Chapter 5
ON THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER FOR SEMINARIANS
"Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." – Luke 11:1.
One of the most important duties of a pastor is to teach the people the necessity and efficacy of prayer, and how they are to pray, and for what they are to pray. Hence it is said, in the Catechism of the Council of Trent, that "Amongst the duties of the pastoral office, it is one of the highest importance to the spiritual interest of the faithful to instruct them in Christian prayer, the nature and efficacy of which must be unknown to many, if not enforced by the pious and faithful exhortations of the pastor. To this, therefore, should the care of the pastor be directed in a special manner, that the faithful may understand how, and for what, they are to pray."
Oh, how unspeakable is the pleasure given to Jesus Christ by a pastor, who often in public, as well as in private, fulfils this duty! Would to God that all pastors would adopt the sentiments of St. Alphonsus, and could say with him: "I wish I had nothing else to do than to speak and to write on this great means of prayer; for, on the one hand, I see that the Holy Scriptures, including both the Old and New Testament, exhort us to pray, to ask and cry aloud if we wish for Divine grace; and on the other hand, I must openly confess that I cannot help complaining of preachers, confessors, and spiritual writers, because I see that none of them speak as much as they ought of the great means of prayer. And in the many courses of Lenten sermons which have been published, where shall we find a discourse on prayer? Scarcely do we find a few passing words concerning this important means of grace. Hence I have written at length on this subject in so many of my little works, and whenever I preach, I always repeat these words: 'Pray, pray, if you wish to be saved, and to become saints.' It is true that, to become saints, we must have all virtues, mortification, humility, obedience, and principally holy charity; and to acquire these virtues other means besides prayer are necessary, such as meditation, Holy Communion, and good resolutions; but, unless we pray, all our Communions, meditations, and resolutions will not suffice to make us practice either mortification, humility, or obedience. We will neither love God nor resist temptations; in a word, we will do no good. Hence St. Paul, after having enumerated many of the virtues necessary for a Christian, tells us to be 'instant in prayer' (Rom. 12:12), thereby giving us to understand, as St. Thomas remarks, 'that to acquire all necessary virtues we must always pray, because without prayer we would be deprived of the assistance of God, without which it is impossible to practice virtue.'" (Spouse of Christ on Prayer, No. 13).
These sentiments of St. Alphonsus were common to all the saints. Should you ever hear anyone oppose them, rest assured that he cannot say in truth, with St. Paul: "I think that I also have the spirit of God" (1 Cor. 7:40); nor should you believe that he is "of the seed of those men by whom salvation was brought to Israel." (I Mach. 5:62).
Let us, in imitation of the saints, never grow weary of repeating this sacred truth in public and in private. What St. Augustine says is but too true. "The understanding flies on," he says, "but resolution and action follow slowly, or not at all." Our will is weaker to do what is right, than our understanding is to comprehend it. The people, then, must often be told the same thing. St. Paul himself assures us of this: "To write the same things to you," he says, "to me is not wearisome, but to you is necessary." (Phil. 3:1). The Apostle was not in want of matter to write, for he who had been wrapt to the third heaven was certainly able to say many new and sublime things, but he deemed it profitable, and even necessary, for the faithful to write to them the same thing again and again.
It was the opinion of St. Francis de Sales that "a preacher should not take the least notice of those fastidious minds who are displeased when a preacher repeats a thing, and goes over the same ground again. What! Is it not necessary, in working iron, to heat it over and over again, and in painting, to touch and retouch the canvas repeatedly? How much more necessary, then, is it not to repeat the same thing again and again, in order to imprint eternal truths on hardened intellects, and on hearts confirmed in evil?" Now, what can be more necessary and more profitable than often to imprint on souls the necessity of prayer?
