+JMJ+
Third Sunday of Lent, 2017
Just two days ago, many people celebrated with beer, meat (even meat on that Friday), even over-eating and lots of noise and wearing green, all in the name of celebrating St. Patrick. Yet, none of this has anything to do with him, and even more, he would have regretted seeing frivolity, vanity, and worldliness.
Sounds harsh? If you think so, put that disturbance of your 'peace' aside, and let's together consider the humility of St. Patrick, by observing one of his manuscripts.
His last surviving manuscript, known as his 'Confession' (in the sense of 'confessing the faith', not 'confessing of sin', although, he does mention his past way of life, that was not the meaning of the title here), begins with the words, ",
"My name is Patrick...
I am a sinner, a simple country person, and the least of all believers. I am looked down upon by many."
St. Patrick's writings sound a lot like St. Paul, as he accounts his many trials and tribulations. We learn that at the heart of St. Patrick's life, was his love and complete abandonment and 100% trust of God in His Providence. While he admits to suffering pain from the treachery of even friends and clergy, he is humble enough to see that while these things were based on falseness and/or a lack of mercy, that to look at his life as a whole, he did not EARN the grace of God, but it was given. It was given because of his obedience which opened him to live out the graces given to him, and in his complete abandonment and trust to God, he was able to receive great strength from God.
So what does St. Patrick's life teach us? One can say that it boils down to three life lessons. They are:
1.) NEVER DETEST ANYTHING IN THE WORLD BUT SIN, AND ESPECIALLY THAT OF YOUR OWN.
2.) GO ON THE WAY OF BECOMING A SAINT; THE WAY IS NEITHER TOO SMALL, NOR TOO BIG.
3.) AS MUCH AS YOU ARE AMONG THE SAINTS, THEY WILL BE AMONG YOU.
Let's break this down, as these can easily be misinterpreted:
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1370s: The Fiacail Phádraig or shrine of St Patrick’s
tooth. The fourteenth-century figure of St Patrick is
located directly below the crucified Christ. |
1.) NEVER DETEST ANYTHING IN THE WORLD BUT SIN, AND ESPECIALLY THAT OF YOUR OWN SIN.
Often we have in our thoughts to hate this or hate that, and we forget who we are in the site of God. What difference does your preference make? Are you a saint yet? Then you still have a tendency to sin, so everywhere your will is not refined and purified, it opposes God. There is no middle road to this way, it is either the way of the flesh, the world and/or the devil, Compromise or anything under the false guise of 'mercy' (mercy is always directed back to gratitude to God, and it is NEVER without conversion. IF there is no conversion from a sin, there is no room for the mercy of God, and our mercy is NEVER greater than His). Dialogue, with the intention of compromise is not mercy or charity.
The only 'opinion' that should matter is that of God.
As much as we abandon ourselves to His will and in our love, seek Him in every moment, looking for His admonishments and direction of our hearts purely to Him, the less preference we have for any creature, comfort, or any kind of preference outside of God and His Holy Will. The virtue of humility will further help us to detest our own sins far more than all the sin in the world, because it is our own souls to which we have first responsibility. Furthermore, if we happen to be a parent, or a spiritual parent, we will teach more by our example than word or writings.
For all the things we say we complain about, how many of them are not about sin, but rather, frivolous? For each of these one commits, he will be made to make account of to God. It is best, then, to keep in mind the reason you were created and your final end at all times, that you do not displease Him to whom you owe your life.
2.) GO ON THE WAY OF BECOMING A SAINT; THE WAY IS NEITHER TOO SMALL, NOR TOO BIG.
Many people think that becoming a saint is not realistic, but these are those who either deny that the Bible is the Word of God, or that it needs to be redacted to a new meaning relevant to today, by the world's standards. Our Lord commands us, rather, to "be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Yet, how many times we busy ourselves with this project, or that project, yet last on our day's list of things to do is to recall our sins, and to regard what progress we have made that day, and/or what little gratitude we have for our suffering Savior's price, and the Holy Spirits grace won for us by that Price?
We have such important things to do, but are they really God's will? If not, they are not nearly as "important" as you make them out to be, if they have the tiniest significance at all, when it comes to why you were created. Even pious are often caught by the devil in this manner, to make themselves busy in pious activities to which they call themselves (falsely) in the name of God.
