Collation 3

COLLATION III.


On the gift of piety.

Summary. - Introduction: the twofold exercise, 1. - Three things to be considered, 2. - Part I. On the exercise of piety. This consists in three things, 3. - First, in the reverence of divine veneration, 4. 5. - Second, in the custody of intrinsic sanctification, 6. 7. - Third, in the abundance of interior compassion, 8. 9. - Part II. On the original principle of piety. This is threefold, 10. - It arises first from the uncreated Trinity, 11. - Second, from the incarnate Wisdom, 12. - Third, from holy mother Church, 13-15. - Part III. On the benefit or utility of piety. It avails for three things, 16. - First, for knowing true things, 17. - Second, for avoiding evils, 18. - Third, for obtaining good things, 19.

1. Exercise thyself unto piety. For bodily exercise profiteth little, but piety is profitable unto all things, having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. These words are in the first Epistle to Timothy, in which the Apostle shows that there is a twofold exercise befitting man: one bodily, and another spiritual; and he shows that spiritual exercise is to be preferred to bodily as being a nobler exercise and a more useful one. For bodily exercise has little utility; whence he says: Bodily exercise profiteth little; but spiritual exercise has the greatest utility. Whence spiritual exercise is to be preferred to bodily: as much as spiritual things are to be preferred to bodily, eternal to temporal, and invisible to visible, so much is that spiritual exercise to be preferred to bodily. Therefore, if anyone is wise, he ought to seek spiritual exercise more than bodily, because bodily exercise profiteth little, for it is useful for the comfort of the body, but sometimes it is the cause and occasion of the contrary. Someone believes he is going to sport, and he goes to war; he seeks pleasure, and finds sorrow. Whence Seneca says: "I have found many exercising the body, but few exercising their minds." Foolish would he be who could dig for gold and wished to dig in mud. Spiritual exercise surpasses bodily more than gold surpasses mud. Of this spiritual exercise, insofar as it is ordered to piety, we must speak; for after fear we must speak of piety.

But we cannot explain this most sacred exercise in words nor put it into practice except through the aid of the Holy Spirit. Therefore at the beginning we shall invoke the grace of the Holy Spirit and beseech the Lord that He grant me to say something which may be to His honor and to the benefit of our souls.

2. Exercise yourself unto piety, etc. The Apostle Paul, as a good teacher, arouses the concern of our minds and intellects toward the good use of the divine gift. And having presupposed the influx of piety, he invites us to the exercise of piety and sets forth the benefit of piety. If you have received the gift of God, exercise yourself unto piety, lest you fall from the gift; if you do not have the gift of God, exercise yourself to obtain piety. He assigns the reason for this when he adds: Piety is profitable for all things, etc. Therefore he shows that concerning this gift of piety, three things are to be considered by us, namely the exercise of piety, the benefit of piety, and the original principle of piety. If it is a gift, then it is necessary to know how it is given; if it is a noble gift, it is necessary to know how we may advance in it and exercise ourselves; if it is a useful gift, let us see what fruit we may obtain from it.

See, my whole intention is that you conceive the gift of piety in your soul and learn what it is to be pious.

3. Let us begin from the exercise. The exercise of piety consists in a threefold act, namely in the reverence of divine veneration, in the custody of intrinsic sanctification, and in the superabundance of interior compassion. The first two modes of piety are more deeply rooted than the third.

4. First, I say, the exercise of piety consists in the reverence of divine veneration. Whence in Ecclesiasticus it is said of Josiah that he took away the abominations of impiety and governed his heart unto the Lord, and in the days of sinners he strengthened piety. It is certain that before the coming of Christ, the worship of God did not flourish except among the Israelite people, and it did not flourish in the whole people, because the ten tribes in the time of Jeroboam worshiped idols, namely the golden calf; nor did the worship of God flourish even throughout the whole time in the two tribes, because David was the best worshiper of God, but afterward came Manasseh, the worst, who made the people commit idolatry; but after him came Josiah, who began to reign in his eighth year and took away all idolatry, and in the days of sinners he strengthened piety, that is, divine worship.

