Introduction

Nihil obstat.

Arthur J. Scanlan, S.T.D.,

Censor Librorum.

Imprimatur.

✠ Patritius Cardinalis Hayes,

Archiepiscopus Neo-Eboracensis

Neo-Eboraci

Die 22 Julii, 1929

By virtue of the authority granted me by the Most Rev. Patrick Murray, Superior General of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, I hereby sanction the publication of the work entitled “THE TRUE SPOUSE OF JESUS CHRIST”, which is Volume X and XI in one of the complete edition of the works of St. Alphonsus de Liguori.

Provincial

BROOKLYN, N. Y., April 19, 1929.

Copyright by

Printed in U. S. A.

2. We must overcome ourselves and courageously strive for perfection:—Means to be adopted for this purpose, 71.

1. How holy desires are useful, and even necessary, 80.

2. Means for acquiring perfection, 90.

V. THE DANGER TO WHICH AN IMPERFECT RELIGIOUS, WHO IS BUT LITTLE AFRAID OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF HER IMPERFECTIONS, EXPOSES HER SALVATION, 99

1. One can and should avoid all venial sins plainly voluntary, 99.

2. Venial sins injure above all the religious, who are most especially called to perfection, 107.

1. A religious has especially to fear being lost when she sins by attachment to some passion, or when she lives in tepidity, 113.

2. Means to extricate one’s self from tepidity, 121.

I. Necessity of combating self-love.—Practical rules, 129.

II. Detachment from self-will, 142.

III. The merit of obedience, 154.

IV. The obedience due to the Superiors, 160.

V. Obedience due to the Rule, 172.

VI. The four degrees of perfect obedience, 190.

I. Its necessity and advantages, 205.

II. The mortification of the eyes and modesty in general, 217.

CHAP. VIII. III. The mortification of the appetite, 229.

IV. The mortification of the sense of hearing, of smell, and of touch, 243.

I. The vow of poverty, the perfection of poverty, and Community life, 249.

II. The degrees and the practice of perfect poverty, 263.

I. Detachment from relatives, 277.

II. Detachment from seculars, and even from the Sisters, 287.

I. The advantages of humility, 299.

II. The humility of the intellect or of the judgment, 308.

III. Humility of the heart or of the will, 318.

IV. Continuation of the same subject, and especially patience in bearing contempt, 331.

I. The necessity of this virtue, and its practice in our thoughts and sentiments, 346.

II. The charity to be practised in words, 355.

III. The charity to be practised in works, and towards whom it is to be practised, 366.

I. Patience in general, 379.

II. Patience in sickness, poverty, contempt, persecution, and spiritual desolation, 395.

III. Patience in temptation, 408.

I. The merit of resignation to the divine will, 421.

II. In what things we ought, in a special manner, to resign ourselves, 430.

I. Moral necessity of mental prayer for religious, 441.

II. The practice of mental prayer, 453.

I. Silence, 467.

II. The love of solitude, and the avoiding of idleness, 480.

III. The presence of God, 495.

I. Confession, 525.

Utility of frequent confession, 525. Examination of conscience, sorrow or contrition, and purpose of amendment, 527. False shame, 532. Doubts, 536. Sincerity, respect, and wise reserve in confession, 539. Need and choice of a director, 541.

II. Scruples, 545.

What are real scruples, and how they are hurtful, 545. Obedience to the director is the great remedy against scruples, 548. Practical application, 554.

III. Communion, Spiritual Communion, and visiting of the Blessed Sacrament, 563.

1. Excellence of the Holy Eucharist; Effect of Holy Communion, 563. 2. Teaching of the Church in regard to frequent

Communion, 566. 3. Decree of Pius X on frequent Communion, 568. 4. Preparation for Communion, 574. 5. Thanksgiving after Communion, 576. 6. Excuses brought forward by certain religious

CHAP. XVIII. for not communicating frequently, 578. 7. Exhortation to receive Communion frequently, 584. 8. Spiritual Communion, 586. 9. The visits to the Most Holy Sacrament, 588.

1. A true servant of Mary cannot be lost, 624.

2. What are the true servants of Mary, 634.

I. The obligation of a religious to love Jesus Christ, 641.

II. The means of acquiring divine love, and the acts of love that a religious should practise towards Jesus Christ, 652.

For the Superior, 668. For the Vicar or Assistant, 682. For the Mistress of Novices, 682. For the Bursar, 684. For the sacristan, 685. For the attendant at the turn, and for the portress, 686. For the Infirmarian, 687. For the Counsellors, 690. For the lay-sisters, 690.

Rising in the morning, 694. Mental prayer, 695. The divine office, 695. The hearing of Mass, 702. The refectory, 705. Recreation, 706. The examination of conscience, with other instructions, 709. The necessity of banishing melancholy, and what ought a person to do who finds that she has become a nun against her inclinations, 712.

Summary of the virtues which the religious who wishes to become a saint should practise, 719.

Spiritual maxims for a religious, 723.

Aspirations of love to Jesus Christ, 726.

This work, as appears from the title, is intended particularly for Nuns. However, only a small portion of it is directed exclusively to them; the remainder, but especially what regards the observance of the vows of religion, regular discipline, and the perfection of the religious state, is equally suited to Religious of all denominations; and what regards the Christian virtues, will be found highly useful even for seculars.

To each chapter I have annexed prayers, replete with pious affections, knowing that such prayers are very acceptable to Religious who seek perfection. For, as St. Denis the Areopagite says, “Divine love consists in the affections of the heart more than in the knowledge of the understanding.” In human sciences, knowledge excites love; but in the science of the saints, love produces knowledge. He that loves God most, knows him best. Besides, it is not lofty and fruitless conceptions, but works, that unite the soul to God, and make it rich in merits before the Lord.

