu. [1]

THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD

Bonorum meorum non eges.

THE KNOWLEDGE OF SELF

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The
Priest's Way
to God

ST. ANTHONY GUILD PRESS
PATERSON, NEW JERSEY
MCMXLV