Pt III ch. III. Of Discouragement, First to Third Points (paras 1057–1101)

FIRST POINT.

Evil Consequences of Discouragement. DISCOURAGEMENT is the most dangerous temptation of the devil. By other weapons he attacks only a single virtue, and shows himself without disguise; but here, whilst concealing himself, he shatters all the virtues to their very foundation. In other temptations one can easily discover his snares. In religion, often even in reason or in a Christian education, principles upon which to condemn the evil may be found. A glance at the sin that cannot be palliated; conscience raising its voice aloud; the spirit of religion awakened with increased strength—all these may serve to parry the insidious attack. But in discouragement nothing affords us assistance. We feel that our strength is not sufficient to accomplish what God demands of us; and yet confidence in help from above, which is so indispensable, is wanting. We feel so miserable that we desire to give up everything; and to this precisely the devil loves to lead us.

In other temptations one sees clearly the sinfulness of deliberate consent to their suggestions; but in discouragement the temptation takes a thousand different forms. One thinks he is acting upon a pure motive in harboring an emotion in which he sees no evil. And yet this feeling presents to the soul the persevering practice of virtue as something impossible, and thus exposes her to the danger of being carried away by her passions. Hence the importance of avoiding such a snare.

We must first be persuaded that discouragement is really a temptation, and nothing else. Every thought which is opposed to the Law of God, whether in itself or in its effects, is a manifest insinuation of the devil. We must weigh every suggestion according to this rule: Is the thought that troubles us against faith, hope, love, or any other virtue? If so, we must consider it a temptation, turn away from it, and awaken acts of the opposite virtue. Now the Divine Law obliges us equally to the practice of hope and confidence, as well as to that of faith and the other virtues. Contrary feelings and sentiments are, accordingly, not less prohibited than those that oppose the other virtues. A certain commandment requires us to make frequent acts of faith, hope, and love, thereby interdicting us every wilful, deliberate thought or reflection contrary to these three divine virtues. Discouragement is, consequently, of itself a temptation, in so far as it is opposed to Christian hope. But because of its evil consequences it is a particularly dangerous temptation, since it leads to the giving up of all pious exercises.

Would you prove this? Cast a glance at the ordinary doings of men. To what does not the hope of success, of happiness, of gain, of the gratification of desire or passion, not stimulate? It urges men to action, it animates them to exertion, it buoys them up in the combat. Take hope from man, and he will soon cease to aim at even what appears to him a desirable good. In the spiritual life discouragement works similar effects. It unfits men to reach their highest end.

A Christian soul that does not hope to succeed in the spiritual warfare, and acquire virtue, will undertake little or nothing, will never arm herself for the struggle. The most trifling exertion made in such a state only increases her weakness. By her discouragement she is, in anticipation, already half overcome. She allows herself to be conquered by the domineering sway of her passions. A glance at her weakness throws her into disquiet and irresolution. Wholly possessed by the thought of the exertion and weariness that the struggle entails, losing sight of the principles which should guide her, she miserably succumbs. Blinded by fear of defeat, she sees not the weapons that God presents her, with which she might so easily gain the victory; and thus she rushes unarmed into the snares of the enemy. She acts like a child that trembles in the presence of a giant, knowing not that a stone cast in the name of the Lord could bring him dead to the ground.

The despondent soul forgets that the goodness of her Heavenly Father is her protection and defence. To come out of the combat victorious she has only to flee to Him. . . .

Discouragement not only deprives the soul of discernment and reflection, but also robs her of the spirit of prayer. She then plunges headlong into the abyss. We can work out our salvation only with the assistance of divine grace, and it is but by uninterrupted and persevering prayer that we can obtain this grace. There is no means of good more recommended to us in the Holy Scripture than prayer. But the first effect of discouragement is to withdraw the soul from this holy exercise, under the pretext that she performs it so badly that it becomes, if not sinful, at least useless. Thus beset, the discouraged soul is defenceless in the hands of her enemy. Hence we may easily perceive the danger of this temptation.

The discouraged soul should never, never neglect prayer. There are among the various forms of prayer many, indeed, which presuppose interior peace. Such prayers are impossible so long as the storm of discouragement and despair agitate the soul. They are not at all to be recommended to a dejected soul. All that can be expected from her is the suppliant cry for help from a heart that feels its misery, that exclaims with the humble publican of the Gospel: "O Lord, have mercy on me, for I am a sinner!" or, still better, with our loving Saviour in His death agony: "Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me; but not My will, but Thine be done!" Assuredly, an angel of the Lord will come down to strengthen the praying soul and, supported by grace, she will be able to resist the assaults of hell. But the most excellent of prayers in this temptation is always the awakening of hope, which is in direct opposition to it. Excite in the hour of combat repeated acts of confidence. If you tell me that your heart is so full of contrary sentiments that these acts appear to you false and hypocritical, I answer: "Your speech is vain, for there is question not of your sentiments but of your will." When the will is resolved into an act of hope, it makes use of the freedom given it. Such an act is highly meritorious before God, and at the same time the most effective means against the above-mentioned temptation. Daily experience proves this. Such a practice has often, in one day, freed a soul from the temptation to despair from which she had suffered for long years. Therefore, we cannot too urgently insist upon discouraged souls exercising frequent acts of hope.

SECOND POINT.

Why Discouragement occasions so much Harm.

