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Meditation 23. Third Degree of Humility
Preparatory Prayer as on page x
Composition of Place — Imagine, my soul, that you see Jesus, after He has been whipped, crowned with thorns, rejected in favor of Barabbas. And now, after He has been taken by Pilate to a balcony, all the people cry, "Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him! Crucify Him!"
Prayer of Petition — O My Jesus, grant me grace to love to be belittled and humbled. When I find myself humbled, grant that I will be quiet and only say, "It is good for me, Lord, that Thou hast humbled me, that I may in this way learn Thy very just precepts." (cf. Ps. 118:71).
First Point
Fairness and justice demand that we love to be treated as of little account — We are so blind and self-esteem is so deep-rooted in our hearts that we think our life is very wretched when we are treated as of little importance and when we are in any way looked down upon. Yet we should be certain that nothing is more suited for us than contempt and that all men together could never manage to belittle us as much as we deserve. Listen with attention, my soul, to some truths which are very plain.
(1) God can and should punish sin — Faith teaches us this. God is Infinite Justice. Now, just as He would not be Infinite Goodness if He did not reward uprightness, neither would He be Infinite Justice if He did not punish evil. Do you believe this, my soul? Let us proceed.
(2) God can punish sin in the way He wishes — Just as God is Infinite Justice, He is likewise Infinite Authority. He can punish sin with bodily pain, or by grief and affliction of soul; but belittlement or contempt seems to be the punishment most proper for sin. For, as sin is a belittlement of God, it rightly deserves to be punished by contempt, and one who has had the boldness to belittle God, may rightly be belittled.
(3) God can use whatever He wishes to punish sin — God punished David for sin by means of a son of David. God punished the disobedient prophet by means of a wild beast which fatally mauled him on his journey. God punished the impious Heliodorus by an angel who gave him a bloody whipping. He punished our sins in Jesus Christ by an Apostle who sold him. God can, then, punish me too, and send me contempt in the way that suits His good pleasure.
(4) No matter how much God punishes sin in this life, He always punishes it less than it deserves — If God prolonged my life to the day of Judgment and I spent it suffering continuous hardships, ill treatment and insults, all this could never satisfy for the contempt that I have shown His Divine Majesty by a single venial sin. Gather your thoughts, my soul, and answer me: Have you committed a sin at any time? Alas! Not only have I committed one sin, but a hundred and a thousand! Can God not punish you and inflict contempt as punishment if He wishes? The fact is undeniable. No matter how many instances of contempt you suffer, they will never equal in number or quality as much as you deserve for a single venial sin.
Consider how true this is! What conclusion follows? It follows that you can have no reasonable cause for complaint for any contempt you receive; for it will never give grounds for complaint. It follows that in the midst of contempt, of whatever sort it is, you ought to praise God and bless Him, inasmuch as it is always less than what you deserve. It follows that it is a proper and right thing that throughout your life you be always shown contempt and disregard.
Affective Acts
(1) Confession and humiliation — It is fair, O my God! I admit it is fair and very just that I live in the midst of contempt and that I regard contempt in no other way than as an effect of Thy Mercy toward me. Alas! What is all the contempt from men in comparison with what I have deserved? O my Jesus, if Thou hadst treated me according to the strictness of Thy Justice, where would I now be? O Infinite Wisdom, Thou knowest the answer. I would be in hell. I would be despised by all the saints for all eternity, by all the angels of Heaven and by all men on earth. Thou hast preserved me from this eternal contempt, O my Jesus, out of Thy pure Mercy, and instead of letting me experience that contempt, Thou hast been satisfied to let me suffer the contempt that comes to me in this life. Is it not right that I look upon these things as effects of Thy Mercy? Should I not regard them with imperturbable peace?
(2) Resolution — This I will do with Thy help, O my Jesus! I will not allow this thought to escape me. I have sinned and I have deserved to be mocked and despised for all eternity by Heaven and earth, by angels, by men, by the saints and by the damned. I will always keep this imprinted in my memory on every occasion, and in the midst of contempt and insult I wish to praise and bless Thy Infinite Goodness and Mercy.
