The spirit of the world spreads itself in different ways – but it is assisted and exploited by Satan himself.
Editor’s Notes
Just a quick question first:
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.
Today, we are reading Fr Aloysius Ambruzzi’s explanation of the famous meditation from St Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercses, “The Two Standards.” This text is intended to provide fuel for a more fruitful meditation on the points. David from Catholic Hub kindly agreed to read it for us. You can find out about his work below:
We are approaching this meditation earlier than St Ignatius would have us do it in the Exercises, because of its focus on the spirit of the world – and how Satan’s uses this spirit to seek the destruction of souls.
In the Exercises, it comes after much reflection on ourselves, a general confession, and meditations on the life of Christ. For those reasons, it would be worth returning to it in our own time sometime in Week 2 or 3.
St Ignatius has a second triple colloquy here, in which we ask to be admitted under the standard of Christ. Readers should feel free to use it – but may also prefer to return to the first triple colloquy on the spirit of the world.
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 Two Standards, from 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 Two Standards
The Strategy of the Divine King
A Companion to the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius
Fr Aloysius Ambruzzi SJ
In this meditation we are not asked to deliberate whether we should serve under Christ or under Satan. The very idea would be revolting to any Christian, most of all at this stage of the Exercises. In the Kingdom, we have sworn fidelity to Christ, and offered ourselves wholeheartedly to embrace for His love humiliations and poverty—poverty of spirit in all cases, and even actual poverty, if only His Divine Majesty be pleased to choose and to receive us for such a life. Whether we have yet to find out the state of life in which God wishes to make use of us, or have embraced it long ago, we are animated by one desire only: to model our whole life on that of Christ. Christ is the Way that leads us to God, the Truth that enlightens our path, the Life that throbs in our whole being. However, it is not enough to have enlisted in His army; we must study His strategy that we may bravely and effectively fight with Him and like Him; and we must study also the strategy of Satan that we may beware of his traitorous snares and ambuscades. The meditation on Two Standards is an abstract of the most important lessons of our Lord’s public life, the three years’ campaigning of the Divine King. It is the handbook of every soldier of Christ.
The first Prelude is to call to mind how Christ invites and desires all men to serve under His Standard, while Lucifer, on the contrary, wants to enlist them all under his.
The eternal fight between Christ and Satan, between Good and Evil, is the central point of history; before it every other fact pales into insignificance. The two leaders stand apart, each with his standard raised aloft and his liegemen about him. Around Christ there are gathered thousands and thousands of faithful souls—Priests, Religious, lay apostles. Around Satan there prowl hordes of demons. They alone are his true liegemen, as no man would willingly become a vassal of Satan, the real enemy of the human race.
The second Prelude is to see a vast plain embracing the whole region around Jerusalem, where stands the supreme Captain General of the good, Christ our Lord; and another plain, in the region of Babylon, where the chief of the enemy, Lucifer, is found.
A truly magnificent vision is this—the vision of the world divided into two big cities, Jerusalem and Babylon, the city of God and the city of Satan, the city of peace and the city of confusion, the city of obedience and the city of rebellion.
It was the vision that haunted the great mind of St Augustine.
“These two cities are made by two loves: the earthly city by the love of oneself even to the contempt of God; the heavenly city by the love of God even to the contempt of oneself. The one glories in itself, the other in God; while the one seeks glory from men, to the other God, the witness of conscience, is its greatest glory. The one lifts up its head in its own glory, the other says to its God, ‘my glory and the lifter up of my head’”.
However, St Ignatius does not conceive, as St Augustine does, the whole of mankind as divided into two distinct camps—the camp of the good and that of the bad—with a great gulf fixed between them. First of all, in his eyes Satan and the devils constitute the horde of the bad, and not properly, or at least not chiefly, wicked men. And, then, between St Ignatius’ two vast plains there lies a vast intermediate ground where men who have sworn fidelity to Christ, move about freely, constantly laying themselves open to Satan’s attacks. It is for such that the contemplation on Two Standards is chiefly meant.
Jerusalem and Babylon are no figments of the imagination. They find a local habitation in men’s hearts and in human institutions, according to the way God’s Will is obeyed or is resisted.
The third Prelude is to ask for knowledge of the deceits of the wicked chieftain and for help to guard myself against them; for knowledge of the true life which the supreme and true Captain points out, and for grace to imitate Him.
We must see the whole world as the field where Christ wages a ceaseless battle against Satan, with the aim of conquering and reigning supreme in our hearts; and while renewing our oath of allegiance to Him, we should often humbly pray: Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos Domine.
We do not ask to know, and still less to be delivered from the open attacks of Satan, i.e., from temptations to do what is evil or to neglect a clear duty; but that we may know his tricks and snares, and may be on our guard against them.