5. That piety is the worship of God, Job says: Behold, he says, piety itself is wisdom. Another translation has: Behold, fear, that itself is wisdom; but in the Septuagint translation it reads: Behold, piety itself is wisdom. And Augustine says that piety in Greek is the same as theosebia, which is the same as the worship of God. The worship of God, moreover, consists chiefly in reverence for God, which is not had without fear. For it is necessary for a worshiper of God to think of God most loftily, most devoutly, with reverence and fear.

If you think diminishingly of the power of God, namely that he cannot create all things from nothing: you do not think most highly. Similarly, if you think diminishingly of the wisdom of God, namely that through his wisdom he cannot penetrate the innermost things: you do not think most highly. Just as we have the testimony of light, that it not only shines in itself but can illuminate many other bodies, so God sees and illuminates all things, because he himself is light. If you think of God's power and of God's wisdom that he cannot restore bodies, whether badly or well: then you think wrongly of God and do not think most highly. Likewise, if you do not believe in the divine condescensions and mercies, through which God fills the creature serving him with grace, pardon, and beatitude: you are not a worshiper of God.

I say therefore that piety is nothing other than a pious sense, pious affection, and pious service toward the pious, first, and highest origin. The highest good cannot be possessed nor worshiped without piety. Naturally every thing tends toward its origin: a stone downward, and fire upward, and rivers run to the sea, a tree is joined to its root, and other things have continuity with their root. The rational creature is deiform, which can return upon its origin through memory, understanding, and will; and it is not pious unless it pours itself back upon its origin. Therefore I said that piety is nothing other than a pious sense, pious affection, and pious service toward the pious, first, and highest origin.

The first exercise of the gift of piety therefore consists in the reverence of divine veneration.

6. The second exercise of the gift of piety consists in the custody of intrinsic sanctification; concerning which the Apostle says: I beseech first of all that supplications, entreaties, prayers, and thanksgivings be made for all, etc.; there follows: that we may lead a quiet life in all piety and chastity. You ought to understand that the summit of the Christian religion consists in piety and purity. For a man can never be piously disposed toward himself unless he has peace. This is the Christian religion, which consists in these two things. The tranquility of peace exists only in the tranquility of conscience. And conscience is not holy unless it is good and pious, namely that it prefers the life of virtue and grace to the life of nature. - Consider well: if a man were more attached to his shoe than to his foot, he would not love his foot much. He who would expose his foot to breaking for the sake of a shoe, would he love his foot much and be much attached to his foot? Certainly not. He who for a small thing would expose himself to hanging would not love his own life much. Must not a man guard his soul in holiness? Certainly so. But he exposes his soul to confusion who does not guard himself from sin.

7. O, how few there are who guard the piety of religion! But the Lord examines the wicked. It is said in Ecclesiasticus: Have mercy on your own soul, pleasing God; and gather and restrain your heart in holiness.

Have pity on your soul, that is, have piety toward your soul; pleasing God, namely, that you strive to please God. And how? Gather and contain your heart in holiness.

Some are content to have exterior holiness, namely in word and gesture and outward conduct; but this is to adorn holiness outwardly, like a man who whitewashes himself outwardly and makes a sepulcher of the dead, which outwardly is whitewashed. But just as "feigned righteousness is not righteousness, but double iniquity," so feigned holiness is not holiness, but rather iniquity. Against such the Apostle says: In the last times there will be men who are lovers of pleasures, having the appearance of piety, but denying its power.

Having the appearance of piety, "that is, of religion," says the Gloss. Those having the appearance of piety are hypocrites.

For such a one is a son of perdition. Of such a one it is said: With the breath of his lips he shall strike the impious one, namely him who will have the greatest appearance of piety. — Therefore the second exercise of the gift of piety is through the custody of interior holiness. — But some have no mercy on their soul; indeed, they do the worst they can to their soul. They supremely hate their soul; they could not do worse to it than they do, because they do everything the devil suggests to them. Have pity on your soul! And some under the appearance of piety take up things that are against their soul. They say: I will go to baseness under the appearance of piety. What piety is this? Certainly none.

8. The third exercise of the gift of piety is in the abundance of interior compassion. Of this it is said in Ecclesiasticus: These are men of mercy, whose acts of piety have not failed; with their seed good things endure.

