Chapter I: The Merit of Virgins Who Have Consecrated Themselves to God

1. They become like the Angels, and are the Spouses of Jesus Christ.

Virgins who have the happiness of dedicating themselves to the love of Jesus Christ by consecrating to him the lily of their purity, are, in the first place, as dear to God as his angels. They shall, says the Redeemer, be like the angels of God in heaven.¹ Such is the immediate fruit of the virtue of chastity. Hence St. Ambrose says, that “whoever preserves this virtue is an angel, and that whoever violates it is a demon.”² Baronius relates that when a certain virgin, called Georgia, was at the point of death a great multitude of doves was seen hovering about her; that when her body was brought to the church they flew to that part of the roof which corresponded to the place where the corpse had been put, and remained there till after the interment. By all who saw them, these doves were regarded as angels paying respect and homage to the body of the virgin. Chastity is justly styled an angelic and celestial virtue. “Because,” says St. Ambrose, “this virtue has ascended even to the heavens, and thence taken an example to be imitated on earth; and because only in heaven, the residence of its spouse, it is practised in all its perfection.”¹

Besides, a virgin that consecrates herself to Jesus Christ becomes his spouse. Hence, writing to his disciples, St. Paul did not hesitate to say: I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.² I have promised to present to Jesus Christ your souls as so many chaste spouses. In the parable of the virgins, Jesus himself wished to be called their spouse: They went out to meet the bridegroom.... they went in with him to marriage.³ The Redeemer, whenever he speaks of virgins, calls himself their spouse; but where he speaks of others, he calls himself master, pastor, or father. Hence that elegant verse of St. Gregory Nazianzen, “and chaste virginity is adorned by Christ her spouse.”⁴ These espousals are perfected in faith. And I will espouse thee to me in faith.⁵ Jesus Christ has, in a special manner, merited for mankind the gift of virginity, and is therefore followed by virgins whithersoever he goeth.⁶ The Mother of God once said to a soul, that a spouse of Jesus Christ ought to have a great esteem for all virtues, but that purity, by which she is principally assimilated to her divine spouse, should hold the first place in her heart. St. Bernard assured us that all just souls are spouses of the Lord.⁷ But St. Anthony of Padua adds that virgins consecrated to God are his spouses in a special manner.¹ Hence St. Fulgentius calls Jesus Christ the only spouse of all consecrated virgins.²

¹ “Erunt sicut Angeli Dei in cœlo.”—Matt. xxii. 30.

² “Castitas angelos facit: qui eam servavit, angelus est; qui perdidit, diabolus.”—De Virg. l. I.

¹ “She drew down from heaven what she might imitate on earth; she sought from heaven a rule of life for herself, she who found a spouse for herself in heaven.”—De Virg. l. 1.

² “Despondi vos uni viro virginem castam exhibere Christo.”—2 Cor. xi. 2.

³ “Exierunt obviam Sponso. . . . Introierunt cum eo ad nuptias.”—Matt. xxv. 1.

⁴ “Castaque virginitas decoratur conjuge Christo.”—Carm. Virginit.

⁵ “Sponsabo te mihi in fide.”—Os. ii. 20.

⁶ “Sequuntur Agnum, quocunque ierit.”—Apoc. xiv. 4.

⁷ “We ourselves are the spouse, and all together one spouse, and the souls of individuals are, as it were, individual spouses.”—Dom. 1. p. Epiph. s. 2.

¹ “Omnes animæ sponsæ sunt Christi, specialius tamen virgines.”—De Virg. s. 2.

² “Unus omnium sacrarum virginum sponsus.”—Ep. ad Prob. de Virg. c. 4.

A young person desirous of settling in the world, will, if she be prudent, in the first place carefully inquire into the circumstances and dispositions of all who pretend to her affections, and will diligently seek to ascertain who of these is most deserving of her heart; and from whom she may expect the greatest happiness in this life. A religious, on the day of her profession, is espoused to Jesus Christ; for in the ceremony of profession the bishop says to the novice about to be professed: I espouse thee to Jesus Christ; may he preserve thee inviolate. Receive, then, as his spouse, the ring of faith, that, if thou serve him with fidelity, he may give thee an eternal crown. Let us, then, ask the spouse of the Canticles who is this divine bridegroom. Tell me, O sacred spouse, what are the qualities of thy beloved, the only object of thy affection, who renders thee the happiest of women? What manner of one is thy beloved of the beloved, O thou most beautiful among women?³ She will answer: My beloved is white and ruddy, chosen out of thousands.⁴ My beloved is rendered white by his innocence, and ruddy by the ardor with which he loves his spouses. In a word, he is so loving, so perfect in all virtues, and at the same time so courteous and affable, that he is of all spouses the most dear and amiable. “There is nothing,” says St. Eucherius, “more glorious, nothing more beautiful nothing more magnificent, than he is.”¹ “These happy virgins, then,” says St. Ignatius, Martyr, “who are consecrated to Jesus Christ, may be assured that they have obtained the most beautiful, the most noble, the most opulent, and most amiable spouse that can be found in heaven or on earth.”²

³ “Qualis est Dilectus tuus ex dilecto, o pulcherrima mulierum?”—Cant. v. 9.

