Palladium theologicum, Tomus quintus: De virtutibus

What Devotion is, and of how many kinds.

DEVOTION is an act of the Will, by which one promptly wills to carry out all things that pertain to the service of God, and thus hands himself over entirely to the divine cult. Devotion therefore looks to the means fit for obtaining the ultimate end.

The Saintly Doctor expounds its sweet nature in the eight Collationes, Coll. 6. That one refuse to be consoled, and to take delight in things of others; That one delight in the love of God, as D. Bernard says sermone 4. super Qui habitat. Let him withdraw from affection for all things delightful. Let the soul be alone, alone seeking those things which lead to God, as S. Bernard runs on serm. 40. in Cant. where he says: Let the soul be alone, that she may keep herself for Him alone, whom she has chosen to herself from all. Flee the crowd, flee the household, withdraw from friends and intimates. Forget your own people, and your father's house, and the King will desire your beauty. Withdraw therefore, but in mind, not in body, but in intensity, but in Devotion, but in Spirit.

AT LENGTH, with him, in serm. 3. de Annunc. Domini, D. Bonaventure concludes: The food of the soul is the grace of God, most sweet indeed, having all sweetness and delightfulness of savor; it not only delights, but refreshes, and heals. There are four signs that show the presence of the grace of God. First, if the heart is pacified in itself and quiet, because the heart rests, or is filled, in nothing except in God alone. Second, when the mind and spirit feel themselves inclined to devotion. Third, in the presence of grace, then the countenance of a man brightens more than usual, and shows itself benign. Fourth, when in outward movements a man is more composed and ordered.

THEREFORE he concludes that he is devout who devotes, or gives, his whole self to God; for in ancient times they were called devoted who devoted themselves to Idols unto death, as is related of the two Decii by Pliny lib. 10. Decad. 1.

The Saintly Doctor distinguishes, however, a THREEFOLD devotion opusc. de sex alis Seraphim, cap. 8. The first is common, or in the common works of the divine service, as in the divine offices. The second is special in prayers. The third is promptitude in whatsoever holy works.

AROUND the common divine offices a threefold condition is required for devotion: First, that all be done in order without error, that each perform his own office, as is said prima Cor. 4. Let all things be done honestly, and according to order among you. Thus King David, primo Paral. 25. He separated to the ministry of the Lord those who prophesied with harps, psalteries, and cymbals, according to their number, serving in the office dedicated to them. Second, that the work of the Lord, that is, the office of the divine cult, be carried out vigorously and not sluggishly or slothfully: For He says Hierem. 48. Cursed is he who does the work of God fraudulently. The LXX read, negligently. Third, that the divine offices be paid reverently, without dissoluteness and noise, distinctly and attentively, as the Psalmist said: In the sight of the Angels. Hebrew: Neghed, over against, Coeli, and Eccles. 39. With all your heart, and mouth praise and bless the name of the Lord.

For the Divine Office the Holy Spirit instituted it for five reasons.

¶ FIRST, that the Church militant might be like her sister triumphant in hymnody: To those singing we are joined, zealous rivals of nurturing Sion. Thus John saw that city descending.

SECOND, that mindful of the benefits of God we might give thanks to God at every hour, especially by recalling the passions of the Savior; at midnight the Incarnation and Nativity: at morning his being dragged before the Judges: at the first hour scourged: at the third pierced with thorns: at the sixth Crucified: at the ninth having died: in the evening taken down; late in the day buried, let us remember. Whence Isaias 63. I will remember the mercies of the Lord.

THIRD, that we stir ourselves to devotion: For He commanded a perpetual fire upon the altar, Leuit. 6. This is the perpetual fire, which shall never fail, upon the Altar.

FOURTH, that at fixed hours the people flow to the Church, at the times of the offices, to the glory of God; for thus John, and Peter went up at the hour of prayer, the ninth, with the people, and in Luke, first, All the multitude of the people was without at the hour of incense.

FIFTH, for the adornment and Majesty of the Christian Religion; for if Pagans, Mahometans, and others pour forth into superstitious rites, much more ought Christians to celebrate pious rites in the cult of the true God; thus Ecclesiasticus 47. He gave honor in the celebrations, and adorned the times.

