My Prayer-Book/Introduction
Introduction
My Prayer-Book is more than a book of prayers and devotions; the sub-title, Happiness in Goodness, indicates that it is also a book of counsels and reflections on the pursuit of happiness, not only with a view to the eternal life, but also with regard to our present existence "in hoc lacrymarum valle."
"All desire peace," says "The Following of Christ," "but all care not for those things which appertain to true peace."
We may say the same thing with regard to happiness. All desire it, but many do not attain to it because they seek it where it can not be found. The one thing necessary to true and lasting happiness is the state of sanctifying grace — the love of God — union with God, in whom alone man's heart can find rest. "Rejoice in the Lord, always!" Seek happiness in goodness, in virtue; in loving God above all things and in loving all things in God ; in loving your neighbor; in doing good to others for the love of Jesus Christ — that is the key-note — the dominant note of this book. It is an exponent of the greatest thing in the world. Charity; it is a preacher, an advocate of Christian philanthropy, of true altruism, of which a well-known writer says:[1]
"We hear a great deal of altruism, as it is called, nowadays — the doctrine, in other words, of living entirely for others. This is man's true happiness and peace, his only good — making others happy. And we at once ask, what is this happiness which we are to secure for others — the same kind as our own, or a different kind? Surely the same kind, for we are all men of like nature, more or less. It seems, then, as far as we can catch the idea, that I am to seek true happiness in making others seek their true happiness, making yet others seek their true happiness, and so on without end; and we never learn what that happiness, personal and independent, consists in. We are told that our modern moralists have improved very much on Christianity; that they have interpreted it to itself; that they have discovered the unknown, or at least only half-known, secret of unselfishness, of true benevolence and philanthropy, which Christ was only groping after according to old-world lights. They would take, as an extreme embodiment of a certain egoistic spirit which they deplore in Christianity, St. Simon Stylites, standing year after year on his pillar in the desert, isolated almost ostentatiously (if it be not a contradiction) from all intercourse with his fellow men; intent wholly on his own interior spiritual perfection and on communion with God; living, it would seem, purely and entirely for himself, hoping for nothing but his own future reward, fearing nothing but his own future hurt.
"What is the true meaning of these words, ' Charity,' or Love, 'seeketh not her own '?
"When we examine a tree or a flower, we see that the root seems to be subservient to the stalk or trunk, the trunk and branches to be for the sake of the leaves, the leaves for the sake of the flower, the flower for the sake of the fruit, the fruit for the sake of the seed, the seed for the sake of the future plant, and so on; and we wonder which is the principal part, if there be any, that exists for its own sake, and not for the sake of something else. The truth is, no doubt, that each exists for its own sake and for the sake of the whole and of its fellow parts. It struggles for and seeks its own advantage directly and before all, and, by following this tendency of its own nature, it eventually profits the rest, whereas the greatest injury it could inflict on the other parts would be to suffer itself to decay and perish. We, collectively, are the Body of Christ and members in particular, and this fact is the basis of the doctrine of Christian charity. 'Lie not one to another,' 'defraud not one another? says St. Paul, 'because we are fellow members of one body.' Each member exists for its own sake and also for the sake of the whole body, the head and the fellow members. Each member tends directly to its own well-being and advantage, and thereby to the profit of all the rest, each by being what it should be, by doing what it should do — in a word, by its own perfection, perfects the whole. So, too, by being and acting otherwise than it should, it injures itself and it injures the whole. Where brain or eye is diseased it ceases to live for the whole body, to be serviceable and helpful; it lives for itself, nay rather, it lives at the expense of the rest, seeking its own. It begins to seek its own exclusively, it ceases to co-operate with the rest, to bear their burdens, to sympathize with their joys and sorrows — it becomes selfish.
