45. On Temptation of God

Macrina, a nun most observant of regular discipline, frequently fasts, rises at night to pray, and exercises other austerities of the body. When Petronia the superior had learned these things, she prohibits all things to Macrina. For she says that sanctity does not consist in these things; and, with attention to Macrina's physical constitution, that this is to tempt God, assuredly a grave sin. Although Macrina is not of robust health, nevertheless she is altogether well. But preferring obedience to her superior, she submits herself altogether to her.

Q. 1. What is temptation of God, and what kind of sin? - 2. What is to be thought concerning Macrina? - 3. What is to be thought concerning Petronia?

R. To the first, cf. I. M. 487 seqq. To the second: Macrina indeed is to be praised on account of her virtue of penitence and obedience. That Macrina was led by the good spirit of God in the exercise of that exterior penitence is clear from this, that although she was not of very strong health, nevertheless she was well; whence it can also be gathered that in fact she had not been indiscreet by exercising penances beyond her strength. It is especially clear from the promptitude of her obedience; whence it is also gathered that she was moved not by a certain pursuit of singularity, but by a true desire of virtue.

To the third. Petronia indeed errs when she says that sanctity does not consist in exterior penitence, in order to contemn it. For although sanctity essentially and formally is not in this exterior penitence and mortification, nevertheless it consists in it instrumentally; since several other virtues themselves also do not essentially constitute sanctity; nevertheless they are most valid means and instruments for acquiring sanctity. St. Thomas, Quodl. 4, a. 24. She likewise errs when she affirms that Macrina tempts God. For then Macrina would have tempted God, when Macrina, seeing, for example, that she was being weakened in her powers by those exterior austerities, had still persevered in that manner of acting, for the sake of making trial of the goodness and power of God, expecting from him that she be preserved unharmed. And in such a case she would have sinned not only against the first precept of the Decalogue, but also against the fifth precept, if by acting thus she had exposed herself to grave danger of life, without any necessity or proportionate utility, but only from the rash inclination of her own will. Wherefore Petronia gravely errs when she affirms a grave sin.

Besides, Petronia, in this matter, interferes with the office proper to the confessor, contrary to the Decree of the S. C. EE. and RR., 17 Dec. 1890. For spiritual direction properly pertains to the confessor, which by its nature also embraces the exercise of these penances. Hence, according to the present practice of the Sacred Congregation, for private penances of this sort, which are in no way public, nothing is required except the approval and permission of the confessor; but for those which would in some way be public, the approval also of the superior is required, for preserving the right order of the whole Community.

But in granting or denying exterior penances of this sort, due discretion and prudence must be preserved. "For there are some directors so imprudent that they seem to place every progress of the soul in burdening it with fasts, hairshirts, bloody disciplines, burnings, and similar things. But others seem altogether to reprove external mortifications, as useless for spiritual progress, placing all perfection in interior mortification. But these also err, as the first do, because bodily mortifications aid internal ones, and are in some way necessary, when they can be exercised, for restraining the senses; and therefore we read that they were practiced more or less by all the Saints.... To assert absolutely: External mortifications profit nothing, or little, is the greatest error." St. Alph., H. A., last treatise, App. 1, n. 23. Cf. this whole number and the following ones.