lectures11-13-第14节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





that　she　could　cheerfully　live　till　the　day　of　judgment；　provided



she　might　always　have　matter　for　suffering　for　God；　but　that　to



live　a　single　day　without　suffering　would　be　intolerable。　She



said　again　that　she　was　devoured　with　two　unassuageable　fevers；



one　for　the　holy　communion；　the　other　for　suffering；　humiliation；



and　annihilation。　　'Nothing　but　pain；'　she　continually　said　in



her　letters；　'makes　my　life　supportable。'〃＇185＇







＇185＇　Bougaud：　　Hist　de　la　bienheureuse　Marguerite　Marie；　Paris；



1894；　pp。　265；　171。　　Compare；　also；　pp。　386；　387。















So　much　for　the　phenomena　to　which　the　ascetic　impulse　will　in



certain　persons　give　rise。　　In　the　ecclesiastically　consecrated



character　three　minor　branches　of　self…mortification　have　been



recognized　as　indispensable　pathways　to　perfection。　I　refer　to



the　chastity；　obedience；　and　poverty　which　the　monk　vows　to



observe；　and　upon　the　heads　of　obedience　and　poverty　I　will　make



a　few　remarks。







First；　of　Obedience。　　The　secular　life　of　our　twentieth　century



opens　with　this　virtue　held　in　no　high　esteem。　　The　duty　of　the



individual　to　determine　his　own　conduct　and　profit　or　suffer　by



the　consequences　seems；　on　the　contrary；　to　be　one　of　our　best



rooted　contemporary　Protestant　social　ideals。　So　much　so　that　it



is　difficult　even　imaginatively　to　comprehend　how　men　possessed



of　an　inner　life　of　their　own　could　ever　have　come　to　think　the



subjection　of　its　will　to　that　of　other　finite　creatures



recommendable。　　I　confess　that　to　myself　it　seems　something　of　a



mystery。　　Yet　it　evidently　corresponds　to　a　profound　interior



need　of　many　persons；　and　we　must　do　our　best　to　understand　it。







On　the　lowest　possible　plane；　one　sees　how　the　expediency　of



obedience　in　a　firm　ecclesiastical　organization　must　have　led　to



its　being　viewed　as　meritorious。　　Next；　experience　shows　that



there　are　times　in　every　one's　life　when　one　can　be　better



counseled　by　others　than　by　one's　self。　　Inability　to　decide　is



one　of　the　commonest　symptoms　of　fatigued　nerves；　friends　who　see



our　troubles　more　broadly；　often　see　them　more　wisely　than　we　do；



so　it　is　frequently　an　act　of　excellent　virtue　to　consult　and



obey　a　doctor；　a　partner；　or　a　wife。　　But；　leaving　these　lower



prudential　regions；　we　find；　in　the　nature　of　some　of　the



spiritual　excitements　which　we　have　been　studying；　good　reasons



for　idealizing　obedience。　Obedience　may　spring　from　the　general



religious　phenomenon　of　inner　softening　and　self…surrender　and



throwing　one's　self　on　higher　powers。　　So　saving　are　these



attitudes　felt　to　be　that　in　themselves；　apart　from　utility；　they



become　ideally　consecrated；　and　in　obeying　a　man　whose



fallibility　we　see　through　thoroughly；　we；　nevertheless；　may　feel



much　as　we　do　when　we　resign　our　will　to　that　of　infinite　wisdom。



Add　self…despair　and　the　passion　of　self…crucifixion　to　this；　and



obedience　becomes　an　ascetic　sacrifice；　agreeable　quite



irrespective　of　whatever　prudential　uses　it　might　have。







It　is　as　a　sacrifice；　a　mode　of　〃mortification；〃　that　obedience



is　primarily　conceived　by　Catholic　writers；　a　〃sacrifice　which



man　offers　to　God；　and　of　which　he　is　himself　both　the　priest　and



the　victim。　　By　poverty　he　immolates　his　exterior　possessions；　by



chastity　he　immolates　his　body；　by　obedience　he　completes　the



sacrifice；　and　gives　to　God　all　that　he　yet　holds　as　his　own；　his



two　most　precious　goods；　his　intellect　and　his　will。　　The



sacrifice　is　then　complete　and　unreserved；　a　genuine　holocaust；



for　the　entire　victim　is　now　consumed　for　the　honor　of　God。〃＇186＇



Accordingly；　in　Catholic　discipline；　we　obey　our　superior　not　as



mere　man；　but　as　the　representative　of　Christ。　　Obeying　God　in



him　by　our　intention；　obedience　is　easy。　　But　when　the　text…book



theologians　marshal　collectively　all　their　reasons　for



recommending　it；　the　mixture　sounds　to　our　ears　rather　odd。







＇186＇　Lejuene：　　Introduction　a　la　Vie　Mystique；　1899；　p。　277。　



The　holocaust　simile　goes　back　at　least　as　far　as　Ignatius



Loyola。















〃One　of　the　great　consolations　of　the　monastic　life；〃　says　a



Jesuit　authority；　〃is　the　assurance　we　have　that　in　obeying　we