Christ shows us the true life. Though His teaching is at first a teaching of death, and His hand points to a scaffold, it is a death that alone has in itself the germ of life, and a scaffold that is the pedestal of a throne.
Lose, that the lost thou may’st receive;
Die, for none other way canst live.
Part I: The mortal enemy of mankind
1. Satan in his real garb
Satan appears beautiful and attractive to men. Whatever delights the senses, tickles the imagination and satisfies the longing of the natural man, of his passions and of his caprices, is found, at least apparently, in Satan alone. He even knows how to transform himself into an angel of light and to deceive the very servants of God, on the specious pretext of promoting God’s greater glory, the good of souls, and the prestige of the Church.
But, in reality, how abominably ugly and filthy he is. See him as St Ignatius portrays him, in that great plain of Babylon, seated as on a lofty throne of fire and smoke, horrible to behold. You notice his characteristic marks: the love of comfort, the hatred of every restraint, the love of pre-eminence and power, the spirit of rebellion and of criticism, agitation, darkness and confusion, fear and terror. Splendid and charming though he may look at times, some of these traits are always there to reveal infallibly his true nature. Often he tries to enter into our souls slowly and subtly; he just introduces his cauda serpentina—a feeling, a thought, a longing for something apparently harmless; and yet if we give way to it we soon experience in ourselves the traits of Satan.
“By their fruits you shall know them.”
“Begone Satan,” should be our resolute cry at the first approach of the enemy.
2. The gathering of God’s enemies
Satan summons together innumerable devils and spurs them to go, some one to city, some to another, throughout the world, omitting no province, place or state of life, nor any person in particular.
His attack is universal. St Ignatius is the last man to attribute all temptations to the devil. Still the fact remains, and the Saint strongly emphasizes it, that Satan is constantly at our side, as the embodiment of evil, bent on organizing the attacks of the world and the flesh against us, and on undoing God’s work in our souls. St John affirms it in unmistakable terms:
“He that doth sin is of the devil, because the devil sinneth from the beginning. To this end was the Son of God manifested, that He might undo the works of the devil.”
(1 John iii.)
St Peter is no less emphatic:
“Your adversary the devil goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour.”
(1 Peter v, 8)
St Paul is even more definite on this matter, throughout his Epistles.
It is Satan who raises all kinds of obstacles to the preachers of the Faith, who encourages idolatry, sows the seeds of doubt, and fans the spirit of revolt. He contends with Christ for the empire of this world. He is Christ’s great enemy: “he that tempteth.” That is why the Apostle writes to the Ephesians as follows:
“Put ye on the full armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the regions above. Wherefore take ye up the full armour of God, that ye may be able to resist in the evil day, to do your whole duty and to stand your ground. Stand, then, ‘with your loins girt in truth,’ and having on the ‘breastplate of justness,’ and with ‘your feet’ shod ‘in readiness to carry the gospel of peace,’ taking up withal the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. And take ‘the helmet of salvation’ and ‘the sword of the spirit,’ which is ‘the word of God’.”
(Eph. vi, 11-17)
Vigilance, prompt and strong resistance, are the infallible means to triumph over all infernal attacks.
3. Satan’s plan
Satan admonishes his satellites to lay snares to entrap men, and prepare chains to bind them fast once they are taken. He instructs them to direct their attacks not against sinners, but against those who profess to follow Christ, though from afar, and who would reject any temptation to what is openly sinful. The fact that such people are not resolved to fight à outrance, that they want the eternal and yet would keep the temporal, that they accept Christ’s teaching, but act mostly on the principles of the world, makes them an easy prey to the snares of the Evil One.
As a rule, the devils are directed to tempt such men, in the first place, with the lust of riches, so that they may more easily come to the vain honour of the world, and then to unbounded pride, the root of all evil.
Riches include, besides money, all showy gifts; and honours include power, influence, prestige, and glory. Riches and honours are the ordinary steps by which Satan leads men to unbounded pride. In themselves they are indifferent creatures, i.e., they may help or hinder us in the attainment of the end for which we are created. However, to love and to desire them is always dangerous and has often proved fatal to many souls. That accounts for the terrible woes pronounced by Christ:
“Woe to you that are rich: for you have your consolation. Woe to you that are filled: for you shall hunger. Woe to you that now laugh: for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when men shall bless you: for according to these things did their fathers to the false prophets.” (Luke vi, 24-26)
With fervent Christians, and even more, with persons consecrated to the service of God, as are all Priests and Religious, the tactics of Satan obviously vary. In some he fosters the love of bodily comforts and ease, or an inordinate attachment to a particular person, place, or work. In others he stirs up a craving for praise, external success and power, under the pretext of better promoting God’s glory. In others still, he rouses the spirit of independence and criticism. Thus, slowly and gradually, Satan makes such souls discontented with their lot—they do not get what they want, or at least, not as much as they want; and, what is even worse, he keeps them constantly busy with their miserable self. In their blindness, they may not be fully aware of it. Under the cloak of working for God’s glory, they seek self and their own exaltation. However, sooner or later “the fire shall try every man’s work, of what sort it is:” a deep humiliation or some such heavy trial shows what he really is.
