The Abiding Presence of the Holy Ghost in the Soul Part 4

2. Piety, in its Latin significance (and here in theology, of course, we get almost all our terms through the Latin tongue), means the filial spirit of reverence towards parents. Virgil gives to the hero of his Roman epic the repeated t.i.tle of _pius_, because he wishes always to emphasize aeneas' devotion to his aged father. Hence it is clear that what is primarily intended here is that we should be quickly conscious of the Fatherhood of G.o.d. The mediaeval mystics, especially our homely English ones like Richard Rolle of Hampole, and Mother Julianna of Norwich, curiously enough were fond of talking about the Motherhood of G.o.d in order to bring out the protective and devoted side of G.o.d's care for us; of course G.o.d surpa.s.ses both a mother's and father's love in His ineffable love for us. But then it is just that sweetness of soul in its att.i.tude towards G.o.d, that this gift produces in me a readiness to perceive His love in every turn of fortune, and to discover His gracious pity in His treatment of my life. It requires a divine indwelling of the Spirit of G.o.d to effect this in my soul, for though I may be by nature easily moved to affection, prompt to see and profit by every opening for friends.h.i.+p, yet I must, no less, have a difficulty in turning this into my religious life without G.o.d's movement in my soul.

3. Perhaps the most unmistakable result of this is in the general difference between Catholic and non-Catholic nations, in their ideas of religion. Even if one takes a non-Catholic nation at its best and a Catholic nation at its worst, the gulf between them is enormous, for at its lowest the religion of the Catholic nation will be attractive at least with its joy, and the non-Catholic repellent with its gloom. There is a certain hardness about all other denominations of Christianity, a certain restrained att.i.tude of awe towards G.o.d, which though admirable in itself, is perfectly hateful when it is made the dominant note in religion. Better joyous superst.i.tion than gloomy correctness of wors.h.i.+p; better, far better, to find happy children who have little respect, and much comrades.h.i.+p, towards their parents, than neat and quiet children who are in silent awe of their parents. It is, then, to develop this side of religion that the gift of piety is given. The result then is a sweetness, a gracefulness, a natural lovingness towards G.o.d and all holy persons and things, as opposed to a gloomy, respectable, awkward, self-conscious hardness towards our Father in Heaven. Clever, trained people have most to be on their guard, for the intellectual activities of the soul are apt to crowd out the gentler, simpler side of character.

FEAR

1. Catholics as a whole, then, we claim to be not in awe of G.o.d, but holding themselves to Him rather by love than fear; yet for all that there must come into our religion a notion also of fear, else G.o.d will be made of little account, dwarfed by His hero-followers, the saints. It is possible that familiarity with G.o.d may breed something which seems very like contempt. The majesty of G.o.d has got to be considered just as much as His love, for either without the other would really give a false idea of Him. Just as there are people who would give up all belief in h.e.l.l, because they prefer to concentrate upon His mercy, and, as a result, have no real love of G.o.d as He is in Himself, so there are people also who do not sufficiently remember the respect due to His awfulness, people who think of Him as a Redeemer, which indeed He is, but not as a Judge, which is equally His prerogative. Hence this side of our character is also to be made perfect by the indwelling of the Spirit of G.o.d, our fear, anger, hate, have got to be sanctified by finding a true object for their due exercise. No single talent must be wrapped away in uselessness; I must fear G.o.d, be angry with, and hate sin. Fear, then, as well as piety is a gift of the Spirit.

2. The chief way in which the absence of this gift of fear manifests itself is in the careless and slipshod way we perform our duties. We are sure to believe in G.o.d's justice and majesty; but we are not so sure to act up to our belief. Accuracy in devotion, in prayer, in life, is the result of a filial fear of G.o.d, and if I have to confess a very chaotic and uncertain procedure in my spiritual duties, then I can tell quite easily which gift I most need to make use of. What are my times for prayer like? Are they as regularly kept to as my circ.u.mstances permit? How about my subject for meditation, how about my following of the Ma.s.s, my watchfulness in prayer, my days for confession and communion? Again, my duties at home, in my profession, in the work I have undertaken? Are they on the whole punctually performed, accurately, with regard to details? That is where my fear for G.o.d should come in, for fear here is part of love and love is enormously devoted to little things, indeed finds that where it is concerned there are no little things, but time and place and manner and thoroughness have all got faithfully to be noted and carried out. Here, then, is where I shall find I need a reverential fear of G.o.d.