Second Point
It is to our best interest that we love contempt — Certainly nothing is to be found in contempt except what appears bitter and disagreeable. But consider, my soul, that we appreciate and value many things which are distasteful to nature because we know they are good for us. When a sick man is tormented with bitter pain, one cannot do anything better for him than provide him with a remedy, even if it is distasteful, if it is sure to rid him of his trouble or at least relieve it. And why can we not love an experience of contempt as we reflect on the great and special advantages it brings with it? Now what are these? I will present to you the principal ones.
First Advantage — To be belittled and discredited destroys pride in us. The worst evil and the greatest hindrance that a soul can meet on the road of perfection is pride and vainglory. As long as the smallest selfish regard, the slightest self-satisfaction or petty ambition for human praise lives in the heart, it will never come about that God enters and lives in it with satisfaction. He looks upon such a heart with horror; He shuns it, and leaves it deprived of His heavenly lights, of Holy affections, of devout impulses, of choice graces, and it will lack the very special care of His Providence. Can a greater evil be imagined for a soul that desires perfection? But is there no remedy for such a great evil? Yes, there is, my soul. Believe this as an undeniable truth. The surest remedy, the most effective, most efficient remedy is the experience of contempt. To put out a great fire, nothing is more suitable than a heavy rain from Heaven. To uproot pride, there is nothing more powerful than to receive contempt and belittlement.
Oh, how few are they who, without this means, arrive at true humility! Should you not, then, my soul, wholeheartedly desire contempt? And in the midst of it, should you not be transported with joy, and praise, bless and thank God? We thank a surgeon because, by cutting away an abscess with a momentary pain for us, he delivers us from continuous pain. Should you not thank God Who, by subjecting you to a small ill such as contempt, delivers you from a far worse evil, which is pride?
Second Advantage — Contempt produces humility in us. The best disposition for gaining perfection is humility. As soon as God discovers it in a heart, He quickly enters it and fills it with an abundance of His Grace. The humble heart is like a valley; for just as the waters that run down the mountain all gather in the valley and make it pleasant and fertile, so Divine Grace, which departs from the arrogant and proud heart, symbolized by the mountain, gathers in the humble heart and greatly enriches it. Could a more profitable treasure ever be imagined than this? But what is the means for acquiring a virtue so pleasing to God? Turn your gaze to Jesus, my soul, and from Him learn to acquire it. This dear Redeemer has been our example for all virtues and has taught us also the most effective means of acquiring them. But what means has Jesus given us for gaining humility? No other than the observance of continual silence when we receive contempt and are disregarded. If you, O my soul, learn to be silent during contempt and love contempt, then without doubt He will give you the spirit of humility, which is His spirit, and you will enter into the possession of it when you begin to practice it.
Affective Acts
Ah, my Jesus, my Redeemer and my All! Now I know perfectly what displeases Thee in my heart and what keeps Thee from making it Thy dwelling place. It is that desire to be honored and esteemed by men, that pursuit of praise and honor, that ambition to be preferred to everyone in everything. That is what it is, O my God, that makes Thee hate to live in my heart. O accursed ambition! Of how many graces you have deprived me! How many heavenly lights you have prevented me from gaining! Of how many Divine consolations you have cheated me! Oh, how much you have withdrawn me from God! And how many other evils you can still bring on me! I will weary myself in vain and will gain no access to Thee, O my Jesus, if I do not uproot from my heart this very bad inclination which has planted such deep roots in it. A God so humble and a creature so proud cannot have familiar and mutual friendship. O my Jesus, Thou must change Thy Heart, in the future loving haughtiness and pride; or else I must change mine, from now on, loving humiliation and contempt. Forgive my simplicity, O my Jesus. I know well that it is I who must change. I will do it, indeed, my beloved Jesus! But if Thou do not strengthen me with Thy grace, all my resolutions will be in vain. I do not dare go forth trusting in my promises. This accursed ambition is so rooted in my heart that I do not find the strength to uproot it. I have detested it a thousand times, and even so it would sprout forth more vigorous than before. I should not put the blame on anyone but myself; for my resolves have been no more than empty words with which I have deceived myself and have made myself the more guilty before Thee. If I were to sincerely resolve upon this, I would have to give thanks, with hands joined, to the one who despises me, and gladly embrace all occasions that are allotted me to be humbled. But the truth is, O my Jesus, that here there are roots that no one can pull up except Thy Almighty Hand. Turn, then, Thine Eyes toward me, O loving Jesus! Uproot in me every desire for vainglory. Let only Thy Spirit and the love for contempt reign in my heart.