⁴ “Dilectus meus candidus et rubicundus, electus ex millibus.”—Ibid. 10.

¹ “Nihil illo magnificentius, nihil gloriosius, nihil pulchrius, nihil munificentius.”—De Contemptu M.

² “Virgines agnoscant cui se consecrarunt.”—Ep. ad Antioch.

Hence Blessed Clare of Montefalco used to say that her virginity was so dear to her, that rather than lose it she would be content to suffer the pains of hell during her whole life. Hence, as we learn from St. Ambrose, the glorious virgin St. Agnes, when to her was offered for husband the son of the Roman Prefect, justly answered that she had found a better spouse.³

³ “Sponsum offertis; meliorem reperi.”—De Virg. l. 1.

St. Domitilla, the emperor’s niece, through a love of virginity refused the hand of Count Aurelian; and when it was argued that she might lawfully marry him, because, although a Gentile, he would allow her to remain a Christian, she replied: “If to a young woman were offered the choice of a monarch or a peasant, which would she prefer? If I marry Aurelian, I must renounce the nuptials of the King of heaven, and would not that be the extreme of folly? You may, therefore, tell the count that I cannot accede to his proposal.” Thus she preserved her virginity, which she had consecrated to Jesus Christ; and rather than prove unfaithful to her divine spouse, she suffered to be burned alive by her barbarous lover.⁴

⁴ Croiset, Exerc, May 12.

The holy virgin St. Susanna made a similar reply to the Emperor Diocletian, who offered her the title of Empress, on the condition that she would marry his son-in-law Maximin, whom he had created Caesar. In punishment of her refusal she was rewarded with the crown of martyrdom.

Many other holy virgins have declined the nuptials of earthly monarchs to become the spouses of Jesus Christ. Thus blessed Jane, the Infanta of Portugal, refused the hand of Louis XI. King of France; Blessed Agnes, that of the Emperor Ferdinand II.; and Elizabeth, the daughter and heiress of the King of Hungary, rejected the proposal of marriage with Henry, the Archduke of Austria.

2. How much more Happy are Virgins than Married Women even in this Life.

Besides, the virgin that consecrates herself to Jesus Christ is devoted entirely to God, in body as well as in mind. The unmarried woman, says St. Paul, and the virgin thinketh on the things of the Lord; that she may be holy both in body and in spirit.¹ But she that is married thinketh on the things of the world, how she may please her husband. Virgins consecrated to God think only of God, and desire only to belong to him without reserve; but married persons, being of the world, can think of nothing but of the things of the world. Hence the Apostle adds: and this I speak for your profit; not to cast a snare upon you, but for that which is decent, and which may give you power to attend upon the Lord, without impediment.² Thus poor worldlings meet with insurmountable difficulties in the way of virtue; and the more exalted their rank, the greater the obstacles to their sanctification.

¹ “The unmarried woman and virgin thinks upon the things of the Lord, that she may be holy in body and in spirit; but she who is married thinks upon the things of the world, how she may please her husband.”—1 Cor. vii. 34.

² “Moreover, I say this for your profit . . . ., for that which is becoming, and which may provide the opportunity of beseeching the Lord without impediment.”—Ibid. vii. 35.

To become a saint in the world, it is necessary for the married woman to adopt the means of sanctification, to frequent the sacraments, to make long and frequent mental prayer, to practise many interior and exterior mortifications, to love contempt, humiliations, and poverty; in a word, to make every effort in her power to please God. She must, then, be perfectly detached from the world, and all its goods, and perfectly free from the control and tyranny of human ties. But how can a married person find the time, the opportunities, and helps necessary for recollection, and continual application to the things of God?