¶ AS TO special Devotion in private prayers, there is need of a devotion that drives out weariness, makes alert and wakeful, lest we imitate the prayer of the disciples dozing in the garden, or of the soldiers sleeping at the sepulcher, for Psalm. 76. I meditated in the night with my heart. For by devotion the heart is kindled into the service of God: For the spirit of love himself makes us ask with unutterable groanings, Rom. 8.

He says this Devotion is necessary for Prelates; and he establishes that at times that devotion is preeminent for them by which they rightly exercise the angelic office. For thus also Moses often withdrew into the tabernacle, and the Lord withdrew at night into the mount, Lucae 6. For, like the Angels, they ought always to meditate on God as present, after the example of Elias, and Eliseus, who said: As the Lord liveth, in whose sight I stand.

¶ The THIRD, which truly is general devotion, is the continuous study of pleasing God, as the Apostle said 2. Corinth. 5. We contend, whether present, or absent, to please him. But he admonishes that for this reason we anticipate all our works with prayer. Therefore it is said 1. Paral. 20. When we know not what we ought to do, we have this only remaining, that we direct our eyes to you, and Psalm. 121. As the eyes of servants are in the hands of their masters, etc.

¶ GRAVELY, however, he discourses on the wonderful effects of devotion in that chapter. See it; for I do not transcribe all here, that I may eagerly compel you to the Seraphic fountain; where wonders are found.

In the little book also on the progress of the Religious lib. 2. cap. 73. he distributed as it were seven modes of devotion, according to the diverse motives from which the promptitude and alacrity arise for those things that pertain to the cult of God.

FIRST, then, it arises from fear, by which, having been implanted and struck in, one is borne toward Divine things, Psalm. 50. Cast me not away from thy face, Psalm. 37. Forsake me not, O Lord my God, etc.

SECOND, from grief, and penitence for past offenses, Psalm. 50. Turn away thy face from my sins.

THIRD, from desire of glory: Lord, before thee is all my desire, Psalm. 37. and Isa 26. Thy name, and the desire of my soul. My soul desired thee in the night.

FOURTH, from the imitation of Christ, and the compassion to be shown his passions, while he is transfixed by that sword Lucae 2.

FIFTH, from love, by which they are inflamed from the memory of the divine goodness. By this love, the Holy Spirit gives testimony to our spirit, that we are the sons of God. Rom. 8.

SIXTH, from joy, which he stirs up in the cult of the Lord from the hope of predestination to glory, Psalm. 83. My heart and my flesh have exulted in the living God.

SEVENTH, from contemplation, and admiration of the divine majesty, to whom service is rendered, Iob. 37. Great in strength, and in justice is God: therefore shall they fear him.

It arises also from all the affections mixed together, from which, as from aromatics crushed together, the incense is compounded, evaporating toward heaven, or from many oils one balsam is made.

Further, since devotion is the fatness of pious affection, and has more to do with the affect than with the intellect, as can be seen in simple devout persons, and in certain lettered but undevout ones; yet perfect devotion is not without the light of the intellect: but the understanding of simple devout persons is one thing; and that of the lettered another. For the lettered know how to speak subtly on any spiritual matter, and to express in proper words what they will, to divide beautifully, and to distinguish and assign congruous causes and reasons, and to compose persuasively and in order with arranged speech, and from small things to weave lengthy treatises, and to weave those things that are plain and known in artful words, so that they may seem to the unlearned things drawn from the innermost marrow of Philosophy.

But simple devout persons see the truth more splendidly in itself, and know how to think of it more profoundly, and to weigh its weight, and to search out the veins of an intimate savor by the taste of affection, and by the ray of pure understanding to discern whatsoever things more lucidly; so that, although they know not how to distinguish in expressed words properly, they are more able, from the taste of savor, to know the natural differences of the truth than by the conjectures of arguments. Let the example be of any craftsman skilled in his art, and of a subtle Philosopher, of whom the one can thus beautifully discourse on the art; and the other act properly. So the Seraphic Doctor.

