<http://ecceagnusdei.blogspot.com/2006/03/saints-interpretation-of-meaning-of.html>A
saint's interpretation of the meaning of the Cross and 14 rules to
abide by in carrying our daily crosses
THE FRIENDS OF THE CROSS by St. Louis De Montfort (1673-1716)
IV -- IN CHRIST-LIKE FASHION
41. But mere suffering is not enough. For even the devil and the
world have their martyrs. We must suffer and bear our crosses in the
footsteps of Jesus. Let him follow Me: this means that we must bear
our crosses as Jesus bore His. To help you do this, I suggest the
following rules:
FOURTEEN RULES TO FOLLOW IN CARRYING ONE'S CROSS
42. First. Do not, deliberately and through your own fault, procure
crosses for yourself. You must not do evil in order to bring about
good. You should never try to bring discredit upon yourself by doing
things improperly, unless you have a special inspiration from on
high. Strive rather to imitate Jesus Christ, who did all things well
(Mark 7, 37), not out of self-love or vainglory, but to please God
and to win over His fellow-men. Even though you do the best you can
in the performance of your duty, you will still have to contend with
contradiction, persecution and contempt which Divine Providence will
send you against your will and without your choice.
43. Second. Should your neighbour be scandalised, although without
reason, at any action of yours which in itself is neither good nor
bad, then, for the sake of charity, refrain from it, to avoid the
scandal of the weak. This heroic act of charity will be of much
greater worth than the thing you were doing or intended to do.
If, however, you are doing some beneficial or necessary thing for
others and were unreasonably disapproved by a hypocrite or prejudiced
person, then refer the matter to a prudent adviser, letting him judge
of its expedience and necessity. Should his decision be favourable,
you have only to continue and let these others talk, provided they
take no means to prevent you. Under such circumstances, you have our
Lord's answer to His disciples when they informed Him that Scribes
and Pharisees were scandalised at His words and deeds: "Let them
alone; they are blind." (Matt. 15, 14).
44. Third. Certain holy and distinguished persons have been asking
for and seeking, or even, by eccentricities, bringing upon
themselves, crosses, disdain and humiliation. Let us simply adore and
admire the extraordinary workings of the Holy Spirit in these souls.
Let us humble ourselves in the presence of this sublime virtue,
without making any attempt to reach such heights, for compared with
these racing eagles and roaring lions we are simply fledglings and cubs.
45. Fourth. You can nevertheless and even should ask for the wisdom
of the Cross, that sapid, experimental knowledge of the truth which,
in the light of faith, shows us the deepest mysteries, among others
the mystery of the Cross. But this can be had only by dint of hard
toil, profound humiliation and fervent prayer. If you need that
perfect spirit (Ps. 50, 14) which enables us to bear the heaviest
crosses with courage -- that sweet, kindly spirit (Luke 11, 13) which
enables us to relish in the higher part of the soul things that are
bitter and repulsive -- that wholesome, upright spirit (Ps. 50, 12)
which seeks God and God alone -- that all-embracing knowledge of the
Cross -briefly that infinite treasure which gives the soul that knows
how to make good use of it a share in the friendship of God (Wisdom
7, 14) ask for this wisdom, ask for it constantly, fervently, without
hesitation or fear of not obtaining it. You will certainly obtain it
and then see clearly, in the light of your own experience, how it is
possible to desire, seek and relish the Cross.
46. Fifth. If, inadvertently, you blunder into a cross, or even if
you do so through your own fault, forthwith humble yourselves
interiorly under the mighty hand of God (1 Pet. 5-6), but do not
worry over it. You might say to yourself: "Lord, there is another
trick of my trade. "If the mistake you made was sinful, accept the
humiliation you suffer as punishment. But if it was not sinful, then
humbly accept it in expiation of your pride. Often, actually very
often, God allows His greatest servants, those who are far advanced
in grace, to make the most humiliating mistakes. This humbles them in
their own eyes and in the eyes of their fellow men. It prevents them
from seeing and taking pride in the graces God bestows on them or in
the good deeds they do, so that, as the Holy Ghost declares: "no
flesh should glory in the sight of God" (1 Cor. 1, 29).
47. Sixth. Be fully persuaded that through the sin of Adam and
through our own actual sins everything within ourselves is vitiated,
not only the senses of the body but even the powers of the soul. So
much so that as soon as the mind, thus vitiated, takes delight in
pouring over some gift received from God, then the gift itself, or
the act or the grace is tarnished and vitiated and God no longer
favours it with His divine regard. Since looks and thoughts of the
human mind can spoil man's best actions and God's choicest gifts,
what about the acts which proceed from man's own will and which are
more corrupt than the acts of the mind?
So we need not wonder, when God hides His own within the shadow of
His countenance (Ps. 30, 21), that they may not be defiled by the
regards of their fellow men or by their own self-consciousness. What
does not this jealous God allow and do to keep them hidden! How often
He humiliates them! Into how many faults He permits them to fall! How
often He allows them to be tempted as St. Paul was tempted (2 Cor.
12, 7)! In what a state of uncertainty, perplexity and darkness he
leaves them! How wonderful God is in His saints, and in the means He
takes to lead them to humility and holiness!
48. Seventh. Be careful not to imitate proud self-centred zealots. Do
not think that your crosses are tremendous, that they are tests of
your fidelity to God and tokens of God's extraordinary love for you.
This gesture has its source in spiritual pride. It is a snare quite
subtle and beguiling but full of venom. You ought to acknowledge,
first, that you are so proud and sensitive that you magnify straws
into rafters, scratches into deep wounds, rats into elephants, a
meaningless word, a mere nothing, in truth, into an outrageous,
treasonable insult. Second, you should acknowledge that the crosses
God sends you are really and truly loving punishments for your sins,
and not special marks of God's benevolence. Third, you must admit
that He is infinitely lenient when He sends you some cross or
humiliation, in comparison with the number and atrocity of your sins.
For these sins should be considered in the light of the holiness of a
God Whom you have offended and Who can tolerate nothing that is
defiled; in the light of a God dying and weighted down with sorrow at
the sight of your sins; in the light of an everlasting hell which you
have deserved a thousand times, perhaps a hundred thousand times.
Fourth, you should admit that the patience you put into suffering is
more tinged than you think with natural human motives. You have only
to note your little self-indulgences, your skilful seeking for
sympathy, these confidences you so naturally make to friends or
perhaps to your spiritual director, your quick, clever excuses, the
murmurings or rather the detractions so neatly worded, so charitably
spoken against those who have injured you, the exquisite delight you
take in dwelling on your misfortunes and that belief so
characteristic of Lucifer, that you are somebody (Acts 8, 9), and so
forth. Why I should never finish if I were to point out ail the ways
and by-ways human nature takes, even in its sufferings.
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Lord, may everything we do begin with Your inspiration and continue
with Your help,
so that all our prayers and works may begin in You and by You be happily ended.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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Lord, may everything we do begin with Your inspiration and continue
with Your help,
so that all our prayers and works may begin in You and by You be happily ended.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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