"Here, then, is the true altruism, the Christian conception of charity — to seek ourselves, our own things, for the sake of others; to seek others by seeking ourselves after His pattern who said: Propter eos sanctifico meipsum — 'For their sakes I sanctify Myself.' If we ourselves are what we ought to be, we shall be to others what we ought to be. And as the higher and more complex structures of the body are more widely and eminently useful to the rest, so those; who are themselves nearer to the perfection of our blessed Lord, the Head and Saviour of the Body, are so far nearer to Him in the depth and extent of their utility toward others. He, as the Head and Soul of the Body, is most intimate in His relation to the very least of the subject members; and the measure of His love for them is the measure of His own perfection and dignity — the measure, moreover, of that most just love which He bears toward Himself. For, quibble about it as we will, we only love others so far as we can recognize them as ours, as belonging to or connected with us in some way. Thus it follows that our love for others is only an extension or overflow of our laudable self-love. Who then is the selfish man? He whose self-love is perverted and feeble, and does not overflow, reach out, extend itself, and draw all things into itself; whose first thought thenceforth is to sacrifice others to himself, and who corrects it only as an afterthought. Who is the unselfish man? He who does not, as the other, view himself falsely as an isolated unit, but sees how all others pertain to him, are his in some sense, are fellow members of greater or less import, and who therefore finds his own happiness in the happiness of others; whose first thought is to sacrifice himself, and who corrects it, if necessary, only on an afterthought. He whose self-love is true and strong, and rises up high and overflows and diffuses itself to whatever in any way pertains to him; who, like God, loves all things both great and small, just because all things belong to Him, and because He loves Himself with an infinite and everlasting love.
"True altruism or charity circles out from self, first, to our God, and then to His creatures, who, through Him, are variously bound to us, in due order. And the greater we are in ourselves, the more godlike, the intenser our rightful self-love, so much the farther shall we stretch out beyond ourselves with an all-enfolding charity. For God's love has well been described as a sphere whose center is everywhere, whose circumference is at infinity or nowhere. The same truth is aptly illustrated by Our Lord's metaphor for divine charity, which compares it to a fire: 'I came to send fire upon the earth, and what will I but that it be kindled;' 'Let your light shine before men;' 'Let your lamps be burning in your hands.'
" It is by keeping alive and fostering in our own hearts the fire of God's love, the light of God's truth, that we shall most effectually diffuse light and warmth to others. Spontaneously, and without conscious effort on our part, the light will shine from us, and the warmth radiate from us, we shall make ourselves felt without knowing it; 'Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth.'
"St. Paul knows nothing of the altruism which saves others and cares not to save itself; which seeks for others a vague, undefined happiness, unknown, unsought for, unvalued by itself; which throws itself into labors involving patience, self-conquest, prudence, fortitude, temperance, and all virtues, before these virtues have been rooted, grown, and mature in itself.
"Seeketh not her own. To seek the good of others is therefore the outcome, the fruit, the proof, the manifestation of charity, but it is not the substance. Charity is the personal, love of God, our Lord, the wedding-garment of the soul, the treasure of great price which each must seek long and diligently for himself, and finds and heaps up more and more, that he may give to others, of his abundance abundantly, the fire of divine love, which kindles and enlightens the hearts of others the more brightly it burns in our own. 'Now this I pray,' says St. Paul, 'that your charity may abound more and more in all knowledge and discernment, so that you may approve the things which are excellent;' for to love God is an art — the one work of our lives. It is only God's Holy Spirit 'who diffuses the charity of Christ in our hearts,' who can teach us and train us. Da nobis in eodem Spiritu recta sapere — ' Grant us by that same Spirit to have a refined taste and relish for what is right.' This is our direct work, to perfect ourselves in the love of God; the rest will follow."
Baxter, in his "Meditations," commenting on the words, "You are the light of the world" (Matt. v. 14) says:
"It is a property of light to warm and enlighten. Examine yourself how you perform your duty, and seize every opportunity of being beneficial to your neighbors, particularly by ' letting the light of your example shine before them.' All instruction is cold, unless it be accompanied and enforced by example.