Third Point
Contempt is deserving of our love on account of its excellence and preferability — If you but knew, my soul, how valuable in God's eyes belittlement is, oh with what eagerness and what pleasure you would go hunting for it, no matter how distasteful it might be to frail nature! Therefore consider with attention the excellent qualities that are contained in itself, in an instance of contempt borne with patience.
First excellent quality — To bear contempt in silence is the most worthy sacrifice that we can make of ourselves to God in this life.
The desire to be prominent and gain respect and honor from men is a passion so common and universal that perhaps no man is always completely free from it. There are some people who have no difficulty in depriving themselves of convenience and weakening their bodies with fasts and other austerities; there are others who love solitude and spend many hours in prayer; there are those who, no matter how afflicted they appear to be with aches and sickness, show an immovable patience and who seem to have an unquenchable thirst for suffering. But even though all these people appear so advanced in virtue, few know how to bear in silence a contemptuous affront, a calumny, or even a disrespectful word. Here is where their virtue falls short and where ordinary holiness fails, because this evil appetite is so deeply rooted in the human heart and so hard to uproot. And so, since an extraordinary effort and violence is necessary in order to conquer it, who does not see what an excellent sacrifice one offers to God if he makes this effort and proves victorious?
Second excellent quality — To bear contempt in silence is the marrow, the essential part, of the following of Jesus Christ. If you give attention to the actions of Jesus Christ, my soul, you will find that throughout His Life and at every age of His lifetime He underwent contempt. He was made light of at His birth in the stable at Bethlehem; despised in His Infancy as He fled to Egypt; despised in His youth at the workshop in Nazareth; despised during His manhood as He preached and suffered death on a Cross.
He was despised in Himself and in all His works. He was despised in His divinity and humanity; despised in His virtues; despised in His doctrine; despised in His miracles. Whatever He said or did was given a bad interpretation and was despised.
He was despised by all sorts of people. He was despised by His fellow citizens and by foreigners; despised by priests and lay persons, by royalty, by nobles, by common people; despised by soldiers and by civilians.
Educated people despised Him. Seeing that He had not been taught by them, they would say, "Where did He get such wisdom, since this Man has not even learned His letters?" But Jesus kept silent and made no comeback to save His Honor; for He could have told them that He was the uncreated Wisdom, that He knew all things and had no need to learn anything, that He was sent to be Teacher of all and was to be no one's pupil.
The rich despised Him. The Lord Jesus is owner of the world and all that there is in it. Yet, for love of contempt He chose poor parents, poor companions, poor food, poor clothing, a poor occupation, a poor home, and in everything He loved poverty and abjection. That is why He earned the contempt of the rich, who love wealth, high living and vanity.
His young countrymen despised Him. Hebrews were accustomed to marry at nineteen years of age. On seeing Jesus young, elegant, handsome and genteel, but not caring about women nor about things of the world, on seeing Him live a life withdrawn from bad companions and youthful amusements, what sport they made of Him, what mockery!
