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The queen bee never takes wing without being surrounded by all her
Subjects; even so Love never enters the heart but it is sure to
bring all other virtues in its train; marshalling and employing
them as a captain his soldiers; yet, nevertheless, Love does not
set them all to work suddenly, or equally, at all times and
everywhere. The righteous man is "like a tree planted by the water
side, that will bring forth his fruit in due season;" (1) inasmuch
as Love, watering and refreshing the soul, causes it to bring
forth good works, each in season as required.
There is an old proverb to the effect that the sweetest music
is unwelcome at a time of mourning; and certain persons have made
a great mistake when, seeking to cultivate some special virtue,
they attempt to obtrude it on all occasions, like the ancient
philosophers we read of, who were always laughing or weeping.
Worse still if they take upon themselves to censure those who do
not make a continual study of this their pet virtue. S. Paul tells
us to "rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that
weep;" (2) and Charity is patient, kind, liberal, prudent,
indulgent.
At the same time, there are virtues of universal account, which
must not only be called into occasional action, but ought to
spread their influence over everything. We do not very often come
across opportunities for exercising strength, magnanimity, or
magnificence; but gentleness, temperance, modesty, and humility,
are graces which ought to colour everything we do. There may be
virtues of a more exalted mould, but at all events these are the
most continually called for in daily life. Sugar is better than
salt, but we use salt more generally and oftener. Consequently, it
is well to have a good and ready stock in hand of those general
virtues of which we stand in so perpetual a need.
In practising any virtue, it is well to choose that which is
most according to our duty, rather than most according to our
taste. It was Saint Paula's liking to practise bodily
mortifications with a view to the keener enjoyment of spiritual
sweetness, but obedience to her superiors was a higher duty; and
therefore Saint Jerome acknowledges that she was wrong in
practising excessive abstinence contrary to the advice of her
Bishop.
And the Apostles, whose mission it was to preach the Gospel,
and feed souls with the Bread of Life, judged well that it was not
right for them to hinder this holy work in order to minister to
the material wants of the poor, weighty as that work was also. (3)
Every calling stands in special need of some special virtue; those
required of a prelate, a prince, or a soldier, are quite
different; so are those beseeming a wife or a widow, and although
all should possess every virtue, yet all are not called upon to
exercise them equally, but each should cultivate chiefly those
which are important to the manner of life to which he is called.
Among such virtues as have no special adaptation to our own
calling, choose the most excellent, not the most showy.
A comet generally looks larger than the stars, and fills the
eye more; but all the while comets are not nearly so important as
the stars, and only seem so large to us because they are nearer to
us than stars, and are of a grosser kind. So there are certain
virtues which touch us very sensibly and are very material, so to
say, and therefore ordinary people give them the preference. Thus
the common run of men ordinarily value temporal almsgiving more
than spiritual; and think more of fasting, exterior discipline and
bodily mortification than of meekness, cheerfulness, modesty, and
other interior mortifications, which nevertheless are far better.
Do you then, my daughter, choose the best virtues, not those
which are most highly esteemed; the most excellent, not the most
visible; the truest, not the most conspicuous.
It is well for everybody to select some special virtue at which
to aim, not as neglecting any others, but as an object and pursuit
to the mind. Saint John, Bishop of Alexandria, saw a vision of a
lovely maiden, brighter than the sun, in shining garments, and
wearing an olive crown, who said to him, "I am the King's eldest
daughter, and if thou wilt have me for thy friend, I will bring
thee to see His Face." Then he knew that it was pity for the poor
which God thus commended to him, and from that time he gave
himself so heartily to practise it, that he is universally known
as Saint John the Almoner.
Eulogius Alexandrinus desired to devote himself wholly to God,
but he had not courage either to adopt the solitary life, or to
put himself under obedience, and therefore he took a miserable
beggar, seething in dirt and leprosy, to live with him; and to do
this more thoroughly, he vowed to honour and serve him as a
servant does his lord and master. After a while, both feeling
greatly tempted to part company, they referred to the great Saint
Anthony, who said, "Beware of separating, my sons, for you are
both near your end, and if the Angel find you not together, you
will be in danger of losing your crowns."
Saint Louis counted it a privilege to visit the hospitals,
where he used to tend the sick with his own royal hands. Saint
Francis loved poverty above all things, and called her his
lady-love. Saint Dominic gave himself up to preaching, whence his
Order takes its name. (4) Saint Gregory the Great specially
delighted to receive pilgrims after the manner of faithful
Abraham, and like him entertained the King of Glory under a
pilgrim's garb. Tobit devoted himself to the charitable work of
burying the dead. Saint Elizabeth, albeit a mighty princess, loved
above all things to humble herself. When Saint Catherine of Genoa
became a widow, she gave herself up to work in an hospital.
Cassian relates how a certain devout maiden once besought Saint
Athanasius to help her in cultivating the grace of patience; and
he gave her a poor widow as companion, who was cross, irritable,
and altogether intolerable, and whose perpetual fretfulness gave
the pious lady abundant opportunity of practising gentleness and
patience. And so some of God's servants devote themselves to
nursing the sick, helping the poor, teaching little children in
the faith, reclaiming the fallen, building churches, and adorning
the altar, making peace among men.
Therein they resemble embroidresses who work all manner of
silks, gold and silver on various grounds, so producing beautiful
flowers. Just so the pious souls who undertake some special devout
practice use it as the ground of their spiritual embroidery, and
frame all manner of other graces upon it, ordering their actions
and affections better by means of this their chief thread which
runs through all.
"Upon Thy Right Hand did stand the Queen in a vesture of gold
wrought about with divers colours." (5)
When we are beset by any particular vice, it is well as far as
possible to make the opposite virtue our special aim, and turn
everything to that account; so doing, we shall overcome our enemy,
and meanwhile make progress in all virtue. Thus, if I am beset
with pride or anger, I must above all else strive to cultivate
humility and gentleness, and I must turn all my religious
exercises,--prayer, sacraments, prudence, constancy, moderation,
to the same object.
The wild boar sharpens its tusks by grinding them against its
other teeth, which by the same process are sharpened and pointed;
and so when a good man endeavours to perfect himself in some
virtue which he is conscious of specially needing, he ought to
give it edge and point by the aid of other virtues, which will
themselves be confirmed and strengthened as he uses them with that
object.
It was so with Job, who, while specially exercising the virtue
of patience amid the numberless temptations which beset him, was
confirmed in all manner of holiness and godly virtues. And Saint
Gregory Nazianzen says, that sometimes a person has attained the
height of goodness by one single act of virtue, performed with the
greatest perfection; instancing Rahab as an example, who, having
practised the virtue of hospitality very excellently, reached a
high point of glory. (6) Of course, any such action must needs be
performed with a very exceeding degree of fervour and charity.
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