                  THE LOVE OF ETERNAL WISDOM

                  1. Prayer to eternal Wisdom

1.   O divine Wisdom, Lord of heaven and earth, I humbly beg
pardon for my audacity in attempting to speak of your
perfections, ignorant and sinful as I am.  I beg you not to
consider the darkness of my mind or the uncleanness of my lips
unless it be to take them away with a glance of your eyes and
a breath of your mouth.
     There is in you so much beauty and delight; you have
shielded me from so many evils and showered on me so many
favours, and you are moreover so little known and so much
slighted.  How can I remain silent?  Not only justice and
gratitude, but my own interests urge me to speak about you,
even though it be so imperfectly. It is true, I can only lisp
like a child, but then I am only a child, anxious to learn how
to speak properly through my lisping, once I have attained the
fullness of your age (cf. Eph. 4:13).

2.   I know there seems to be neither order nor sense in what
I write, but because I long so dearly to possess you, I am
looking for you everywhere, like Solomon, wandering in all
directions (Wisd. 8:18).  If I am striving to make you known
in this world, it is because you yourself have promised that
all who explain you and make you known will have eternal life
(cf. Sir. 8:18).
     Accept, then, my loving Lord, these humble words of mine
as though they were a masterly discourse.  Look upon the
strokes of my pen as so many steps to find you and from your
throne above bestow your blessings and your enlightenment on
what I mean to say about you, so that those who read it may be
filled with a fresh desire to love you and possess you, on
earth as well as in heaven.

                2. Admonitions of divine Wisdom
                  to the rulers of this world
                  given in the sixth chapter
                    of the "Book of Wisdom"

3.   1. Wisdom is better than strength and prudence is better
than courage.
     2. Listen, therefore, kings, and understand.  Learn, you
judges of the nations.
     3. Hear this, you who rule the people and boast of the
large number of nations subject to you.
     4. Remember you have received your power from the Lord    
and your authority from the Most High, who will examine your
works and scrutinise your thoughts.
     5. For, though ministers of his kingdom, you have not
judged fairly, nor observed the law of justice, nor walked
according to his will.
     6. He will appear to you terribly and swiftly, because
those who rule others will be judged severely.
     7. For God has more compassion for the lowly and they are
forgiven more easily, but the mighty will be punished
mightily.
     8. God shows no partiality; he does not stand in awe of
anyone's greatness, because he himself made both the lowly and
the great and he is concerned for all alike.
     9. But the great are threatened with greater punishment.
     10. To you then, rulers, my words are directed so that
you may learn wisdom and may not go astray.
     11. For they who perform just deeds will be considered
just and those who have understood what I teach will have a
valid defence.
     12. Therefore, desire ardently to know my words, love
them and you will find instruction in them.

4.   13. Wisdom is resplendent and her beauty never fades.    
Those who love her will have no trouble in recognising her;    
and those who seek her will find her.
     14. She anticipates those who desire her and makes
herself known first to them.
     15. He who rises early to look for her will not be
disappointed, for she will be found sitting at his gate.
     16. To reflect on Wisdom is the highest prudence and he
who foregoes sleep to possess her will soon be given repose.
     17. For she goes around seeking those worthy of her,    
graciously shows her ways to them, guides them and provides
for them with loving care.
     18. The first step, then, towards acquiring Wisdom is a
sincere desire for instruction; the desire for instruction is
love; and love is the keeping of her laws.
     19. Assiduous obedience to her laws assures a perfect
purity of soul.
     20. And perfect purity brings one close to God.
     21. Thus the desire for Wisdom leads to the everlasting
kingdom.
     22. If then, rulers of nations, you delight in thrones
and sceptres, love Wisdom and you will reign eternally.
     23. All you who rule over the peoples of the world,    
love the insight given by Wisdom.
     24. I will tell you now what Wisdom is and how she came
to be. I will not hide the secrets of God from you but I will
trace her right from the beginning. I will throw light upon
her and make her known and not hide the truth.
     25. I will not imitate the man consumed with envy, for
the envious have nothing in common with Wisdom.
     26. Multitudes of wise men will bring salvation to the
world, and a prudent king is a strong support for his people.
     27. Accept, then, instruction from my words and you will
draw profit from them.

                 [3. Preliminary observations]

5.   I did not want, my dear reader, to mingle my poor words
with the inspired words of the Holy Spirit.  Yet I make bold
to offer a few comments:
     1. How gentle, attractive and approachable is eternal
Wisdom who possesses such splendour, excellence and grandeur. 
He invites men to come to him because he wants to teach them
the way to happiness.  He is for ever searching for them and
always greets them with a smile.  He bestows blessings on them
many times over and forestalls their needs in a thousand
different ways, and even goes as far as to wait at their very
doorstep to give them proofs of his friendship.
     Who could be so heartless as to refuse to love this
gentle conqueror?

6.   2. How unfortunate are the rich and powerful if they do
not love eternal Wisdom.  How terrifying are the warnings he
gives them, so terrifying that they cannot be expressed in
human terms: "He will appear to you terribly and swiftly ...
those who rule will be judged severely ... the mighty will be
punished mightily ... the great are threatened with greater
punishment" (Wisd. 6:6,7,9).
     To these words can be added those he uttered after he
became man: "Woe to you who are rich (Lk. 6:24) ... it is
easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than
for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven" (Mat. 19; Mk.
10; Lk. 18).
     So often were these last words repeated by divine Wisdom
while on earth that the three evangelists handed them down
without the least variation.  They ought to make the rich weep
and lament: "And now, you rich people, weep and wail over the
miseries that are coming upon you" (Jas. 5:1).
     But alas! they find their consolation (Lk. 6:24) here on
earth; they are as though captivated by the riches and
pleasures they enjoy and are blind to the evils that hang over
their heads.

7.   3. Solomon promises that he will give a faithful and
exact description of divine Wisdom and that neither envy nor
pride - both contrary to love - can prevent him from making
known this heaven-sent knowledge, and he has not the least
fear that anyone will surpass him or equal him in knowledge
(cf. Wisd. 6:24-26).
     Following the example of this great man, I am going, in
my simple way, to portray eternal Wisdom before, during and
after his incarnation and show by what means we can possess
and keep him.
     But as I do not have Solomon's profound learning or his
insights I have less to fear from pride and envy than from my
incompetence and ignorance, which I trust, in your kindness,
you will overlook.

                          CHAPTER ONE

      TO LOVE AND SEEK DIVINE WISDOM WE NEED TO KNOW HIM

[1. Our need to acquire knowledge of divine Wisdom]

8.   Can we love someone we do not even know?  Can we love
deeply someone we know only vaguely?  Why is Jesus, the
adorable, eternal and incarnate Wisdom loved so little if not
because he is either too little known or not known at all?
     Hardly anyone studies the supreme science of Jesus, as
did St. Paul (Eph. 3:19). And yet this is the most noble, the
most consoling, the most useful and the most vital of all
sciences and subjects in heaven and on earth.

