Salesian Literature

Chapter 11:  It is no fault of God’s, if we lack perfect charity

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If only we would receive God’s inspirations to their fullest extent, Theotimus, in no time we should be making great strides in holiness, heaven knows!

 

The Holy Spirit, source of living water, embraces the heart of man to pour out his graces into it.  However, he means us freely to consent to accept them, so he infuses them only as he pleases, and to the extent that we are disposed to cooperate with them.  That is the teaching of the Council of Trent[1], which also calls our acceptance a free acceptance[2] – on account, I suppose of the relationship between our assent and grace.

 

This is the idea behind St. Paul’s appeal: We entreat you not to offer God’s grace an ineffectual welcome (2 Cor. 6:1).  If medicine were placed in a sick man’s hand, but he did not put it into his mouth, he would have accepted the medicine, but not taken it – in other words, he would have received it uselessly; it would do him no good.  We too offer God’s grace an ineffectual welcome if, when it is poured out in our hearts, we do not drink it in, do not consent to it.  We receive, you see, but we do not take; it does not do us any good, I mean, since there is no point in being aware of an inspiration, unless we act on it.

 

As long as the poor widow – for whom Elisha’s prayers miraculously multiplied oil – had empty jars, the oil continued to flow; only when there were no more jars did the oil give out (2 Kings 4:16).  Let our hearts open; or rather, let us allow our hearts to open wide; let them remain empty by assenting to God’s mercy – he will continually pour out into them his holy inspirations, ever-increasing inspirations, inspirations that lead us to ever greater growth in charity.  However, when our hearts are no longer empty, when we lend no further consent, then the inspirations cease.

 

The devoted Brother Ruffino once had a vision of the glory to which St. Francis of Assisi would attain through humility.  So he asked the saint: “Tell me the truth, Father, please: what is you opinion of yourself?”

 

“Truly,” replied St. Francis, “I look upon myself as the world’s greatest sinner, the man who does least for our Lord.”

 

“Why,” countered Brother Ruffino, “how can you honestly, truthfully say that? It is quite obvious that others commit grave sins from which, thank God, you are exempt.”

 

To which St. Francis made answer: “If God had treated those people you are speaking of as mercifully as he has treated me, I am sure that – wicked as they are now – they would have made greater use of God’s gifts than I do, would have served him much better than I.  Were God to abandon me, I should be guilty of more wickedness than anyone else.”

 

I accept as infallible this opinion of a great doctor in the science of the saints, educated in the school of the cross, for whom God’s inspirations were the very air he breathed.  Besides, the axiom is praised and repeated by all the most devoted souls to have come after him.  Many of them thought that this was what St. Paul meant, when he described himself as the worst of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15).

 

The saintly Mother Teresa of Jesus was a quite angelic virgin, that is certain.  Speaking of the prayer of quiet, she has this to say[3]:

 

Many souls reach this stage, but very few ever go further.  I don’t know why this is.  One thing I know: it certainly isn’t God’s fault.  Since his divine Majesty helps us, gives us grace to reach this point, I’m sure he would never fail to give us still more, were it not for some fault on our side, some obstacle that we put in the way.

 

It is up to us, then, to be intent on growing in the love we owe to God; his love for us, after all, will never fail.

 

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[1]  Session 6, Canon 4.

[2]  Session 6, Chapter 5.

[3]  Life, Chapter. 15.

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