"Christ 'was the true light, which enlighteneth every man, that cometh into this world' (John i. 9). He communicated a divine system of doctrine to mankind, illustrated and, enforced it by His example, and gives His followers grace to profit by it, to glorify Him, and secure the end of their creation. When light passes through loathsome or infected places, it emerges as pure and uncontaminated as it entered; thus Christ and His apostolic followers, although they converse and treat with sinners, do not partake of their uncleanness. Hence, no one whose duty it is to reclaim sinners ought to fear the danger of corruption, if he act in obedience to God, and follow the example of Christ and His apostles.
"Christ says, that no one puts a light under a bushel. Thus He reprehends those who do not employ the talents which they have received in enlightening their neighbors, but hide their light, from pusillanimity or sloth. They ought to imitate the stars at their creation, of which Baruch speaks in the sublimest strains. 'They were called by the Almighty,' says the prophet, 'and they said, here we are, and with cheerfulness they have shined forth to Him, that made them' " (Bar. iii. 25).
And again in reference to the words: "You are the salt of the earth" (Matt v. 13), the same writer says:
"As salt preserves from corruption and putrefaction, so is it the part of all apostolical men to preserve souls from the corruption of sin, and to render the exercise of virtue palatable and agreeable to them. These men, then, ought to be pure and refined from all the dross and alloy of earthly passion by the influence of divine charity, in order that they may be such themselves as they wish to make others."
In thought and tendency, My Prayer-Book purposes to be the embodiment of Christian optimism and altruism; the exponent of all that is helpful and invigorating in the Christian life — of whatever is calculated to promote man's temporal and eternal welfare; it lays stress upon the fact that while the short cut to happiness is by way of self-renunciation, self-denial, self-conquest, self-control, in the following of Christ, nevertheless good Cheer, heartfelt joy, and genuine happiness, far from being incompatible with the practice of religion, and of the Catholic faith in particular, are really the concomitant or rather the outgrowth and efflorescence of a virtuous Christian life.
"Virtue only makes our bliss below." — Pope.
" 'Tis virtue makes the bliss where'er we dwell.".
— Collins.
If Christianity sends men to learn the solemn lessons of the grave and asks them to keep in view their eternal destiny and the salvation of their priceless immortal souls, this need not make them gloomy and morose, this should not and does not make them sad and depressed; it tends, in fact, to keep them in that state in which they will be able to "rejoice in the Lord always" to be glad and cheerful and hopeful and helpful also to others, no matter what may be their outward circumstances. The peace of God is with them always; interior joy is theirs both in adversity and prosperity.
Religion does not take the sunshine out of a man's life. The true follower of Christ has a blessing on his lips, a song in his mouth, amid sorrows and trials. Faith — Christianity — does, indeed, make a man serious and thoughtful, but it does not rob him of the real pleasures of life, nor does it paralyze his energies, but it directs them aright. No more joyous hearts can be found anywhere in the world than the hearts of Religious — the hearts that beat behind the grilles of the cloister. Religious not only lead good Christian lives, but also practise heroic penance, austere mortification, complete self-renunciation; yet their hearts overflow with joy, they abound with mirth and innocent glee such as is quite unknown to the butterflies of " society," to those who seek their happiness in the gratification of self in the treasures and pleasures of the world.
A devout Christian life certainly implies self-denial and self-control.
Good is never done except at the expense of those who do it. — Cardinal Newman.
It seldom happens that one can do good without any trouble. — St. Vincent de Paul.
"Life is all a void, On selfish thoughts alone employed."
— Jane Taylor.
"Self -reverence, self-knowledge, self-control, — These three alone lead life to sovereign power."
— Tennyson.
To be a Christian means to follow Christ. And Christ Himself has said: "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me."
Spiritual joy — joy in the Lord — is the portion of those who are living in the state of grace, who love God and are faithful in the observances of His commandments. Fidelity in this respect, however, implies self-restraint and self-denial.
