Chapter 6
section six of light and peace by padre quadrupa this libra vox recording is in the public domain part two interior life chapter thirteen scruples having therefore such hope we use much confidence two corinthians chapter three verse twelve fear is not in charity but perfect charity casteth out fear because fear hath pain and he that feareth is not perfect in charity one john chapter four verse eighteen there are persons who look upon scrupulosity as a virtue confounding it with delicacy of conscience whereas it is on the contrary not only a defect but one of a most dangerous character the devout and learned gerson says that a scrupulous conscience often does more injury to the soul than one that is too lax and remiss
scruples warp the judgment disturb the peace of the soul beget mistrust of the sacraments and estrangement from them and impair the health of body and mind how many unfortunates have begun by scrupulosity and ended in insanity how many more unfortunates still have begun by scruples and ended in laxity and impiety shun then this insidious poison so deadly in its effects on true piety and say with st joseph of cupertino away with sadness and scruples i will not have them in my house scrupulosity is an unreasonable fear of sin in matters where there is not even material for sin but the victim does not call his doubts and fears scruples for he would not be tormented by them if he believed he could give them that name he should however place implicit reliance in the opinion of his spiritual guide when he tells him they are such and that he must not allow himself to be influenced by them
in all his actions a scrupulous person sees only an uninterrupted series of sins and in god nothing but vengeance and anger he ought therefore to consider almost exclusively the attribute of the divine master by which he most delights to manifest himself mercy and to make it the constant subject of his thoughts meditations and affections we should do everything from love and nothing from constraint it is more essential to love obedience than to fear disobedience st francis de sills there is but one remedy for scruples and that is entire and courageous obedience it is a secret pride says st francis de sills that entertains and nourishes scruples for the scrupulous person adheres to his opinion and inquietude in spite of his director's advice to the contrary he always persuades himself in justification of his disobedience
that some new and unforeseen circumstance has occurred to which this advice cannot be applicable but submit adds the saint without other reasoning than this i should obey and you will be delivered from this lamentable malady by sadness and anxiety the children of god do a great injury to their heavenly father they thereby seemed to bear witness that there is little happiness to be found in the service of a master so full of love and mercy and to give the lie to the words of him who said come unto me all you that labour and are heavily burdened and i will refresh you woe to that narrow and self-absorbed soul that is always fearful and because of fear has no time to love and to go generously forward o my god i know it is your wish that the heart that loves you should be broad and free hence i shall act with confidence like to the child that plays in the arms of its mother
i shall rejoice in the lord and try to make others rejoice i shall pour forth my heart without fear in the assembly of the children of god i wish for nothing but candour innocence and joy of the holy ghost far far from me o my god be that sad and cowardly wisdom which is ever consumed in self ever holding the balance in hand in order to weigh atoms such lack of simplicity in the soul s dealings with thee is truly an outrage against thee such rigour imputed to thee is unworthy of thy paternal heart fenelon chapter fourteen interior peace martha martha thou art careful and art troubled about many things st luke chapter ten verse forty one always active always at rest st augustine be on your guard lest your zeal degenerate into anxiety and eagerness st francis de sales was a most pronounced enemy of these two defects
they cause us to lose sight of god in our actions and make us very prone to impatience if the slightest obstacle should interfere with our designs it is only by acting peacefully that we can serve the god of peace in an acceptable manner do not let us suffer our peace to be disturbed by precipitation in our exterior actions when our bodies or minds are engaged in any work we should perform it peacefully and with composure not prescribing for ourselves a definite time to finish it nor being too anxious to see it completed scopoli martha was engaged in a good work when she prepared a repast for our divine lord nevertheless he reproved her because she performed it with anxiety and agitation this goes to show says st francis de sales that it is not enough to do good the good must moreover be done well that is to say with love and tranquillity