She that is married thinketh on the things of the world, how to please her husband. The married woman must provide for her family, educate her children, please her husband, his parents, brothers, and relatives, who are sometimes to her a constant source of trouble. Hence the Apostle says, her heart must be divided, and her affections fixed partly on her husband, partly on her children, and partly on God. What time can she have for continual prayer, for frequent Communion, when, with all her efforts, she is not able to attend to the wants of the house? The husband must be attended; if his directions be neglected, or his commands be not immediately executed, he breaks out into complaints and reproaches. The servants disturb the house, at one time by their clamor or their quarrels, at another by their importunate demands. The children, if small, are a perpetual source of annoyance, either by their cries and screams, or by the endless variety of their wants; if grown up, they are an occasion of still greater inquietude, fears and bitterness, by associating with bad companions, by the dangers to which they are exposed, or the infirmities with which they are afflicted. How, in the midst of so many difficulties and embarrassments, is it possible for the married woman to attend to prayer, or to preserve recollection? And, as to her Communions, they can scarcely be as frequent as once a week. She may indeed have strong desires of sanctification; but to pay great and constant attention to the affairs of her soul will be morally impossible. The very privation of the opportunities of attending to the things of God may be made a source of great merit by patient submission to the divine will, in the unhappy state in which she is placed. All this is indeed possible; but to practise patience and resignation, in the midst of so many troubles and distractions, without the aid of prayer, of spiritual reading, or of the sacraments, will be exceedingly difficult and almost impracticable.

But would to God that seculars were exposed to no other evils than the obstacles to their devotions, to constant prayer, and the frequent use of the sacraments. Their greatest misfortune is to be in continual danger of losing the grace of God and their own immortal souls. They must appear like their equals, they must employ servants, and support their rank. They must go abroad to visit their friends, and in these visits they must converse with a variety of characters. At home they must hold constant intercourse with their own families, with their relatives, and with the friends of their husband. Oh! how great on such occasions is the danger of losing God! This is not understood by young persons, but it is well known to those who are settled in the world, and who are daily exposed to such dangers.

Oh! how unhappy and miserable is the life of the generality of married persons! I have known the circumstances, the feelings and dispositions, of numberless married persons, from the highest to the lowest classes of society, and how few of them were content! The bad treatment of husbands, the disaffection of children, the wants of the family, the control of relatives, the pains of childbirth, which are always accompanied with danger of death, the scruples and anxiety of conscience regarding the flight of occasions, and the education of children, plunge poor seculars into endless troubles and agitation, and fill their souls with continual regret for not having been called to a happier and more holy state. God grant that, in the midst of such troubles and agitation, many of them may not lose their immortal souls, and that, along with passing through a hell in this life, they may not be condemned to an eternity of torments in the next. Such is the unhappy condition of many of those who have engaged in the married state.

But you will ask, Are there no saints among so many thousands of married persons? I answer, that there are some who sanctify themselves in the world by suffering a continual martyrdom, by bearing, for God’s sake, all crosses and troubles with patience and cheerfulness, and by peacefully and lovingly offering themselves in all things to God. There are some who attain this high degree of perfection: but they are as rare as white flies. And you will find that such holy souls are always employed in works of penance, and that they continually aspire after the sanctity and disengagement of those who have consecrated their virginity to Jesus Christ, devoted their lives to the glory of God, and have embraced a state of constant happiness.

The state, then, of virgins consecrated to Jesus Christ, and who are entirely devoted to his divine love, is of all states the most happy and sublime. They are free from the dangers to which married persons are necessarily exposed. Their affections are not fixed on their families, nor on men of the world, nor on goods of the earth, nor on the dress and vanities of women. To appear like their equals, and to please their husbands, married persons must wear rich apparel and costly ornaments; but a virgin consecrated to Jesus Christ only requires a garment which will cover her body. In her, vanity of dress or the decoration of her person would be a scandalous exhibition. Besides, consecrated virgins are not troubled with the cares of a house, a family, and a husband; their sole concern, the only desire of their hearts, is to please Jesus Christ, to whom they have dedicated their souls and bodies, and all their affections. They are unshackled by worldly ties, by subjection to friends or to relatives, and are far removed from the noise and tumult of the world. Hence they have more time and better opportunities for prayer, spiritual reading, and frequent Communion. Their minds are more free to think on the affairs of their soul, and to practise recollection and union with God.

“She that is a virgin,” says Theodoret, “has her mind free from useless thoughts.”¹ A religious, then, has no other occupation than to hold constant and familiar converse with God. Œcumenius, in his commentary on the words of St. Paul, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit, says, “that her body is sanctified by chastity, and her spirit by familiarity with God.”² St. Anselm says that in the mere exemption from the cares of the world, to think on the things of the Lord, virgins receive an abundant compensation for all their temporal sacrifices.³ Hence the saint adds, that virgins consecrated to God not only shall receive great glory in heaven, but shall be also rewarded beforehand by the enjoyment of continual peace on earth.⁴

¹ “Qui enim est virgo, ab inutilibus cogitationibus liberam habet animam.”—In 1 Cor. vii. 32.

² “That she may be holy in body and in spirit. Holy in body, because of chastity; holy in spirit, because of familiarity with God.”—In 1 Cor. vii. 34.

³ “If no greater reward followed a virgin, this prerogative alone would suffice for her: to think upon the things of the Lord.”

⁴ “Non solum in futuro sæculo gloriam, sed et in præsenti requiem habet virginitas.”—In 1 Cor. vii.