He truly ADMONISHES, cap. 70. that devotion is agitated in some by temptations. First by hesitation, while one wavers in doubt: whether the things he does are pleasing to God, and whether he is predestined, etc.; and this indeed is a grave hindrance to a joyful soul, by which often even holy men have spread their wings in vain. The second temptation is of elation, by which they seem to rub the heavens between their fingers: But from this also let them guard carefully. See the Saintly Doctor, and D. Thomas art. 3. ad 3.

From what has been said you have, that devotion is a preeminent act, and a gift of God; for by it we devote ourselves with alacrity to the cult of God, as the Saintly Doctor explained above. But this gift God at times takes away, as it were a file scraping from the soul the rust of some elation, or presumption, that thus, oppressed with sorrow, one may cry out to the Lord, and acknowledge from him that promptitude which he had ascribed to himself. See D. Bonaventure.

You have also, that devotion is an act of Religion; for it pertains to the same virtue to do something, and to have a prompt will for doing it, because the object of both acts is the same. Hence Aristotle says, 5. Eth. cap. 1. Justice is that by which men will to act justly, and by which they do act justly.

You have, thirdly, with D. Bonavent. in the places adduced, and D. Thom. art. 3., that contemplation is the cause of devotion. The reason of both Saintly Doctors is, because Devotion is a certain act of the will for this, that it hand itself over promptly to the divine service. But every act of the will arises from some consideration. Therefore D. Augustine says, lib. 14. de Trinit. cap. 8. The will arises from understanding. Therefore it is necessary that meditation be the cause of devotion, inasmuch as it conceives the motives by which one hands himself over to the divine service, to which one is led by considerations of the goodness of God, of his benefits, etc. and on the other hand by consideration of one's own lowliness, and unworthiness; from which one gathers that he has need of Divine help, Psalm. 120. I have lifted up my eyes to the mountains, from whence help shall come to me. D. Bonavent. pursues the benefits of God outstandingly, and Caietanus art. 3.

GATHER, at length, with S. Bonavent. in the places adduced, and D. Thom. art. 4., that Joy is the effect of devotion; for from the consideration of the Divine goodness, and of benefits, and of graces, alacrity arises in the servitude of God, whence he exults, Psalm. 76. I was mindful of God, and was delighted. But the accident indeed also generates sadness, as is said, Psalm. 42. My soul hath thirsted after God, the fountain of living water: my tears have been, etc. For while he sees his own defects, he feels his miseries, touches his calamities, is cast down with sorrow, and darkened. But while he considers the divine mercy, he is raised up, comforted, and leaps toward the servitude of God, as the lame man healed by Peter at the gate of the temple exulted.

D. Bonavent. enumerates the wonderful effects of devotion, opuscul. de sex alis Seraphim, cap. 8. He says this is the unction of the Holy Spirit, which teaches all things 2. Ioan. 2. Whence Eccles. 24 They that eat me, shall yet hunger. It strengthens in the service of God: For God by it works in us both to will and to accomplish, according to his good will. It makes one shudder at sins, the Psalm saying, 118. I hated iniquity, and Apoc. 10. Sweet to the taste, it embitters the belly. It orders actions, Cant. 2. He ordered charity in me: indeed he raises up ebriety, so to speak, in the wine-cellar of divine considerations; he composes morals, and life; even outwardly, as Tob. 3. said, I never mingled with those who play. See the Saintly Doctor.

I CONCLUDE, that devotion is as it were the sharp spur of Religion, by which one hastens to the service of God, and it commands all the acts of the virtues, even Theological ones. And this Paul willed, and supposed, while he commands that all things be done to the glory of God. Whence S. Thomas, quaest. 81. art. 8. says simply that sanctity, which is Religion, commands all the virtues. Nor indeed is it necessary that the virtue commanding the acts of another be superior to it; but it suffices that they have motives, by which the affection well disposed toward one virtue is affected toward the acts of the other virtues from their connection, as Valentia says, disput. 6. quaestione 1. puncto 2.