9.   1. First, it is the most noble of all sciences because
its subject is the most noble and the most sublime: Wisdom
uncreated and incarnate.  He possesses in himself the fulness
of divinity and humanity alike and all that is great in heaven
and on earth, namely, all creatures visible and invisible,
spiritual and corporal.
     St. John Chrysostom says that our Lord is the summary of
all God's works, the epitome of all the perfections to be
found in God and in his creatures (cf. Col. 1:16; 2:9).
     "Jesus Christ is everything that you can and should wish
for.  Long for him, seek for him, because he is that unique
and precious pearl for which you should be ready to sell
everything you possess."
     "Let the wise man boast no more of his wisdom nor the
strong man of his strength, nor the rich man of his wealth. 
But if anyone wants to boast, let him boast only of
understanding and knowing me and nothing else (Jer. 9:23-24)."

10.  2. Nothing is more consoling than to know divine Wisdom. 
Happy are those who listen to him; happier still are those who
desire him and seek him; but happiest of all are those who
keep his laws.  Their hearts will be filled with that infinite
consolation which is the joy and happiness of the eternal
Father and the glory of the angels (cf. Prov. 2:1-9).
     If only we knew the joy of a soul that perceives the
beauty of divine Wisdom and is nourished with the milk of
divine kindness, we would cry out with the bride in the Song
of Songs: "Your love is better than wine" (Song 1:3) better by
far than all created delights.  This is especially true when
divine Wisdom says to those who contemplate him, "Taste and
see" (Ps. 33:9) eat and drink, be filled with my eternal
sweetness (Song 5:1), for you will discover that conversing
with me is in no way distasteful, that my companionship is
never tedious and in me only will you find joy and contentment
(Wisd. 8:16).

11.  3. This knowledge of eternal Wisdom is not only the most
noble and the most consoling of all, it is also the most
useful and the most necessary since eternal life consists in
knowing God and Jesus Christ, his Son (Jn. 17:3).
   Speaking to eternal Wisdom, the Wise man exclaims, "To know
you is perfect righteousness and to know your justice and your
power is the root of immortality" (Wisd. 15:3).  If we really
want to have eternal life let us learn all there is to know
about eternal Wisdom.                                          
     If we wish to have roots of immortality deeply embedded
in our heart we must have in our mind knowledge of eternal
Wisdom.  To know Jesus Christ incarnate Wisdom, is to know all
we need.  To presume to know everything and not know him is to
know nothing at all.

12.  Of what use is it for an archer to hit the outer part of
a target if he cannot hit the centre?  What good will it do us
to know all the other branches of knowledge necessary for
salvation if we do not learn the only essential one, the
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, the centre towards which
all the other branches of knowledge must tend?  Although the
great Apostle St. Paul was a man of such extensive knowledge
and so well versed in human learning, still he said that he
did not know anything except Jesus Christ and him nailed to a
cross (1 Cor. 2:2).
     Let us then say with him, "I count as loss all the
knowledge I have prized so highly until now when I compare it
to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, my Saviour" (Phil. 3:7-8). 
Now I see and understand that this knowledge is so excellent,
so captivating, so profitable, so admirable that I no longer
take any interest in other branches of knowledge that I used
to like so much.  Everything else is so meaningless, so absurd
and a foolish waste of time.  "I say this to make sure that no
one deceives you with beguiling words.  Make sure that no one
ensnares you with empty, rational philosophy" (Col. 2:4,8).  I
state that Jesus is the abyss of all knowledge so that you do
not let yourself be deceived by the fine, glowing words of
orators or by the specious subtleties of philosophers.  "Grow
in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18).
     That we may all grow in the knowledge and grace of our
Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, incarnate Wisdom, we are going
to speak of him in the following chapters.  But first, let us
consider the different kinds of wisdom.

[2. Definition and division of the subject]

13.  In the general sense of the term wisdom means a
delectable knowledge, a taste for God and his truth. 
     There are several kinds of wisdom.
     First, true and false wisdom.  True wisdom is a taste for
truth without falsehood or deception.  False wisdom is a taste
for falsehood disguised as truth.
     This false wisdom is the wisdom or the prudence of the
world, which the Holy Spirit divides into three classes:
earthly, sensual, and diabolical.
     True wisdom may be divided into natural and supernatural
wisdom.
     Natural wisdom is the knowledge, in an outstanding
degree, of natural things in their principles.  Supernatural
wisdom is knowledge of supernatural and divine things in their
origin.
     This supernatural wisdom is divided into substantial or
uncreated Wisdom, and accidental or created wisdom. 
Accidental or created wisdom is the communication that
uncreated Wisdom makes of himself to mankind.  In other words,
it is the gift of wisdom.  Substantial or uncreated Wisdom is
the Son of God, the second person of the most Blessed Trinity. 
In other words, it is eternal Wisdom in eternity or Jesus
Christ in time.
     It is precisely about this eternal Wisdom that we are
going to speak.

14.  Starting with his very origin, we shall consider Wisdom
in eternity, dwelling in his Father's bosom and object of his
Father's love.
     Next, we shall see him in time, shining forth in the
creation of the universe.
     Then we shall consider him in the deep abasement of his
incarnation and his mortal life; and then we shall see him
glorious and triumphant in heaven.
     Finally we shall propose the means to acquire and keep
him.
     I leave to philosophers their useless philosophical
arguments and to scientists the secrets of their worldly
wisdom.
     Let us now speak to chosen souls seeking perfection (1
Cor. 2:6) of true wisdom, eternal Wisdom, Wisdom uncreated and
incarnate.

                          CHAPTER TWO

            ORIGIN AND EXCELLENCE OF ETERNAL WISDOM

15.  Here, with St. Paul, we must declare, "O the depth, the
immensity and the incomprehensibility of the Wisdom of God"
(Rom. 11:33) : Generationem ejus quis enarrabit? (Is. 53:8;
Acts 8:33).  Who is the angel so enlightened, who is the man
rash enough as to attempt to give us an adequate explanation
of the origin of eternal Wisdom? For here all human beings
must close their eyes so as not to be blinded by the vivid
brightness of his light.
     All should be silent for fear of tarnishing his perfect
beauty by attempting to portray him.
     Every mind should realise its inadequacy and adore, lest
in striving to fathom him, it be crushed by the tremendous
weight of his glory.