3. Excellence of Virginity.

Virgins who aspire to perfection are the beloved of Jesus Christ, because they have consecrated to him their bodies and their souls, and seek nothing in this life but to do his holy will. St. John, because he was a virgin, was called the beloved disciple of Jesus: “whom Jesus loved.”¹ Hence in the divine office we read of him that he was chosen, a virgin, by the Lord, and of all the apostles was the most beloved.²

¹ “Quem diligebat Jesus.”—John, xiii. 23.

² “Virgo est electus a Domino, atque inter cæteros magis dilectus.”—Die 27 Dec. resp. 1.

Virgins are called the first-fruits of God. For, says St. John, they are virgins. These follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were purchased from among men, the first-fruits to God, and to the Lamb.³ But why are virgins called the first-fruits of God? Because, says Cardinal Hugo,⁴ in his commentary on the preceding passage, as first-fruits are the most delicious, so virgins consecrated to God are most pleasing and dear to him.

³ “For they are virgins. These follow the Lamb wherever he shall go. These were purchased from among men as first-fruits to God and to the Lamb.”—Apoc. xiv. 4.

⁴ “Sicut primitiæ fructuum delectabiliores sunt.”

The spouse in the canticles feedeth among the lilies.⁵ One of the sacred interpreters, explaining these words, says, that “as the devil revels in the uncleanness of lust, so Christ feeds on the lilies of chastity.”⁶ Venerable Bede asserts that the hymn of the virgins is more agreeable to the Lamb than that of all the other saints.⁷

⁵ “Qui pascitur inter lilia.”—Cant. ii. 16.

⁶ “Sicut diabolus cœno libidinis saginatur, ita Christus castimoniæ liliis pascitur.”—Aponius, In Cant. l. 5.

⁷ “Songs composed by virgins produce a sweeter harmony for the Lamb than if all the other saints were to contend in singing.”

So great is the excellence of virginity, that the Holy

Ghost says, no price is worthy of a continent soul.¹ Hence Cardinal Hugo teaches that, in the other vows, a dispensation is sometimes granted, but not in the vow of chastity; because such is the value of continence, that its loss cannot be compensated.² The price of chastity may be estimated by the answer of Mary to the Archangel Gabriel: How shall this be done, because I know not man?³ By these words she showed her readiness to renounce the offered dignity of Mother of God rather than forfeit her virginal integrity.

¹ “Omnis ponderatio non est digna continentis animæ.”—Ecclus. xxvi. 20.

² “Inde est quod votum continentiæ non habet dispensationem, quia non habet compensationem,”—In Ecclus. xxvi. 20.

³ “Quomodo fiet istud, quoniam virum non cognosco?”—Luke, i. 34.

St. Cyprian says that “virginity is the queen of all virtues and the possession of every good.”⁴ Speaking of virginity, St. Ephrem says, “if you have loved it, you will be favored by the Lord in all things.”⁵ St. Bernardine of Sienna teaches that “virginity prepares the soul to see her spouse Jesus by faith in this life, and by glory in the next.”⁶ Oh! what an immense weight of glory is prepared for those who dedicate their virginity to Jesus Christ!

⁴ “Virginitas est regina virtutum, possessio omnium bonorum.”

⁵ “Hanc (virginitatem) si amaveris, a Domino in omnibus prosperaberis.”—De Virt. c. 9.

⁶ “Virginity prepares the soul to see Jesus the Spouse in the present life through faith, and in the future through glory.”—T. ii. s. 48, a. 1.

The Redeemer showed to that great servant of God, Lucretia Orsini, the sublime dignity to which consecrated virgins are raised in heaven. In the vision she exclaimed, “Oh! how dear are virgins to God and to Mary!” Theologians teach that virgins are honored in heaven with a special crown of glory and of joy. And no man, says St. John, could say the canticle, but those hundred and forty-four thousand who were purchased from the earth.¹ St. Augustine, explaining this passage, says that the joys of the virgins are not given to the other saints of God.²

¹ “And no one could sing the canticle except those one hundred and forty-four thousand who were purchased from the earth.”—Apoc. xiv. 3.

² “The joys proper to the virgins of Christ are not the same as those of non-virgins, although they are Christ's; for others have joys, but none have joys such as these.”—De Virginit. c. 27.

4. Means to preserve Virginal Purity.

But to be the virginal spouse of Jesus Christ it is not sufficient to be a virgin; it is necessary to be a prudent virgin, and to carry a lamp always filled with oil, that is, a heart inflamed with the love of God. The foolish virgins were indeed virgins; but, because their lamps were extinguished, they were shut out from the marriage, and were told by the bridegroom that he knew them not.³ A virgin, then, who wishes to be a true spouse of the Redeemer, ought to desire and seek nothing but to love and please Jesus Christ. “If,” says St. Bernard, “he become a spouse, he will change his language, and say: If I am a spouse, where is my love? God requires to be feared as a master, to be honored as a father, and to be loved as a spouse.” ⁴

³ “Nescio vos.”—Matt. xxv. 12.

