Following His Footsteps
by Anselmo del Álamo
Chapter 8. Crosses
43. We do not go to Jesus except through Calvary. The graces of God are in proportion to the tribulations suffered. -- St. Margaret of Cortona
44. Sufferings are the sign and the price of the authentic divine favors. -- Dom Columba Marmion
45. In their many crosses and trials my friends live joyfully, with the hope of attaining glory; they enjoy peace of heart, and tranquility of spirit, and in the midst of their afflictions they are more blessed and fortunate than worldly people with their false peace and all their pleasures. Hear the reason why I test them in so many ways: I abide and dwell in a soul, as in a paradise of delights, and I cannot permit it to take pleasure outside of me and to become fond of creatures; and because I wish to possess it chaste and pure, I surround it with thorns and I enclose it with adversities, so that it cannot escape from my hands. I sow its path with anguish and with sorrows, so that it cannot rest in low and created things, and so that it may place all its happiness in the depths of my Divinity. The reward of its afflictions is so great, that all earthly hearts together could not comprehend it. -- Our Lord to Blessed Henry Suso
46. I know of nothing that sweetens so much the unpleasantness of life, as much as continuous suffering for love. This does not mean that one should ask for suffering, because the most perfect is always to not ask for anything and not to refuse anything. -- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
47. The only works and foundations that endure, are those based upon suffering and upon the Cross. -- Dom Thibaut
CHAPTER 30
Remedies against Pride
By Venerable Louis of Granada
We have already called the deadly or capital sins the sources of all iniquity. They are the roots of the mighty tree of vice, and if we can destroy them the trunk and branches must soon decay. With them, therefore, we shall begin, following the example of Cassian and other spiritual writers, who were so firmly convinced that if they could only rout these enemies the defeat of the others would be an easy task.
St. Thomas gives us a profound reason for this. All sin, he says, proceeds from self-love, for we never commit sin without coveting some gratification for self. From self-love spring those three branches of sin mentioned by St. John: "the concupiscence of the flesh, the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 Jn. 2:16), which are love of pleasure, love of riches, and love of honors. Three of the deadly sins, lust, gluttony, and sloth, spring from love of pleasure, pride springs from love of honors, and covetousness from love of riches. The remaining two, anger and envy, serve all these unlawful loves. Anger is aroused by any obstacle which prevents us from attaining what we desire, and envy is excited when we behold any-one possessing what our self-love claims. These are the three roots of the seven deadly sins, and consequently of all the others. Let these chiefs be destroyed and the whole army will soon be routed. Hence we must vigorously attack these mighty giants who dispute our entrance to the promised land.
The first and most formidable of these enemies is pride, that inordinate desire of our own excellence, which spiritual writers universally regard as the father and king of all the other vices. Hence Tobias, among the numerous good counsels which he gave his son, particularly warns him against pride: "Never suffer pride to reign in thy mind or in thy words, for from it all perdition took its beginning." (Tob. 4:14). Whenever, therefore, you are attacked by this vice, which may justly be called a pestilence, defend yourself with the following considerations:
First reflect on the terrible punishment which the angels brought upon themselves by one sin of pride. They were instantly cast from Heaven into the lowest depths of Hell. Consider how this fall trans-formed Lucifer, the prince of the angelic hosts, and the bright and beautiful star surpassing in splendor the sun itself. In one moment he lost all his glory, and became not only a demon but the chief of demons. If pure spirits received such punishment, what can you expect, who are but dust and ashes? God is ever the same, and there is no distinction of persons before His justice.
Pride is as odious to Him in a man as in an angel, while humility is equally pleasing to Him in both. Hence St. Augustine says, "Humility makes men angels, and pride makes angels devils." And St. Bernard tells us, "Pride precipitates man from the highest elevation to the lowest abyss, but humility raises him from the lowest abyss to the highest elevation. Through pride the angels fell from Heaven to Hell, and through humility man is raised from earth to Heaven."
