Untitled - Saints' Books

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INSTR. ix.] Exterior Mortification. 363
loss, exclaims St. Hilary, when everything in this world,
and even life itself, is lost in order to follow Jesus Christ
and to gain eternal glory. 1 St. Bernard says that were
there no other reason for giving ourselves entirely to
God, it would be enough to know that God has given
himself entirely to us. 2 But to give ourselves to God
without reserve, it is
necessary to banish from the* heart
every earthly desire. Wherever charity
is augmented,"
says St. Augustine, there cupidity
is diminished. Free
dom from all cupidity is perfection."
who least
desires the goods of the earth, loves God most; he who
desires nothing, loves God perfectly.
In the preceding instruction we have spoken of in
terior mortification: we shall now speak of external
mortification, or the mortification of the senses. This
species of mortification is also necessary, because on
account of sin our flesh wars, as the Apostle said of
himself, against reason, and is an enemy to our salva
tion: I see another law in my members, fighting against the
is," says
law of my mind?
St. Thomas in his
comment on this passage, the concupiscence of the flesh
that is
struggling with reason." It is necessary to
understand that the soul must bring the body under
subjection, or the body will trample on the soul. God
has given us senses that we employ them, not as we
please, but as he directs; hence we must mortify the
desires that are contrary to the divine law.
They that are Christ s have crucified their flesh, with the
1 "
Jactura felix! contemptu universorum, Christus sequendus est, et
aeternitas comparanda." In Matth. can. 16.
2 "
Integrum te da illi, quia ille, ut te salvaret, integrum
De Modo bene. viv. c. 8.
3
Nutrimentum charitatis est imminutio "
cupiditatis;
se tradidit."
perfectio, nulla
cupiditas."
De div. qucest. q. 36.
4 "Video autem aliam legem in membris meis, repugnantem legi
mentis mese." Rom. vii. 23.
5 "
Id est concupiscentia carnis contrarians rationi."