⁴ “If he presents himself as Spouse, he will change his voice and will say: If I am the spouse, where is my love?—God therefore requires that he be feared as Lord, honored as Father, and loved as Spouse.”—In Cant. s. 83.

To be a faithful lover of Jesus Christ her spouse, and to preserve unsullied the lily of her purity, a virgin must adopt the necessary means. The principal means of acquiring an ardent love of Christ are mental prayer, Communion, mortification, retirement. Although each of these means is fully discussed in another part of this work, still a brief notice of them in this place will not be irrelevant.

The first means to love Jesus Christ is mental prayer. Mental prayer is that blessed furnace in which the soul is inflamed with divine love. And, says holy David, in my meditation a fire shall flame out.¹ In temptations against purity, the immediate invocation of the divine aid is absolutely necessary. The Venerable Sister Cecilia Gastelli used to say, that without prayer, chastity cannot be preserved. As I knew, says Solomon, that I could not otherwise be continent, except God gave it, I went to the Lord and besought him with my whole heart.²

¹ “In meditatione mea exardescet ignis.”—Ps. xxxviii. 4.

² “And when I knew that I could not otherwise be continent unless God should grant it . . . , I went to the Lord and besought him.”—Wisd. viii. 21.

The second means is the holy Communion. This, says St. Bonaventure, is the cellar of wine into which the King of heaven brings his spouses “to set in order charity” in their hearts, teaching them to love God above all things, and their neighbors as themselves.

The third means is mortification. As the lily among the thorns, so is my love among the daughters.³ As the lily blooms among the thorns, so virginity is preserved only in the midst of mortification. St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi used to say that “chastity flourishes only among thorns.” To fulfil the obligations of the religious state, in the midst of amusements, worldly attachments, and conversations with seculars, in the midst of sensual gratifications, of indulgence of the palate, of the eyes, and of the ears, is utterly impossible. Religious purity can be preserved only among the thorns of mortification. “A virgin,” says St. Basil, “should be immaculate in all things—in the tongue, the ears, the eyes, the touch, and above all in the mind.” ⁴ To be faithful to her spouse, a virgin must be immaculate in her tongue by the delicacy of her language, and by abstinence as much as possible from conversations with men; she must be immaculate in the ears, by shunning, like death itself, all worldly discourses; immaculate in her eyes by the modesty of her looks, always restrained so as never to fix them on the face of a man; immaculate in the touch, always observing the greatest caution towards herself and others; but, above all, immaculate in her soul, rejecting every unchaste thought, as soon as it is presented to the mind, by invoking the assistance of Jesus and Mary. As a queen tempted by a vile slave contemptuously turns away without condescending to notice him, so the spouse of Jesus Christ should reject with disdain and horror every immodest thought which intrudes itself into the mind. To preserve her soul and body free from stain, she must also chastise her flesh, by fasting, abstinence, by disciplines and other penitential works. And if she has not health or strength to practise such mortifications, she ought at least to bear in peace her infirmities and pains, and to accept cheerfully the contempt and ill-treatment that she receives from others. The spouse follows the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.¹ Jesus Christ has not walked before us in the way of pleasures and honors; no, he has chosen the rugged path of pains and opprobrium. Hence many holy virgins have loved sufferings and contempt, and have joyfully encountered torments and death.

³ “Sicut lilium inter spinas.”—Cant. ii. 2.

⁴ “It is fitting for a virgin to commit adultery in no part: not with the tongue, not with the ear, not with the eye, not with touch; and much less with the mind.”—De Vera Virg.

¹ “Sequuntur Agnum, quocumque ierit.”—Apoc. xiv. 4.