With the exception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, His relatives despised Him on noticing that He did not marry nor try to make any fortune. They criticized Him and considered Him as a man deserving contempt. As soon as He began to gather disciples and preach, some of His relatives came to seize Him, for they said He had gone mad (Mk. 3:21). Jesus did not trust them, nor would He go to Jerusalem to the feast with them. Considering how He appeared despised by relatives and countrymen, He went so far as to say, "There is no prophet without honor except in his own country and among his own people," and, "The chief enemies of a man are those of his own household."
After all that has been said, should you not admit this, my soul: To suffer contempt with patience and silence, to love to be disregarded — this is the essence of the spirit of Jesus Christ, and one cannot acquire His Spirit without loving contempt.
Third excellent quality — To suffer contempt in silence is the key to Jesus' Heart and the means of uniting with Him. You will waste your efforts, my soul, if you search for Jesus without searching for contempt. Prayers, sighs, fasts, night vigils and other devout exercises are not enough. It is necessary for you to die, and that you die under blows of contempt. I mean it is necessary for you to put on Jesus Christ by loving contempt as He did, if you want to gain entrance into His Divine Heart. It is the souls that do this, whom Jesus loves. He enlightens them to know the secrets of His Greatness and Majesty. He consoles them and lets them taste the sweetness of His Love. He deals familiarly with them and admits them to union with Him. They are the ones in whom He fulfills even in this life the promise He made with these words: "Lo, I stand at the gate knocking; if anyone hear My Voice and open to Me, I will enter and will dine with him and he with Me." Tell me now, O my soul, are we not completely blind and should we not deplore our folly with bitter tears, when we grieve over contempt? Should we not sigh with ardent longing for a good which Jesus has loved so much? Should we not even rate it above everything we have? Should we not embrace it with great joy? Oh, that we should so hate ourselves as to deprive ourselves of a good so valuable which has no equal on earth! Ah! We are that sick man who wanted to be cured, but would not use the remedy.
Affective Acts
Oblation — O my dear Jesus, I am well enough aware that as long as love for worldly glory takes up room in my heart, that Thou wilt never come to me nor can I ever familiarly approach Thee. It is necessary to remove the desire for honor and make every effort to put in its place the love for contempt. This I resolve upon, my most loving Jesus, and from this moment I offer myself in sacrifice. Vouchsafe to hear my prayer and grant me strength to fulfill the following resolves:
(1) I detest, I abhor, with all my heart, all desire for honor, and I surrender it at Thy feet. I do not want there to be a man in the world who gives me a thought, who esteems me, who loves me and honors me, not even for a moment. And if, against my will, this should happen, it is my intention to detest all satisfaction arising therefrom as something loathsome in Thy sight.
(2) I love and embrace contempt with all my heart — Whatever happens to me by Thy Mercy, I will bear in silence for love of Thee. I will even praise and bless Thee for it as a great favor and benefit coming from Thy Hand.
(3) From this moment on, I surrender all claim I might have before the world for reputation and honor — I submit it all to Thy will. From now on I will care no more about all this and will look upon it as another's property and not mine. Be good enough to accept this, O my Jesus! Just as Thy Eternal Father for His glory availed Himself of the claim Thou had to good repute, allowing Thee to be despised and belittled, so do Thou avail Thyself of the claim I might have to a good reputation. This, O my Jesus, is the sacrifice I choose to make. I will renew it each day and hope to live and die living up to it outwardly and inwardly.
Petition for the spirit of humility — But who will grant that my heart stay in these happy dispositions? Thou, alone, O my Jesus, Thou alone can do it. Without Thee, my good desires will vanish like smoke. Without Thee, my good resolves will never be worthily carried out. Without Thee, my good intention cannot last even an hour. Turn Thy merciful eyes to me, O Dearest Jesus! Grant me a heart that will completely agree with Thine. Grant that I may love what Thou hast loved, may hate what Thou hast hated. Grant that I may hate all vanity and esteem from men, just as Thou hast hated it. This grace I beg of Thee. This favor I long for.
Now pray the Our Father and the Hail Mary and the Concluding Prayers as on page xi.
