Salesian Literature

Chapter 3:  Devotion is suitable to every kind of life-situation and occupation

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God commanded the plants, at the creation, to bear fruit each according to its kind (Gen. 1:11).  Similarly, he commands Christians, the living plants of his Church, to produce the fruits of devotion, according to each one’s ability and occupation.

 

Devotion is to be practised differently by the nobleman, the workman, the servant, the prince, the widow, the young girl, the wife.  Even more than this, the practice of devotion has to be adapted to the strength, life-situation and duties of each individual.

 

Do you think, dear Philothea, that it is suitable for a Bishop to desire to live the life of a hermit like a Carthusian monk?  If people with a family were to want to be like the Capuchins not acquiring any property, if a workman spent a great deal of time in Church like the member of a religious order, and if a religious was always subject to being disturbed in all sorts of ways for the service of his neighbour like a Bishop, would not such devotion be ridiculous, disorderly and intolerable?  However, this sort of fault is very common.  The world, which does not distinguish or does not want to distinguish between devotion and the indiscretion of those who consider themselves devout, complains and finds fault with devotion which is in no way responsible for such disorders.

 

Indeed, Philothea, devotion in no way spoils anything if it be true, rather it makes everything perfect.  When it conflicts with any person’s legitimate occupation, it is without doubt false.  “The bee,” says Aristotle, “sucks honey from flowers without damaging them,” leaving them as whole and fresh as it found them.  But true devotion does even better.  Not only does it not spoil any sort of life situation or occupation, but on the contrary enriches it and makes it attractive.  All sorts of precious stones when immersed in honey have a greater brilliance, each according to its colour.  Similarly, everyone becomes more pleasant in one’s state of life by joining it with devotion.  Devotion makes the care of the family peaceful, the love of husband and wife more sincere, the service of the ruler more loyal, and every sort of occupation more pleasant and more loveable.

 

The fires, the flames, the wheels and the swords were like flowers and perfumes to the Martyrs because they were devout.  If the most cruel torments, and even death itself, are made delightful by devotion, what will it not do for the practice of virtue?

 

Sugar sweetens fruits that are not quite ripe and puts right anything unpleasant or harmful in those that are fully ripe.  Indeed, devotion is the true spiritual sugar, removing unpleasantness from mortifications, and what may be hurtful from consolations.  Devotion takes away discontent from the poor and anxiety from the rich, despair from the oppressed and arrogance from the powerful, sadness from the lonely and dissipation from one who is with others.  Devotion serves as fire in winter and dew in summer.  It is able to live in prosperity and suffer need.  It draws equal profit from honour and contempt.  It receives pleasure and pain with a heart that hardly changes and fills us with a wonderful delight.

 

Look carefully at Jacob’s ladder (Gen. 28:10ff) since it is a true image of the devout life.  The two sides, between which we go up, and to which the rungs are fixed, represent prayer which asks for and receives the love of God and the Sacraments which give it.  The rungs are the various degrees of charity by which we move from virtue to virtue, either coming down by action to help and support our neighbour or going up by contemplation to loving union with God.

 

Now consider those on the ladder; they are either men with angelic hearts or Angels with human bodies.  They are not young but seem so since they are full of vigour and spiritual agility.  They have wings to fly and they soar up to God in holy prayer.  But they also have feet to walk along with men by a life of holiness and love.  Their faces are beautiful and cheerful because they receive everything with delight and contentment. Their legs, arms and head are completely uncovered because their thoughts, desires and actions have no other intention or purpose but that of pleasing God.  The rest of their body is covered, but with a beautiful and light garment, because while they do make use of the world, and of the things of the world, they do so with complete sincerity and detachment.  They take with moderation what is needed for their state in life.  Such are devout people.

 

I assure you, dear Philothea, devotion is the delight of delights and the queen of virtues, since it is the perfection of charity.  If charity is milk, devotion is its cream; if it is a plant, devotion is its flower;  if it is a jewel, devotion is its lustre;  if it is a precious balm, devotion is its perfume, a delightful perfume that gives comfort to men and makes the Angels rejoice.

 

It is an error, or rather, a heresy, to try to exclude the devout life from the soldier’s regiment, the workmen’s shop, the court of rulers or the home of the married.  It is true, Philothea, that a devotion which is purely contemplative, monastic and religious cannot be practised in such occupations.  However, besides these three sorts of devotion, there are many others suitable for leading to perfection those who live their lives in the world.  This is attested in the Old Testament by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, David, Job, Tobias, Sara, Rebecca and Judith.

 

In the New Testament, St. Joseph, Lydia (Acts 16:14-15) and St. Crispin lived perfectly devout lives in their workshop.  St. Anne, St. Martha, St. Monica, Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:1-4) in their family; Cornelius (Acts 10), St. Sebastian, St. Maurice in the army; Constantine, Helen, St. Louis[1],  Blessed Amadeus[2] and St. Edward[3] on the throne.  It has even happened that many have lost perfection while in solitude, even though it is so favourable for perfection.  Others have retained it amidst the multitude which seems of such little help for perfection.  As St. Gregory mentioned, Lot who was chaste while living in the city, was defiled while in the desert.  No matter where we are, we can and we should seek a life of perfection.

 

 

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[1]  St. Louis IX, King of France (1227-1270)

[2]  Blessed Amadeus IX, Duke of Savoy (1465-1472)

[3]  St. Edward the Confessor, King of England (1042-1066)

 

 

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