September 12

Practice Of Interior Mortification

Preparation. - “Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new paste” (1 Cor. 5. 7.). That we may follow this injunction of St. Paul, we shall meditate first, on the motives for practicing interior mortification, and secondly, on the most efficacious method for insuring success therein. We shall revive more and more our exercise of the particular examen, which consists in studying and combating daily and at every moment, our predominant defect. “Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new paste.”

I. Motives For Practicing Interior Mortification

“If any man will come after Me,” says our Saviour, “let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me” (Luke 9. 23). Our divine Master here indicates, according to St. Alphonsus, two kinds of mortifications; that of the soul, and that of the body. The former, having a spiritual object, is superior to the latter, just as the soul is superior to the body. Although we must never omit to subject the flesh and the senses, it behooves us, nevertheless, according to St. John Climacus, to prefer all our life to practice interior mortification, for it restrains our passions and corrects our defects.

It regulates our heart so well that everything therein is in peace; and makes us ever ready to obey the divine precepts and cheerfully to accept the trials of our exile. Hence the author of the Imitation counsels us to mortify ourselves in everything, saying: “Let your efforts, your prayers, your desires have but one object, that of being stripped of all self-interest, of dying to yourself, in order to live eternally for Jesus. Then will all vain thoughts, all worry, all superfluous cares vanish, and excessive fear will disappear, and inordinate love will be extinguished.” Who would not be inflamed with the desire of giving up his own will in all things, in order to secure these precious advantages?

Is not this, moreover, the means of sanctifying ourselves in less time and with greater merit? Interior mortification, indeed, acts directly on our heart, in which all virtues are to be planted. It resembles the gardener’s pruning bill for cutting of useless branches, that the tree and the fruit may have more sap and vigor. It is like the hoe that roots out the weeds around the flowers to improve them. In like manner, mortification renders our works more pleasing to God and more precious in His sight.

Let us examine whether we constantly combat every day our feelings, our natural harshness, our irascibility. Do we strive to overcome our antipathy, to restrain our evil tongue, our levity and imprudence of speech, and to become charitably disposed towards all, and show ourselves outwardly full of benevolence and kindness? Let us examine our dispositions in these points, to find out our predominant defect, be it vanity, dissipation of mind, talkativeness, or sloth, cowardice or indifference; and then let us resolve to combat and repress it without ceasing by means of watchfulness and prayer.

O Jesus, enable me, by means of the particular examen and mental prayer, and with the help of Thy grace, constantly to endeavor to stifle my predominant passion, the passion that oftenest impresses or agitates me. Grant that I may find peace, sanctification and merit through the entire and continual denial of my will. “Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new paste.”

II. The Method Of Mortifying One’s Inclinations

The tactics of combating one passion at a time greatly facilitates our victory over ourselves, for we thereby divide the enemy’s forces. By first attacking our predominant defect, and directing against it our examinations of conscience, our prayers and our efforts, we shall succeed in decreasing and weakening it, and even, after a longer or shorter time, in causing it to disappear. Such a victory is very important, for it removes the principle support of our vices, by depriving them of that which excited them to revolt. Let us successively employ this method of isolation against each evil habit, and we shall thereby acquire solid virtue.

And then can we not, with the help of mental prayer, watchfulness and upright intention, direct towards a universal object all the passions that arise within us? For instance: he who is liable to love the creatures that esteem and cherish him, should turn his love towards God, his best benefactor. Another gets easily irritated against those who oppose or displease him; let him turn his wrath against his own sins, which do him more harm than all the devils combined. A third has a passion for honor and perishable goods; let him strive to acquire eternal glory and heavenly treasures. In this way we may gradually turn our vices into virtues.

Let us not, however, wait to combat our inclinations till we have committed a fault; but let us unremittingly be forearmed against their attacks. The smallest defect may lead us to ruin, if we cease trying to overcome it. “The most solidly built vessel will sink,” says St. Cyril, “if the smallest hole in its bottom is not stopped up.”

Have we not some unmortified passion that may later cause our ruin? Let us study well our heart, and examine whether our want of submission to authority, an overeagerness to put ourselves forward, the want of modesty of the eyes, in our manners and conduct, do not expose us to fall deeply sooner or later. Let us prevent such a misfortune, by eradicating the evil by means of mortification.

O my God, enable me, like the saints and St. Alphonsus especially, to nourish my mind habitually with the maxims of faith and my heart with pious affections towards Jesus and Mary, so that I may obtain the strength requisite to conquer myself on every occasion and to exercise myself in every virtue.