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The virtues of the Christian life being very
numerous, a good Christian does not necessarily give
himself to all with the same ardor. Some prefer to
cultivate the virtues which have God for their direct
object, and therefore embrace a contemplative life.
Others prefer the virtues which enable them to be
most useful to their neighbor, and consequently
choose an active life. Others, in fine, prefer the
virtues which more directly benefit their own souls,
and therefore enter the monastic life. Again, as all
virtues are means of acquiring grace, different
persons adopt different means, Many seek to obtain it
by fasting and like austerities; others by almsgiving
and works of mercy, and others by prayer and
meditation. Of this latter exercise there are also
different methods, which vary according to the
character of souls or the subjects chosen. The best
kind of meditation is always that from which one
derives most profit and devotion. In this matter
beware of a grave error into which pious persons
sometimes fall. Deriving much profit from certain
means, many imagine that there are no others which
lead to God. Consequently they would enforce the same
methods upon everyone, and think all in error who
follow a different path. Thus, one who gives himself
wholly to prayer thinks it the only means of
salvation. Another, given to fasting and corporal
mortification, sees no merit in any other practices
of piety. Those who lead contemplative lives imagine
that all who are engaged in an active life are in
great danger, and even go so far as to hold exterior
virtues in contempt. The followers of the active
life, having no experience of all that passes between
God and the soul in the sweet calm of contemplation,
do not sufficiently appreciate its value, and approve
it only as far as it includes the practice of
exterior works. One who gives himself exclusively to
mental prayer is very apt to think any other form of
prayer unprofitable; and, on the contrary, he who has
devoted himself to vocal prayer will often argue that
it is more meritorious because it is more laborious.
Thus each one, impelled by ignorance or unconscious
pride, extols himself by commending the practices to
which he is most given. Just as a savant will praise
the science which is the object of his study, and
depreciate the merit of all others, so many extol one
virtue at the expense of all the rest. The orator
will tell you that there is nothing comparable to
eloquence; the astronomer, that there is nothing
superior to the study of the heavenly bodies. In
fact, the theologian, the linguist, the philosopher,
the commentator, will each in his turn offer good
reasons to prove the preeminence and incontestable
superiority of the science he professes. Similar,
though less open, is the struggle between the
advocates of the different virtues; each one would
have his method prevail over that of others,
believing that as it has proved profitable to him, it
must prove so to all. Hence arise unfavorable
judgments upon the lives of others, divisions and
disputes among brethren. Such was the error of the
Corinthians in the early ages of the Church. They had
been favored with different graces, and each one
extolled his own above the rest. The gifts of
prophecy, of tongues, of interpreting the Scripture,
of working miracles, were each preferred by those who
had received them. (Cf. 1Cor. 12). There is no
more efficacious argument against this illusion than
that of the Apostle, who declares that all graces and
gifts are equal as to their source, for they proceed
from the same Holy Spirit, though they differ in
their object. "In one Spirit were we all baptized
into one body" (1Cor. 12:13), says the Apostle.
Belonging thus to the same Head, we all partake of
His dignity and glory, and in this we are equally His
members, though there is a diversity of gifts and
duties among us. This diversity should not cause us to look with
disfavor on those who seem less gifted, for each has
his value as a member of Christ. Thus the members of
the human body have not the same duties, but yet each
has its own peculiar power that another does not
possess. All are important, because all are necessary
for the general good. "If the foot should say:
Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is
it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should
say: Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body;
is it therefore not of the body?" (1Cor. 12:15-16).