Preparatory Prayer as on page x
Composition of Place — Imagine, my soul, that you see Jesus, after He has been whipped, crowned with thorns, rejected in favor of Barabbas. And now, after He has been taken by Pilate to a balcony, all the people cry, "Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him! Crucify Him!"
Prayer of Petition — O My Jesus, grant me grace to love to be belittled and humbled. When I find myself humbled, grant that I will be quiet and only say, "It is good for me, Lord, that Thou hast humbled me, that I may in this way learn Thy very just precepts." (cf. Ps. 118:71).
First Point
Fairness and justice demand that we love to be treated as of little account — We are so blind and self-esteem is so deep-rooted in our hearts that we think our life is very wretched when we are treated as of little importance and when we are in any way looked down upon. Yet we should be certain that nothing is more suited for us than contempt and that all men together could never manage to belittle us as much as we deserve. Listen with attention, my soul, to some truths which are very plain.
(1) God can and should punish sin — Faith teaches us this. God is Infinite Justice. Now, just as He would not be Infinite Goodness if He did not reward uprightness, neither would He be Infinite Justice if He did not punish evil. Do you believe this, my soul? Let us proceed.
(2) God can punish sin in the way He wishes — Just as God is Infinite Justice, He is likewise Infinite Authority. He can punish sin with bodily pain, or by grief and affliction of soul; but belittlement or contempt seems to be the punishment most proper for sin. For, as sin is a belittlement of God, it rightly deserves to be punished by contempt, and one who has had the boldness to belittle God, may rightly be belittled.
(3) God can use whatever He wishes to punish sin — God punished David for sin by means of a son of David. God punished the disobedient prophet by means of a wild beast which fatally mauled him on his journey. God punished the impious Heliodorus by an angel who gave him a bloody whipping. He punished our sins in Jesus Christ by an Apostle who sold him. God can, then, punish me too, and send me contempt in the way that suits His good pleasure.
(4) No matter how much God punishes sin in this life, He always punishes it less than it deserves — If God prolonged my life to the day of Judgment and I spent it suffering continuous hardships, ill treatment and insults, all this could never satisfy for the contempt that I have shown His Divine Majesty by a single venial sin. Gather your thoughts, my soul, and answer me: Have you committed a sin at any time? Alas! Not only have I committed one sin, but a hundred and a thousand! Can God not punish you and inflict contempt as punishment if He wishes? The fact is undeniable. No matter how many instances of contempt you suffer, they will never equal in number or quality as much as you deserve for a single venial sin.
Consider how true this is! What conclusion follows? It follows that you can have no reasonable cause for complaint for any contempt you receive; for it will never give grounds for complaint. It follows that in the midst of contempt, of whatever sort it is, you ought to praise God and bless Him, inasmuch as it is always less than what you deserve. It follows that it is a proper and right thing that throughout your life you be always shown contempt and disregard.
Affective Acts
(1) Confession and humiliation — It is fair, O my God! I admit it is fair and very just that I live in the midst of contempt and that I regard contempt in no other way than as an effect of Thy Mercy toward me. Alas! What is all the contempt from men in comparison with what I have deserved? O my Jesus, if Thou hadst treated me according to the strictness of Thy Justice, where would I now be? O Infinite Wisdom, Thou knowest the answer. I would be in hell. I would be despised by all the saints for all eternity, by all the angels of Heaven and by all men on earth. Thou hast preserved me from this eternal contempt, O my Jesus, out of Thy pure Mercy, and instead of letting me experience that contempt, Thou hast been satisfied to let me suffer the contempt that comes to me in this life. Is it not right that I look upon these things as effects of Thy Mercy? Should I not regard them with imperturbable peace?
(2) Resolution — This I will do with Thy help, O my Jesus! I will not allow this thought to escape me. I have sinned and I have deserved to be mocked and despised for all eternity by Heaven and earth, by angels, by men, by the saints and by the damned. I will always keep this imprinted in my memory on every occasion, and in the midst of contempt and insult I wish to praise and bless Thy Infinite Goodness and Mercy.