if one turned the spinning-wheel too rapidly it falls and the thread breaks whenever we are doing well we are always doing enough and doing it sufficiently fast those persons who are restless and impetuous do not accomplish any more and what they do is done badly st francis de sales was never seen in a hurry no matter how varied or numerous might be the demands made upon his time when on a certain occasion some surprise was expressed at this he said you ask me how it is that although others are agitated and flurried i am not likewise uneasy and in haste what would you i was not put in this world to cause fresh disturbance is there not enough of it already without my adding to it by my excitability however do not on the other hand succumb to sloth and indifference all extremes are to be avoided cultivate a tranquil activity and an active tranquillity
in order to acquire tranquillity in action it is necessary to consider carefully what we are capable of accomplishing and never to undertake more than that it is self-love ever more anxious to do much than to do well which urges us on to burden ourselves with great undertakings and to impose upon ourselves numerous obligations it maintains and nourishes itself on this tension of mind this restless anxiety which it takes for infallible signs of a superior capacity thus st francis de sales was wont to say our self-love is a great braggart that wishes to undertake everything and accomplishes nothing it appears to me that you are over-eager and anxious in the pursuit of perfection now i tell you truthfully as it is said in the book of kings three kings chapter nineteen
that god is not in the great and strong wind nor in the earthquake nor in the fire but in the gentle movement of an almost imperceptible breeze anxiety and agitation contribute nothing toward success the desire of success is good but only if it be not accompanied by solicitude i expressly forbid you to give way to inquietude for it is the mother of all imperfections peace is necessary in all things and everywhere if any trouble come to us either of an interior or exterior nature we should receive it peacefully if joy be ours it should be received peacefully have we to flee from evil we should do it peacefully otherwise we may fall in our flight and thus give our enemy a chance to kill us is there a good work to be done we must do it peacefully or else we shall commit many faults by our hastiness and even as regards to penance that too must be done peacefully
behold said the prophet in peace is my bitterness most bitter chapter fifteen sadness i rejoiced at the things that were said to me we shall go into the house of the lord sing joyfully to god all the earth serve ye the lord with gladness why art thou sad o my soul and why dost thou trouble me psalms one hundred twenty one ninety nine and forty two and god shall wipe away all tears from their eyes apocalypse chapter twenty one verse four sadness says st francis de sales is the worst thing in the world sin alone excepted it is a dangerous error to seek recollection in sadness it is the spirit of god that produces recollection sadness is the work of the spirit of darkness do not forget the rule given by st francis de sales for the discernment of spirits any thought that troubles and disquiets us cannot come from the god of peace who makes his dwelling-place only in peaceful souls
yes my daughter i now tell you in writing what i before said to you in person always be as happy as you can in well-doing for it gives a double value to good works to be well done and to be done cheerfully and when i say rejoice in well-doing i do not mean that if you happen to commit some fault you should on that account abandon yourself to sadness for god's sake no for that would be to add defect to defect but i mean that you should persevere in the wish to do well that you return to it the moment you realize you have deviated from it and that by means of this fidelity you live happily in the lord may god be ever in our heart my daughter live joyfully and be generous for this is the will of god whom we love and to whose service we are consecrated st francis de sales it is wrong to deny oneself all diversion the mind becomes fatigued and depressed by remaining always concentrated in itself and thus more easily falls a prey to sadness
st thomas says explicitly that one may incur sin by refusing all innocent amusement every excess no matter what its nature is contrary to order and consequently to virtue recreations and amusements are to the life of the soul what seasoning is to our corporal food food that is too highly seasoned quickly becomes injurious and sometimes fatal in its effects that which is not seasoned at all soon becomes unendurable because of its insipidity and unpalatableness as to the amount of diversion it is right to take no absolute measure can be given the rule is that each person should have as much as is necessary for him this quantity varies according to the bent of the mind the nature of the habitual occupations and the greater or less predisposition to sadness one observes in his disposition when you find your heart growing sad divert yourself without a moment's delay make a visit enter into conversation with those around you read some amusing book take a walk sing do something it matters not what
