Catholic during the Great Apostasy

To devote oneself to the spiritual life means as much as to break with the world. Here one takes a parting of the ways even with what is pleasant and desirable, for which we cannot but feel the affection we have for natural qualities, for example. We enter a world that is different, where other aspirations reign, other speech resounds, a world that is the antithesis of the one we have abandoned. Grace entrains us toward the former; nature draws us toward the latter.

In this discrepancy lies the secret of that tremendous influence exercised on us by human consideration; and of the three dispositions that make up the normal state of clerical life, it is above all fatigue that exposes us to succumb to human consideration.

Weary of inner work and exhausted by prolonged struggle, we will not be able to face the enemy who approaches us with the mask of a friend. In view of this, the protective spirit that does not abandon us in moments of fatigue should be remembrance of God’s presence, purity of intention or simply what I prefer to call freedom from human considerations, since no other word better expresses this good spirit than this negative term.

Much could be said about human consideration. It is a disease, giving itself especially to the clergy, and relatively little to the harassment of others. Its elusiveness comes from the fact that it tends to create a certain atmosphere in which we live, rather than allowing ourselves to be caught and rebuked in individual cases. Nevertheless, her presence is obvious to us. We cannot doubt her for a moment.

Its symptoms are too severe. It restrains our freedom, becoming a veritable tyrant of human hearts. And yet, upon brief reflection, we see all the absurdity of succumbing to this tyranny. For, in fact, we care little for the opinion of this or that individual; even if it comes out favorably for us, we gain nothing from it, nor even reasonable satisfaction, if it does not conform to the truth. All its charm is hidden in the mirages with which it lures us from afar, but which fade away when viewed up close.

Consideration of people is among the nagging diseases that peculiarly choke the spiritual life. Just look at the soul in which it has taken hold. How it behaves in company and in public life, in the bosom of family and friends, during confession or conference with a director of conscience, and even in moments of prayer, before God or in complete solitude. It would seem that God’s omnipresence for her had ceased to exist, that some other powerful eye rested on her, pursuing her persistently in the shape of daylight and awakening an almost supernatural anxiety in her heart.

It is not difficult to point out the lamentable consequences of such an omnipresence of the world, this unfortunate delusion that gathers all human eyes into one monstrous pupil, stalking us at every turn.

This human consideration takes away the simplicity and sincerity of our relations with others and brings us to reckless steps. He it extinguishes noble enthusiasm for works of penance and mercy. He feeds man into the tyranny of the fear of ridicule, making a false god.

 

Human consideration is the negation of perfection, and where it reigns, holiness is impossible; for under its influence we turn away from God to the creatures. Wherever it appears, it drags with it a long chain of sins of abandonment, hatched out of cowardice and fear of ridicule, and a second chain of sins, committed by deed in the desire to please people. With the passage of time (and this time is not long), the addiction perpetuates itself in us, taking the form of ingrained absentmindedness in prayer, almost drawing nourishment for its voracity in the examination of conscience, that most reliable of spiritual exercises.

This is a vile and lamentable transgression. More grievous than the hardness of the Carthusian rule. There is no yoke more miserable and degrading. What a disgrace, to be ashamed of one’s principles and duties! What misery, to see that our every act, tainted at the root, bears the stigma of this blight! What misery to lose at the end – which will surely happen – the very thing for which one has made so many sacrifices – respect from others! And already shame above shame, to lose respect with oneself!

Religion, which should be a source of solace for us, becomes a torture for us. Even the sacraments leave us with a feeling of emptiness, as if they have not been used properly, which, unfortunately, works on us; and our contact with the guide of conscience, instead of healing – poisons our soul.

It is necessary for us to get to the bottom of these infirmities of pious souls and follow their course. Those who always want to please themselves, who strive for this in every thing, who dream of some heroic deeds, building castles on ice, who finally relish in the praise they receive, and are discouraged by every reprimand – they have already contracted the terrible disease of human consideration.

 

So weighing people’s opinions is not a single flaw, but a whole bunch of flaws. It signifies the veritable annihilation of all religiosity. Our revulsion against it will never be sufficient as long as these hard words seem to us an exaggeration. Therefore, let us examine the position that human consideration takes in the battle between good and evil.

Let us first examine its sources; for given the distrust we are accustomed to have for one another, this is a difficult issue to resolve.