The fourth means is retirement. Thy cheeks are beautiful as the turtle dove’s.² The spouse in the canticle is compared to the turtle, because the turtle avoids the company of other birds, and delights in solitude. A religious appears beautiful in the eyes of Jesus Christ only in retirement and at a distance from the society of men. St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi was accustomed to say that chastity is a plant that thrives only in inclosed gardens and in the midst of thorns. A religious should observe not only the enclosure of the convent, but also that of the senses; and therefore, unless compelled by duty or by obedience, she should never approach the door, the grate, or the windows. “Jesus,” says St. Jerome, in his epistle to Eustochia, “is a jealous spouse: he is unwilling that your face be seen by others.”¹ The Saviour, then, is greatly displeased with the conduct of those who seek to appear before seculars, and delight in their conversation. Virgins distinguished for sanctity always seek retirement; and whenever it is necessary to go into the company of men, they endeavor to deform their persons, so as to excite feelings of aversion, rather than sentiments of affection. Bollandus relates² that St. Andregesina, a virgin, besought the Almighty to change her beauty into deformity. Her prayer was heard, and she was instantly covered with a leprosy which made her an object of horror to all who beheld her. James of Vibriaco says that St. Euphemia, to free herself from the attention of a person who was greatly attached to her, cut off her nose and lips, saying, “Vain beauty, you shall be no longer an occasion of sin to me.” Baronius³ relates that St. Ebba, abbess of the convent of Collingamens, fearing an invasion of the barbarians, cut off her nose and upper lip, and that all the other nuns, amounting to thirty in number, followed her example. The barbarians came, and, seeing the religious so deformed, set fire to the convent and burned them alive. The Church has placed all these holy virgins in the catalogue of her martyrs. St. Antonine⁴ cites a similar incident as having happened in 1291 in Palestine, in a convent of the Clares. It would not be lawful for others to imitate the heroic conduct of these saints: they acted from an impulse of the Holy Ghost. But from their example religious may learn how much virgins inflamed with the love of Jesus Christ shun the company and despise the esteem and affections of men. A religious should conceal herself as much as possible from the view of men. At her espousals with Jesus Christ she renounced the world and all its vanities. Such is the compact which she made with him, when, in answer to the question, “Do you renounce this world and all its vanities?”¹ she answered, “I renounce them.”² St. Jerome, in his eighth epistle to Demetria, says: “Now, since you have left the world, fulfil your solemn engagements, and do not conform to this world.” 3

² “Pulchræ sunt genæ tuæ sicut turturis.”—Cant. i. 9.

¹ “Zelotypus est Jesus; non vult ab aliis videri faciem tuam.”—Ep. ad Eust.

² Vita S. Ansb. 9 Febr.

³ Ann. 870, n. 39.

⁴ Hist. p. 3, t. 24, c. 9, §11.

¹ “Abrenuntias huic saeculo et omnibus vanitatibus ejus?”

² “Abrenuntio.”

In a word, if you desire to possess the purity which becomes the spouse of Jesus, you must cut off all dangerous occasions: you must cherish a holy ignorance of all that is opposed to chastity, and abstain from reading whatever has the slightest tendency to sully the soul. If, at the grate, language unbecoming your state be ever uttered, you should instantly withdraw, or change the subject of conversation, otherwise you shall have much to suffer from the temptations by which you will be assailed. If fire does not always burn, it never fails to scorch. A look, an endearing expression, or a trifling gift often enkindles a spark which soon becomes an infernal, a consuming fire. In all that regards purity, too much caution cannot be observed. Trust not in your own strength; believe one who has known a thousand cases in which that sublime virtue was lost

“Nunc autem quia saeculum reliquisti, serva foedus quod spopondisti.”— Ep. ad Demetr. by exposure to danger. If you say, I will expose myself so far, and no farther, be assured that before you perceive your danger you will be plunged into the abyss. If in voluntary perils you have hitherto escaped ruin, thank God for your preservation, but tremble for the future. Saints have retired into the deserts to preserve the virtue of chastity; and will you rush into unnecessary danger? It is particularly difficult for those who are in the vigor of youth to practise immaculate purity while they converse with young men on worldly subjects, jesting with them, and smiling at expressions which ought to cover them with shame. Fly, fly from all such occasions. Explain to the confessor not only your temptations, but also the occasions of them, and ask his advice about the best means of removing them.

5. The Spouse of Jesus Christ should be entirely His.

The day on which a virgin is espoused to Jesus Christ is to him a day of great joy. Go forth, he says in the canticles, daughters of Sion, ana!see King Solomon in the diadem, wherewith his mother crowned him on the day of his espousals, and the day of the joy of his heart.¹ Yes, the day on which a religious consecrates her virginity to Jesus Christ is to him a day of triumph and exultation, provided she dedicates her whole being to his love and glory, and prepares herself in a becoming manner for her espousals with the God of holiness. On such days the Redeemer calls on all Paradise to rejoice with him. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give glory to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath prepared herself.²

¹ “Go forth and see, daughters of Sion, King Solomon in the diadem with which his mother crowned him, on the day of his espousal and on the day of the joy of his heart.”—Cant. iii. 11.

² “Let us be glad and rejoice and give glory to him, because the marriage of the Lamb has come and his wife has prepared herself.”—Apoc. xix. 7.

The ornaments which the Lamb requires in his spouses are the virtues recommended in the Gospel, but particularly charity and purity. He will make thee chains of gold inlaid with silver.¹ These chains of gold, inlaid with silver, signify the virtues of charity and chastity. These, as we learn from St. Agnes, are the garments and jewels with which the Lamb decorates his spouse. He surrounded my right hand and my neck with precious stones. The Lord clothed me with a garment of golden texture, and adorned me with immense necklaces.²

¹ “Murenulas aureas faciemus tibi, vermiculatas argento.”—Cant. i. 10.