Dearest ones! You ought to run through the lives of the holy Fathers, and you will see that these are men of mercy, namely Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joseph, and Samuel. What was the piety of Noah! For a hundred years he did nothing but build the ark, so that he might save the human race. How great was the piety in the most sacred Abraham! God descended to strike the cities in which there were abominations of sin; and Abraham interceded with the Lord for them and wrested from the Lord that if He should find ten just men in the cities, the Lord would spare them. How great was the piety of Joseph! Who, sold by his brothers — indeed his brothers wanted to kill him — yet he guarded his brothers, governed and enriched them and their sons; and he had piety toward preserving the whole world by gathering and storing grain. How great was the piety of Moses! Who loved the people provoking the Lord and prayed to the Lord for them saying: Hear me, Lord, this people has sinned: either forgive this people this offense, or if you do not, blot me out of your book which you have written. Bernard gives the example of a woman who has her little child and is outside the house. If it were said to her: leave your little child outside the house, and you enter the house; she would not want to enter the house, such that the child would remain outside. So Moses willed that the Lord would forgive the people their sin, or that He would blot him from the book of life. So it was with Samuel, when the people sought a king; afterwards the people recognized that Samuel had governed the people well, and when the people had sinned, they feared that Samuel would not want to pray to the Lord for them. And the people asked him to pray for them, and Samuel said: Far be it from me that I should cease to pray for you. Of how great piety was David, king of Israel! Saul was seeking to kill him, and David had Saul in his hand: he could have killed him, with God not prohibiting it, because God said to him: I will deliver him into your hands. He could have killed him, with no man prohibiting it, nor the law prohibiting it; and yet he spared him and his house. These therefore are men of mercy, whose acts of piety did not fail.

9. To this piety blessed Peter invites us, who was the other Apostle, in his second Canonical epistle saying: Supply in faith virtue, in virtue knowledge, in knowledge abstinence, in abstinence patience, in patience piety, in piety brotherly love, and in brotherly love charity. What does he mean? He places piety in the middle of two, namely between patience and charity. He says piety is a purple garment, and patience and charity he says are a royal garment. Whoever wishes to be pious toward his neighbor, it is necessary that he bear with him patiently and love him charitably. David bore himself patiently and charitably toward his enemy; so it is necessary that a man bear himself toward his neighbor.

Where is piety today? There is no mean, because God has taken away the extremes; so great is the cruelty today that man cannot be satisfied with vengeance; today impatience and wrath reign; man judges badly; even if a man does not offend me, I will nevertheless judge badly of him. Whence comes this? Surely, because I do not have charity. Blessed Peter well knows how to say how I may have charity, because if I have patience on the one hand and charity on the other: behold, the exercise of piety.

10. Perhaps you will say, brother: I do not have this gift. It is necessary, therefore, that I explain to you the original principle of piety. And you will say: you should have begun from the principle, and you began from the exercise. No, brother, I could not lead you to the original principle of piety except through the act and exercise of piety. Now the gift of piety originates first from the uncreated Trinity, second from the incarnate Wisdom, and third from holy mother Church sanctified by the Spirit.

11. See, I say, that the gift of piety arises first from the uncreated Trinity, namely from God the Father. Although God possesses all the most noble properties, He is nevertheless most excellent in this property, namely that of piety; whence it is said in the prayer: "O God, whose property it is always to have mercy and to spare," etc. And in Ecclesiasticus: Pious and merciful is God, and in the time of tribulation He forgives sins and is a protector to all who seek Him in truth.

He is pious and merciful, because He spares and protects. The Lord says: As a father has mercy on his children, so have I had mercy on you.

Search all the works of God from the beginning to the end, and you will always find operations of mercy that are great, greater, and greatest. The great operations of divine mercy are the operations of nature; the greater operations of divine mercy are the operations of grace; but the greatest operations are the operations of glory. Listen! You are the image of God; and image [imago] is called, as it were, imitage [imitago]: therefore, if you are truly the image of God, you ought to conform yourself to God in piety. Whence in Ecclesiasticus: In judging, be merciful to orphans as a father, and as a husband to their mother; and you will be as an obedient son of the Most High, and He will have mercy on you.

