|
|
Because Anthony Mary wrote no systematic spiritual treatise,
his teaching is not easily summarized. His few and occasional
writings do no permit a reconstruction of a structured and exhaustive
body of doctrine. Suffice it to present the following points:
- The Way of God
The opening sentence of Sermon 6 reads: "Man, my
friends, was created and placed on this earth chiefly and exclusively
in order to reach God; the rest of creation helps him reach that
goal." The rest of the sermon develops what Ignatius of
Loyola would term the "principle and foundation" of
Anthony Mary’s spirituality. The ways to God are many:
- way of creatures: "God has made everything for
man and man for God. Thus created things are to be a ladder for
man to reach God, the Lord" (Sermon 6). Among all
creatures, human beings are a choice way to God: "God has
made your neighbor the road to reach His Majesty" (Sermon
4).
- way of separation: "You must, in your effort
to know God, follow the way of negation - the way of separation.
And so, if you want to be good and perfect in this way of life,
you have to separate and withdraw from all creatures, from yourselves,
and from all defects" (Sermon 6).
- way of the middle course: "[Paul] said that we
have to follow a middle course and, according to the Sage’s
saying, not to swerve to the right or to the left [Prov 4:27]"
(Sermon 5). This is the practical equivalent of St. Ignatius’
"indifference."
- "Due order" of the spiritual life
This is the basic teaching of all the Sermons. It is particularly
explained in Sermon 1: We do not progress in the spiritual
life "because we do not follow the proper order of the spiritual
life and because we want to be teachers before being disciples."
The order to be observed in the spiritual life consists in keeping
the Commandments, which must precede the pursuit of perfection.
A more profound articulation of this teaching is found in Sermon
3: God "in His goodness and in spite of us - His unfaithful
and insincere servants, even His enemies - ... gives us so many
good things; nevertheless, He is unwilling to give the gift of
perfection, the tasting of His sweetness, and the knowledge of
His secrets except to His friends and faithful disciples,"
that is, to those who keep the Commandments. On the other hand,
if it is true that, if "you do not want to pay Him the promised
tribute [keeping the Commandments]... neither... will He grant
you perfection... nor the capacity for accepting and fulfilling
the evangelical counsels" (Sermon 3), it is equally
true that "whoever wants to avoid the danger of failing
to keep the commandments must follow the counsels" (Sermon
6). Definitely, a most intriguing case of circularity!
- The relation between grace and free will
It is a classic problem for theologians. At times grace is favored
over free will; other times, it is the other way around. Pelagius,
for instance, emphasizes human effort, while Luther excludes
any human role and insists on grace alone. Anthony Mary offers
a balanced synthesis: "So great is the excellence of free
will strengthened by God’s grace, that man can become either
a god or a devil according to what he chooses to be" (Sermon
5). "Any effort to reform the religious life is futile
without the grace of God, who has promised to be with us until
the end of the world and is always ready to help us. In fact,
God can prove us guilty of lacking courage because of our unfaithfulness
in undertaking great things, whereas we cannot accuse Him of
failing us" (Constitutions 18).
- From virtue to virtue
This phrase, taken from Psalm 83, is found many times in Anthony
Mary’s writings. It pointedly describes the necessity of
advancing from stage to stage in the "Way of God."
"Climb up as high as you can, for you owe Him [God] much,
much more" (Constitutions 12). "Strive continuously
to increase what you have begun in yourself and in others because
the heights of perfection are limitless" (Constitutions
18). A spiritual ascent should not be sluggish, but vigorous,
similar to running. Christ himself "to avoid being negligent,
ran toward the cross regardless of its shame" (Letter
2). His followers, then, are called to "run like madmen
not only toward God but also toward [their] neighbors" (Letter
2).
- Lukewarmness
As we have just learned, "the primary requirement in God’s
ways is expeditiousness and diligence" (Letter 2).
However, on our way to God we are slowed down by lukewarmness
that makes us say: "It is enough for me to honor God thus
far" (Constitutions 12); "This is enough for
me - that I save my soul by keeping the commandments. That’s
enough, and I don’t care a bit for all this talking about
great holiness!" (Sermon 6) "It’s enough
to do this, why bother about so high perfection!" (Constitutions
17). Lukewarm people delude themselves. They defy a fundamental
norm of the spiritual life. "Not to make progress is to
fail" (Constitutions 12). "Not to go forward
on the way to God, and to stand still, is indeed to go backward"
(Sermon 6). Lukewarmness is no secondary detail in the
spiritual life. It affects the very essence of Christian life.
More than once, Anthony Mary identifies lukewarmness with a Pharisaic
attitude. In Sermon 4, Pharisaic people are described
as being virtuous but loveless. So lukewarmness may be described
as the opposite of love. It does coincide with hypocrisy, which
simulates the spiritual life but lacks inner convictions. "O
how many ‘saints’ - rather, to be exact, how many people
who but ‘ape the saints’ - have died . . these first-class-hypocrites,
like the Pharisees. . ." (Sermon 4). Anthony Mary’s
disciples must above all war against lukewarmness. His Angelics
are summoned to be "filled with apostolic zeal in removing
from the hearts of people not only idolatry and other big, big
defects, but also in routing out the most pernicious and greatest
enemy of Christ Crucified, which is nowadays triumphing almost
everywhere - I mean, Lady Tepidity" (Letter 5)
- The spirit and true fervor
To combat lukewarmness one needs fervor. This is the condition
that enables one to walk in the way of God. "To do this
you need a great fervor" (Sermon 6). Anthony Mary
rightly distinguishes between fervor and fervor. There is a superficial
fervor, a passing feeling of devotion, an emotional high that
every Christian experiences at some time or other of his life:
"One thing is exterior fervor and devotion, and quite another
is interior fervor and true devotion" (Constitutions
12). The former has no real worth. It is quite misleading
and unreliable and may create a false sense of security. On the
other hand, real fervor comes true in times of dryness, when
one keeps doing God’s will with great generosity. "It
is proper for persons with a generous heart to wish to serve
without reward and to fight without remuneration and provisions
for the journey" (Constitutions 12). True fervor
and true devotion are simply "readiness for service in obedience
to God’s will" (Constitutions 12). Persevering
in the performance of one’s duties leads to an increase
of fervor: "By so persevering, you will grow in spirit and
fervor. These can only be increased through renewed, firm, and
frequent promises, and by strongly and resolutely checking one’s
natural inclinations" (Constitutions 12). True fervor
reveals the power of the Holy Spirit. He is the driving force
of Barnabites and Angelics in their apostolic endeavors: "Unfurl
your flags, my dear daughters, for Jesus Crucified is about to
send you to proclaim everywhere the vital energy of the Spirit"
(Letter 5).
|
|
|