The special task of Christians is to realize the world of suprasensory values. Their notions of what is good and what is evil differ from the views of worldly people. With these people they come to live together, they have to speak the same language, giving it a different meaning; misunderstandings and discrepancies increase with each passing day; the world, which claims to be the ruler or master of this earth, grows angrier and angrier, ready, despite all its tolerance, to act harshly against those who dare to disturb the public peace. People feel well that rightness is on the side of religion, but – perhaps precisely for this reason – they refuse to look the truth in the eye, lest they have to recognize it. They feel this because they know that they are not without fault. That is why the thought of the Lord’s judgments and God’s constant rule over the world so stings them. They are stung by the unbroken serenity with which God’s judgments are passed and God’s decisions come to pass in their own time. Therefore, unable to do without a judge, since they transformed God in Three Persons one, into a function, into an indefinite cause, into a pantheistic nebula or into some mechanical force, they transferred the power of judgment to mankind as a community. – This is how they explain this magical influence that human consideration has on the soul.

Humanity has rebelled against God’s judgment for centuries. And perhaps because of this, God, in His unspeakable forbearance, placed His power of judgment at the final judgment in the hands of Christ, so that His holy Humanity would judge us at that solemn moment.

 

Judging from a purely human standpoint, one could say that this appropriation of judicial power by man has borne extraordinary fruit. Social amenities, the slogan of comfortable ethics and, in general, everything that falls within the scope of the so-called “opportunity for self-exploitation” – this is barely a small part of them. Admittedly, this universal freedom has consumed a lot of personal happiness, because its guardians are ruthless and tough, and its defense is sometimes cruel, almost draconian. But a certain counterbalance to these inconveniences is this freedom of thought that is left to man by secular laws, which judge only external deeds, while before the court of God thoughts escape as deeds and are judged and condemned as such.

The realization that our thoughts are the main object of God’s judgments made the judging of God miserable for people. So this burden was cast aside, and freedom reigned in the realm of thought. Slander, detraction, slanderous judgments, hurtful criticisms, spoken aloud, would yet find punishment, but as long as they weave their way through thought, they escape unpunished, allowing us, with our heads held high and our foreheads worn out, to escape the tribunals of men.

Not surprisingly, since human consideration once took its place among the powers of the world, it has since become a particular affliction of pious souls, bringing them real defeat and annihilation of the inner life. It almost spells some kind of substitute for religion.

For what is religiosity if not the realization of God’s presence, and what is religion itself if not the worship of this God? In religion, God’s presence becomes our atmosphere. The sacraments, prayer, mortification and all the exercises of the spiritual life are not only the means to seize this presence, but to imbue our souls and bodies with it. The breath of the soul depends on it. It imprints a certain mark on us, a kind of peculiar and easily recognizable mark, gouging in us a certain supernatural feature that arouses in others reverence or love, hatred or contempt, depending on the position from which anyone will look at us.

For the pure soul, God’s presence is the source of the highest happiness that is only possible on earth; it implants in us that strange, spontaneous sense of the world of another, which is almost an eye-view by faith of the One who is invisible, – with the simultaneous impossibility of determining the object viewed.

Human sight, on the other hand, is it not a kind of foreboding and falsification of all this? Is it not an endeavor to exterminate in us all that God’s presence makes in the souls of the elect? – In this light, human consideration shows itself to be a complete conflagration of the soul.

Human consideration is precisely why it is so particularly dangerous, because it constitutes a kind of false religion. There is no ugliness in it such that it deters us from ourselves. On the contrary, there is sin hiding in its face. Of course, for us, none of this is to our advantage, since it is precisely the most deadly sins that are usually carried out secretly.

Human consideration impersonates the name of public opinion, hiding behind the duty of reason and prudence. This is an ambush against which one must be well guarded. For public opinion, as long as it does not go beyond legitimate limits, is a seriousness to be reckoned with, and a man who, under the guise of piety, would make it a principle never to look at public opinion, or to bend to it under any circumstances, would be paving the way for delusions, would even be acting contrary to the prudence of the Church.

There is a big difference between what my neighbors openly and rightly expect of me and the fear of their criticism, which causes me to be guided in my conduct towards them rather than God’s will. I am free to be insensitive to criticism, but I cannot go against rightful expectations.

Besides, human consideration strips our otherwise even good deeds of their supernatural splendor. He is the one who kills the nerve of pure intention, and he does so silently, not allowing us to defend ourselves, if only with a toothache to which the nerve is poisoned. In the shape of a worm in a nut, he eats away the kernel of our motives, leaving a hollow husk of an external act, deluding the eye with false pretenses.

And since intention plays such a great role in religion, with its corruption it comes quickly to the complete disappearance of religiosity; for the proper motives of conduct are replaced by perverse motives, damaging the very root of spiritual life.

This is one of the most effective tools that corrupt nature puts in the hands of Satan for the destruction of souls. What could be more distasteful and hateful in God’s eyes than this?

Pre-snitching is always an abhorrent thing, and all the more so the more beautiful and venerable its object, and as we have seen, human consideration prejudges the omnipresence and judging power of God Himself.