² “He encircled my right hand and my neck with precious stones. The Lord clothed me with a robe woven with gold and adorned me with immense necklaces.”—Offic. 21 Jan.

Seculars direct all their attention to the things of the world; but the spouses of Jesus Christ seek God, and God alone. Of religious it is written, This is the generation of them that seek him.³ These holy virgins, whom you see confined within their convent poor and humble, are the generation of blessed souls who seek nothing on this earth but God’s glory. “You then, O consecrated virgins,” says St. Thomas of Villanova, “should contend with one another, not about the preeminence of your birth, the superiority of your talents, nor the amplitude of your fortunes; but for the first place in the esteem and affections of Christ Jesus, and for the highest claim to familiarity with him, to humility and obedience.” ⁴ St. Jerome, in one of his letters to Eustochia, who wished to consecrate her virginity to Jesus Christ, writes: “Since, my child, you come to the service of God, the Holy Ghost admonishes you to stand in justice, and to prepare your soul for temptation; to practise patience in humility: for gold is tried in the fire.⁵ No one can serve two masters.¹ You will, therefore, despise the world, and, espoused to Christ, you will sing, The Lord is my portion forever.” Religious on the day of profession change their names to show that on that day they die to the world, to live to Christ, who died for them. All Christians should, according to St. Paul, die to themselves, and live only to Jesus Christ. And Christ died for all: that they also, who live, may not now live to themselves, but unto him who died for them and rose again.² But if all do not attend to the instructions of the Apostle, religious at least, who are the chosen spouses of the Redeemer, should fulfil them.

³ “Haec est generatio quarentium eum.”—Ps. xxiii. 6.

⁴ “Vie with one another in this: which may be dearer to this Spouse, which may be more familiar with him, which more humble, which more obedient.”—De Nat. Mar. ad -won. cone. 2.

⁵ “Son, when you approach the service of God, stand in justice and fear, and

¹ “Nemo potest duobus Dominis servire.”—Matt. vi. 24.

² “Christ died for all, so that those who live may now live not for themselves, but for him who died for them.”—2 Cor. v. 15.

The Venerable Sister Francis Farnese regarded the remembrance of being the spouses of Jesus Christ as the most powerful means of exciting her religious to fervor and perfection. It is certain, she would say to them, that since you have been raised to the dignity of his spouses, God has chosen each one of you to be a saint. St. Augustine, addressing a religious, says: O happy virgin! if you know not your dignity, endeavor to estimate its excellence by the doctrine of the saints. You have the most beautiful of spouses, who, by selecting you from among thousands, and making you his spouse, has given you a pledge of affection, from which you may learn how ardent should be your love for him.³ And St. Bernard, in his fortieth sermon on the Canticle of Canticles, addressing consecrated virgins, says: “Have nothing to do with the world: forget all things:

³ “You have a most beautiful spouse. He sent a pledge of love; in the gift itself you will be able to recognize with what affection you ought to love him.”—De dil. Deo, c. 4.

prepare your soul for temptation. . . . In your humiliation have patience, because gold is tested in fire.”—Ecclus. ii. 1. reserve yourself for the Lord, whom, from all things, you have chosen for your inheritance.”¹ Cease, O spouse of Jesus, to think of yourself or of the world: you belong no longer to yourself or to the world, but to that God to whom you are consecrated. Forget all things, and attend to him only who has chosen you for his spouse. “Your God,” continues the saint, “has chosen you; and how many have been cast away who could not obtain the grace which has been bestowed on you? Your Redeemer and your Spouse has preferred you before all these; not because you were more worthy, but because he loved you more than them.”² You have not chosen God, but God has first chosen you for his spouse. How many has he left in the world who could not obtain the dignity to which you have been raised. He has chosen you in preference to them; he has called you to his tabernacle, not because you had superior claims, but because his love for you was greater than his love for them. The saint then concludes: “Wherefore, saith the Lord: 'Behold, thy time is the time of lovers.' Reflecting, then, upon these things in your soul, place all your hope and affection in Jesus, your spouse, who has loved you with an everlasting love, and in mercy has drawn you to himself.”³

¹ “Have nothing to do with crowds; forget all things; reserve yourself for him alone whom you have chosen for yourself from among all.”—In Cant. s. 40.

² “How many, and of what quality, have been rejected who could not obtain this grace which has been given to you! Your Redeemer preferred you to all of them; your Spouse, your God, chose you.”—De dil. Deo, c. 7.

³ “Therefore the Lord says: Behold, your time is the time of lovers. Recalling these things, therefore, in your heart, place your hope and your love in him who loved you with everlasting charity and, taking pity, drew you to himself: Jesus, your Spouse.”