[1. Wisdom in reference to the Father]

16.  Adapting himself to our weakness, the Holy Spirit offers
this description of eternal Wisdom in the Book of Wisdom which
he composed just for us.
     "Eternal Wisdom is a breath of the power of God, a pure
emanation of the glory of the Almighty.  Hence nothing defiled
gains entrance into him.  He is the reflection of eternal
light, the spotless mirror of God's majesty, the image of his
goodness" (Wisd. 7:25,26).

17.  He is the substantial and eternal idea of divine beauty
which was shown to St. John the Evangelist in his ecstatic
vision on the island of Patmos, when he exclaimed, "In the
beginning was the Word - the Son of God, or eternal Wisdom -
and the Word was in God and the Word was God" (Jn. 1:1).

18.  This is the eternal Wisdom of which Solomon often speaks
in his book (cf. Sir. 1:4,8; 24:14) when he says that Wisdom
was created - that is, produced - from the very beginning
before anything was made or even before the beginning of time. 
     Speaking of himself, Wisdom says, "I was begotten from
eternity, before the creation of the world.  The depths did
not exist as yet and I was already conceived" (Prov. 8:23,24).

19.  God the Father was well pleased with the sovereign beauty
of eternal Wisdom, his Son, throughout time and eternity, as
he himself explicitly testified on the day of his Son's
baptism and his transfiguration, "This is my beloved Son with
whom I am well pleased" (Mt. 17:5; cf. Mt. 3:17.  Cf. Nos. 55,
98).
     This splendour of dazzling and incomprehensible light of
which the apostles caught a glimpse in the Transfiguration,
filled them with delight and lifted them to the heights of
ecstasy:
          Illustre quiddam (cernimus)
          Sublime, celsum, interminum,
          Antiquius caelo et chao:
This eternal Wisdom is -
          Something resplendent,
          Sublime, immense, and infinite,
          More ancient than the universe.
     My words fail to give even the faintest idea of his
beauty and supreme gentleness, and fall infinitely short of
his excellence: for who can ever form an adequate idea of him? 
Who could ever portray him faithfully?  You alone, great God,
know who he is and can reveal him to all you wish (cf. Mt.
11:27; Lk. 10:22).

[2. The activity of eternal Wisdom in souls]

20.  This is how divine Wisdom himself describes in the
twenty-fourth chapter of Ecclesiasticus the effects of his
activity in souls.  I shall not mingle my poor words with his
for fear of diminishing their clarity and sublime meaning.
     1. Wisdom will sing her own praises. She will be honoured
     in the Lord and will proclaim his glory before his own
     people.
     2. In the assembly of the Most High she will open her
     mouth; she will glorify herself in the armies of the
     Lord.
     3. She will be raised up in the midst of her own people
     and will be admired in the assembly of all the saints.
     4. In the multitude of the elect she will be praised and
     will be blessed by those who are blessed by God. She will
     say:

21.  5. I came forth from the mouth of the Most High; I was
     born before all creatures.
     6. I made an unquenchable light appear in the sky and I
     covered the whole earth like a mist.
     7. I had my dwelling in the heights and my throne was in
     a pillar of cloud.
     8. Alone I compassed the vault of heaven; I penetrated
     into the depths of the abyss; I walked on the waves of
     the sea,
     9. and travelled all over the earth.

22.  10. I held sway over every people and every nation.
     11. By my power I have trodden underfoot the hearts of
     all men, great and small;
     and among all these things I searched for a resting-place
     and a dwelling in the heritage of the Lord.

23.  12. Then the Creator of the universe commanded me and
     spoke to me: he who created me rested in my tent.
     13. And he said to me: "Dwell in Jacob, let Israel be
     your heritage, and take root in my elect."

24.  14. In the beginning, before all ages, he created me and
     through the ages I shall never cease to be,
     and in the holy tabernacle I ministered before him.
     15. I fixed my abode in Sion;
     I found rest in the holy City, and Jerusalem became my
     domain.

25.  16. I took root in the people whom the Lord had honoured,
     whose heritage is the portion of the Lord.
     I fixed my abode in the assembly of all the saints.
     17. Like a cedar on Lebanon and like a cypress on Mount
     Sion I have grown tall.
     18. I raised my branches high like a palm-tree in Engedi
     and like the rose-bushes of Jericho.
     19. I grew tall like a beautiful olive-tree in the
     field,like a plane-tree planted along the road near the
     water.
     20. I gave forth fragrance like cinnamon or the most
     precious balm;
     I gave forth perfume like the most exquisite myrrh.
     21. I have filled my house with sweet fragrance as of
     galbanum, onycha, myrrh and with the sweet smell of
     incense;
     I exude the scent of the purest balm.
     22. I spread out my branches like a terebinth and my
     branches are glorious and graceful.
     23. I have grown sweet-smelling flowers like the vine; my
     blossoms are the fruits of glory and wealth.

26.  24. I am the mother of pure love, of fear, of knowledge
     and of holy hope.
     25. In me is all grace of the way and of the truth; in me
     is all hope of life and strength.

27.  26. Come to me, all you who desire for me, and be filled
     with my fruits.
     27. For my spirit is sweeter than honey and my
     inheritance more delightful than the sweetest honeycomb.
     28. My renown will endure down through the ages.

28.  29. Those who eat of me will hunger for more; those who
     drink of me will thirst for more.
     30. Those who listen to me will not be put to shame;
     those who work with me will not sin.
     31. Those who make me known will possess eternal life.
     32. All this is the book of life, the covenant of the
     Most High, and the knowledge of the truth."

29.  Eternal Wisdom compares himself to all these trees and
plants, characterised by their varied fruits and qualities
which illustrate the great variety of states, functions and
virtues of privileged souls.  These resemble cedars by the
loftiness of their hearts raised up towards heaven, or cypress
trees by their constant meditation on death.  They resemble
palm-trees by their humble endurance of labour, or rose-bushes
by martyrdom and the shedding of their blood.  They resemble
plane-trees planted along river banks, or terebinths with
their branches spread out wide, signifying their great love
for their fellow-men.  They resemble all the other less
noticeable but fragrant plants like balm, myrrh and others
which symbolise all those retiring souls who prefer to be
known by God more than by man.

30.  Divine Wisdom shows himself to be the mother and source
of all good and he exhorts all men to give up everything and
desire him alone.  Because, as St Augustine says, "he gives
himself only to those who desire him and seek him with all the
zeal such a lofty aim deserves."
     In verses 30 and 31 divine Wisdom lists three degrees in
holy living, the last of which constitutes perfection:
     (1) Listen to God with humble submission;
     (2) Act in him and through him with persevering fidelity;
     (3) Seek to acquire the light and unction you need to
inspire others with that love for Wisdom which will lead them
to eternal life.