In judging, that is, in fostering justice, be merciful to orphans, namely so that you may truly be a son of the Most High. When the glorious God has compassion on the wretched, why do you not imitate Him? If there were some fountain that caused withered plants to grow green, it would be greatly prized. The soul without piety has withered plants. The river of divine mercy pours itself out most abundantly and causes dead plants to grow green. Is it not necessary that you introduce that river into your soul? But you cannot introduce it except through piety. The first original influence of piety, therefore, is from the uncreated Trinity.

12. The second original influence of piety itself is from incarnate Wisdom. Whence the Apostle to Timothy: Manifestly great is the sacrament of piety, which was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, appeared to Angels, was preached to the nations, was believed in the world, was taken up in glory. The mystery of human redemption accomplished through the incarnate and crucified Word is the great sacrament of piety.

He says that it was manifested in the flesh, through the incarnation; was justified in the spirit, on the gibbet of the cross; appeared to Angels, in the glorification; was preached to the nations, in the mission of the Holy Spirit; was believed in the world, through the spread of the faith; was taken up in glory, through the examination of the final judgment. I say that the incarnate Son of God assumed our poverty. What brought this about? Certainly piety. Whence he ought in all things to be made like unto his brethren, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest before God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. Through piety he assumed flesh, ascended the cross, was raised from the dead, sent the Holy Spirit upon the earth, called the Church to himself, and freed all the worthy from misery through piety. The Apostle to the Romans says: Do you despise the riches of his goodness and patience and longsuffering? Do you not know that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But according to your hardness and impenitent heart, you treasure up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and of the revelation of the just judgment of God. The Son of God offered a holocaust, namely himself for us: this is the great sacrament of piety.

This sacrament is repeated daily upon the altar. For these reasons he gave us the Sacrament of the altar, so that, mindful of the sacrament of piety, we might put on the bowels of piety. Cruel is the heart that is not softened by these things.

13. The third original influence of the gift of piety is from holy mother Church, sanctified through the Holy Spirit, who possesses the pledge of the Holy Spirit. Holy mother Church has enjoined piety upon all. Those who are born from one father and one mother love one another more than those who are born from one father alone, or from one mother alone. The Holy Spirit makes us children of one father and one mother and members of one body. The Apostle: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, has appeared to all men, instructing us that, denying impiety and worldly desires, we should live soberly and justly and piously in this world.

Dearly beloved! See whether your piety is that of brother toward brother, and of a brother from the same womb toward a brother from the same womb! Who is our father? Certainly God. Who is our mother? It is the Church, who from her womb bore us through the Holy Spirit and will bring us forth when we shall be presented in eternal light. Do you not see that just as one member suffers with another member, so also we ought to suffer with one another? We are all members of one body, we are nourished with one food, we are brought forth from the same womb, we tend toward the same inheritance: and our inheritance will be magnified the more numerous we shall be, not diminished. We are one body; we ought to be piously disposed toward one another. Come to the father, the father receives you, or the mother; if holy mother Church stands by, even flagitious sinners will be compelled to return. We ought therefore to suffer with one another.

14. As a figure of this it is written in the Psalm: Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. Like ointment upon the head, which descended upon the beard, the beard of Aaron. We have one Father, one sacrifice, one Sacrament, and one reward. He says: Like ointment upon the head, etc. First there is the ointment of piety upon the head; afterwards it descends upon all others who draw near to the head. — First there ought to be piety in prelates and superiors, and afterwards in the common people; whence he says: which descended to the hem of his garment. Concerning this oil of piety it is said in the fourth book of Kings that a certain woman came to Elisha and said that her creditors wished to take her children; and she said: My husband was a man who feared God. And Elisha said that she should bring all the vessels of her neighbors and pour some of that oil into each one, until all were filled. Why did he command her to bring the vessels of her neighbors? Could he not have multiplied the oil and filled a single jar, so that the woman would not have labored so much? I say that the woman holds the type of the Church, and Elisha holds the type of Christ. When the Church is poor in merits and it is necessary that she repay the debt: by what means will she repay? She must fill the vessels of her neighbors. Do you wish the piety of mother Church to descend upon you? Fill the vessels of your neighbors. This oil of piety ought to be possessed by all. Whence in the Song of Songs: Your name is oil poured out.

