Preface

I Have been requested to write a few lines by way of preface to the admirable and well-known work of piety entitled ‘Solid Virtue’ which, originally composed in Latin by Father Bellécius of the Society of Jesus, and afterwards translated into French by the Abbé Berthon, honorary Canon of the Diocese of Poitiers, is now for the first time given to the public in English, by a member of the Ursuline Community at Thurles.

I feel very sincere pleasure in complying with that request. I do so for many reasons, but notably for this one, that it shall be always a source of legitimate pride, of infinite gratification, and possibly of some merit to me, to have my name associated, even in the humblest way, with a book of devotion destined, as I believe this book to be, to advance numerous souls steadily on the path of Christian perfection, and generally to produce wide-spread and abiding good in p. ixthe Cloister, within the Sanctuary, and amongst our lay Catholic people.

‘Solid Virtue’ may well, indeed, be called a golden treatise, for it gives us that which far outweighs silver and gold in value, and which the much-vaunted wealth of this world, supposed by some to be omnipotent, could never enable us to purchase. It tells us in simplest language, and exhaustive detail, of all that goes to constitute genuine devotion, or solid virtue, how it may be practically acquired, what prevents the multitude of believers from attaining it, and how fruitful of choicest grace and happiness it is when attained.

To have acquired solid virtue is simply to be devoted to God. There is, perhaps, no term in the English language that implies more of what is good, and rare, and estimable than the word devotion does, when properly understood. It expresses an ardent attachment, the most absolute dependence, the completest form of self-sacrifice, untiring zeal, the disposition of mind and heart that prompts, or rather impels one to submit unconditionally to the will of another, to study his interests and strive to advance them in everything, to submit to any inconvenience, incur any risk, fearlessly brave all perils, and be reconciled to every manner of privation, for his sake. Thus we say of a very dutiful child that he is devoted to his parents, or of a faithful servant that he is thoroughly devoted to his master. We say, in like manner, that a person is devoted to ambition or to any other passion, when his chief, or only anxiety is to satisfy it; when he thinks of it often by day and dreams of it by night; and when the contemplation of it so utterly absorbs his attention, that he has little relish for anything else, and but little desire to address himself to any other pursuit.

True devotion, then, in a religious sense, may be said to be the love of God reduced to a settled every-day practice.

From this very simple statement it must be abundantly clear, that we are all bound to aim at the acquisition of what is understood as solid virtue; that we should highly prize every known aid or incentive to it; and that it is a pernicious mistake to think, as many unfortunately have been led to believe, that perfection, in so far as it is at all attainable here below, is the inheritance of but a chosen few, and a thing to be sought after and realised by Religious alone. This is a very common, and I fear, in some instances, a fatal delusion. There were no two Gospels given to the world. There is but one passport to Heaven, and but one high road to everlasting ruin. The Decalogue is the same for all. There is no one privileged to slay or to steal, to take God’s holy Name in vain, to tell lies, to profane the Sabbath, to withhold from the p. xAlmighty, or share with any creature whatsoever, the honour and the homage due to Him alone. If you would enter into life, no matter who you are, you must keep the commandments. There exists no special code for men or for women, for cloistered Nun or holy Friar, for priest or layman, for the farmer who tills and toils in the fields, or for the domestic servant who tidies up our household, for the statesman who legislates for a mighty empire, or for the soldier who fortifies and fights for it with his sword. ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and thy whole soul, and all thy strength.’ This is a universal law. Another universal law is: ‘Be ye perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.’

It is true, indeed, that professed Religious are bound to a higher degree of perfection than ordinary mortals; but this is because they have solemnly pledged themselves to it by vow, and are otherwise constrained to it by certain rules and constitutions which they voluntarily engaged to observe. But the general position remains unaltered, nevertheless, that we are all bound to aim at perfection, and that we expose ourselves to forfeit a place in Heaven altogether, if we do not strive to secure a high one. ‘Solid Virtue’ cannot fail to stimulate our ambition in this respect. The source of our lamentable indifference is twofold; blindness of the understanding, which causes us not to see, or be practically affected by, the hideousness of vice, or the transcendent beauty of virtue; and languor of the will, because of which we neither estimate virtue as we ought, nor feel at all distressed at its absence, according to the well-known maxim that ‘there is no longing for that which is unknown.’

I earnestly recommend this work, then, to all who take an interest in their spiritual advancement; and I pray God to bless and reward the pious and devoted Sister who has rendered so great a treasure accessible to the public.

✠ T. W. Croke,
Archbishop of Cashel.
The Palace, Thurles.
Oct. 28th, 1879.