                         CHAPTER THREE

             THE MARVELLOUS POWER OF DIVINE WISDOM
          SHOWN IN THE CREATION OF THE WORLD AND MAN

[1. In the creation of the world]

31.  Eternal Wisdom began to manifest himself outside the
bosom of God the Father when, after a whole eternity, he made
light, heaven and earth.  St John tells us that everything was
made through the Word, that is eternal Wisdom: "All things
were made by him" (Jn. 1:3; cf. Heb. 1:2; Col. 1:16-17).
     Solomon says that eternal Wisdom is the mother and maker
of all things.  Notice that Solomon does not call him simply
the maker of the universe but also its mother because the
maker does not love and care for the work of his hands like a
mother does for her child (Wisd. 7: 12,21).

32.  After creating all things, eternal Wisdom abides in them
to contain, maintain and renew them (Wisd. 1:7; 7:27).  It was
this supremely perfect beauty who, after creating the
universe, established the magnificent order we find there.  He
it was who separated, arranged, evaluated, augmented and
calculated everything.
     He spread out the skies; he set the sun, the moon, the
stars and the planets in perfect order.  He laid the
foundations of the earth and assigned limits and laws to the
sea and depths to the ocean.  He raised mountains and gave
moderation to all things even to the springs of water. 
Finally, he says, "I was with God and I disposed everything
with such perfect precision and such pleasing variety that it
was like playing a game to entertain my Father and myself"
(Prov. 8:30-31).

33.  This mysterious game of divine Wisdom is clearly seen in
the great variety of all he created.  Apart from considering
the different species of angels whose number is well-nigh
infinite, and the varied brightness of the stars and the
different temperaments of men, we are filled with wonderment
at the changes we see in the seasons and the weather, at the
variety of instincts in animals, at the different species of
plants, at the diversified beauty of the flowers and the
different tastes of the fruits.  "Let him who is wise
understand these things" (Hos. 14:10; cf. Jer. 9:12; Ps.
106:43).  Who is the one to whom eternal Wisdom has
communicated his wisdom?  That person alone will understand
these mysteries of nature.

34.  Eternal Wisdom has revealed these things to the saints,
as we learn from their biographies.  At times they were so
astonished at the beauty, the harmony and the order that God
has put into the smallest things, such as a bee, an ant, an
ear of corn, a flower, a worm, that they were carried away in
rapture and ecstasy.

[2. In the creation of man]

35.  If the power and gentleness of eternal Wisdom were so
luminously evident in the creation, the beauty and order of
the universe, they shone forth far more brilliantly in the
creation of man.  For man is his supreme masterpiece, the
living image of his beauty and his perfection, the great
vessel of his graces, the wonderful treasury of his wealth and
in a unique way his representative on earth.  "By your wisdom
you appointed man to have dominion over every creature you
made" (Wisd. 9:2).

36.  For the glory of this magnificent and powerful Worker I
must describe the original beauty and excellence of man as
created by divine Wisdom.  But the state of man's grievous sin
has fallen upon me, poor miserable child of Eve, dulling my
understanding to the point that I can describe only very
imperfectly the work of man's creation.

37.  We might say that eternal Wisdom made copies, that is,
shining likenesses of his own intelligence, memory, and will,
and infused them into the soul of man so that he might become
the living image of the Godhead.  In man's heart he enkindled
the fire of the pure love of God.  He gave him a radiant body
and virtually enshrined within him a compendium of all the
various perfections of angels, animals, and other created
things.

38.  Man's entire being was bright without shadow, beautiful
without blemish, pure without stain, perfectly proportioned
without deformity, flaw, or imperfection.  His mind, gifted
with the light of wisdom, understood perfectly both Creator
and creature.  The grace of God was in his soul making him
innocent and pleasing to the most High God.  His body was
endowed with immortality.  He had the pure love of God in his
heart without any fear of death, for he loved God ceaselessly,
without wavering and purely for God himself.  In short, man
was so godlike, so absorbed and rapt in God that he had no
unruly passions to subdue and no enemies to overcome.
     Such was the generosity shown to man by eternal Wisdom
and such was the happiness that man enjoyed in his state of
innocence.

39.  But, alas, the vessel of the Godhead was shattered into a
thousand pieces.  This beautiful star fell from the skies. 
This brilliant sun lost its light.  Man sinned, and by his sin
lost his wisdom, his innocence, his beauty, his immortality. 
In a word, he lost all the good things he was given and found
himself burdened with a host of evils.  His mind was darkened
and impaired.  His heart turned cold towards the God he no
longer loved.  His sin-stained soul resembled Satan himself. 
The passions were in disorder; he was no longer master of
himself.  His only companions are the devils who have made him
their slave and their abode.  Even creatures have risen up in
warfare against him.
     In a single instant, man became the slave of demons, the
object of God's anger (Cf. Eph. 2:3), the prey of the powers
of hell.
     He became so hideous in his own sight that he hid himself
for shame.  He was cursed and condemned to death.  He was
driven from the earthly paradise and excluded from heaven. 
With no hope of future happiness, he was doomed to eke out a
pitiable life upon an earth under curse (cf. Gen. 3:10; 17:23;
4:11,12).  He would eventually die like a criminal and after
death, together with all his posterity, share the devil's
damnation in body and soul.
     Such was the frightful calamity which befell man when he
sinned.  Such was the well-deserved sentence God in his
justice pronounced against him.

40.  Seeing himself in such a plight, Adam came close to
despair.  He could not hope for help from angels or any of
God's creatures.  Nothing could restore his privileges because
he had been so eminently fair, so very magnificently fashioned
when he was created, and now by his sin he had become so
hideous, so repulsive.  He saw himself banished from Paradise
and from the presence of God.  He could see God's justice
pursuing him in all his descendants.  He saw heaven closed and
no one to open it; he saw hell open and no one to close it.

                         CHAPTER FOUR

            MARVELS OF WISDOM'S GOODNESS AND MERCY
                    BEFORE HIS INCARNATION

41.  Eternal Wisdom was deeply moved by the plight of Adam and
all his descendants.  He was profoundly distressed at seeing
his vessel of honour shattered, his image torn to pieces, his
masterpiece destroyed, his representative in this world
overthrown.
     He listened tenderly to man's sighs and entreaties and he
was moved with compassion when he saw the sweat of his brow,
the tears in his eyes, the fatigue of his arms, his sadness of
heart, his affliction of soul.

[1. The Incarnation is decreed]

42.  I seem to see this lovable Sovereign convoking and
assembling the most holy Trinity, a second time, so to speak,
for the purpose of rehabilitating man in the state he formerly
created him (cf. Gen. 1:26).  We can picture a kind of contest
going on in this grand council between eternal Wisdom and
God's justice.