provided you close the door of your heart against this terrible enemy as the sound of a trumpet gives the signal for a combat so sad thoughts apprize the devil that a favourable moment has come for him to attack us chapter sixteen liberty of spirit now the lord is a spirit and where the spirit of the lord is there is liberty two corinthians chapter three verse seventeen for you have not received the spirit of bondage again in fear but ye have received the spirit of adoption of sons whereby we cry abba father romans chapter eight verse fifteen love god and do what you will st augustine christian liberty of spirit so earnestly recommended by the saints consists in not becoming the slave of anything even though good unless it be of god s will thus our purest inclinations our holiest habits our wisest rules of conduct should yield without murmur or complaint to every manifestation of this divine will
in order that they may never become for us obstacles or impediments to good or the occasion of trouble and disquietude by this means only can we perform all our actions with cheerful confidence and devout courage i leave you the spirit of liberty not that liberty which hinders obedience for such is the liberty of the flesh but that which excludes scruples and constraint we ask of god above all things that his name be hallowed that his kingdom come that his will be done on earth as it is in heaven all this implies the spirit of liberty for provided god s name be sanctified that his divine majesty reign in you that his will be done the spirit desires nothing more st francis de sales st francis de sales speaking on this important subject says
he who possesses the spirit of liberty will on no account allow his affections to be mastered even by his spiritual exercises and in this way he avoids feeling any regret if they are interfered with by sickness or accident i do not say that he does not love his devotions but that he is not attached to them a soul that is attached to meditation if interrupted will show chagrin and impatience a soul that has true liberty will take the interruption in good part and show a gracious countenance to the person who was the cause of it for it is all one to it whether it serve god by meditating or by bearing with its neighbour both duties are god's will but just at this time patience with others is the more essential the fruits of this holy liberty of spirit are prompt and tranquil submission and generous confidence st francis de sales relates that st ignatius ate flesh meat one day in holy week
simply because his physician thought it expedient for him to do so on account of a slight illness a spirit of constraint would have made him allow the doctor to spend three days in persuading him he adds and would then very probably have refused to yield i cite this example for the benefit of timid souls and not for those who seek to elude an obligation by unwarranted dispensations this matter is of such importance and a just medium so difficult to follow in practice that it seems useful to transcribe the following passage from st francis de sales in its entirety with the rules and examples it contains in order that the proper occasions for the exercise of this virtue and its limitations may be well understood a heart possessed of this spirit of liberty is not attached to consolations but receives afflictions with all the sweetness that is possible to human nature i do not say that it does not love and desire consolations but that its affections are not wedded to them
it seldom loses its joy for no privation saddens a heart that is not set upon any one thing i do not say it never loses it but if it does so it quickly regains it the effects of this virtue are sweetness of temper gentleness and forbearance towards everything that is not sin or occasion of sin forming a disposition gently susceptible to the influences of charity and of every other virtue the occasions for exercising this holy freedom are found in all those things that happen contrary to our natural inclinations for one whose affections are not engaged in his own will does not lose patience when his desires are thwarted there are two vices opposed to this liberty of spirit instability and constraint or dissipation and servility the former is a certain excess of freedom which causes us to change our devout exercises or state of life without reason and without knowing if it be god's will
on the slightest pretext practices plans and rules are altered and for every trivial obstacle our laudable customs are abandoned in this way the heart is dissipated and spent and becomes like an orchard open on all sides the fruit whereof is not for the owner but for the passers-by constraint or servility is a certain lack of liberty owing to which the mind is overwhelmed with vexation or anger when we cannot carry out our designs even though we might be doing something better for example i resolve to make a meditation every morning now if i have the spirit of instability or dissipation i am apt to defer it until evening for the most insignificant reason because i was kept awake by the barking of a dog or because i have a letter to write although it be not at all pressing if on the contrary i have the spirit of constraint or servility
i will not give up my meditation even though a sick person has great need of my aid just then or if i have an important and urgent dispatch to send which should not be deferred and so on it remains for me to give you some examples of true liberty of spirit which will make you understand it better than i can explain it but before doing so it is well that i should say there are two rules which it is necessary to observe in order not to make any mistake on the subject the first is that a person must never abandon his pious practices and the common rules of virtue unless it is plainly evident that god wills that he do so now this will is manifested in two ways through necessity and through charity i desire to preach this lent in some little corner of my diocese however if i get sick or break my leg i need not give way to regret or inquietude because i cannot do as i intended for it is evident that it is the will of god that i serve him by suffering and not by preaching