In this manner the Apostle speaks to the Corinthians,
and continues his comparison to prove that we must
not be misled by our preferences to judge that
whoever differs from us is not right, or that gifts
differing from ours have not an important place in
the designs of God. This diversity is due partly
to nature and partly to grace. We say that it is due
partly to nature; for though grace is the principle
of every spiritual being, yet it is shaped according
to the condition of the soul in which it dwells, just
as water takes the form of the vessel into which it
is poured. Thus, calm, peaceful temperaments are more
naturally suited to a contemplative life; those of an
ardent, energetic nature are better fitted for an
active life; while persons of strong, robust health
find more profit in a laborious life of penance, Thus
is the marvelous goodness of God made manifest,
Desiring to communicate Himself to all, He has willed
that the ways which lead to Him should be
proportioned to the diversities in the characters and
conditions of men. Grace is the second cause of
this variety which the Holy Spirit, the Author of all
grace, has created for the greater beauty and
perfection of His Church. As the different senses and
members are requisite for the beauty and perfection
of the human body, so a diversity of graces is
necessary for the complete harmony and beauty of the
Church. If the faithful all practiced the same
virtues, how could they be called a body, which
necessarily consists of different members'? "If the
whole body," says the Apostle, "were the eye, where
would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing,
where would be the smelling? And if they all were one
member, where would be the body." (1Cor. 12:17,19). We find the same beautiful variety in the works of
nature, where the Sovereign Creator wisely apportions
all gifts or qualities so that the lack of one
perfection is compensated by the possession of
another. The peacock, which has a most discordant
note, possesses a beautiful plumage; the nightingale
delights the ear, but has no charms for the eye; the
horse bears us where we will and is valuable in camp
and field, but is rarely used for food; the ox is
useful for farm and table, but has scarcely any other
qualities to recommend him; fruit trees give us food,
but have little value for building; forest trees
yield no fruit, but afford us the necessary material
for erecting our dwellings. Thus we do not find all
qualities or all perfections united in one creature,
but that variety among them which constitutes the
beauty of nature and binds them to one another by a
mutual and necessary dependence. God has willed
that the order and beauty which we admire in nature
should exist in the works of grace. For this reason
He has endowed His Church with that variety of
virtues which form a most symmetrical body, a most
beautiful world, the most perfect harmony. Hence some
of the members of this great body give themselves to
a life of contemplation; others to an active life, to
obedience or penance, to religious studies, to the
service of the sick and the poor, or to other works
of mercy. We find the same variety in the
religious orders of the Church; all aspire to the
same end but pursue different paths. Some follow the
way of penance; others that of poverty. Some choose a
contemplative life; others an active life. Some labor
in the midst of the world; others seek obscurity and
solitude. The rules of one prescribe a certain
revenue; those of another the strictest poverty.
Nevertheless they are all animated by the same
spirit, all pursue the same end. This variety extends
even to the members of the same order; for while
certain religious are engaged in the choir, others
study in their cells; others devote themselves to
manual labor; others hear confessions; while others
are engaged in the temporal affairs of the community. What, then, are al1 these but the several members of
one body, the different notes of one grand harmony,
the various elements which contribute to the beauty
and perfection of the Church? Why has the lute
several chords, the organ numerous pipes, but to
produce greater variety and harmony? For this reason
the patriarch Jacob gave his son Joseph the coat of
many colors (Cf. Gen. 37:3), and God commanded that
the curtains of the tabernacle should be of violet,
purple, and scarlet twice dyed, diversified with
embroidery. (Cf. Ex. 26:1 ). In both of these objects
we behold an image of that beautiful variety which
prevails in the Church. Let us, then, beware of
judging others because their virtues are not ours, or
of expecting all to follow the same path. This would
be destroying the body of the Church, rending the
coat of Joseph. It would be exacting the duty of the
eyes, or the hands, or the feet, from all the members
of the body. In the words of the Apostle, if the
whole body were the eye, where would be the hearing;
or if it were the ear, where would be the eyes? Can
the eyes reproach the feet for being blind, or the
feet reproach the eyes for not bearing the burden of
the body? No; it is necessary that the feet toil on
the ground, and that the eyes be above them,
protected from all that could fatigue or sully them.
Nor is the duty of the eyes, notwithstanding their
repose, less important than that of the feet. The
work of the pilot who stands at the helm is no less
necessary than that of the sailors who manage the
ropes and sails. We must not judge of an action by
the labor it requires, but by its value and the
effects it produces. Thus, you would not say that the
work of a laborer is more important in a commonwealth
than that of the statesman who wisely directs the
government. If we seriously weigh these
considerations, we shall learn to respect all
vocations. We shall not reproach the hand for not
being the foot, nor the foot for not being the hand.
We shall understand the truth of the Apostle's words
when he tells us that the beauty and perfection of
the body result from the diversity of its members.
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