43.  I seem to hear eternal Wisdom, in his plea on behalf of
man, admit that because of his sin man and all his descendants
deserve to be condemned and to spend all eternity with the
rebel angels.  Still, man should be pitied because he sinned
more through ignorance and weakness than through malice.  He
points out that it would be a pity if such an exquisite
masterpiece were to become the slave of the devil for ever,
and millions upon millions of men were to be lost eternally,
through the sin of only one man.  Besides, eternal Wisdom
draws attention to the places left vacant by the fall of the
apostate angels.  Would it not be fitting to fill these
places?  And would not God receive great glory in time and in
eternity if man were saved?

44.  It seems to me that I hear the God of justice replying
that the sentence of death and eternal damnation has been
pronounced against man and his descendants, and it must be
carried out without pardon or mercy, just as happened in the
case of Lucifer and his followers.  Man has shown himself
ungrateful for the gifts he received, has followed the devil
in pride and disobedience and should therefore follow him in
his punishment, for sin must necessarily be punished.

45.  Eternal Wisdom seeing that nothing on earth can expiate
man's sin, that nothing can satisfy divine justice and appease
God's anger and still, wishing to save unfortunate man whom he
cannot help loving, finds a wonderful way of accomplishing
this.
     Wonder of wonders!  With boundless and incomprehensible
love, this tender-hearted Lord offers to comply with his
justice, to calm the divine anger, to rescue us from the
slavery of the devil and from the flames of hell, and to merit
for us eternal happiness.

46.  His offer is accepted; a decision is reached and made. 
Eternal Wisdom, the Son of God, will become man at a suitable
time and in determined circumstances.  For about four thousand
years - from the creation of the world and Adam's sin until
the Incarnation of divine Wisdom - Adam and his descendants
were subject to death, just as God had decreed.  But in view
of the Incarnation of the Son of God, they received the graces
they needed to obey his commandments and do salutary penance
for any they might have transgressed.  If they died in the
state of grace and in God's friendship, their souls went to
Limbo, there to await their Saviour and Deliverer who would
open the gates of heaven for them.

[2. The time before the Incarnation]

47.  During the whole time preceding his Incarnation, eternal
Wisdom proved in a thousand ways his friendship for men and
his great desire to bestow his favours on them and to converse
with them.  "My delight is to be with the children of men"
(Prov. 8:31).  He went about seeking those worthy of him
(Wisd. 6:16), that is those worthy of his friendship, his
precious gifts, his very person.  He passed through different
nations, making them prophets and friends of God (Wisd. 7:27;
cf. 7:14).  He it was who instructed all the holy patriarchs,
all the friends of God, all the saints and prophets of the old
and new testaments (Wisd. 7).
     This same Wisdom inspired men of God and spoke by the
mouths of the prophets.  He directed their ways and
enlightened them in their doubts.  He upheld them in their
weakness and freed them from all harm.

48.  This is how the Holy Spirit tells it in the tenth chapter
of the Book of Wisdom (Wisd. 10:1-21).
     1. It was Wisdom who safeguarded Adam, the first man,
created alone to be the father of all men.
     2. He rescued him from his sin and gave him power to
control and rule over all things.
     3. When the sinful Cain in anger withdrew from Wisdom, he
perished because through his fury he became the murderer of
his brother.
     4. When the Deluge flooded the earth, because of him, it
was Wisdom again who saved it, piloting the just man Noah in a
frail wooden ark.
     5. When the nations conspired together to do evil, Wisdom
discerned the just man, Abraham, preserved him in innocence
before God and kept him resolute in overcoming the pity he
felt for his son, Isaac.
     6. Wisdom rescued the righteous man, Lot, when he fled
from the company of wicked men who perished as fire descended
upon the Five Cities.
     7. Evidence of their wickedness still remains - a smoking
wasteland, plants bearing fruit that never ripen, and a pillar
of salt standing as a monument to an unbelieving soul.
     8. For those who neglected to see Wisdom were not only
kept from knowledge of good, but they also left to mankind a
memorial of their folly, and so their crime could never remain
hidden.

49.  9. But Wisdom delivered those who served him from all
evils.
     10. When the just man Jacob fled from the wrath of his
brother Esau, Wisdom guided him along straight paths and
showed him the kingdom of God.  God gave him knowledge of holy
things, prospered him in his labours and increased the fruits
of his work.
     11. He stood by him against the greed of defrauders and
made him rich.
     12. He protected him from his enemies and saved him from
seducers.  He gave him victory in his arduous struggle so that
he might know that Wisdom is mightier than anything.
     13. He did not abandon Joseph, the just man, when he was
old, but delivered him from the hands of sinners and went down
with him into the well.
     14. He did not desert him in his chains until he brought
him the sceptre of royalty and authority over his oppressors. 
He showed those who had defamed him to be liars and gave him
an eternal renown.
     15. He liberated a holy people and a blameless race, the
Hebrews, from a nation of oppressors.
     16. He entered the soul of God's servant, Moses, and
withstood fearsome kings with signs and wonders.
     17. He gave the holy ones the reward of their labours,
led them along a perfect way, and became a shelter for them by
day and shed a starry light upon them by night.
     18. He brought them across the Red  Sea and led them
through the deep waters.
     19. He submerged their enemies in the sea and gathered
his own people up from the depths of the sea.  Thus he carried
off the spoils of the wicked.
     20. They extolled you in their songs, O Lord, and
together praised your conquering hand.
     21. For Wisdom opened the mouths of the dumb and made the
tongues of the babes speak with fluency.

50.  In the next chapter of the Book of Wisdom (Wisd. 11) the
Holy Spirit describes the various evils from which eternal
Wisdom delivered Moses and the Israelites during the time they
lived in the desert.  To this we may add those who were
delivered from great dangers by eternal Wisdom in the Old and
New Testaments.  Among them were Daniel who was freed from the
lions' den, Susanna from the false crime she was accused of,
the three young men from the furnace in Babylon, St Peter from
prison, St John from the cauldron of boiling oil and
numberless martyrs and confessors from the physical torments
they were made to suffer and the calumnies which blackened
their good name.  All these were delivered and healed by
eternal Wisdom.  "O Lord, those who have pleased you from the
beginning were healed by Wisdom (Wisd. 9:19).

[Conclusion]

51.  And now let us proclaim: "A thousand times happy is the
man into whose soul Wisdom has entered to have his abode!  No
matter what battles he has to wage, he will emerge victorious. 
No matter what dangers threaten him, he will escape unharmed. 
No matter what sorrows afflict him, he will find joy and
consolation.  No matter what humiliations are heaped upon him,
he will be exalted and glorified in time and throughout
eternity."