It is extremely rare that anyone notices, before they sincerely turn to God, how wretched a slave they have been to this vice. The moment our eyes are opened, however, we only become aware of the extent to which this human consideration has seeped into our blood, taken root in us and grown with us, becoming, as it were, a strangely resistant part of our lives. Its origin is shrouded in the darkness of mystery, in the face of which we are reliant on mere conjecture.

No one can say with certainty how, when or why it appeared; like the fumes of corrupted humanity, like the bugbear of a malignant plague, it has silently invaded the depths of our souls. There is not a stratum of society that it has not infected, not a corner of private life that it has not disturbed, not a single monastic cell that it has not infected, competing effectively with what theologians sometimes call Satan’s ubiquity.

The power of human considerations is so great that it prevails over the Divine commandments, over the prescriptions of the Church, over even the will of man himself, accomplishing in the last instance what grace and repentance can only with difficulty accomplish.

This power seems to have increased with civilisation and with the development of means of locomotion and the exchange of ideas. In modern society, man has elevated it to the dignity of a principle, has recognised its momentousness, defends its charms and punishes any opposition to it.

God has become an ex-monarch among us, perhaps a legitimate one, but folded from the throne. It would be good if at least in His own kingdom we vaulted Him a room where He could dwell, hidden behind a door.

Indeed, if Satan did not co-operate in this work with human regard in a way that exceeds natural forces, he must surely have already concentrated all his energies on it in order to give it such terrible success. Never does Satan seize such power as when he humbles himself to the role of spokesman for human considerations.

Look deep into your own soul and you will see how far you have succumbed to this power.

Is there even a corner of your being where you can rest easy and breathe fresh air? Can you find at least one spiritual exercise, at least one occupation, even a holy one, at least one duty, however solemn, where human considerations would not intrude?

Can you name a holiness that he would not desecrate? And how many times, once thought vanquished, has he risen, after a fresh defeat only strengthened, as after a dream that is refreshing? Has he not followed you like a shadow, like an inscrutable blot on the bright disc of the sun? And yet how long ago did you turn to God and lead a spiritual life? How many springs and maybes have passed over you, how many sacramental graces, how many indulgences gained? – And yet this human consideration, in spite of everything, is still doing its demolishing work and is just as entrenched, just as tireless, just as possessive as before. What issue can there be, closer to your heart, than shaking off this plague?

The Church hastens to help us here in two ways, one of which arises from the totality of Catholic teaching, the other is manifested in the way she guides individual souls.

Above all, he boldly casts a verdict of curses on the spoganised world. He repudiates its judgements in matters of religion, and stigmatises fraternising with it as a slogan for fighting God. To his sons he gives different judgements of right and wrong and even different rules of conduct. All the positive precepts of the Church and the whole set of ceremonies revealing our faith are one great protest against human consideration, and the Saints whom she elevates to the altar are the very heroes of the struggle against human consideration. The world knows and understands the eloquence of these deeds, it can be seen from its hatred, badly masking the deafening jealousy of the humiliated partitioner.

Far more effective are the means which the Church provides for individual souls in confession and spiritual direction. The world trembles before the mysterious power of this tribunal which, for all its meekness and inconspicuousness, acts with irresistible efficacy. Here, above all, the memory of God’s omnipresence comes forward as an antidote to the hashish of human consideration. We learn to act without haste, uniting our action with God through pure intention. We are trained to combat this transgression by means of a detailed examination of conscience, to attack it with prayer, to be open in conscience whenever we confess it.

Even in things that are indifferent, we learn to take that line of conduct which more effectively liberates us from human considerations, if only for the love of humiliation itself. Therein lies the explanation of the seemingly thoughtless and sometimes childish mortifications practised in religious houses. This is because human considerations are disguised self-love, which we only transfer to the world, seeing that we ourselves are too insignificant an object of adoration, even for ourselves; therefore, whatever opposes this self-love, and this is effectively done by the aforementioned mortifications, also strikes a blow against human considerations.

In casting out Satan, the Saints sometimes used very childish ways; let us also use them if we wish to cast out this evil spirit from us. Finally, let us allow our souls to be possessed by a childlike, timid remembrance of the eye of Divine Providence, which does not fall asleep, but keeps vigil through the ages, and the human gaze will dry up and disappear like the autumn leaves that fly with the wind to fertilise the earth for the approaching spring.

But the most important thing is to understand the essential position of the world and our relationship to it. This knowledge will provide us with an excellent fortress against human considerations, which are one of the main causes of our withering in the pursuit of perfection. Let us try to examine the attitude of pious persons towards the world and the world towards them.

As soon as we give ourselves to God, we consciously decide to lead a supernatural life. What is meant by this supernatural life? – It means the total consecration of our life, flowing from the knowledge that it is impossible to serve two masters.