can　commit　no　fault。　　The　Superior　may　commit　a　fault　in



commanding　you　to　do　this　thing　or　that；　but　you　are　certain　that



you　commit　no　fault　so　long　as　you　obey；　because　God　will　only



ask　you　if　you　have　duly　performed　what　orders　you　received；　and



if　you　can　furnish　a　clear　account　in　that　respect；　you　are



absolved　entirely。　　Whether　the　things　you　did　were　opportune；　or



whether　there　were　not　something　better　that　might　have　been



done；　these　are　questions　not　asked　of　you；　but　rather　of　your



Superior。　　The　moment　what　you　did　was　done　obediently；　God　wipes



it　out　of　your　account；　and　charges　it　to　the　Superior。　So　that



Saint　Jerome　well　exclaimed；　in　celebrating　the　advantages　of



obedience；　'Oh；　sovereign　liberty！　Oh；　holy　and　blessed　security



by　which　one　become　almost　impeccable！'







〃Saint　John　Climachus　is　of　the　same　sentiment　when　he　calls



obedience　an　excuse　before　God。　　In　fact；　when　God　asks　why　you



have　done　this　or　that；　and　you　reply；　it　is　because　I　was　so



ordered　by　my　Superiors；　God　will　ask　for　no　other　excuse。　　As　a



passenger　in　a　good　vessel　with　a　good　pilot　need　give　himself　



no　farther　concern；　but　may　go　to　sleep　in　peace；　because　the



pilot　has　charge　over　all；　and　'watches　for　him'；　so　a　religious



person　who　lives　under　the　yoke　of　obedience　goes　to　heaven　as　if



while　sleeping；　that　is；　while　leaning　entirely　on　the　conduct　of



his　Superiors；　who　are　the　pilots　of　his　vessel；　and　keep　watch



for　him　continually。　　It　is　no　small　thing；　of　a　truth；　to　be



able　to　cross　the　stormy　sea　of　life　on　the　shoulders　and　in　the



arms　of　another；　yet　that　is　just　the　grace　which　God　accords　to



those　who　live　under　the　yoke　of　obedience。　　Their　Superior　bears



all　their　burdens。　。　。　。　A　certain　grave　doctor　said　that　he



would　rather　spend　his　life　in　picking　up　straws　by　obedience；



than　by　his　own　responsible　choice　busy　himself　with　the　loftiest



works　of　charity；　because　one　is　certain　of　following　the　will　of



God　in　whatever　one　may　do　from　obedience；　but　never　certain　in



the　same　degree　of　anything　which　we　may　do　of　our　own　proper



movement。〃＇187＇







＇187＇　Alfonso　Rodriguez；　S。　J。：　　Pratique　de　la　Perfection



Chretienne；　Part　iii。；　Treatise　v。；　ch。　x。















One　should　read　the　letters　in　which　Ignatius　Loyola　recommends



obedience　as　the　backbone　of　his　order；　if　one　would　gain　insight



into　the　full　spirit　of　its　cult。＇188＇　They　are　too　long　to



quote；　but　Ignatius's　belief　is　so　vividly　expressed　in　a　couple



of　sayings　reported　by　companions　that；　though　they　have　been　so



often　cited；　I　will　ask　your　permission　to　copy　them　once　more：







＇188＇　Letters　li。　and　cxx。　　of　the　collection　translated　into



French　by　Bouix；　Paris；　1870。















〃I　ought；〃　an　early　biographer　reports　him　as　saying；　〃on



entering　religion；　and　thereafter；　to　place　myself　entirely　in



the　hands　of　God；　and　of　him　who　takes　His　place　by　His



authority。　I　ought　to　desire　that　my　Superior　should　oblige　me　to



give　up　my　own　judgment；　and　conquer　my　own　mind。　　I　ought　to　set



up　no　difference　between　one　Superior　and　another；　。　。　。　but



recognize　them　all　as　equal　before　God；　whose　place　they　fill。



For　if　I　distinguish　persons；　I　weaken　the　spirit　of　obedience。



In　the　hands　of　my　Superior；　I　must　be　a　soft　wax；　a　thing；　from



which　he　is　to　require　whatever　pleases　him；　be　it　to　write　or



receive　letters；　to　speak　or　not　to　speak　to　such　a　person；　or



the　like；　and　I　must　put　all　my　fervor　in　executing　zealously　and



exactly　what　I　am　ordered。　　I　must　consider　myself　as　a　corpse



which　has　neither　intelligence　nor　will；　be　like　a　mass　of　matter



which　without　resistance　lets　itself　be　placed　wherever　it　may



please　any　one；　like　a　stick　in　the　hand　of　an　old　man；　who　uses



it　according　to　his　needs　and　places　it　where　it　suits　him。　　So



must　I　be　under　the　hands　of　the　Order；　to　serve　it　in　the　way　it



judges　most　useful。







〃I　must　never　ask　of　the　Superior　to　be　sent　to　a　particular



place；　to　be　employed　in　a　particular　duty。　。　。　。　I　must



consider　nothing　as　belonging　to　me　personally；　and　as　regards



the　things　I　use；　be　like　a　statue　which　lets　itself　be　stripped



and　never　opposes　resistance。〃＇189＇