                         CHAPTER FIVE

            MARVELLOUS EXCELLENCE OF ETERNAL WISDOM

52.  In the eighth chapter of the Book of Wisdom, the Holy
Spirit shows the excellence of eternal Wisdom in terms so
sublime and yet so clear that we need only quote them here,
adding a few reflections.

53.  1. "Wisdom reaches mightily from one end of the earth to
the other and orders all things graciously."
     Nothing is so gracious as eternal Wisdom.  Of his very
nature he is gracious without bitterness; gracious to those
who love him, never showing displeasure; gracious in his
conduct, never showing severity.  He is so gentle and
unobtrusive that you might often think that he is not present
when you meet with accidents and contradictions.  But,
possessed of invincible power, he quietly but effectively
brings all things to a happy issue in ways unknown to men. 
After his example, the wise man should be graciously firm and
firmly gracious - suaviter fortis et fortiter suavis.

54.  2. "From my youth I have loved and sought him and desired
to take him for my inseparable companion."
     Whoever wishes to find this precious treasure of Wisdom
should, like Solomon, search for him (a) early and, if
possible, while still young; (b) purely and spiritually as a
chaste young man seeks a bride; (c) unceasingly, to the very
end, until he has found him.  It is certain that eternal
Wisdom loves souls so much that he even espouses them,
contracting with them a true, spiritual marriage which the
world cannot understand.  History furnishes us with examples
of this.

55.  3. "Wisdom shows his glorious origin by being so
intimately in union with God and by being loved by him who is
Lord of all."
     Wisdom is God himself - such is his glorious origin.  God
the Father has testified that he is pleased with him proving
how much Wisdom is loved (Cf. Chapter One and No. 98).

56.  4. "Wisdom is the teacher of the knowledge of God and
director of all his works."
     Eternal Wisdom alone enlightens every man that comes into
this world (Jn. 1:9).  He alone came from heaven to teach the
secrets of God (Cf. Jn. 1:18; Mt. 11:27; 1 Cor. 2:10).  We
have no real teacher (Mt. 23:8,10) except the incarnate
Wisdom, whose name is Jesus Christ.  He alone brings all the
works of God to perfection, especially the saints, for he
shows them what they must do and teaches them to appreciate
and put into practice all he has taught them.

57.  5. "If it is riches we seek in this life, who is richer
than divine Wisdom who created all things?"
     6. "If the mind of man can produce things, who is more
able than the fashioner of everything that exists?"
     7. "If someone loves holiness, again the great virtues
are the handiwork of Wisdom, for he teaches temperance and
prudence, justice and fortitude, and nothing in this life is
more useful than these."
     Solomon clearly shows that since we should love Wisdom
alone, then from Wisdom alone we should expect all things -
material goods, knowledge of nature's secrets, all spiritual
good, the theological and cardinal virtues.

58.  8. "If anyone desires knowledge, eternal Wisdom knows the
past and can forecast the future.  He understands the
subtleties of speech and the lessons of parables.  He
recognises signs and wonders and knows all that is going to
happen as seasons and ages pass by."
     If anyone desires to possess a deep, holy and special
knowledge of the treasures of grace and nature, and not merely
dry, common and superficial knowledge, he must make every
effort to acquire Wisdom.  Without him, man is nothing in the
sight of God, no matter how learned he may appear in the eyes
of men.  "He will count for nothing" (Wisd. 3:17).

59.  9. "I therefore resolved to take him as my companion in
life, knowing that he would share his goods with me and be my
consolation in my cares and sorrows."
     Eternal Wisdom is so rich and generous; how can anyone
who possesses him be poor?  He is so gentle, attractive and
tender; how can anyone who possesses him be unhappy?  But
among all those who seek eternal Wisdom how many can honestly
say with Solomon, "I have resolved to possess him"?  The
majority of men do not make such a resolution with real
sincerity.  Their decisions are mere wishful thinking or at
best weak and wavering resolves.  That is why they never find
eternal Wisdom.

60.  10. "Through him, I shall be acclaimed among the people
and, although still a youth, honoured by the elders."
     11. "I shall be considered shrewd when I sit in
judgement.  The most powerful will be surprised when they see
me and princes will show their admiration for me."
     12. "When I am silent, they will wait for me to speak;
when I speak, they will pay attention to what I say.  If I
speak at some length, they will place their hands on their
lips."
     13. "He it is who will give me immortality, and through
him I shall leave an everlasting remembrance to those who come
after me."
     14. "I shall govern people through him and nations shall
be my subjects."
     St Gregory has this comment to make on Solomon's self-
praise, " Those whom God has chosen to write his sacred words
are filled with the Holy Spirit.  In a way, they seem to rise
above themselves and enter into the very one who possesses
them.  Thus they become mouthpieces of God himself, for they
are concerned with God alone in everything they say, and they
speak of themselves as though speaking of someone else."

61.  15. "The most formidable kings shall be afraid when they
hear of me.  I shall show myself kind to my people and valiant
in war."
     16. "When I go home, I shall be at my ease with Wisdom,
for his conversation is never disagreeable nor his company
unpleasant.  With him there is only contentment and joy."
     17. "I thought about these things and I reflected in my
heart that immortality is found in union with Wisdom."
     18. "I found pure contentment in his friendship,
inexhaustible wealth in his accomplishments, understanding in
his teaching and conversation, and great joy listening to his
counsels; and so I went about seeking him everywhere to make
him my companion."
     After summing up his previous commentary, Solomon draws
this conclusion: "I went about seeking for eternal Wisdom in
all directions."  To possess him we must seek ardently; in
other words, we must be ready to give up everything, to suffer
everything, in order to obtain possession of him.  Only a few
find him because only a few look for him in a manner worthy of
him.

62.  In the seventh chapter of the Book of Wisdom, the Holy
Spirit speaks of the excellence of eternal Wisdom in these
terms: "In Wisdom there is a spirit that is intelligent, holy,
unique, fruitful, subtle, eloquent, active, unsullied, lucid,
gentle, benevolent, keen, irresistible, beneficent, kindly,
firm, unfailing, unperturbed, all-powerful, all-seeing,
possessing every spirit, understandable, pure and subtle.  For
Wisdom is more active than any active thing.  He is so pure he
penetrates all things" (Wisd. 7:22-24).
     "Wisdom is an infinite treasure for men.  Those who have
utilised this treasure have become God's friends, and
praiseworthy for their gifts of knowledge".
63   After reading such powerful but tender words which the
Holy Spirit uses to show the beauty, the excellence and the
treasures of eternal Wisdom, we cannot but love him and search
for him with all our strength.  All the more so since he is an
inexhaustible source of riches for man who was made for him
and infinitely eager to give himself to man.