Why does discouragement produce in the soul effects so sad? Listen to my answer to this question: "A disheartened soul is perfectly convinced of her oft-tried weakness; she feels keenly how hard it is to overcome herself, and how seldom she really does so. Wholly occupied with her own sad thoughts, she loses courage; she does nothing for God; she considers it labor lost to seek her refuge in the Lord; for she imagines that, in her present state, He would not even hear her. Strange effects of human pride, as if the good that we do and the happiness to which we aspire could be attributed to no one but ourselves. How greatly is such a state in opposition with the words of the Holy Ghost: "What hast thou that thou hast not received?"

The despondent soul dwells only on her own efforts, her own strength: on these alone she counts; so that her discouragement decreases, ceases, returns, and increases accordingly as she acts well or ill. She forgets that the mercy of God, and not her own merit, is her support and help; that the good she does is an effect of the undeserved grace of God; and that the treasury of eternal mercy stands open to her in every circumstance, so that in the exercise of good works she can always receive the necessary grace.

If you try to convince such a soul that she ought, in imitation of the saints, to place all her confidence in the Lord, she at once replies: "They were saints, and faithful servants of the Lord. It is no wonder that they had confidence in God; but as for me, I have no such reason to hope in Him." Moreover, she does not see that such a manner of speaking is opposed to the maxims of our holy religion.

Hope is a divine virtue, and, consequently, can be founded only on God. But the souls of which we are speaking make it a purely human virtue, since they found it wholly on man and his actions. No, never have the saints hoped in God, because they were faithful to Him; but they were faithful to Him, because they hoped in Him.

Were the alleged objection correct, then no sinner could evoke an act of hope; and yet it is precisely such an act that prepares the way for his return to God.

Remark that St. Paul does not say: "I have received mercy, because I was faithful," but "I give counsel, as having obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful." Mercy always goes before our good works, and obtains for us the grace to accomplish them. Never did the saints reflect upon their own merits, in order to strengthen their confidence in God; on the contrary, they were deeply penetrated with this teaching of the Divine Master: "When you shall have done all these things that are commanded you, say: We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which we ought to do." The more holy they were, the more humble they became. In their humility they saw but the perfection to which they had not yet attained. Far removed from the presumptuous sentiments of the proud Pharisee, they discovered nothing in themselves that could rouse confidence; but they sought and found it in God, the immovable foundation of their hope. This plank upheld them. Let it likewise encourage you, and give your wearied soul new life.

THIRD POINT.

The True Foundation of Christian Hope the same for all Men.

According to the teaching of our holy religion, the foundation of Christian hope, namely, confidence in God, is the same for all men—for the saint and for the sinner.

Hope is, like faith and love, as we have already said, a divine virtue. It must, then, be founded upon God and His infinite perfections alone. This precludes any idea of personal merit from the motives of this virtue. We do not hope in God because we have served Him faithfully; but we hope in Him, that we may thereby receive the grace to serve Him with fidelity.

What, then, according to our holy faith, is the foundation of Christian hope? Pope St. Benedict XIV. tells us in the act of hope composed and published by himself: "O my God! I hope in Thee because Thou art true to Thy promises, and because Thou art almighty and infinitely merciful." In this act we see nothing human. All is founded upon God. Could there be, I ask, stronger motives of hope and confidence than these?

Our hope rests in all things upon God's mercy—upon that mercy which is more willing to heap graces upon us than we are to receive them; upon that love which more sincerely desires what is for our good than we ourselves, and which prevents us with its help without our deserving it; finally, upon that fidelity which in all our trials will give sufficient grace and strength in as far as we implore it. This mercy, which is infinite, and consequently far greater than all the malice of men, has made itself known in the most conspicuous and wonderful manner, viz., by God's resignation of His only-begotten Son to death, in order to save us. How could he afterward deny us that grace and assistance which, by such a sacrifice, He has so dearly purchased?

Secondly, the promise of the Lord secures to us the gracious effects of His mercy. God has promised to grant us assistance toward our eternal salvation when we pray to Him for it. He, the Infinite Truth, cannot deceive us. He is faithful to His promises. Holy Scripture calls upon us in a hundred places to take refuge in God, who solemnly assures us that He will Himself be our help and strength. Dare we, then, deliberately harbor the least fear that God will cast us away from Him or forsake us when we have confident recourse to Him?

Certainly, God deserves that we should call upon Him trustingly if we would be favorably heard. But do we not render ourselves unworthy of His benefits when we pray to Him, mistrusting that goodness of which He gives manifold proofs at every moment? St. James says: "For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, which is moved and carried about by the wind. Therefore, let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord." And we see how Jesus Christ in His earthly life worked miracles only where He found confidence.

The infinite omnipotence of God is the third motive of Christian hope. Men often promise what it is not in their power to perform; but to God, the Almighty, nothing is impossible. No insurmountable obstacle can be placed in the way of His will when He wills to give us graces. In the inexhaustible treasury of His gifts He possesses means sufficient to lead us to sanctity. Never, then, let us fear to ask Him for too many or too great favors.

God, who is infinitely rich, possesses all goods, natural and supernatural. God, the Almighty, can communicate all these goods to us. God, the All-Good, is ready at all times, according to His promise, to give us everything necessary for our sanctification. These perfections of God are for all men the foundation of Christian hope. They alone can give to our confidence the unwavering assurance that it should possess.