Alexander conquered the world, but he did not conquer himself. In a fit of intemperance he slew his best friend.
Napoleon made himself master of all Europe and played with its kingdoms; but he failed to master himself. Yielding to violent anger, he acted at times like a madman, who knows not what he does. "The patient man is better than the valiant, and he that ruleth his spirit better than he that taketh cities" (Prov. xvi. 32).
My Prayer-Book aims to emphasize the fact that while being good we can enjoy in many ways this beautiful world which God has made for us, and which is truly a mirror of His own beauty and perfections; it aims to inculcate the lessons of nature; how all its beauties reflect the greatness and loving kindness of the Creator and should draw us to love our good God with a grateful heart.
"The heavens show forth the glory of God, and the firmament declareth the work of His hands" (Ps. xviii. 1).
" And this our life, exempt from public haunt, Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, Sermons in stones, and good in everything."
— As You Like It.
The Royal Psalmist says: "I remembered the days of old, I meditated on all Thy works: I mused upon the works of Thy hands. Cause me to hear Thy mercy in the morning; for in Thee have I hoped. Make the way known to me wherein I should walk; for I have lifted up my soul to Thee " (Ps. cxlii. 5, 8).
As we read in "The Crown of Jesus": "We can meditate when we sit in the house; when we walk on the way; when we lie down; when we rise up. We can meditate by considering all earthly things as types of holy truths. In trees, the wood of the cross, our Redemption; in dust, our origin. In the sky, heaven, our reward. In the stars, the heavenly mansions of those who by their glorious deeds have brought many to justice. In the moon, the Queen of heaven. In* the sun, the Son of justice. In the sea, the ocean of eternity. In the waves, the progress of time. In the seashore covered with the waters, our mortality. In the footmarks on the sand erased, fame. In the sudden darkness, mortal sin. In the bright light, God's grace. In the gentle wind, the breath of the Holy Ghost the Comforter. In bread, the Blessed Sacrament, the true Bread of life. In water, the cleansing grace of Baptism. In oil, the anointing of the young and of the sick. In the sound of the clock, the irrevocable progress of time.
"We can meditate by adoring the presence of God all around us, as we walk in the midst of Him, or as causing by His presence in each object we behold, its continued existence and its qualities of good."
St. Francis of Sales says: "As they that are enamored with human and natural love have almost always their thoughts fixed on the person beloved, their heart full of affection toward her, their mouth filled with her praise, and when their beloved is absent they lose no occasion to testify their passion by letters, and on every tree they meet they engrave the name of their beloved; — even so, such as love God can never cease to think upon Him, they breathe only for Him, they aspire only to Him, and speak only of Him, and, if k were possible, they would grave the sacred name of Our Lord Jesus on the breasts of all men in the world."
And all creatures invite them to this, each one in its kind declaring to them the praises of their Beloved; and, as St. Augustine says, "all things in this world speak to us in a kind of dumb language, yet intelligible enough, in praise of our Love; all things provoke us to good thoughts, from whence afterward arise many motions and aspirations of our soul to God."
St. Francis of Assisi, for instance, seeing a sheep all alone amidst a herd of goats, remarked to his companions: "Observe the poor little sheep, how mild it is among the goats; our blessed Lord walked as meekly and humbly among the Pharisees" At another time, seeing a lambkin devoured by a hog, he said: "Ah! little lamb, how lively dost thou represent my Saviour's death." St. Basil the Great says of the rose among its thorns: " The most pleasant things in this world are mingled with sorrow. The rose is a fair flower, but it puts me in mind of sin, for which the earth has been condemned to bring forth thorns."
My Prayer-Book aims to point out the brighter side of life — the silver lining to the cloud o'erhead — the sunshine that follows the rain — the sweet little wildflowers that grow by the wayside amid thorns and briers.
" Sweet are the uses of adversity
Which like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head."
— As You Like It.
"The good are better made by ill,
As odors crushed are sweeter still."