Some of the basic things we must do are outlined in the Catholic classic known and loved among saints, "The Spiritual Combat"* (and a Treatise on Peace of Soul)" by Dom Lorenzo Scupoli. The first print in America was in 1945, and contained the preface by B.F. Marcetteau, S.S., which contained within it a summary of the basic things one must do to simply enter the spiritual life. They are identified as "spiritual weapons": 1 - Self distrust, 2- confidence in God, 3 - training in spiritual warfare through the proper use of our mental and physical powers, and 4 - both short and ejaculatory, and prolonged in the form of mental prayer." The book explains each of these points in detail and ought to be among your most important books.
The way of becoming a saint is not too big, because it is through God's grace that we come to love and trust in Him and Him alone. The degree that we allow ourselves to be attached to things that are to their own end, we lock God out of our lives and hearts. Even certain things that seem to be for God may not be entirely for Him, even with good intention. No good intention is purely for God, unless one is willing to give it up on a dime because He desires it. But one also cannot truly discern His will any other way, without keeping to their daily spiritual duties, without excuse, and living in grace, and pursuing consistency and virtue, especially focused on the virtue opposing our major vices in a conscientious, deliberate, and consistent manner. Otherwise, we give way to the devil. There is no middle road.
3.) AS MUCH AS YOU ARE AMONG THE SAINTS, THEY WILL BE AMONG YOU.
We live in a society where social media has become the most successful weapon of the devil for entering into people's hearts. Social media is merely one path of many, while the window to the soul is the vice of human respect. However, the desire for creature comforts over and above doing the Holy Will of God is an every day common vice for almost every person, and can be observed in most circumstances.
People (yes, and even pious Catholics) wish to be accepted by others. There is a good to community, but only when it is ordered to God. There can never be a community truly ordered to God where a majority of the members do not pray as they ought daily. This prayer, again, should consist not just of the discursive prayers, but also of the authentically Catholic, mental prayer, joined also by daily examination of conscience and of some focus on overcoming their major vice. The point of this is to simply stop offending God. This must also be understood in the context of points one and two, made previously here.
Our hearts and minds tend to be preoccupied, on some level, to all kinds of vain pursuits, ambitions, sentiments, and devices towards sensible pleasures towards their own end. Even for one who prefers his own company to that of even small groups, there is a need to order ones mind and heart to this community of the saints.
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St Patrick in St Dominic's Statue of the patron
and apostle of Ireland in St Dominic's priory church in London.
+Sancte Patrice, ora pro nobis.+ |
The Perfect Community resides in those heavenly souls who are now perfectly united to the Holy Will of God. Even in death, their character remains, yet they are more influential by their prayers than when they were alive on this earth, because even their perfection was made perfect*. (*Meaning, now their having died in being united to God, and purified in this life or in Purgatory, now they are without any disordered attachments, but also even those who died without them, they are 'perfected further' by the glory of God transmitting through them by their having abandoned themselves to His Holy Will in their lifetimes.) Just as St. Patrick called on Elias to help him, we should call on the saints to come to our aide, especially in our spiritual struggles.
These are meant for you and are waiting for you, and will be "among you" in their intercession and guidance, in so far as you learn of them, call on them for assistance, and put into practice that which you have learned from them.
In the end of St. Patrick's "Confessions", he wrote, "I pray for those who believe in and have reverence for God. Some of them may happen to inspect or come upon this writing which Patrick, a sinner without learning, wrote in Ireland. May none of them ever say that whatever little I did or made known to please God was done through ignorance. Instead, you can judge and believe in all truth that it was a gift of God. This is my confession before I die."
Celebrate St. Patrick, but by becoming a saint. Anything less, is not really of St. Patrick, but celebrating the world, and this life, that is not ours.
Ad JESUM per MARIAM
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*Footnote: The book mentioned in this post, "The Spiritual Combat", while was published with the imprimatur in the US in the 1940s, it was actually first published in 1589. St. Frances de Sales, Doctor of the Church, kept a copy of this book in his pocket and for 18 years, he read from it every day. He also recommended it to everyone under his spiritual direction. Also, St. Teresa of Avila, another Doctor of the Church, said that this was one of the most instrumental books in her conversion, along with "The Third Alphabet", by Francisco de Osuna.
