Naturalism, pride and rebellion, and sensuality are at the heart of the worldly spirit that St Louis de Montfort wants us to shed. (Day 4 of Total Consecration)
Editor’s Notes
The first period of the preparation for St Louis de Montfort’s Total Consecration to the Blessed Virgin is focused on gaining a greater awareness of the spirit of the world, and emptying ourselves of it.
Having seen the truth about creation, and how the spirit of the world is sin writ large, now is the time to look directly at how it is writ large, and to look for ways to throw it off.
We’re skipping over St Ignatius’ meditation on our own sins – we’ll be returning to it in the second period, ‘Week 1.’ That’s why Fr Ambruzzi refers to this exercise in the text below.
The themes, as well as vocal prayers and readings associated with this ‘Week 0’, can be found here. You can find the book here.
Although this is part of the Total Consecration preparation, it also stands alone as a great text in its own right.
CONTENTS:
READING: The text consists of Fr Aloysius Ambruzzi’s commentary on the first Triple Colloquy of St Ignatius’s Spiritual Exercises.
MEDITATION: Fr Ambruzzi’s text is intended to provide material for the meditation, which appears in point-form following it. A guide on how to use these points in meditation can be found here.
Reading: The Triple Colloquy
The Grace of Conversion
A Companion to the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius
Fr Aloysius Ambruzzi SJ
St Ignatius wishes us to repeat the Exercise on our own sins along with the previous Exercise [The Three Sins]. The Colloquy that is to end this third meditation, is of the greatest importance as it sums up the main fruits of the First Week.
We are directed to ask three graces, first of all, praying our Lady that she may obtain them from her Son; and then Christ, the Divine Mediator, that He may obtain them from the Father; and lastly, the Father that He may grant them to us.
The three graces are:
That we may feel an interior knowledge of our sins and detestation of them;
That we may feel the disorder of our actions, in order that abhorring it, we may amend and set in order our life;
That we may know the world in order that abhorring it, we may cast away from us whatever is worldly and vain.
The first two graces
First grace: That I may have an intimate knowledge of my sins and may detest them.
We ask, not for knowledge of sin in general, but for an intimate knowledge of our own sins. Each one in particular must examine in the presence of God and in amaritudine animæ:
What are his habitual sins;
What is his besetting sin;
What are the ordinary occasions of his failures.
We must, moreover, conceive a real and heartfelt hatred of our sins. We fall so often into the same sins, because we are but little convinced of their intrinsic malice and how displeasing they are to the Heart of Jesus. It is far better to concentrate our attention on a few more heinous sins and deal with them in a serious and business-like way than to keep revolving in our daily Examens and repeatedly confess many venial sins and defects which we do not detest in our heart of hearts.
Lastly, each one must see how he is to use properly the ordinary means to remove or, at least, to diminish his habitual sins. Such means are: the Particular and the General Examen of Conscience and, above all, the Sacrament of Penance.
Second grace: That I may feel the disorder of my actions, in order that abhorring it, I may amend and rightly regulate myself.
We ask here to feel—which is far more than simply to know—the roots or the occasions of our ordinary sins and failures. Such roots and occasions are the lack of a right and pure intention, want of order and forethought, the lack of self-control, the habit of sluggishness, and an easy-going disposition. (Cf. Meditation on Tepidity, p. 48.)
The spirit of the world
Third grace: That I may know the world in order that, abhorring it, I may cast away from me whatever is worldly and vain.
The world is the embodiment of sin and of the three concupiscences that lead to sin. Christianity, the Church, Religious Congregations, direct all their efforts towards implanting and strengthening the life of God in man. The world, with all its branches and its manifold activities, aims directly—more often indirectly—at the destruction of this life. Hence the world is our great enemy. Against the world our Lord has inveighed in the most emphatic terms. The whole life of our Lord, as a matter of fact, is a standing protest against the principles and ways of the world.
The disciples are no less emphatic than the Master. Mundus totus in maligno positus est. (1 John v, 19) As the whole race of man is in Adam, so all believers are in Christ. He is the life they live, the atmosphere they breathe, and the sunshine that illumines their path. On the other hand, as to the world, i.e., the unbelievers, those who reject Christ, their vine, their head, the air they breathe, the light that illumines their path, is Satan. They live and move in the Evil One, being well content with, and submissive to his rule. If the Church may be called Heaven in the making, the world may be said Hell in the making.
“Love not the world, or the things in the world. If any one love the world, the love of the Father is not in him for all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father, but from the world.”
(1 John ii, 15, 16; Cf. also Gal. vi, 14; Rom. viii, 3; and Jas. iv, 4.)
All the Saints resemble in words and still more in deeds the Master and His first Disciples in their hatred of the world.
The world is not less dangerous to-day. Rather, it has become more subtle, more refined, more accommodating. No wonder that it often becomes an acceptable visitor—alas, not rarely a permanent guest—in Christian homes and in religious houses too.
If we wish to remain faithful to our Lord, to live in Him and realize His plan concerning us, we must hate the world and be constantly on our guard against it.
But what are the principles of the world and what the three concupiscences which constitute the essence of the world’s malice?