How, then, does it happen that so many pastors neglect to comply with this most essential duty? It is principally because they themselves have never learned how necessary prayer is, and how efficacious, if performed well. No one can speak of what he knows not, nor give what he does not possess. To be able to discharge this pastoral duty properly, a priest must have learned, whilst as yet a student, to lead a holy life, and to practice faithfully meditation and prayer. For this reason I have thought it necessary to insert a chapter on the great obligation which ecclesiastical students have to sanctify themselves in the time of their studies by the practice of solid virtue, and especially by prayer and meditation. And, first of all, I must remark that I am far from believing that all who study for the priesthood are called to this sublime office. Alas! There are but too many who study from low and worldly motives, and seek in the ecclesiastical state nothing but temporal advantages. To this kind of students I have but a few words to say.
My dear young friends, I conjure you, by the love of Our Lord Jesus Christ, consider well that, in order to save your souls, you must embrace that state of life to which God has called you; for in that state alone you occupy the place for which God has destined you from all eternity, and in that state He will give you all the graces necessary to fulfil all your duties. If you live out of the state to which you are called, it will be very difficult, nay, almost impossible, for you to work out your salvation. This is true of everyone who lives in a state of life to which God has not called him, but it is especially true of all those who have chosen the ecclesiastical state without being called thereto by God. This is evident; for, in the first place, it is grievous presumption in anyone to dare enter into the Holy of Holies without having a clearly Divine vocation. Moreover, everyone who enters this holy state without being called thereto by God, will be deprived of the proper means and graces to comply with the duties of this holy state; and even though he should be able to comply with these duties, yet, having strayed away from the right road, he will find every other very steep and difficult, and he will be like a dislocated member, which, indeed, may still perform some services, but not without great difficulty and many defects.
Anyone who receives Holy Orders without having the signs of a true vocation from God becomes guilty of mortal sin. This is the teaching of St. Alphonsus, and of many other learned theologians, especially of St. Augustine, who says, when speaking of the punishment of Core, Dathan and Abiron, who wished to exercise the functions of High Priest without being called thereto, "they were condemned, in order than everyone might be deterred from taking upon himself the office of High Priest without being called thereto by God. This terrible fate will befall all those deacons, priests, and bishops who enter or intrude themselves into the ecclesiastical state from mere worldly motives, and without being called thereto by God." (Sermon 98). St. Ephrem considers as reprobates all those who dare become priests without a Divine vocation. "I am astounded," says he, "at the madness of those who are so presumptuous as to perform the functions of the priesthood without having grace for it from Jesus Christ. Unhappy wretches! They do not consider that by doing so they are preparing for themselves everlasting torments." (De Sacerdot). I would therefore earnestly urge all those young men who are studying for the priesthood, without having an evident vocation, to give up the idea as soon as possible. The sooner they do this the better it is for themselves, and for thousands of others.
I will now turn to those students whom Jesus Christ has really called, and to whom the words of the Gospel may be applied: "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you." (John 15:16). My dear young friends, consider well the high dignity to which you are called. The priesthood is the highest dignity on earth. Innocent III says, "The priest is placed between God and man; he is less than God, but more than man." This dignity supposes, besides the Divine vocation, positive holiness of life; that is to say, whosoever intends to embrace the ecclesiastical state must not only be free from mortal sin, but he must also be enriched with every virtue. The Church, during eleven centuries, excluded from this holy state everyone who had committed even one mortal sin after Baptism; and if any one, after having received Holy Orders, fell into a mortal sin, he was deposed forever from his sacred office, for the simple reason that he who is not holy should not touch what is holy.
This severe discipline of the Church, it is true, has been greatly mitigated; but it has been always required that he who had in his past life become guilty of grievous sins, and desired to receive Holy Orders, should first lead a pure life for some time previous to his ordination. It would certainly be a mortal sin to receive any of the Holy Orders while still addicted to a sinful habit. "If I consider your vocation," says St. Bernard, "I am seized with horror, especially if I see that no true penance has preceded your ordination."
Many of the saints would never consent to receive Holy Orders. St. Francis of Assisi once beheld, in a vision, a crystal v