3. Yes, of course, pride and laziness will protest all the while, by urging that all this is a great deal of fuss about nothing, that G.o.d is our Father, that He perfectly understands, that we should not worry ourselves too much over trifles. Now pride and laziness often speak true things, or rather half-truths. It is true that G.o.d is my Father and understands; but it is equally true that I am His child and that love demands my thoroughness. Horror of sin, devotion to the sacrament of confession, the Scripture saying about a severe judgment for every idle word, all these things have got to be taken into account as well as the first set of principles. Piety needs fear for its perfect performance. The boy at first may have to be scolded into obedience to his mother.

He does not at first realize, and is punished; but watch him when he is a grown man, no longer in subjection or under obedience; see how charmingly he cares for her by antic.i.p.ating her wishes, how much he is at her beck and call, proudly foreseeing for her, protecting, caring. That is love, no doubt, but a love of reverence. They are comrades in a sense, but she is always his mother to him, some one to be idolized, reverenced, yes, and, really, feared, in the fullest sense of love.

GRACE

1. The indwelling, then, of the Holy Spirit is a true and magnificent phrase. It means that we become living Temples of G.o.d.

Elsewhere indeed He is in tree, flower, sky, earth, water; up in the Heavens, down to the depths of the lower places, in the cleft wood and lifted stone, in the heart of all creation by the very fact of its creation. Yet the higher a thing is in the scale of being the more nearly is it after G.o.d's image and likeness, so that man by his sheer intelligence is more representative of G.o.d, as the highest masterpiece is more representative of the author of it. Yet over and above this intelligent life of man is another life in him, which secures G.o.d's presence within him in some n.o.bler fas.h.i.+on, for it is noticeable that Scripture repeatedly speaks of G.o.d's dwelling in His saints, and not dwelling in sinners. Now He is even in sinners by the t.i.tle of their Creator, so that _dwelling_ must be a deliberate phrase chosen by the Inspired author of Scripture to represent some presence above the mere general presence of G.o.d everywhere. Consequently we are driven to the conclusion that the saints, in virtue of their sainthood, become dwelling places of G.o.d, temples, special places set apart, where in a more perfect way, with richer expression and more true representation, G.o.d is. Sanct.i.ty, therefore, const.i.tutes something wholly supernatural, attracting G.o.d's indwelling, or rather resulting from this indwelling of G.o.d.

2. Now sanct.i.ty itself cannot mean that one man is able to make himself so alluring to G.o.d that he draws G.o.d to himself, for in that case G.o.d's action of indwelling would be motived by a creature, and G.o.d would have found some finite reason for His act.

This cannot be, since the only sufficient motive for G.o.d can be G.o.d Himself. "He hath done all things on account of Himself," say the Scriptures. We can be sure, therefore, that the indwelling of the spirit is the cause and not the effect of the goodness that is in man, for the Saints are not born, but made by G.o.d. Hence we understand what is meant by saying that the justice of the Saints, their justification, is effected by grace, i. e., by G.o.d's free gift. It is not from them, but from Him: "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Thy name give Glory." Grace, therefore, is the name given to that divine habit whereby the soul is made one with Him.

It is clear, then, also, why in the catechism grace is called the supernatural life of the soul, and why mortal sin is called the death of the soul, since it kills the soul by depriving it of sanctifying grace.

3. This leads us to the last notion of grace, that it is in the supernatural order what the soul is in the natural order. My soul is everywhere in my body and gives evidence of its presence by the life there manifest; cut off a portion of the body, amputate a limb. It dies. The soul is no longer in it. So does grace work. It is right in the very essence of the soul, at the heart of it, and works through into all the faculties and powers by means of the virtues. It is the life of the whole a.s.semblage of these habits of goodness. As soon as it is withdrawn, then at once charity goes, for we are out of friends.h.i.+p with G.o.d, and charity is nothing other than the love of G.o.d. Hope still and faith in some form remain, but without any inner life or energy to quicken them. All else is a crumbled ruin, without shape or life, a sight to fill those that can see it with horror and disgust. With grace the soul is once more thronged with vital activities, for grace is life.

Grace it is that gives the same charm to the soul as life gives to the body; it imparts a freshness, an alertness, an elasticity, a spontaneous movement, a fragrance, a youth. By grace we are children in G.o.d's eyes, with the delicate coloring and sweetness of a child; without it we are old, worn, dead, not only useless to ourselves, but a pollution to others. Need one wonder if all life is different to the soul in sin? Religion, G.o.d, Heaven, Ma.s.s, prayers, have lost all attraction and are full of drudgery.

Outwardly we feel the same; but our attraction to these higher gifts has gone, a prodigal as yet content with the husks of life's fruitage, relis.h.i.+ng only the food of swine, without grace, spiritually dead.