Second Point
It is to our best interest that we love contempt — Certainly nothing is to be found in contempt except what appears bitter and disagreeable. But consider, my soul, that we appreciate and value many things which are distasteful to nature because we know they are good for us. When a sick man is tormented with bitter pain, one cannot do anything better for him than provide him with a remedy, even if it is distasteful, if it is sure to rid him of his trouble or at least relieve it. And why can we not love an experience of contempt as we reflect on the great and special advantages it brings with it? Now what are these? I will present to you the principal ones.
First Advantage — To be belittled and discredited destroys pride in us. The worst evil and the greatest hindrance that a soul can meet on the road of perfection is pride and vainglory. As long as the smallest selfish regard, the slightest self-satisfaction or petty ambition for human praise lives in the heart, it will never come about that God enters and lives in it with satisfaction. He looks upon such a heart with horror; He shuns it, and leaves it deprived of His heavenly lights, of Holy affections, of devout impulses, of choice graces, and it will lack the very special care of His Providence. Can a greater evil be imagined for a soul that desires perfection? But is there no remedy for such a great evil? Yes, there is, my soul. Believe this as an undeniable truth. The surest remedy, the most effective, most efficient remedy is the experience of contempt. To put out a great fire, nothing is more suitable than a heavy rain from Heaven. To uproot pride, there is nothing more powerful than to receive contempt and belittlement.
Oh, how few are they who, without this means, arrive at true humility! Should you not, then, my soul, wholeheartedly desire contempt? And in the midst of it, should you not be transported with joy, and praise, bless and thank God? We thank a surgeon because, by cutting away an abscess with a momentary pain for us, he delivers us from continuous pain. Should you not thank God Who, by subjecting you to a small ill such as contempt, delivers you from a far worse evil, which is pride?
Second Advantage — Contempt produces humility in us. The best disposition for gaining perfection is humility. As soon as God discovers it in a heart, He quickly enters it and fills it with an abundance of His Grace. The humble heart is like a valley; for just as the waters that run down the mountain all gather in the valley and make it pleasant and fertile, so Divine Grace, which departs from the arrogant and proud heart, symbolized by the mountain, gathers in the humble heart and greatly enriches it. Could a more profitable treasure ever be imagined than this? But what is the means for acquiring a virtue so pleasing to God? Turn your gaze to Jesus, my soul, and from Him learn to acquire it. This dear Redeemer has been our example for all virtues and has taught us also the most effective means of acquiring them. But what means has Jesus given us for gaining humility? No other than the observance of continual silence when we receive contempt and are disregarded. If you, O my soul, learn to be silent during contempt and love contempt, then without doubt He will give you the spirit of humility, which is His spirit, and you will enter into the possession of it when you begin to practice it.
Affective Acts
Ah, my Jesus, my Redeemer and my All! Now I know perfectly what displeases Thee in my heart and what keeps Thee from making it Thy dwelling place. It is that desire to be honored and esteemed by men, that pursuit of praise and honor, that ambition to be preferred to everyone in everything. That is what it is, O my God, that makes Thee hate to live in my heart. O accursed ambition! Of how many graces you have deprived me! How many heavenly lights you have prevented me from gaining! Of how many Divine consolations you have cheated me! Oh, how much you have withdrawn me from God! And how many other evils you can still bring on me! I will weary myself in vain and will gain no access to Thee, O my Jesus, if I do not uproot from my heart this very bad inclination which has planted such deep roots in it. A God so humble and a creature so proud cannot have familiar and mutual friendship. O my Jesus, Thou must change Thy Heart, in the future loving haughtiness and pride; or else I must change mine, from now on, loving humiliation and contempt. Forgive my simplicity, O my Jesus. I know well that it is I who must change. I will do it, indeed, my beloved Jesus! But if Thou do not strengthen me with Thy grace, all my resolutions will be in vain. I do not dare go forth trusting in my promises. This accursed ambition is so rooted in my heart that I do not find the strength to uproot it. I have detested it a thousand times, and even so it would sprout forth more vigorous than before. I should not put the blame on anyone but myself; for my resolves have been no more than empty words with which I have deceived myself and have made myself the more guilty before Thee. If I were to sincerely resolve upon this, I would have to give thanks, with hands joined, to the one who despises me, and gladly embrace all occasions that are allotted me to be humbled. But the truth is, O my Jesus, that here there are roots that no one can pull up except Thy Almighty Hand. Turn, then, Thine Eyes toward me, O loving Jesus! Uproot in me every desire for vainglory. Let only Thy Spirit and the love for contempt reign in my heart.
