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"In your patience you shall possess your souls."
Luke 21:19
In the difficult periods through which we have to pass, we should
remember what our Lord has told us about the virtue of fortitude,
which is necessary that we may not be frightened by any menace, or
arrested in the way of salvation by any obstacle. We shall treat
here especially of the virtue of patience, which is the most
frequent form under which fortitude of soul is exercised in the
vexations of life. In the Christian it should be united to
meekness, and in such a way that those who are naturally meek may
learn to become strong, and those who are naturally inclined to the
virtue of fortitude may become meek with the meaning given to the
term by the evangelical beatitude: "Blessed are the meek." Thus both
will ascend toward the same summit, although by different paths. To
make this teaching clear, we shall discuss first of all the virtue
of patience, then that of meekness, both of which are in the service
of charity.
PATIENCE AND LONGANIMITY, TWIN COLUMNS OF THE INTERIOR LIFE
"Charity is patient." -
I Cor. 13:4
Patience, says St. Thomas,(1)l is a virtue attached to the virtue of
fortitude, which hinders a man from departing from right reason
illumined by faith by yielding to difficulties and to sadness. It
makes him bear the evils of life with equanimity of soul, says St.
Augustine,(2) without allowing himself to be troubled by vexations.
The impatient man, no matter how violent he may be, is a weak man;
when he raises his voice and murmurs, he really succumbs from the
moral point of view. The patient man, on the contrary, puts up with
an inevitable evil in order to remain on the right road, to continue
his ascent toward God. Those who bear adversity that they may attain
what their pride desires, have not the virtue of patience but only
its counterfeit, hardness of heart.
By patience the soul truly possesses itself above the fluctuations
of the sensible part depressed by sadness.(3) The martyrs are in the
highest degree masters of themselves and free. In patience is met
again something of the principal act of the virtue of fortitude: the
enduring of painful things without weakening. It is more difficult
and meritorious, says St. Thomas, to endure for a long time what
keenly vexes nature than to attack an adversary in a moment of
enthusiasm.(4) It is more difficult for a soldier to hold out for a
long time under a shower of bullets in a cold damp trench than with
all the ardor of his temperament to take part in an attack. If the
virtue of fortitude bears the blows that may cause death, as we see
in the soldier who dies for his country and still more in the martyr
who dies for the faith, the virtue of patience endures unflinchingly
the contradictions of life.(5) Thus we see that this virtue of
patience is the guardian of other virtues; it protects them against
the disorders that impatience would cause; it is like a buttress of
the spiritual edifice.
Some years ago Americanism spoke rather disdainfully of the
so-called passive virtues of patience, humility, and obedience. A
good writer replied that they are the twin columns of the moral and
spiritual life.
To have patience as a solid virtue, man must be in the state of
grace and have charity, which prefers God to everything else, no
matter what the cost. For this reason St. Paul says: "Charity is
patient."(6)
If the contradictions of life last for a long time without
interruption, as happens in the case of a person forced to live with
someone who continually tantalizes him, then there is need of
longanimity, a special virtue resembling patience. It is called
longanimity because of the length of the trial, the duration of the
suffering, the insults, all that must be borne for months and years.
As St. Francis de Sales points out,(7) patience makes us preserve
equanimity of mind in the midst of the variableness of the divers
mishaps of this mortal life. "Let us frequently call to mind," he
says, "that as our Lord has saved us by patient sufferings, so we
also ought to work out our salvation by sufferings and afflictions,
enduring injuries and contradictions, with all possible meekness. .
. . Some are unwilling to suffer any tribulations but those that are
honorable: for example, to be wounded in battle. . . . Now these
people do not love the tribulation, but the honor wherewith it is
accompanied; whereas he that is truly patient suffers indifferently
tribulation, whether accompanied by ignominy or honor. To be
despised, reprehended, or accused by wicked men, is pleasant to a
man of good heart; but to suffer blame and ill treatment from the
virtuous, or from our friends and relations, is the test of true
patience. . . . The evils we suffer from good men are much more
insupportable than those we suffer from others." (8)
To practice this virtue in a manner that is not stoic but Christian,
we should often recall the patience of Christ on the cross, which
surpasses human thought. For love of us He endured the most severe
physical and moral sufferings, which came to Him from the fury of
the priests of the Synagogue, from abandonment by His people, from
the ingratitude of His own, from the divine malediction due to sin,
which He willed to bear in our place as a voluntary victim. May the
patience of our Savior preserve our souls according to the words of
St. Paul: "And the Lord direct your hearts, in the charity of God
and the patience of Christ." (9) As a German proverb says, patience
yields roses and ends by obtaining all: "Geduld bringt rosen."