or even if i am not ill or crippled but an occasion presents itself of going to some other place which if i do not avail myself of the people there may become huguenots the will of god is sufficiently manifest to make me amiably change my plans the second rule is that when it is necessary to make use of this liberty of spirit from motives of charity care should be taken that it is done without scandal or injustice for instance i may know that i should be more useful in some distant place not within my own diocese i should have no freedom of choice in this matter for my obligations are here and i should give scandal and do an injustice by abandoning my charge thus it is a false idea of the spirit of liberty that would induce married women to keep aloof from their husbands without legitimate reason under pretext of devotion and charity
this spirit rightly understood never interferes with the duties of one s vocation nor prejudices them in any way on the contrary it makes every one contented in his state of life as each should know it is god s will that he remain in it st charles borromeo was one of the most austere exact and determined of men bread was his only food water his only drink he was so strict that during the twenty-four years he was an archbishop he went into his garden but twice and visited his brothers only on two occasions and then because they were ill yet this austere priest when dining with his swiss neighbours which he often did in order to move them to amend their lives did not hesitate to join them in drinking toasts and healths on every occasion and in doing so to take more than was necessary to quench his thirst here is true liberty of spirit exemplified in the most mortified man of his time
an unstable spirit would have gone too far a spirit of constraint would have thought it was committing a mortal sin a spirit of liberty would act in this way from a motive of charity st spiritian a bishop of olden times once gave shelter to a pilgrim who was almost dying of hunger it was the season of lent and in a place where nothing was to be had but salt meat this berydian ordered to be cooked and then gave it to the pilgrim seeing that the latter notwithstanding his great need hesitated to eat it the saint although he did not require it ate some first in order to remove the poor man's scruples that was a true spirit of liberty born of charity st francis de sales again it is this christian spirit of freedom that excludes fear and uneasiness in regard to all those things which god has not permitted us to know it gives us a sweet and tender confidence as to the pardon of our past sins the present condition of our souls and our eternal destiny
it reminds us continually that although we have deserved hell our divine lord has merited heaven for us and that it would be doing a great injury to his goodness not to hope for pardon for the past assistance of divine grace for the present and salvation after death finally it teaches us to drown our remorse for sin in the ocean of the divine mercy i earnestly exhort you never to make indiscreet vows in the hope of thus increasing the merit of your ordinary works one can attain the same end by many ways that are easier and less dangerous those who are guilty of this imprudence often run the risk of breaking their vows and of thus sinning gravely and if they avoid this misfortune it is only at the expense of their peace of soul sacrifice to a craven and unquiet servitude which is totally incompatible with the tranquillity and confidence required in the great work of our spiritual perfection
many pious persons are too prone to advise obligations of this kind if they do so to you humbly excuse yourself by saying that you do not possess the extraordinary virtue requisite in order to fulfil them without disquietude st francis de sales disapproved of all the particular vows made by st jane francis de chantal and declared them null i have almost invariably found persons bound by such solemn obligations restless and agitated and have frequently seen them exposed to the gravest falls do not allow yourself to be misled by the example of some of the saints who made vows rarely is the desire to imitate certain extraordinary practices of theirs an inspiration of divine grace rather it is a temptation from the devil inciting us to pride and temerity st francis de sales exclaimed give me the spirit that animated st bernard and i shall do what st bernard did
let us apply ourselves i repeat to the imitation of those simple and solid virtues by which the saints attain sanctity and be content to admire those supernatural acts that suppose it already acquired to bind oneself by arbitrary vows without compromising salvation three things are necessary first supernatural inspiration urging one to make them second extraordinary virtue so as never to violate them third unalterable tranquillity in order to preserve peace of soul in keeping them end of section six