Third Point
Contempt is deserving of our love on account of its excellence and preferability — If you but knew, my soul, how valuable in God's eyes belittlement is, oh with what eagerness and what pleasure you would go hunting for it, no matter how distasteful it might be to frail nature! Therefore consider with attention the excellent qualities that are contained in itself, in an instance of contempt borne with patience.
First excellent quality — To bear contempt in silence is the most worthy sacrifice that we can make of ourselves to God in this life.
The desire to be prominent and gain respect and honor from men is a passion so common and universal that perhaps no man is always completely free from it. There are some people who have no difficulty in depriving themselves of convenience and weakening their bodies with fasts and other austerities; there are others who love solitude and spend many hours in prayer; there are those who, no matter how afflicted they appear to be with aches and sickness, show an immovable patience and who seem to have an unquenchable thirst for suffering. But even though all these people appear so advanced in virtue, few know how to bear in silence a contemptuous affront, a calumny, or even a disrespectful word. Here is where their virtue falls short and where ordinary holiness fails, because this evil appetite is so deeply rooted in the human heart and so hard to uproot. And so, since an extraordinary effort and violence is necessary in order to conquer it, who does not see what an excellent sacrifice one offers to God if he makes this effort and proves victorious?
Second excellent quality — To bear contempt in silence is the marrow, the essential part, of the following of Jesus Christ. If you give attention to the actions of Jesus Christ, my soul, you will find that throughout His Life and at every age of His lifetime He underwent contempt. He was made light of at His birth in the stable at Bethlehem; despised in His Infancy as He fled to Egypt; despised in His youth at the workshop in Nazareth; despised during His manhood as He preached and suffered death on a Cross.
He was despised in Himself and in all His works. He was despised in His divinity and humanity; despised in His virtues; despised in His doctrine; despised in His miracles. Whatever He said or did was given a bad interpretation and was despised.
He was despised by all sorts of people. He was despised by His fellow citizens and by foreigners; despised by priests and lay persons, by royalty, by nobles, by common people; despised by soldiers and by civilians.
Educated people despised Him. Seeing that He had not been taught by them, they would say, "Where did He get such wisdom, since this Man has not even learned His letters?" But Jesus kept silent and made no comeback to save His Honor; for He could have told them that He was the uncreated Wisdom, that He knew all things and had no need to learn anything, that He was sent to be Teacher of all and was to be no one's pupil.
The rich despised Him. The Lord Jesus is owner of the world and all that there is in it. Yet, for love of contempt He chose poor parents, poor companions, poor food, poor clothing, a poor occupation, a poor home, and in everything He loved poverty and abjection. That is why He earned the contempt of the rich, who love wealth, high living and vanity.
His young countrymen despised Him. Hebrews were accustomed to marry at nineteen years of age. On seeing Jesus young, elegant, handsome and genteel, but not caring about women nor about things of the world, on seeing Him live a life withdrawn from bad companions and youthful amusements, what sport they made of Him, what mockery!