— Rogers, Jacquelin.
"As aromatic plants bestow
No spicy fragrance while they grow,
But crushed or trodden to the ground
Diffuse their balmy sweets around."
— Goldsmith, The Captivity.
The Royal Psalmist voices the sentiments of a deeply religious soul in many expressions of grateful praise to God, of joy in the Lord, and of absolute confidence in Divine Providence. Religion gladdens the heart by inspiring trust in the goodness and mercy of God.
"Thou, O Lord, art my protector and the lifter up of my head" (Ps. iii. 4).
"Thou hast given gladness in my heart" (Ps. iv. 7).
"Let all them be glad that hope in Thee; they shall rejoice forever, and Thou shalt dwell in them" (Ps. v. 12).
"I will be glad and rejoice in Thee; I will sing to Thy name, O Thou Most High" (Ps. ix. 3).
"Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; Thou shalt fill me with joys with Thy countenance; at Thy right hand are delights even to the end" (Ps. xv. 11). "I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my refuge and my deliverer. My God is my helper and in Him will I put my trust" (Ps. xvii. 3).
"Though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for Thou art with me. Thy rod and Thy staff they have comforted me" (Ps. xxii. 4).
"Rejoice to God our Helper " (Ps. lxxx. 2). "He will overshadow Thee with His shoulders, and under His wings thou shalt trust" (Ps. xc. 4).
My Prayer-Book aims to lay stress upon the advantages of being sweet-spirited and sunny-tempered, of diffusing around us an atmosphere of good cheer, of being ever ready in a generous way, in an unselfish manner, to hasten to the relief or comfort of others in the hour of their sorrow and trial, mindful of the Apostle's admonition: "Bear ye one another's burdens and so you shall fulfil the law of Christ " (Gal. vi. 2), and in imitation of the divine Master Himself, who said to His disciples: "You call Me Master, and Lord, and you say well; for so I am. If, then, I being your Lord and Master have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet; for I have given you an example, that as I have done, so you do also" (John xiii. 13-15); and again: "He that is the greatest among you shall be your servant; he that shall humble himself shall be exalted" (Matt. xxiii. 11, 12). As Christians it behooves us to follow Christ, who "did all things well," who had "compassion on the multitude," who "went about doing good to all," who "hath borne our infirmities" and "carried our sorrows," who sacrificed Himself for all, even to the death of the Cross, thus manifesting the greatest love; for "greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John xv. 13).
Our thought in compiling My Prayer-Book was this: We will try by means of this little work to send forth some notes of gladness into the world amid the sounds of discord, the cries of pain, the sobbings of sorrow and the wailings of overburdened hearts; we will try to be helpful to our brethren in the pursuit and attainment of real and lasting happiness, and in these our humble efforts we shall hope and pray for a blessing from Him, whose "goodness and kindness hath appeared to all men" whose "lips are as lilies dropping choice myrrh" whose ministry of mercy and good cheer extended to the greatest sinners, and of whom Isaias the Prophet foretold: "The bruised reed He shall wot break and smoking flax He shall not extinguish."
One word more, with regard to the various Methods of Assisting at Mass. We call the reader's particular attention to the explanatory Note which precedes the first set of Prayers for Mass. Our purpose in the arrangement of these Mass Devotions was to lead pious souls to the use of meditation while assisting at the Holy Sacrifice, that is, to combine mental prayer with vocal prayer. Another object was, to popularize the habit of making use of indulgenced ejaculations, especially for the benefit of the poor souls in purgatory. All the indulgenced prayers in this book are found in the "New Raccolta," except those of recent date, which have not yet been incorporated in that work.
With the most profound sentiments of love and devotion to the Holy Family, we humbly and reverently dedicate this little volume to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, to the end that it may, under their patronage, be a means of glorifying God and sanctifying souls.
Cincinnati, Ohio,
May 24, 1908.
- ↑ Vide: Another Handful of Myrrh.