Naturalism
1. The first characteristic of the world is naturalism, a practical denial of the very idea of Christianity. It is a revival of pagan principles and practices; a love and esteem for only what one sees and touches, for the beauty and glamour of the present life. For some this implies absolute unbelief; for many others, practical indifference to God and to the things of the soul. Such people may externally profess the Christian Faith, but they do not guide their everyday life by it. Their everyday life is influenced by the world’s principles and is judged by the world’s standard. Religion is for them a cloak which they put on for some time on Sunday, and may be, for a few minutes daily, and which they soon remove and entirely forget.
Obviously the life of a person consecrated to God prevents him from losing sight of the supernatural world altogether. Everything reminds him of it; it is as it were thrust upon him. All the same, he may easily lose his supernatural point of view. In his manner of thinking and acting, he may be led by mere human reason and human principles. He may learn to admire what the world admires, to crave for what the world craves for, to judge things and persons by the standard of the world, to adopt ways of acting that are popular with the world, to look for worldly success and results. In his dealings with his superiors and companions, in the discharge of his duties, in the treatment of his body, he may take up quite a human and worldly attitude.
Such an attitude may not be intrinsically wrong. A Pagan, a Greek, a man of the Renaissance might have adopted it. But we are neither Pagans, nor followers of any New Paganism. We are Christians: we are the close friends of Christ. And Christ has revealed to us a life far higher than the natural life. He has revealed to us the excellence of obedience, of chastity, of humility, of self-sacrifice, in one word, of the Cross which the men of our time no less than the Greeks of old, account as foolishness. Not content with His divine illumination, He has given us His grace and He has made us share in His life. We may fall through weakness, but the principles of Christ and of His Gospel must be ours. We must hate the world, its tenets and its glamour, if we want to be Christ’s.
Pride and rebellion
2. The second mark of the spirit of the world is pride and rebellion. The impulse to refuse to obey, to scorn dictation, to criticize, and to set ourselves up as our own masters in religious and moral matters may be natural, and even extremely human. But we have to make our own choice. Either we give in to it, and then we range ourselves in the army that is opposing Christ, or we prefer to be Christ’s disciples, and as such we must repress it and resist it to the utmost. The spirit of the Gospel is a spirit of humility, of child-like docility, and of obedience.
If this is true of every Christian, what should we say of a Religious, and still more of a Priest of Christ? And yet the spirit of pride and rebellion is all along trying to penetrate the hearts even of persons consecrated to Christ and to the spreading of His Kingdom. Freedom of action, i.e., independence of rule and authority in one’s activity, sometimes under pretext of working better for souls, and freedom of speech, i.e., the love of criticizing everything and everybody—are not these the two main privileges that many are tempted to claim in the presence of the great democratic upheaval of our day?
Sensuality – both gross and refined
3. The third mark of the world is sensuality.
There is a gross sensuality, every manifestation of which is sinful. Though we must always live in holy fear, the very ugliness of such sensuality is a good safeguard.
But there is a more refined sensuality. It consists in avoiding all that is hard and troublesome, in seeking our own comfort in everything, in setting a limit even to our bodily pleasures to enjoy them all the more.
It is this sensuality that easily finds its way even among us. We often long for amusements and recreations, for comforts and pleasures in food and drink. We dislike to be disturbed; we hate worry.
Nothing could be more contrary to the spirit of the Gospel than this spirit. It stands condemned by every feature of ecclesiastical and still more, of religious life, both of which imply the practice of continual mortification.
The effects of such a tendency, moreover, are fatal.
It leads the soul to laziness. Lay people can afford to indulge in many of the comforts of life and yet work seriously. Not so with a Religious or a Priest. There is a great deal of truth in the saying that a Religious or a Priest who is not a hero is less than a man.
It leads to sins against chastity. At first it will lead us into doing something which is not openly sinful—into indulgence in food and drink, in looking and reading, into taking certain liberties with ourselves. Or it will lead us into forming some sentimental connection, or into dealing freely with others. Then little by little, something more serious will follow, and with it doubts and pricks of conscience. They will be stifled, and the ruin of our soul will not be far.
How can we keep free from the world and the spirit of the world that causes such havoc in the soul! There is only one way: if Christ and His Cross fill our heart, the world and its three concupiscences will find no admittance therein.
The grace of conversion
(Suggestions for the colloquy)
1. O merciful Mother, I humbly ask thee to obtain me from Jesus, thy Son, and my Lord, the following three graces—
First, to feel an interior knowledge and horror of sin—and particularly of the sins I have committed against His Divine Majesty.
Second, to feel the disorder of my life, namely, the roots and causes of my ordinary sins and failures—particularly the lack of a right and pure intention; the want of order, of forethought, and of self-control; indolence and an easy-going disposition—that I may abhor such a disorder—and amend and regulate my whole life according to God’s Holy Will.
Third, to know the world, its spirit and principles,—in order that I may abhor it with my whole heart—and cast away from me whatever savours of it, and particularly, the habit of looking at things from a human and earthly point of view—the love of criticism, of freedom and independence—the longing after comforts and ease.