15. It ought to be especially in the hearts of pontiffs. Whence pontiffs are anointed on the head, and once anointed, they ought afterwards to purify all of the people. It is said in the book of Maccabees: When the holy city was inhabited in peace, and the laws were very well kept because of the piety of Onias and the souls that held evil in hatred: it came to pass that kings and pontiffs held the place in reverence and honored it with many gifts. Afterwards Menelaus and his men entered the temple, and Antiochus contaminated the temple. I believe that the impediment was that the Holy Spirit was not among the people, because the impediment was in the pastor.

Blessed Gregory was noble and wealthy: he founded and endowed seven monasteries, and in the seventh in the city of Rome he became a monk, afterwards a cardinal, and finally Pope. Blessed Gregory was accustomed, when he was Pope, to have twelve poor persons who ate before him. One day there was among those twelve one who sometimes appeared as a young man, sometimes with venerable white hair. After the meal Blessed Gregory arose and led him into his chamber and asked who he was. He answered: I am that shipwrecked man to whom you showed mercy near the seaport. I said that my ship had been imperiled, and I asked alms from you, by which I might sustain myself. You had fifty gold coins given to me, and afterwards all the silver dishes that were in your house: and then I knew that the eternal God had disposed you for this honor, and that by dispensation you came to this dignity, so that you might give much for God. And Blessed Gregory said: who are you? He answered: I am His Angel. And Blessed Gregory was terrified, because he saw an Angel: and thus he was consoled, because works of piety are so pleasing to God. Martin and Nicholas, because they were men of mercy, therefore from their tombs oil flows.

Thus it is clear concerning the exercise of piety and concerning its original influence.

16. But what is the usefulness of the gift of piety? He says: Piety is profitable for all things, having the promise of the life that now is and of the life to come. I do not know what more to add. Do you have temporal goods? Piety is profitable for those; and likewise for spiritual goods. Those who have suffered the slipperiness of the flesh have sometimes been freed through the gift of piety, and afterwards they obtained mercy. For piety is profitable for all things: it is profitable for knowing truths, for avoiding all evils, and for obtaining all goods.

17. First, I say, piety is profitable for knowing truths, namely salutary truths: whence in Ecclesiasticus: The Lord made all things, and to those who act piously He gave wisdom. God gives His gifts upon every creature: but the knowledge of truth He gives only to those who act piously. How could one attain to originated things who does not attain to the origin of truth? How would one know the origin of truth who opposes the origin of truth? The Apostle says to Timothy: If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the doctrine which is according to piety, he is proud and knows nothing, and is sick about questions and disputes of words. It is necessary that a man assent to the doctrine which is according to piety. It is said in Daniel: Moreover the impious shall act impiously: revelation shall be closed to the impious. If you wish to be true scholars, it is necessary that you have piety.

18. Second, piety avails for avoiding all evils. Whence blessed Peter says: The Lord knows how to deliver the pious from temptation, but to reserve the impious for torment unto the day of judgment. The impious are those who do not acknowledge divine piety. But the impious man, when he has come into the depth of sins, shows contempt. The impious man is he who defends his own impiety, namely sin. Of such the Psalm says: Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they acted deceitfully: judge them, O God. Let them fall from their own counsels: according to the multitude of their impieties, cast them out, for they have provoked you, O Lord. Do you wish to be freed from evil? Hear David, who says: I said: I will confess against myself my injustice to the Lord, and you have forgiven the impiety of my sin. Praise God and be angry against sin, and do not defend sin, because to defend sin is a twofold sin. It is noteworthy what the Psalm says: Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the impious, by consenting to sin; and has not stood in the way of sinners, by persisting in sin; and has not sat in the chair of pestilence, by defending his sin.

19. The third benefit of the gift of piety is that it makes one attain every good. Whence it is said in the book of Maccabees that Judas considered that those who had fallen asleep with piety carried away the finest grace, which may he who with the Father, etc., deign to grant to us.