Whenever, then, O spouse of Jesus, the world solicits your affection, answer in the words of St. Agnes: “Depart from me, food of death; I am already espoused to another lover.”¹ All the affections of my heart shall be reserved for my God, who has loved me before I could love him. A religious, when she receives the veil on the day of profession, makes use of similar language. “He has placed,” she says, “a seal on my forehead, that I admit no lover but him.”² My spouse has covered my face with this veil, that not seeing, and not being seen, I may have no lover but Jesus. St. Jerome exhorts religious to take a holy pride in this exalted dignity of spouses of the Redeemer. “Learn,” he says, “O spouse of God, a holy pride. Know that you are raised above worldlings, and say: I have found him whom my soul sought: I will hold him, and will not let him go.”³ Seculars glory in their nuptials with men of rank and fortune; but you, who are the spouse of the King of heaven, can boast of better espousals. Say, then, with pride and with joy: I have found the object of my affections; I will embrace him with love, and will not permit him to depart from me. It is love that unites the soul with God. But above all things, says St. Paul, have charity, which is the bond of perfection.⁴

¹ “Discede a me, pabulum mortis, quia jam ab alio amatore præventa sum.”—Offic. 21 Jan.

² “Posuit signum in faciem meam, ut nullum, præter eum, amatorem admittam.”—Ibid.

³ “Spouse of God, learn a holy pride; know that you are better than they, and say: I have found him whom my soul was seeking; I shall hold him and shall not let him go.”—Ep. ad Eust.

⁴ “Charitatem habete, quod est vinculum perfectionis.”—Col. iii. 14.

Sublime, indeed, is the dignity of virgins: each of them can glory, and say,” I am espoused to Him whom the angels serve.”⁵ He to whom the celestial spirits ardently desire to minister is my spouse; with his own ring he has pledged me, and with a crown has adorned me as his own spouse.⁶ My Creator, the Sovereign of the universe, has espoused me, and, conferring upon me a crown, has raised me to the dignity of a queen. But, O sacred virgin, remember that, while you remain on earth this crown is not eternal, and that by your negligence it may be lost. Hold fast that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.¹ Hold fast your crown, that no one may be able to snatch it from you; disengage yourself from all affection to creatures; unite yourself more and more every day to Jesus Christ by love, by petitions, and by continual supplication that he may never suffer you to abandon him. “Jesus, my spouse, never permit me to be separated from thee.”² And, when creatures seek to take possession of your heart, and to banish the Son of God from your soul, trust in the divine aid, and say with the Apostle, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Neither life, nor death, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.³

⁵ “Ipsi sum desponsata cui Angeli serviunt.”

⁶ “Annulo tuo subarrhavit me, et tanquam sponsam decoravit me corona.”—Offic. 21 Jan.

¹ “Tene quod habes, ut nemo accipiat coronam tuam.”—Apoc. iii. 11.

² “Jesu, mi Sponse! ne permittas me separari a te.”

³ “Who then shall separate us from the charity of Christ? Neither death, nor life, . . . nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the charity of God.”— Rom. viii. 35-38.'

O Jesus, my Saviour and my God! how have I merited this singular favor, that while Thou hast left in the world so many innocent souls, Thou shouldst have chosen me, a sinner, for Thy spouse, to live in Thy own house here on earth, that I might afterwards receive from Thee an eternal crown in heaven? O Lord, since Thou hast bestowed upon me so great a grace, grant me light to understand its value, and strength to be always grateful for it, and with my whole soul to correspond to the love which Thou hast borne me. Thou hast chosen me, in preference to many others: it is my duty to prefer Thee to all. Thou hast given Thyself entirely to me; it is but just that I present my whole being to Thee, and that Thou be the sole object of all my love, and of all my affections. Yes, my Jesus, I love Thee above all things: I desire to love Thee alone. Thou hast given Thyself to me without reserve: I offer myself entirely to Thee. I beseech Thee to accept this oblation, and not to refuse the affections of a heart that once loved creatures, and even preferred them before Thee, the sovereign good. Accept and preserve my soul and body. Without Thy assistance I can do nothing: without it I shall certainly betray Thee. Since Thou hast chosen me for Thy spouse, make me a faithful and grateful spouse. O sacred fire, burning in the heart of Jesus, inflame my soul, and destroy in my heart every affection which is not for him; make me live only to love this my amiable spouse, who has given his life to be loved by me.

O Mary, Mother of God, since I am the spouse of thy Son, thou art not only my queen, but my mother. And since it was by thy intercession that I have been detached from the world, conducted into this house of God, and made the spouse of thy Son, assist me now, and do not abandon me forever. Grant that my life and death may be worthy the spouse of Jesus Christ.