Total sacrifice, are you surprised? – Yes, total. How else can I define it? One need not think that in this consecration we should not become a thousand times happier and more joyful already here on earth, only that this happiness and joy will find its source in another life.

This earthly life has to end once, and it has to end with everything we hold dear . We cannot alleviate this with euphemistic phrases. This is why the supernatural life teaches us to grow accustomed to it, making it not sin that sets the limit to our freedom, but the evangelical counsels with which we voluntarily limit our freedom. Its slogan is mortification, and mortification is like a voluntary punishment, inflicted on oneself before the day of wrath arrives. In place of secular interests, passions and pleasures come others. The conviction of our own weakness becomes the basis of our behaviour, and our point of support shifts exclusively towards supernatural aids and sacramental graces.

Silence, solitude, penitence, apparent eccentricity or the absolute pursuit of the path of vocation even make us to a certain extent unsociable people. In a word, we consciously move into that minority of pious people in the world, even though we know that we will have to suffer for it.

In view of this significance of the spiritual life, what position will the world take towards us and how will it treat us?

The world believes semi-consciously in its infallibility. Therefore, at first he is sometimes surprised, then in turn he becomes enraged when he sees that we come out of different principles than he does in our conduct. For this course of action denies his sovereignty over us and tramples the tight rules of his prudence and forethought. Our behavior reproaches him, as it were, that God has condemned his principles. We treat his habits, his sectarianism, his strivings, his struggles, his frowns and his charms no better than a pretentious, empty childhood. The world, on the other hand, though itself ignored by us, cannot ignore us, because our existence is a fact that invades its domains and overturns its assumptions. We ignore the world, and ignoring it is a policy of either extreme impotence or extreme power. In our case, both occur: the impotence of nature and the power of grace.

In view of this significance of the spiritual life, what position will the world take towards us and how will it treat us?

Of course, his moves will vary, depending on the circumstances. In general, however, the line of his conduct will be more or less like this: If we succeed in any undertaking, undertaken for the glory of God, if our influence grows and converts people to God, if people reckon with us, and our example becomes a living reproach to others, – we can be sure that we will be met with hatred from the world. The world will fear us, and this fear will breathe hatred, since people will perceive that we have a different angle of vision and different principles of conduct than they do, and the sights of our success will fill them with fear.

The fears of the world are further multiplied by the idea that we are working for God in secret, and he cannot check his suspicions, he will call it Jesuitism – a respectable and holy name for the ears of the prudent and truth-loving! Accusations of all sorts of increasingly fanciful crimes will be heaped upon us. It will be impossible to put this out of people’s minds, because the disproportionality of means to the intended end in clerical life will always remain an unsolved and disturbing puzzle for down-to-earth minds. They will condemn us, because condemnation is the easiest thing to do, and our conduct will deviate completely from what used to draw human praise. Besides, those condemning us will feel safe, since even the so-called moderate people from our camp will shy away from us. According to them, it will be a lack of prudence to challenge the world and denounce friendship to those in whom it equals, according to the Holy Spirit’s expression, enmity with God.

We are often met with incomprehension, because even those who are inclined to look at us with a kind eye, but do not understand supernatural life, will not see what we see. In turn, unable to grasp our principles, they think they have just cause to accuse us of being unstable. At the same time, we too will not be able to give a clear account of our own conduct. We must also reckon, with all our efforts, with the possibility of a struggle that flesh and blood will give us with more or less vehemence. Vocation, devotion, repentance have this in common, that even through no one’s fault they sometimes disturb the peace in families. Parents procrastinate in dedicating a child to the service of God even when the child’s age entitles him to stand for his life.

Hence the strange situation that if a son wants to marry, he is free to do so, because the world demands it, but when he wants to devote himself to the priestly or religious state, this freedom is denied him, because the Church alone takes his side. Besides, these may be otherwise virtuous and religious people in their own way. Why not act like them? – that’s what some people think or say. Well, we can’t accept it, even if our point of view is not understood by the world.

We find ourselves in more or less the same position when we get serious about the spiritual life. We realize this clearly. From that hour we break friendship with the world, ready to avoid it like the plague and fight it like the worst enemy. Human consideration must therefore henceforth be for us an unlikeness, a betrayal and a sin. What good is human consideration to us if we have vowed to despise it at every turn? Suffice it for us to have emancipated ourselves from the world and ourselves and entrusted ourselves to the hands of the Almighty, feeling – oh, happy valley! – how sweetly and yet powerfully they hovered over us to deliver us safely to the harbor of salvation.

 

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Fr. Frederick William Faber, Progress of the soul, or growth in holiness. Kraków 1935.