When we have to practice this virtue in prolonged trials, we should
remember the teaching of the saints, that sufferings well borne are
like materials which compose the edifice of our salvation.
Sufferings are the portion of the children of God in this life and a
sign of predestination: "Through many tribulations we must enter
into the kingdom of God," we are told in the Acts of the
Apostles.(10) It is essential to know how to suffer calmly without
excessive self-pity. Those who share most in the sufferings of
Christ will be most glorified with Him.(11) Sometimes an act of
great patience before death is sufficient; this is the case of many
dying persons who are reconciled to God a few days or hours before
their last breath.
SUPERNATURAL MEEKNESS AND ITS FRUITS
"Charity is kind." - I Cor 13:14
Meekness, or gentleness, should accompany patience from which it
differs in that it has as its special effect, not the endurance of
the vexations of life but the curbing of the inordinate movements of
anger,(12) The virtue of meekness differs from meekness of
temperament inasmuch as, in widely diverse circumstances, it imposes
the rectitude of reason illumined by faith on the sensibility more
or less disturbed by anger. This virtue is superior to meekness of
temperament, as the virtue of chastity is to the laudable natural
inclination called modesty; similarly, the virtue of mercy is
superior to sensible pity. Meekness of temperament is exercised with
facility toward those who please us and is rather frequently
accompanied by ill-temper toward others. The virtue of meekness does
away with this bitterness toward all persons and in the most varied
circumstances. Moreover, into a just severity that is necessary at
times, the virtue injects a note of calmness, as clemency mitigates
merited punishment. Meekness, like temperance to which it is united,
is the friend of the moderation or the measure which causes the
light of reason and that of grace to descend into the more or less
troubled sensible appetites.(13) This is so in true martyrs.
Meekness thus conceived should reign not only in our words and
conduct, but also in our hearts; otherwise it is only an artifice.
As St. Francis de Sales points out, when it is inspired by a
supernatural motive and practiced even toward those who are
acrimonious, meekness is the flower of charity. "Charity is kind,"
says St. Paul. The flower is the most beautiful visible part of a
plant, that which most draws our gaze, and in spite of its
fragility, it has a very important role: it protects the fruit which
is forming in it.
Similarly meekness is that which is most visible and most agreeable
in the practice of charity; it is what constitutes its charm. It
appears in the gaze, the smile, the bearing, the speech; it doubles
the value of a service rendered. And besides, it protects the fruits
of charity and zeal; it makes counsels and even reproaches
acceptable. In vain will we have zeal for our neighbor, if we are
not meek; we appear not to love him and we lose the benefit of our
good intentions, for we seem to speak through passion rather than
reason and wisdom, and consequently we accomplish nothing.
Meekness is particularly meritorious when practiced toward those who
make us suffer; then it can only be supernatural, without any
admixture of vain sensibility. It comes from God and sometimes has a
profound effect on our neighbor who is irritated against us for no
good reason. Let us remember that the prayer of St. Stephen called
down grace on the soul of Paul, who was holding the garments of
those who stoned the first martyr. Meekness disarms the violent.
St. Francis de Sales, who loves analogies taken from nature,
remarks: "Nothing so soon appeases the enraged elephant as the sight
of a little lamb, and nothing so easily breaks the force of a cannon
shot as wool." (14) Thus at times Christian meekness, which inclines
a man to present his right cheek when someone strikes him on the
left, disarms the person who is irritated. He indeed is the bruised
reed; if he is answered in the same tone, he will be completely
broken; if he is answered with meekness, he will gradually revive.