With the exception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, His relatives despised Him on noticing that He did not marry nor try to make any fortune. They criticized Him and considered Him as a man deserving contempt. As soon as He began to gather disciples and preach, some of His relatives came to seize Him, for they said He had gone mad (Mk. 3:21). Jesus did not trust them, nor would He go to Jerusalem to the feast with them. Considering how He appeared despised by relatives and countrymen, He went so far as to say, "There is no prophet without honor except in his own country and among his own people," and, "The chief enemies of a man are those of his own household."
After all that has been said, should you not admit this, my soul: To suffer contempt with patience and silence, to love to be disregarded — this is the essence of the spirit of Jesus Christ, and one cannot acquire His Spirit without loving contempt.
Third excellent quality — To suffer contempt in silence is the key to Jesus' Heart and the means of uniting with Him. You will waste your efforts, my soul, if you search for Jesus without searching for contempt. Prayers, sighs, fasts, night vigils and other devout exercises are not enough. It is necessary for you to die, and that you die under blows of contempt. I mean it is necessary for you to put on Jesus Christ by loving contempt as He did, if you want to gain entrance into His Divine Heart. It is the souls that do this, whom Jesus loves. He enlightens them to know the secrets of His Greatness and Majesty. He consoles them and lets them taste the sweetness of His Love. He deals familiarly with them and admits them to union with Him. They are the ones in whom He fulfills even in this life the promise He made with these words: "Lo, I stand at the gate knocking; if anyone hear My Voice and open to Me, I will enter and will dine with him and he with Me." Tell me now, O my soul, are we not completely blind and should we not deplore our folly with bitter tears, when we grieve over contempt? Should we not sigh with ardent longing for a good which Jesus has loved so much? Should we not even rate it above everything we have? Should we not embrace it with great joy? Oh, that we should so hate ourselves as to deprive ourselves of a good so valuable which has no equal on earth! Ah! We are that sick man who wanted to be cured, but would not use the remedy.
Affective Acts
Oblation — O my dear Jesus, I am well enough aware that as long as love for worldly glory takes up room in my heart, that Thou wilt never come to me nor can I ever familiarly approach Thee. It is necessary to remove the desire for honor and make every effort to put in its place the love for contempt. This I resolve upon, my most loving Jesus, and from this moment I offer myself in sacrifice. Vouchsafe to hear my prayer and grant me strength to fulfill the following resolves:
(1) I detest, I abhor, with all my heart, all desire for honor, and I surrender it at Thy feet. I do not want there to be a man in the world who gives me a thought, who esteems me, who loves me and honors me, not even for a moment. And if, against my will, this should happen, it is my intention to detest all satisfaction arising therefrom as something loathsome in Thy sight.
(2) I love and embrace contempt with all my heart — Whatever happens to me by Thy Mercy, I will bear in silence for love of Thee. I will even praise and bless Thee for it as a great favor and benefit coming from Thy Hand.
(3) From this moment on, I surrender all claim I might have before the world for reputation and honor — I submit it all to Thy will. From now on I will care no more about all this and will look upon it as another's property and not mine. Be good enough to accept this, O my Jesus! Just as Thy Eternal Father for His glory availed Himself of the claim Thou had to good repute, allowing Thee to be despised and belittled, so do Thou avail Thyself of the claim I might have to a good reputation. This, O my Jesus, is the sacrifice I choose to make. I will renew it each day and hope to live and die living up to it outwardly and inwardly.
Petition for the spirit of humility — But who will grant that my heart stay in these happy dispositions? Thou, alone, O my Jesus, Thou alone can do it. Without Thee, my good desires will vanish like smoke. Without Thee, my good resolves will never be worthily carried out. Without Thee, my good intention cannot last even an hour. Turn Thy merciful eyes to me, O Dearest Jesus! Grant me a heart that will completely agree with Thine. Grant that I may love what Thou hast loved, may hate what Thou hast hated. Grant that I may hate all vanity and esteem from men, just as Thou hast hated it. This grace I beg of Thee. This favor I long for.
Now pray the Our Father and the Hail Mary and the Concluding Prayers as on page xi.
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre