Part 29 (1/2)
1. ”The lot which falls to the better people seems to be the more honourable and better,” as the Philosopher says.[447] But the active life is the lot of those who are in the higher position--of prelates, for instance, who are placed in honourable and powerful positions; thus S. Augustine says[448]: ”In the life of action we must not love the honour which belongs to this life, nor its power.” Whence it would seem that the active life is preferable to the contemplative.
But it is not the active life only which belongs to prelates, they must needs excel in the contemplative life; whence S.
Gregory says in his _Pastoral Rule_[449]: ”Let the superior be foremost in action, but before all let him be uplifted in contemplation.”
2. Again, in all acts and habits the control belongs to the more important: the soldier, for instance--as being higher placed--directs the saddle-maker. But it is the active life which directs and controls the contemplative, as is clear from the words addressed to Moses: _Go down and charge the people, lest they should have a mind to pa.s.s the limits to see the Lord._[450] The active life is therefore more important than the contemplative.
But the contemplative life consists in a certain liberty of spirit; for S. Gregory says[451]: ”The contemplative life means pa.s.sing over to a certain liberty of spirit since in it a man thinks not of temporal but of eternal things.” Similarly Boethius says[452]: ”The human soul must needs be free when occupied with the thought of the Divine Mind; not so when distracted with the things of the body.” From all this it is clear that the active life does not directly guide the contemplative, but by preparing the way for it it does direct certain works pertaining to the contemplative life, and in this sense the active life is rather the servant than the master of the contemplative. And this S. Gregory expresses when he says: ”The active life is termed a service, the contemplative life freedom.”[453]
3. Lastly, no one should be withdrawn from what is greater in order to apply himself to what is less; thus the Apostle says: _Be zealous for the better gifts._[454] But some are withdrawn from the contemplative state of life and are made to busy themselves with the affairs of the active life; this is the case, for instance, with those who are placed in positions of authority. Whence it seems that the active life is of more importance than the contemplative.
But though a man may happen to be called away from contemplation to the works of the active life owing to the needs of the present life, yet he is not thereby compelled completely to relinquish his contemplation. Hence S. Augustine says:[455] ”The love of truth asks for a holy leisure; the demands of charity undertake honest toil--that, namely, of the active life. And if no one imposes this latter burden on us, then we must devote ourselves to the study and contemplation of the truth; if, however, such a burden is imposed upon us, then must we undertake it because of the demands of charity. Yet not even then are we altogether to resign the joys flowing from the contemplation of truth, lest the sweetness of such contemplation be withdrawn from us and the burden we have a.s.sumed crush us.”
Whence it appears that when a man is called from the contemplative to the active life it is not so much that something is withdrawn from him, but that an additional burden is imposed upon him.
”As we have heard, so have we seen, in the city of the Lord of Hosts, in the city of our G.o.d: G.o.d hath founded it for ever. We have received Thy mercy, O G.o.d, in the midst of Thy temple. For this is G.o.d, our G.o.d unto eternity, and for ever and ever: He shall rule us for evermore.”[456]
_Cajetan:_ Those whose duty it is to instruct others in spiritual progress should note that they are bound to take great pains to exercise them in the active life before they urge them to ascend the heights of contemplation. For they must learn to subdue their pa.s.sions by acquiring habits of meekness, patience, generosity, humility, and tranquillity of soul, before they ascend to the contemplative life. Through lack of this, many, not so much walking in the way of G.o.d as leaping along it, find themselves--after they have spent the greater portion of their life in contemplation--devoid of virtue, impatient, irascible, and proud, if one but so much as touch them on this point! Such people have neither the active nor the contemplative life, nor even a mixture of the two; they have built upon sand! And would that such cases were rare! (_on_ 2.
182. 1 2.).
_S. Augustine:_ Terrified by my sins and my weight of misery I was disturbed within my soul and meditated flight into solitude. But Thou didst forbid it and didst strengthen me and say: _Christ died for all, that they also who live may not now live to themselves, but unto Him Who died for them and rose again._[457] Behold, O Lord, I cast my care upon Thee so that I may live, and I will meditate on the wondrous things of Thy law. Thou knowest my lack of skill and my weakness; teach me and heal me! He--Thine Only-Begotten Son--in Whom lie hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, He redeemed me with His blood. _Let not the proud calumniate me!_ When I think of my Ransom then I eat and I drink, and I pray, and in my poverty I yearn to be filled with Him, to be among those who _eat and are filled_ and they _praise the Lord who seek Him_ (_Conf._, X., xliii. 70).