After this, reflect on that astonishing example of humility given us by the Son of God, who for love of us took upon Himself a nature so infinitely beneath His own, and "became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Phil. 2:8). Let the example of your God teach you, O man, to be obedient. Learn, O dust, to humble yourself. Learn, O clay, to appreciate your baseness. Learn from your God, O Christian, to be "meek and humble of heart." (Matt. 11:29). If you disdain to walk in the footsteps of men, will you refuse to follow your God, who died not only to redeem us but to teach us humility? Look upon yourself and you will find sufficient motives for humility. Consider what you were before your birth, what you are since your birth, and what you will be after death. Before your birth you were, for a time, an unformed mass; now a fair but false exterior covers what is doomed to corruption; and in a little while you will be the food of worms. Upon what do you pride yourself, O man, whose birth is ignominy, whose life is misery, whose end is corruption? If you are proud of your riches and worldly position, remember that a few years more and death will make us all equal. We are all equal at birth with regard to our natural condition; and as to the necessity of dying, we shall all be equal at death, with this important exception: that those who possessed most during life will have most to account for in the day of reckoning.
"Examine," says St. Chrysostom, "the graves of the rich and powerful of this world, and find, if you can, some trace of the luxury in which they lived, of the pleasures they so eagerly sought and so abundantly enjoyed. What remains of their magnificent retinues and costly adornments? What remains of those ingenious devices destined to gratify their senses and banish the weariness of life? What has become of that brilliant society by which they were surrounded? Where are the numerous attendants who awaited their commands? Nothing remains of their sumptuous banquets. The sounds of laughter and mirth are no longer heard; a somber silence reigns in these homes of the dead. But draw nearer and see what remains of their earthly tenements, their bodies which they loved too much. Naught but dust and ashes, worms and corruption."
This is the inevitable fate of the human body, however tenderly and delicately nurtured. Ah! Would to God that the evil ended here! But more terrible still is all that follows death: the dread tribunal of God's justice; the sentence passed upon the guilty; the weeping and gnashing of teeth; the tortures of the worm that never dies; and the fire which will never be extinguished.
Consider also the danger of vainglory, the daughter of pride, which as St. Bernard says, enters lightly but wounds deeply. Therefore, when men praise you, think whether you really possess the qualities for which they commend you. If you do not, you have no reason to be proud. But if you have justly merited their praise, remember the gifts of God, and say with the Apostle, "By the grace of God I am what I am." (1 Cor. 15:10). Humble yourself, then, when you hear the song of praise, and refer all to the glory of God. Thus you will render yourself not unworthy of what He bestows upon you. For it is incontestable that the respect men pay you, and the good for which they honor you, are due to God. You rob Him, therefore, of all the merit which you appropriate to yourself. Can any servant be more unfaithful than one who steals his master's glory? Consider, moreover, how unreasonable it is to rate your merit by the inconstant opinion of men who today are for you, and tomorrow against you; who today honor you, and tomorrow revile you. If your merit rests upon so slight a foundation, at one time you will be great, at another base, and again nothing at all, according to the capricious variations of the minds of men.
Oh, no; do not rely upon the vain commendations of others, but upon what you really know of yourself. Though men extol you to the skies, listen to the warnings of your conscience and accept the testimony of this intimate friend rather than the blind opinion of those who can judge you only from a distance and by what they hear. Make no account of the judgments of men, but commit your glory to the care of God, whose wisdom will preserve it for you and whose fidelity will restore it to you in the sight of angels and men.
Be mindful also, O ambitious man, of the dangers to which you expose yourself by seeking to command others, How can you command when you have not yet learned to obey? How can you take upon yourself the care of others when you can hardly account for yourself? Consider what a risk you incur by adding to your own sins those of persons subject to your authority. Holy Scripture tells us that they who govern will be severely judged, and that the mighty shall be mightily tormented. (Cf. Wis. 6:6). Who can express the cares and troubles of one who is placed over many? We read of a certain king who, on the day of his coronation, took the crown in his hands, and, gazing upon it, exclaimed, "O crown richer in thorns than in happiness, did one truly know thee he would not stoop to pick thee up even if he found thee lying at his feet."
Again, O proud man, I would ask you to remember that your pride is displeasing to all – to God, who resists the proud and gives His grace to the humble (Cf. James 4:6); to the humble, who hold in horror all that savors of arrogance; and to the proud themselves, who naturally hate all who claim to be greater than they. Nor will you be pleasing to yourself. For if it ever be given to you in this world to enter into yourself and recognize the vanity and folly of your life, you will certainly be ashamed of your littleness. And if you do not correct it here, still less satisfaction will it afford you in the next world, where it will bring upon you eternal torments.