Ave Maria.
2. O my Divine Saviour and Redeemer, obtain me from Thy Eternal Father these three graces, in order that I may be converted to Thee, save and sanctify my soul. [etc.]
Anima Christi.
3. O Eternal Father, in the Name of Jesus Christ Thy Son, give me these three graces that I may be able to adore, praise, and serve Thee alone. [etc.]
Pater Noster.
Meditation for Day 4
It is in mental prayer that that much of the preparation will be achieved – and meditation is a means of entering mental prayer. See our guide to meditation for two ways to use the below texts.
The Preparation
Put away distractions and place yourself in the presence of God. (“Most holy and adorable Trinity, etc.”) Bring also the Blessed Virgin to mind, place yourself before her and ask for her assistance.
Humble yourself before God, recalling what we are in relation to God.
Say a preparatory prayer (“O my God and Sovereign Lord, etc.”)
Consider the First Prelude – call to mind the scene, theme, subject or tone of the meditation. Do not get hung up on imagining scenes if this is difficult for you.
“The first Prelude is to hear God say, on completing the work of material creation, ‘Let us make man to our image and likeness.’” (Fr Ambruzzi)
Consider the Second Prelude – Consider what you want from this meditation (e.g., faith, contrition, charity, temperance, knowledge of God, etc.), and ask for it.
The second prelude is to ask for a greater knowledge of the spirit of the world
The Points for Meditation
Refer back to Fr Ambruzzi’s text for further material.
First Point: The first characteristic of the world is naturalism – living as if there were no God, or the Christian religion were not true, or as if this need not affect our manner of thinking and acting.
Second Point: The second characteristic of the world is pride and rebellion – the impulse towards unmitigated human freedom, without regard for the rights of God or of Christ’s Kingship over society, our families, our work, ourselves.
Third Point: The third characteristic of the world is sensuality – both in the vulgar kind that dominates society today, and in the more refined kind that easily deceives Christians. That is, a love of comfort, amusements and our own will – leading to laziness, unchastity, gluttony, and so on.
One could consider these points in reference to oneself: How far have we been conscious of these truths in our daily lives so far, what practical conclusions should we draw from these truths, how far have we lived up to them so far, what must we do to live up to them in the future, etc.
One could consider the acts of virtue we can make in response to these truths – Acts of faith, humility, hope/confidence, thanksgiving, contrition and love – talking all the while to God, the Blessed Virgin, our Guardian Angels, etc.
Consider whether any practical resolutions can be drawn from these reflections, and ask God to help with them.
The Colloquy
The points of the meditation are intended to lead us to the colloquy, by which he means speaking to Our Lord, the other persons of the Holy Trinity, Our Lady, or any other of the saints.
Fr Ambruzzi offers some suggestions for colloquies (see above), but it is important to speak frankly to God in our own words, rather than simply reading somebody else’s.
If one feels moved to speak to God before meditating on all the points, one should certainly do so. The same applies if one feels moved to simply rest in God, rather than engaging in discursive meditation. These impulses should be followed over any particular method of meditation.
The End
End the meditation with a vocal prayer – such as the Our Father, the Anima Christi. Prayers from the Byzantine Paraclisis may be fitting for this 33-day preparation – for example:
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.
O thou who gavest birth to the Doer of Good, to the Cause of all Delights, do thou let the wealth of his generosity abound within all souls, for since thou hast borne the almighty Christ, thou hast power to act according to thy will, O thou who art blessed of God!
Now and always and for ever and ever. Amen.
O Virgin, do thou help me who am pressed by incurable ills and distressing passions, for I know that thou, all-blameless one, art a perfect and abundant treasury of healings.1
Reflect on how well we have prayed, and how well we have followed our chosen method.
Select a spiritual nosegay from your meditation to keep with you for the rest of the day.
See you tomorrow. Hit subscribe to make sure you don’t miss it or any of our other material:
For more on the St Louis de Montfort’s True Devotion and Total Consecration, for which we are preparing, see here:
The theological basis of ‘True Devotion’ and the Consecration to Mary (Garrigou-Lagrange)
The fruits of ‘True Devotion’ and Consecration to Mary (Garrigou-Lagrange)
For more on the importance of not getting bogged down with methods, and on allowing God to act, see here:
For more on Week 0, and the vocal prayers that are are suggested for each day, see here:
‘Week 0’ of St Louis de Montfort’s Total Consecration preparation (Prayers, practices and reading)
Get the book here:
True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary (St Louis de Montfort)
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These prayers are drawn from the ‘Office of Consolation’ or the Small Paraklesis (Παράκλησις, “supplication” or “comfort”), a service of intercession addressed to the Theotokos, and written by Theophanes/Theosterictus the Monk in the 9th century. The texts have been lightly adapted from the Melkite Byzantine Daily Worship.
The Paraklesis is chanted in times of distress and sorrow of soul, and daily during the first fourteen days of August in preparation for the feast of the Assumption. It is among the most beloved devotions of the Byzantine tradition.
We are offering a selection of these prayers to be used as readers see fit – at the start or end of meditation, for morning or evening prayer, or at any other time.