                          CHAPTER SIX

                EARNEST DESIRE OF DIVINE WISDOM
                    TO GIVE HIMSELF TO MEN

64.  The bond of friendship between eternal Wisdom and man is
so close as to be beyond our understanding.  Wisdom is for man
and man is for Wisdom.  "He is an infinite treasure for man,"
(Wisd. 7:14) and not for angels or any other creatures.
     Wisdom's friendship for man arises from man's place in
creation, from his being an abridgement of eternal Wisdom's
marvels, his small yet ever so great world, his living image
and representative on earth (cf. Nos. 35-38).  Since Wisdom,
out of an excess of love, gave himself up to death to save
man, he loves man as a brother, a friend, a disciple, a pupil,
the price of his own blood and co-heir of his kingdom.  For
man to withhold his heart from Wisdom or to wrench it away
from him would constitute an outrage.

[1. Eternal Wisdom's letter of love]

65.  This eternal beauty, ever supremely loving, is so intent
on winning man's friendship that for this very purpose he has
written a book in which he describes his own excellence and
his desire for man's friendship.  This book reads like a
letter written by a lover to win the affections of his loved
one, for in it he expresses such ardent desires for the heart
of man, such tender longings for man's friendship, such loving
invitations and promises, that you would say he could not
possibly be the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth and at the
same time need the friendship of man to be happy.

66.  In his pursuit of man, he hastens along the highways, or
scales the loftiest mountain peaks, or waits at the city
gates, or goes into the public squares and among the
gatherings of people, proclaiming at the top of his voice,
"You children of men, it is you I have been calling so
persistently; it is you I am addressing; it is you I desire
and seek; it is you I am claiming.  Listen, draw close to me,
for I want to make you happy" (Prov. 8:4).
     And the better to attract men, Wisdom says to them, "It
is through me and through my grace that kings reign, princes
rule, monarchs and sovereigns bear the sceptre and crown, I
inspire legislators with the ability to enact just laws for
the good of their people.  I give magistrates the courage to
administer justice fairly and fearlessly."

67.  "I love those who love me and those who seek me
diligently find me," and in finding me they will find good
things in abundance.  "For riches, glory, honours, dignities,
real pleasure and true virtue are found in me; and it is far
better for a man to possess me than to possess all the gold
and silver, all the precious stones, and all the wealth of the
whole universe.  Those who come to me, I will lead along the
paths of justice and prudence.  I will enrich them with the
inheritance due to rightful children and fulfil their greatest
desires (cf. Prov. 8:15-21).  Rest assured, it is my greatest
pleasure and purest delight to converse and to abide with the
children of men" (cf. Prov. 8:31).

68.  "And now, my children, listen to me.  Happy are those who
keep my ways.  Hear my instructions, be wise and do not ignore
them.  Happy is the man who listens to me, watching at my
gates every day, waiting beside my door.  He who finds me
finds life and obtains salvation from the Lord, but he who
sins against me, wounds his own soul.  All who hate me love
death" (Prov. 8:32-36).

69.  Even though eternal Wisdom has spoken so kindly and so
reassuringly to win the friendship of men, he still fears that
they, filled with awe at his glorious state and sovereign
majesty, will not dare approach him.  That is why he tells
them that "he is easily accessible, is quickly recognised by
those who love him and is found by those who seek him; that he
hastens to meet those who desire him and that anyone who rises
early to look for him will have no trouble, for he will find
him sitting at his door, waiting for him" (Wisd. 6:13b-15).

[2. Incarnation, Death and the Eucharist]

70.  Finally, in order to draw closer to men and give them a
more convincing proof of his love, eternal Wisdom went so far
as to become man, even to become a little child, to embrace
poverty and to die upon a cross for them.
     How many times while here on earth could he be heard
pleading, "Come to me, come to me, all of you.  Do not be
afraid, it is I.  Why are you afraid?  I am just like you; I
love you.  Are you afraid because you are sinners?  But they
are the very ones I am looking for; I am the friend of
sinners.  If it is because you have strayed from the fold
through your own fault, then I am the good shepherd.  If it is
because you are weighted down with sin, covered with grime and
utterly dejected, then that is just why you should come to me
for I will unburden you, purify you and console you."

71.  Eternal Wisdom, on the one hand, wished to prove his love
for man by dying in his place in order to save him, but on the
other hand, he could not bear the thought of leaving him.  So
he devised a marvellous way of dying and living at the same
time, and of abiding with man until the end of time.  So, in
order fully to satisfy his love, he instituted the sacrament
of Holy Eucharist and went to the extent of changing and
overturning nature itself.
     He does not conceal himself under a sparkling diamond or
some other precious stone, because he does not want to abide
with man in an ostentatious manner.  But he hides himself
under the appearance of a small piece of bread - man's
ordinary nourishment - so that when received he might enter
the heart of man and there take his delight.  Ardenter
amantium hoc est - Those who love ardently act in this way. 
"O eternal Wisdom," says a saint, "O God who is truly lavish
with himself in his desire to be with man."

[3. The ingratitude of those who refuse]

72.  How ungrateful and insensitive we would be if we were not
moved by the earnest desire of eternal Wisdom, his eagerness
to seek us out and the proofs he gives us of his friendship!
     How cruel we would be, what punishment would we not
deserve even in this world, if, instead of listening to him,
we turn a deaf ear; if, instead of loving him, we spurn and
offend him.  The Holy Spirit tells us, "Those who neglected to
acquire Wisdom not only inherited ignorance of what is good,
but they actually left in the world a memorial of their folly
in that their sins could not go unnoticed" (Wisd. 10:8).
     Those who during their lifetime do not strive to acquire
Wisdom suffer a triple misfortune.  They fall (a) into
ignorance and blindness, (b) into folly, (c) into sin and
scandal.
     But how unhappy they will be at the door of death when,
despite themselves, they hear Wisdom reproach them, "I called
you and you did not answer (Prov. 1:24).  All the day long I
held out my hands to you and you spurned me.  Sitting at your
door, I waited for you but you did not come to me.  Now it is
my turn to deride you (Prov. 1:26).  No longer do I have ears
to hear you weeping, eyes to see your tears, a heart to be
moved by your sobs, or hands to help you."
     How great will be their misery in hell!  Read what the
Holy Spirit himself has to say about the miseries, the
wailings, the regrets and the despair of the fools in hell
who, all too late, realise their folly and misfortune in
rejecting the eternal Wisdom of God.  "They are now beginning
to speak sensibly - but they are in hell" (Wisd. 5:14).