St. Bernard tells us that if we truly knew our hearts we would be displeasing to ourselves, which alone would make us pleasing to God; but because we do not know ourselves we are inflated with pride and therefore hateful in His sight. The time will come when 'we shall be odious to God and to ourselves – to God because of our crimes, and to ourselves because of the punishment they will bring upon us. Our pride pleases the devil only; for as it was pride which changed him from a pure and beautiful angel into a spirit of malice and deformity, he rejoices to find this evil reducing others to his unhappy state.
Another consideration which will help you acquire humility is the thought of the little you have done purely for God. How many vices assume the mask of virtue! How frequently vainglory spoils our best works! How many times actions which shine with dazzling splendor before men have no beauty before God! The judgments of God are different from those of men. A humble sinner is less displeasing in His sight than a proud just man, if one who is proud can be called just.
Nevertheless, though you have performed good works, do not forget your evil deeds, which probably far exceed your works of virtue, and which may be so full of faults and so negligently performed that you have more reason to ask to be forgiven for them than to hope for reward. Hence St. Gregory says: "Alas for the most virtuous life, if God judge it without mercy, for those things upon which we rely most may be the cause of the greatest confusion to us. Our bad actions are purely evil, but our good actions are seldom entirely good, but are frequently mixed with much that is imperfect. Your works, therefore, ought to be a subject of fear rather than confidence, after the example of holy Job, who says, 'I feared all my works, knowing that thou didst not spare the offender. '" (Job 9:28).
SECTION II -- Particular Remedies (to be continued)
IF I HAD ONLY ONE SERMON TO PREACH
If I had only one sermon to preach, it would be a sermon against Pride. The more I see of existence, and especially of modern practical and experimental existence, the more I am convinced of the reality of the old religious thesis; that all evil began with some attempt at superiority; some moment when, as we might say, the very skies were cracked across like a mirror, because there was a sneer in Heaven.
Now the first fact to note about this notion is a rather curious one. Of all such notions, it is the one most generally dismissed in theory and most universally accepted in practice. Modern men imagine that such a theological idea is quite remote from them; and, stated as a theological idea, it probably is remote from them. But, as a matter of fact, it is too close to them to be recognised. It is so completely a part of their minds and morals and instincts, I might almost say of their bodies, that they take it for granted, and act on it even before they think of it. It is actually the most popular of all moral ideas; and yet it is almost entirely unknown as a moral idea. No truth is now so un-familiar as a truth, or so familiar as a fact.
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The Story of Isidra
The Trail of Tears
Introduction
During the 1950s Sixto, an Indian in Latin America, married Isidra; they had eight children, the first being born in 1953. It was not a happy family; Sixto was in a bad mood nearly all the time, frequently became drunk and sometimes even beat his wife and children. However, with all his defects, he was hard-working.
Sixto spoke his native language, but the children grew up speaking Spanish. His first son, Bernardino, was aware of the unhappy family situation; he also was mistreated by Sixto. On one occasion, when Bernardino was 18, he asked his mother, Isidra, why she simply did not leave Sixto? But she decided to keep living in the family, even though it cost her so much suffering. After that Bernardino went through a phase where he did not communicate with any of his relatives for three years.
During this period, Isidra was often worried and upset, fearing that she had lost Bernardino forever. She prayed often, and made novenas, for his return. Three years later, when he returned and she saw him, she was so happy she burst into tears.
A Secret Kept
During those unhappy years a strange event happened to Isidra. She never told anyone about it. However, during the last two years of her life, she guessed that she had only a few years left upon earth. Therefore she decided to reveal the secret to one of her daughters. One day she arranged to be alone with Maria Luisa and told her the following.
The Secret Revealed
One day Sixto had beaten her severely in one of his drunken moods. She was recovering, alone, from the shock, hurt and humiliation. Then she saw a vision: a man clothed in white appeared to her, and took her in vision to a dark valley, where she heard the cries and screams of tormented souls. Then the man dressed in white transported her to a heavenly realm of profound peace and ineffable happiness. She wished she could have remained there forever. But her desire could not be granted. The man told her that it was the will of the Lord for her to return to the earth, so that she could teach the people about God. Then he left her, and she found herself again in her poor ranch near Toluca. The man dressed in white was Jesus Christ himself.
It was as if God had told Isidra, “Do not be afraid of your husband or saddened about your suffering. In the end everything will turn out well, all manner of thing shall be well.” In those moments Isidra learned more about the horror of being eternally separated from God, the torments of condemned souls, and the incomprehensible joy of being with Him eternally in the heavenly Jerusalem, than if she had read many books or heard sermons.