Each one, therefore, must, seriously and in the presence of God, consider, first, the particular trick which Satan uses to lead him to ruin, and, then, steadfastly keeping it before him, drive, if need be, the opposite way. We should not say that this attitude is good for Saints, or that it is but a counsel of perfection. There is no other sure way to guard oneself against the treachery of the Evil One and to stave off eternal ruin.
Part II: Our Supreme Captain and Lord
1. The loveliness of our King
Our true and supreme Captain, Christ our Lord, in aspect beautiful and lovable, takes His stand on a lowly spot, in a great plain near Jerusalem.
With these few touches does St Ignatius delineate the characteristic notes of our Divine Leader—readiness to work for God’s glory, true liberty and large-heartedness, peace and order, humility and submission. The contemplation of the mysteries of our Lord’s public life will abundantly show how correct is the portrait here drawn.
By such traits are His disciples known, and likewise by such traits it is always possible to make out whether desires and inspirations which purport to be good, really proceed from God.
2. The King’s vassals
The Divine King is constantly on the look-out for generous souls whom He may call to Himself, instruct in His sacred doctrine, and then send into the world to spread this doctrine among all states and conditions of persons. He has been doing it since the day when He called Peter and Andrew, James and John:
“Come after Me and I will make you become fishers of men.” (Mark i, 17)
His call is a personal one. To every man to whom He whispers it, He says: Thou hast not chosen Me, but I have chosen thee; and I have appointed thee, that thou shouldst go, and should bring forth fruit, and thy fruit should remain. As the Father hath sent Me, I also send thee. Going, therefore, teach thou My sacred doctrine—the doctrine which I have entrusted to My Church. As far as it lies in thee, leave no place, no state, no condition of persons untaught. Fear not: all power is given to Me in heaven and on earth; and behold I am always with thee. It is I Myself that will abide with thee, and through thee, continue My saving mission.
The message of the Divine King
What is the quintessence of the doctrine which Christ desires to teach His servants and friends that they may spread it throughout the world? It is the love of poverty—poverty of spirit and actual poverty if one feels called to it—and the love and desire of reproaches and contempt, for the love of Christ and in imitation of Him Who was pauper et humilis.
“Every one of you that doth not renounce all that he possesses cannot be My disciple.” (Luke xiv, 33)
“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, itself remaineth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” (John xii, 24, 25)
In other words, give up everything, deny thyself and divest thyself of thy self-love, thy self-will, thy self-interest.
“Sit down in the lowest place.” (Luke xii, 10)
“If any man desires to be first, he shall be the last of all, and the minister of all.” (Mark ix, 34)
In other words, desire to be unknown and little esteemed by men. Seek no praise for thyself, but ever rejoice when others are praised. Thank God when thou art neglected, reprimanded, snubbed or thwarted. Love the humble and hard work which God or thy superiors have entrusted to thee, and be always at the beck of every one.
The twofold love of privations and self-effacement will establish our souls in humility and perfect submission to God’s Holy Will, and with it all good things will come to us.
We must fervently beg our Lady to obtain for us this twofold love from her Son; we must ask Christ, our Divine Mediator, to intercede for us with His Father; and we must pray the Father Himself to grant it to us.
Under the Standard of the Cross
(Suggestions for the colloquy)
1. O Mary, my sweet Mother, obtain for me grace from Thy Son and my King, that I may follow Him under the standard of the Cross in constant labour, in privations and hardships, in concealment and neglect, in humble submission and obedience. Ave Maria.
2. O Jesus, my Divine King and Saviour, obtain for me from Thy Eternal Father, that I may follow Thee under the standard of the Cross in constant labour, in privations and hardships, in concealment and neglect, in humble submission and obedience, for Thy love and to be like Thee in all things. Anima Christi.
3. O Eternal Father, Thou Who hast said of Christ: This is My beloved Son; hear Him, give me, I beseech Thee, grace that I may follow Him under the standard of the Cross, in constant labour, in privations and hardships, in concealment and neglect, in humble submission and obedience, that I may be made in all things conformable to His image. Pater noster.
Meditation for Day 6
The Two Standards: The one of Christ, our Commander-in-chief and Lord; the other of Lucifer, mortal enemy of our human nature.