St. Francis de Sales also declares: "It is better to make penitents
through meekness than hypocrites through severity." In his letters
he reverts again and again to advice such as this: "Take care to
practice well the humble meekness that you owe to everybody, for it
is the virtue of virtues which our Lord greatly recommended to us;
(15) and if you should happen to violate it, do not be troubled, but
with all confidence, get back on your feet in order to walk anew in
peace and meekness as before." Everyone knows that the Bishop of
Geneva never tired of saying that more flies are caught with honey
than with vinegar. Zeal is necessary, but it should be patient and
meek.
We ought, consequently, to avoid bitter zeal, which sermonizes
indiscriminately and which has brought about the failure of many
reforms in religious orders. Opposing this bitter zeal, which is not
inspired by charity but by pride, St. John of the Cross used to say:
"There where there is not sufficient love, put love in and you will
reap love." (16)
We should also note that meekness, which is spoken of in the
beatitude of the meek, corresponds, as St. Augustine and St. Thomas
state, to the gift of piety.(17) This gift inspires in us, as a
matter of fact, an entirely filial affection toward God; it makes us
consider Him more and more as a very loving Father, and consequently
it makes us see in men, not strangers, nondescript people or rivals,
but brothers, that is, children of our common Father.(18) The gift
of piety makes us say more profoundly both for ourselves and for
others: "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy
kingdom come. . . ." We desire that the kingdom of God may take more
profound possession of us and of our brethren, and this desire
brings to our souls a great supernatural meekness which radiates on
our neighbor. Indeed meekness, united to this gift of the Holy
Ghost, is like the flower of charity.
To practice this virtue well, we should consider it in our Lord. His
meekness is manifestly supernatural, springing from zeal for the
salvation of souls; instead of diminishing zeal, meekness protects
its fruits.
Isaias had announced the Savior, saying: "Neither shall His voice be
heard abroad. The bruised reed He shall not break, and smoking flax
He shall not quench." (19) In response to Peter's query as to how
often he should pardon his brother, Christ said: "I say not to thee,
till seven times; but till seventy times seven times." (20) He
willed to be called "the Lamb of God. . . who taketh away the sin of
the world." (21) At His baptism the Holy Ghost descended upon Him in
the form of a dove, another symbol of meekness.(22) Finally, on the
cross He pardoned His executioners while praying for them; it is the
smile of meekness in the supreme act of fortitude: the smile of the
Crucified is the highest expression of goodness on earth.
Often martyrs, like St. Stephen while he was being stoned, followed
the example of Jesus and prayed for their executioners. This very
great supernatural meekness is one of the signs by which true
martyrs are distinguished from the false. False martyrs die for
their own ideas or opinions and through pride rebel against
suffering; they may be aided in this by the spirit of evil. The
connection or harmony of outwardly contradictory virtues is not
manifest in them; their fortitude, which is stubbornness, is not
accompanied by meekness. True martyrs, on the contrary, practice
meekness even toward their executioners and often pray for them,
following the example of Jesus. To forget one's own sufferings in
order thus to think of the salvation of one's persecutors, of the
good of their souls, is a sign of the highest charity and of all the
virtues that are harmonized in it.
Let us often, in practice, ask our Lord for the virtue of meekness
united to humility of heart. Let us ask Him for it at the moment of
Communion, in that intimate contact of our soul with His, of our
intellect and heart with His intellect illumined by the light of
glory and His heart overflowing with charity. Let us ask Him for it
by spiritual communion that is frequently renewed and, whenever the
occasion presents itself, let us practice these virtues effectively
and generously.
Then we shall see the realization of the words of the Master:
"Take up My yoke upon you and learn of Me, because I am meek and
humble of heart; and you shall find rest to your souls." (23) We
shall find rest for our souls; to know to what extent, we must
experience it at a time of trouble and vexation. We should then make
a more profound act of humility and meekness, pardoning fully those
who have offended or wounded us, and we shall see how true are
Christ's words. Our soul will thus take its right place in relation
to God and our neighbor; with the help of grace it will be more
profoundly restored to order, and it will recover the tranquillity
of order, if not joy, at least the interior peace of an upright
conscience united to God. We shall thus find peace in love, not the
peace which the world can give, but that which comes from God. The
peace which the world gives is wholly exterior; it is peace with the
spirit of the world, with the enemies of God, with our evil
inclinations; consequently it is interior disagreement with good
people and with ourselves; it is the death of the soul. If there is
any apparent tranquillity in us, it is that of death which hides
decomposition and corruption.