_S. Augustine: He hath hid me in His tabernacle in the day of evils._[458]
Wherefore without any arrogance have I sought for That One Thing, neither doth my soul reproach me, saying: Why do you seek after It? From whom do you seek It? Do you, a sinner, wickedly dare to ask something of G.o.d? Do you, weak man, of unclean heart, dare to hope that you will one day attain to the contemplation of G.o.d? I dare! Not indeed of myself, but because of His pleasure in me; not out of presumptuous trust in myself, but from confidence in His promise. For will He Who gave such a pledge to the pilgrim desert him when he comes to Him? _For He hath hid me in His tabernacle in the day of evils_ (_Enarr. in Ps._ xxvi.).
II
Is the Active Life more Meritorious than the Contemplative?
S. Gregory says[459]: ”Great are the merits of the active life, but they are surpa.s.sed by those of the contemplative life.”
The source of merit is charity. Charity, however, consists in the love of G.o.d and of our neighbour; and to love G.o.d is, in itself, more meritorious than to love our neighbour. Consequently that which more directly pertains to the love of G.o.d is more meritorious in its nature than something that directly pertains to the love of our neighbour for G.o.d's sake. The contemplative life, however, directly and immediately pertains to the love of G.o.d, as S. Augustine says[460]: ”The love of truth asks for a holy leisure; that is the contemplative life,” and this truth is the Divine Truth on Which the contemplative life is centred.
The active life, on the other hand, is more immediately concerned with the love of our neighbour, it is _busy about much serving_.[461] Hence of its very nature the contemplative life is more meritorious than the active, as is well expressed by S. Gregory[462] when he says: ”The contemplative life is more meritorious than the active, for the latter toils in the wear and tear of present work by which it must needs help its neighbour; whereas the former, by a certain inward savour, already has a foretaste of the repose to come”--that is, in the contemplation of G.o.d.
It may, however, chance that one man derives greater merit from the works of the active life than another does from his contemplative life; as, for example, when, from the superabundance of the Divine love, in order to fulfil G.o.d's will, and for His greater glory, a man is content to be separated for a s.p.a.ce from the sweetness of Divine contemplation, as the Apostle says: _I wished myself to be an anathema from Christ for my brethren._[463] On these words S. Chrysostom[464] comments thus: ”The love of Christ had so completely taken possession of his heart that he could even despise that which he desired beyond all things--namely, to be with Christ--and that because it was pleasing to Christ.”
Yet some maintain that the active life is more meritorious than the contemplative, thus:
1. A thing is said to be meritorious because of the reward. But reward is due to work, as S. Paul says: _And every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour._[465] Labour, however, belongs to the active life, repose to the contemplative, as S. Gregory says[466]: ”Everyone who is converted to G.o.d must needs first labour in toil; he must take Lia--that is, that so he may arrive at 'the vision of the Beginning'--that is, the embraces of Rachel.” Whence it seems as though the active life was more meritorious than the contemplative.
But while external toil makes for an increase of accidental reward, the increase of merit as regards essential reward consists mainly in charity, one proof of which is external toil undertaken for Christ's sake; but a much greater proof of this is given when a man puts aside all that pertains to this life and delights in giving himself up solely to Divine contemplation.
2. Again, contemplative life is in some sort the commencement of future bliss; and consequently the words of S. John: _So will I have him to remain till I come_, S. Augustine comments as follows: ”This might be more fully expressed thus: May perfect actions, modelled on the example of My Pa.s.sion, follow Me; but may contemplation begun here on earth remain till I come, to be perfected when I come”[467]; and similarly S.
Gregory says[468]: ”The contemplative life begins here below to be perfected in our heavenly home.” But in that future life we shall not merit, but shall receive the reward of our merits. Consequently the contemplative life seems to have less of the ratio of merit than has the active life; but it has more of the ratio of reward.