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.
In this preparation for the consecration of ourselves to the Blessed Virgin Mary, we should keep Our Lady in mind throughout. For example, Satan’s plans never succeeded with her, she defeats these plans, she is able to obtain for us a clear understanding of them, she is with Christ under his standard as the “Victorious Leader of Triumphant Hosts” (as the Byzantines call her), and so on.
The Preparation
Prayer. The usual Preparatory Prayer.
First Prelude. The First Prelude is the narrative. It will be here how Christ calls and wants all under His standard; and Lucifer, on the contrary, under his.
Second Prelude. The second, a composition, seeing the place. It will be here to see a great field of all that region of Jerusalem, where the supreme Commander-in-chief of the good is Christ our Lord; another field in the region of Babylon, where the chief of the enemy is Lucifer.
Third Prelude. The third, to ask for what I want: and it will be here to ask for knowledge of the deceits of the bad chief and help to guard myself against them, and for knowledge of the true life which the supreme and true Captain shows and grace to imitate Him.
The Points for Meditation
First Point. The first Point is to imagine as if the chief of all the enemy seated himself in that great field of Babylon, as in a great chair of fire and smoke, in shape horrible and terrifying.
Second Point. The second, to consider how he issues a summons to innumerable demons and how he scatters them, some to one city and others to another, and so through all the world, not omitting any provinces, places, states, nor any persons in particular.
Third Point. The third, to consider the discourse which he makes them, and how he tells them to cast out nets and chains; that they have first to tempt with a longing for riches—as he is accustomed to do in most cases—that men may more easily come to vain honour of the world, and then to vast pride. So that the first step shall be that of riches; the second, that of honour; the third, that of pride; and from these three steps he draws on to all the other vices.
One could consider these points in reference to oneself: How far have we been conscious of this 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.
So, on the contrary, one has to imagine as to the supreme and true Captain, Who is Christ our Lord.
First Point. The first Point is to consider how Christ our Lord puts Himself in a great field of that region of Jerusalem, in lowly place, beautiful and attractive.
Second Point. The second, to consider how the Lord of all the world chooses so many persons—Apostles, Disciples, etc.,—and sends them through all the world spreading His sacred doctrine through all states and conditions of persons.
Third Point. The third, to consider the discourse which Christ our Lord makes to all His servants and friends whom He sends on this expedition, recommending them to want to help all, by bringing them first to the highest spiritual poverty, and—if His Divine Majesty would be served and would want to choose them—no less to actual poverty; the second is to be of contumely and contempt; because from these two things humility follows. So that there are to be three steps; the first, poverty against riches; the second, contumely or contempt against worldly honor; the third, humility against pride. And from these three steps let them induce to all the other virtues.
The Colloquy
As mentioned above, it may be more fitting in this Week 0 (seeking a knowledge of the world) to apply the first triple colloquy here – and to repeat this meditation at a later point with the second triple colloquy below.
First Colloquy. One Colloquy to Our Lady, that she may get me grace from Her Son and Lord that I may be received under His standard; and first in the highest spiritual poverty, and—if His Divine Majesty would be served and would want to choose and receive me—not less in actual poverty; second, in suffering contumely and injuries, to imitate Him more in them, if only I can suffer them without the sin of any person, or displeasure of His Divine Majesty; and with that a Hail Mary.
Second Colloquy. I will ask the same of the Son, that He may get it for me of the Father; and with that say the Soul of Christ.
Third Colloquy. I will ask the same of the Father, that He may grant it to me; and say an Our Father.
Fr Ambruzzi offers some suggestions for colloquies (see the previous piece), 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:
O most holy Mother of God, save us!
Quiet the seething of my passions and calm the storm of my sins, O thou, the Bride of God, who hath given gave birth to the good Lord.
O most holy Mother of God, save us!
O thou who hath both who bore the compassionate Lord, the Saviour of those who praise thee, grant that I who cling to thee may enjoy the depth of your compassion.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)
HELP KEEP THE WM REVIEW ONLINE WITH WM+!
As we expand The WM Review we would like to keep providing free articles for everyone.
Our work takes a lot of time and effort to produce. If you have benefitted from it please do consider supporting us financially.
A subscription gets you access to our exclusive WM+ material, and helps ensure that we can keep writing and sharing free material for all.
You can see what readers are saying over at our Testimonials page.
(We make our WM+ material freely available to clergy, priests and seminarians upon request. Please subscribe and reply to the email if this applies to you.)
Subscribe to WM+ now to make sure you always receive our material. Thank you!
If you are enjoying this preparation for Total Consecration, why not get it in mug form?
Follow on Twitter, YouTube and Telegram:
Twitter (The WM Review)
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.