The last part of the message was a puzzle, an enigma, a riddle. Isidra was illiterate, a peasant woman with no education at all. Her religious knowledge was minimal. Being without training, she was not capable of training others. She could not possibly be considered a teacher, except in the sense that one may teach by giving a good example, and witness by the testimony of good works in silence. After this event, Isidra was seen often in the parish church, praying.
Isidra never told anyone, except Maria Luisa, about her vision. She carried her secret to the grave. Bernardino was not present when she died of cancer in 1984, but he did attend the funeral. His mother's death affected him deeply and caused a mild depression that lasted six months.
The Trail of Tears Ends in Everlasting Happiness
ISIDRA did not have much, in her pilgrimage through life, except suffering, humiliations, trials and tears. However she did receive one privilege: she was taught by Jesus Christ Himself. Her life was a confirmation of the verse of Scripture: “It is written in the prophets. And they shall all be taught of God.” (John 6:45, Isaiah 54:13). “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (John 14:18) Christ made up for her poverty, her humiliations and suffering, by visiting and teaching her in person. Now she is in the city of everlasting happiness, the heavenly Jerusalem, where all prophecies are fulfilled, all promises kept: “For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:17) “The Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces: and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.” (Isaiah 25:8).
A few years later Sixto died. The youngest son, Venancio, inherited the ranch. It is suitable to register and record these events in writing. Tragic events sometimes demonstrate how God uses the wickedness and malice of men to effect a greater good. “But as for you, you thought evil against me: but God meant it unto good,... to save much people alive.” (Gen. 50:20) “And we know that all things work together for good, to them that love God.” (Rom. 8:28) “All things:” --even what happened to Isidra and her children.
For his anger endures but a moment; in his favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. -- Psalm 30:5
The righteous cry, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to them that are of a broken heart; and saves such as be of a contrite spirit. -- Psalm 34:17-18
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you: But rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy. -- 1 Peter 4:12-13
♫ Musical Notes ♫
Revelations of Saint Gertrude
Chapter 10
How the Lord obliged her to write these things
and how He inspired her.
I considered it so unsuitable for me to publish these writings, that my conscience would not consent to do so. Therefore I deferred doing it until the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. On that day, having determined before Mass to apply myself to other occupations, the Lord conquered the repugnance of my reason by these words: "Be assured that you will not be released from the prison of the flesh, until you have paid this debt which still binds you." As I reflected that I had already employed the gifts of God for the advancement of my neighbour, if not by my writing, at least by my words, He brought forward these words which I had heard used at the preceding Matins: "If the Lord had willed to teach His doctrine only to those who were present, He would have taught by word only, not by writing. But now they are written for the salvation of many." He added further: "I desire your writings to be an indisputable evidence of My Divine goodness in these latter times, in which I purpose to do good to many."
These words having depressed me, I began to consider within myself how difficult and even impossible it would be to find thoughts and words capable of explaining these things to the human intellect without scandal. But the Lord delivered me from this pusillanimity by pouring out on my soul an abundant rain, the impetuous fall of which weighed me down like a young and tender plant, vile creature that I am, instead of watering me gently, so as to make me increase in perfection. I could find no profit from it, except from some weighty words, the sense of which I was unable perfectly to penetrate. Therefore, finding myself still more depressed, I inquired what would be the advantage of these writings. Thy goodness, my God solaced my trouble with Thy usual sweetness, refreshing my soul by this reply: "Since this deluge appears useless to you, behold, I will now approach you to My Divine Heart, that your words may be gentle and sweet, according to the capabilities of your mind." Which promise, my Lord and my God, Thou didst most faithfully fulfil. For four days at a convenient hour each morning, Thou didst suggest with so much clearness and sweetness what I composed, that I have been able to write it without difficulty and without reflection, even as if I had learned it by heart long before, with this limitation, that when I had written a sufficient quantity each day, it has not been possible for me, although I applied my whole mind to it, to find a single word to express the things which on the following day I could write freely, thus instructing and refraining my impetuosity, as the Scripture teaches: "Let none so apply himself to action as to omit contemplation." Thus art Thou jealous for my welfare. Whilst Thou givest me leisure to enjoy the embraces of Rachel, Thou dost not permit me to be deprived of the glorious fruitfulness of Lia. May Thy wise love deign to accomplish in me these two things.
Chapter 11
She receives the gift of tears
and is warned of the snares which the demon has laid for her. (To be continued)