Saint Alphonsus had reached the age of sixty-four years when he published THE TRUE SPOUSE OF JESUS CHRIST, which appeared in 1760. At that time of life he joined to the learning and sanctity that distinguished him a consummate experience; in a word, he united in himself all that could be desired in order to treat in a masterly manner of all the delicate matters that are spoken of in this work. This he has done in a superior manner, which has been justly appreciated not only in Italy, but in the whole Catholic world, as is proved by the numerous translations of his book, and by the success that they have met with.

We have endeavored to give to our labor all the care that is due to the work and its venerated author, as well as to those persons that will be able to profit by it. To this new Edition of the True Spouse of Christ which numbers twenty-four chapters, we have added some important footnotes which contain in substance the various Canons of the New Code on the obligations and privileges of cloistered Nuns and Religious relative to Confessors both ordinary and extraordinary. This legislation in favor of Nuns and Religious had not been promulgated in the time of St. Alphonsus, and hence the necessity of modifying some of his statements, and harmonizing them with the Church’s recent legislation.

A few important changes have also been made in parts of the chapter dealing with frequentation of Holy Communion. (pp. 568–574). In the time of our Saint various conflicting opinions were taught by Theologians of repute on the practice of frequent Communion, and on the dispositions requisite for Its frequent reception. The majority of these opinions were far from being in agreement with the present canonical legislation. That no Saint or Doctor of the Church was more desirous of adapting his teachings in all things to ecclesiastical decrees and pronouncements than our holy Doctor, we know from his writings, his life and spirit. Who more loved the Church, who was more devoted to the Holy Eucharist, who so successfully championed Its cause against Jansenism as Alphonsus de Liguori? For these reasons it was judged expedient to substitute for the few pages in his book discussing the opinions of Theologians in regard to the dispositions requisite for frequent Communion, the Decree of Pope Pius X. on Frequent and Daily Communion, which sets forth the mind of the Church and lays to rest forever all discussion on the matter.

Another point to be noted: In the Centenary Edition of St. Liguori’s ascetical writings, brought out by Fr. Grimm, C.SS.R. in 1888, the “True Spouse of Christ” was published in two volumes. To the work proper, the scholarly and devout Editor added various small works of the Saint which have reference to Religious, and 150 Spiritual Letters to Religious. As these small works and Letters do not belong properly to the “True Spouse”, and have all appeared in other ascetical works of the holy Doctor, they have been eliminated from this Edition, thus making it feasible to compress the two volumes of the Grimm edition into one. (Editor).

The Saint himself tells us that his book is suitable not only to nuns, but also to all members of the religious state, in that which refers to the observance of the vows, regular discipline, and the perfection of their state. As for the practice of Christian virtues, the work will be found highly useful even for seculars. We add that this volume should with greater reason be serviceable to ecclesiastics, especially to those that are charged with the difficult task of directing souls in the spiritual life; they may draw therefrom lights that may not perhaps be found as clear and as sure elsewhere.

We fear, however, that some persons may find in some passages things that at first sight are of such a nature as to astonish and to displease them, for the author at times inveighs forcibly against abuses that have happily became rare or are at the present time even unknown in our country. Hence we think that we are obliged to ask them to consider well the circumstances. When St. Alphonsus wrote his work many communities in Italy and elsewhere had relaxed in spirit. Many abuses indeed existed, especially in the kingdom of Naples, and should be ascribed to the character of the manners of the country, and also to the excessive interference of the government in ecclesiastical affairs. This intermeddling often hindered the action of the Superiors, even of the Sovereign Pontiff, and favored disorder. Yet other countries and other epochs have also their defects and their trials. The spectacle of what occurred then in Italy should awaken attention to what may perhaps be out of order among ourselves.

But you will say, “Would it not be better not to know the evil, and not to think of it?” Ah! undoubtedly, if we were not always exposed to evil, if we had not continually to fear it and to take precautions in order to avoid it. Should we wait till the evil is revealed by a sad experience? The saints did not thus understand this; they did not cease to remind us of it by showing us the precipices yawning at our feet and the enemies that are besieging us, and by pointing out to us the necessary means to escape the dangers and to resist the assaults to which we are always exposed.

Furthermore, if this book has been written for all the religious, it will have a twofold interest for the Superiors: it will inspire them with zeal and with vigilance, on which depend the maintenance of regular observances, and consequently the salvation of the Community and their own salvation. They should know not only the evil that exists, in order to remedy it, but even the evil that is possible, in order to prevent it, and hinder it from penetrating; they should even suspect it, says our saint.¹ One day he had given utterance to very forcible language in a monastery. He was afterwards told that the nuns believed that he had in his address entered too much into details; this remark made him smile, and he answered: “What should I have told them? Should I have told them that they are saints?” When one preaches, one preaches for every one, and one may suppose things that do not exist.”

¹ Pages 295, 352 of this volume.

Finally, we may say to every religious that has the happiness of living in a house in which reigns exact observance: The example of so many Communities that have fallen into a deplorable tepidity after having begun with the greatest fervor, should induce you to give continual thanks to God for the advantage that you enjoy, and to do all you can to attain its continuance, well knowing that the least abuse that succeeds in insinuating itself may in time bring about great ruin.

1 Life of St. Alphonsus, by Cardinal Villecourt, l. 3, ch. 34.

The True Spouse of Jesus Christ.