The peace which the Lord gives is above all interior, and we cannot
have it without incessant war against our inordinate passions, our
pride and concupiscences, against the spirit of the world and the
devil. For this reason our Lord, who brings us interior peace, says
also: "I came not to send peace, but the sword." (24) How, in fact,
can we be humble and meek toward all without doing violence to
ourselves? Then we have war on the frontiers of our soul, but peace
reigns within. In spite of the demands of God's love, we experience
that His yoke is sweet and His burden light. The weight of His
burden diminishes with the progress of patience, humility, and
meekness, which are, as it were, forms of the love of God and of
neighbor in the sense in which St. Paul says: "Charity is patient,
is kind; charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely; is not puffed
up; . . . is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil; . . .
rejoiceth with the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things,
hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never falleth away."
(25)
It is truly eternal life begun like a prelude of unending
beatitude.(26)
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1. Cf. IIa IIae, q.136, a. 1.
2. De patientia, chap. 2.
3. "In your patience you shall possess your souls" (Luke 21: 19).
4. As St. Thomas says, IIa IIae, q. 123, a.6 ad 1um: "Endurance is
more difficult than aggression for three reasons. First, because
endurance seemingly implies that one is being attacked by a stronger
person. . . . Secondly, because he that endures already feels the
presence of danger, whereas the aggressor looks upon danger as
something to come. . . . Thirdly, because endurance implies length of
time, whereas aggression is consistent with sudden movements."
5. Ibid., q. 136, a.4.
6. Cf. I Cor. 13:4.
7. Introduction to a Devout Life, Part III, chap.3 Of Patience.
8. Ibid.
9. Cf. II Thess. 3:5.
10. Acts 14: 21.
11 Cf. A. de Boissieu, O.P., La Patience chez les saints (ed.
La Vie spirituelle).
12. Cf. IIa IIae, q. 157, a. I f.
13. Acquired meekness causes the light of reason to descend into the
sensibility; infused meekness, that of grace. The two are exercised
simultaneously in the lust man, for the acquired virtue is at the
service of the infused, as in the artist the agility of his hand is at the service of his art, or
the imagination at the service of the intellect.
14. Introduction to a Devout Life, Part III, chap. 8.
15. St. Francis de Sales speaks thus for he here considers meekness as
a form of charity, which is the highest of the virtues.
16. It is interesting to note on this point what was accomplished by a
spiritual daughter of St. Francis de Sales, Louise de Ballon, who
reformed the Bernardines and founded at least seventeen convents in
France and Savoy. Cf. Louyse de Ballon, by Myriam de G.
(Desclee e de Brouwer, 1935), in which the author discusses at length
the work of this venerable nun and her teaching, which often reminds
one of that of St. John of the Cross. Her maxim was: "Do all in the
spirit of prayer."
17. De sermone Domini in monte, chap. 4.
18. Cf. IIa IIae, q. 122, a.2.
19. Isa. 42: 2 f.
20. Matt. 18:22.
21. John 1:29.
22. Luke 3:22.
23. Matt. II: 29.
24. Matt. 10:34.
25. Cf. I Cor. 13:4-8.
26. Supernatural meekness prepares for contemplation. On this subject
we should recall the following just observation: "The certitude of
being right is no obstacle to meekness of speech. Violence in speaking
the truth indicates the existence of pride. Such a way of speaking is
singularly prejudicial to the views one upholds" (Rene Bazin). Man is
even more separated from contemplation by taking the point of view of
the useful, and not sufficiently that of the honest good. This is,
nevertheless, the course of action of many statesmen and also of many
nations which enter into conflict with each other because each wishes
to consider things "from its own point of view," that is, under the
aspect of its own interest, and not from the general and superior
point of view that would unite people, whereas earthly interests
divide them.
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