[4. Conclusion]

73.  Above all else let us seek and long for divine Wisdom. 
"All other things that are desired are not to be compared with
Wisdom" (Prov. 3:15).  And again, "Nothing that you desire can
be compared with him" (Prov. 8:11).  You may desire the gifts
of God and even heavenly treasures, but if you do not desire
Wisdom you desire always something of far less worth.
     If only we could realise what Wisdom actually is, i.e. an
infinite treasure made for man - and I must confess that what
I have said about him really amounts to nothing at all - we
would be longing for him night and day.  We would fly as fast
as we could to the ends of the earth, we would cheerfully
endure fire and sword, if need be, to merit this infinite
treasure.
     But we must beware of choosing a wrong wisdom, because
there is more than one kind.

                         CHAPTER SEVEN

                     CHOICE OF TRUE WISDOM

74.  God himself has his Wisdom, the one and only true Wisdom
which we should love and seek as a great treasure.  The
corrupt world also has its wisdom which must be condemned and
detested, for it is evil and destructive.  Philosophers also
have their wisdom which must be spurned as useless for it can
often endanger our salvation.
     So far we have been speaking of God's wisdom to those who
are spiritually mature, as the Apostle calls them (cf. 1 Cor.
2:6), but lest they be deceived by the false glitter of
worldly wisdom, let us unmask its hypocrisy and malice.

[1. Wisdom of the world]

75.  The wisdom of the world is that of which it is said, "I
will destroy the wisdom of the wise (1 Cor. 1:19; cf. Is.
29:14), i.e. those whom the world calls wise."  "The wisdom of
the flesh is an enemy of God" (Rom. 8:7),  and does not come
from above.  It is earthly, devilish and carnal (Jas. 3:15). 
     This worldly wisdom consists in an exact conformity to
the maxims and fashions of the world; a continual inclination
towards greatness and esteem; and a subtle and endless pursuit
of pleasure and self-interest, not in an uncouth and blatant
way by scandalous sin, but in an astute, discreet, and
deceitful way.  Otherwise the world would no longer label it
wisdom but pure licentiousness.

76.  In the opinion of the world, a wise man is one with a
keen eye to business; who knows how to turn everything to his
personal profit without appearing to do so.  He excels in the
art of duplicity and well-concealed fraud without arousing
suspicion.  He thinks one thing and says or does another. 
Nothing concerning the graces and manners of the world is
unknown to him.  He accommodates himself to everyone to suit
his own end, completely ignoring the honour and interests of
God.  He manages to make a secret but fatal reconciliation of
truth and falsehood, of the gospel and the world, of virtue
and sin, of Christ and Belial.  He wishes to be considered an
honest man but not a devout man, and most readily scorns,
distorts and condemns devotions he does not personally approve
of.  In short, a man is worldly-wise who, following solely the
lead of his senses and human reasoning, poses as a good
Christian and a man of integrity, but makes little effort to
please God or atone by penance for the sins he has committed
against him.

77.  The worldly man bases his conduct on personal honour, on
"What will people say?", on convention, on high living, on
self-interest, on ceremonious manners, and on witty
conversation.  These seven principles are the irreproachable
supports on which, he believes, he can safely depend to enjoy
a peaceful life.
     The world will canonise him for such virtues as courage,
finesse, tactfulness, shrewdness, gallantry, politeness and
good humour.  It stigmatises as serious offences,
insensitiveness, stupidity, poverty, boorishness and bigotry.

78.  He obeys as faithfully as he can the commandments which
the world gives him:
     You shall be well acquainted with the world.
     You shall be respectable.
     You shall be successful in business.
     You shall hold on to whatever is yours.
     You shall rise above your background.
     You shall make friends for yourself.
     You shall frequent fashionable society.
     You shall seek the good life.
     You shall not be a kill-joy.
     You shall not be singular, uncouth or over-pious.

79.  Never has the world been so corrupt as it is now, for
never has it been so cunning, so wise in its own way, and so
crafty.  It cleverly makes use of the truth to foster untruth,
virtue to justify vice, and the very maxims of Jesus Christ to
endorse its own so that even those who are wisest in the sight
of God are often deceived.
     "Infinite is the number of these men, wise in the sight
of the world but foolish in the eyes of God" (Eccles. 1:15).

80.  Earthly wisdom of which St James speaks, is love for the
things of this world.  Worldly men secretly subscribe to this
wisdom when they set their hearts on worldly possessions and
strive to become rich.  They institute court proceedings and
engage in needless disputes to acquire wealth or hold on to
it.  Most of the time they are thinking, speaking, acting with
the sole aim of acquiring or keeping some temporal possession. 
They pay little or no attention to their eternal salvation or
to the means of saving their souls, such as Confession, Holy
Communion, prayer, etc.; except in an offhand way out of
routine, once in a while, and for the sake of appearances.

81.  The wisdom of the flesh is the love of pleasure.  This is
the wisdom shown by the worldly-wise who seek only the
satisfaction of the senses.  They want to have a good time. 
They shun everything that might prove unpleasant or mortifying
for the body, such as fasting, and other austerities.  Usually
they think only of eating, drinking, playing, laughing,
enjoying life and having a good time.  They must always be
comfortable and insist on having entertaining pastimes, the
best of food and good company.
     They regale themselves with all these pleasures without
the least scruple, with no disapproval from the world and no
inconvenience to their health.  Then they can go looking for
some broad-minded confessor (that is how they describe lax
confessors who shirk their duty) to obtain from him on easy
terms the peaceful sanction for their soft and effeminate way
of living and a generous pardon for their sins.  I say "on
easy terms" because these worldly people usually want as a
penance only a few prayers or a small offering to the poor. 
They detest anything that could possibly cause them any bodily
discomfort.

82.  Diabolical wisdom is the love and esteem of honours. 
This is the wisdom of the worldly-wise who, secretly, of
course, long for distinctions, honours, dignities and high
offices.  They strive to be seen, esteemed, praised and
applauded by men.  In their studies, their work, their
undertakings, their words and actions, all they want is the
esteem and praise of men, to be reputed as devout or learned
people, as great leaders, eminent lawyers, men of great and
distinguished merit or deserving of high consideration.  They
cannot bear insult or blame and so they hide their
shortcomings and parade their better qualities.

83.  We must, like our Lord Jesus Christ, incarnate Wisdom,
detest and condemn these three kinds of false wisdom if we are
to possess the true one, which is not self-seeking, not found
in the world nor in the heart of those who lead a comfortable
life, and which loathes everything that men consider great and
noble.

[2. Natural wisdom]

84.  Besides worldly wisdom, which is pernicious and must be
condemned, there is the natural wisdom of philosophers.
     It was this natural wisdom that the Egyptians and Greeks
eagerly sought for, "The Greeks look for wisdom" (1 Cor.
1:22). Those who had acquired this wisdom were called magi or
wise men.  This wisdom consists in an eminent knowledge of
nature in its primary elements.  It was given in full to Adam
before the Fall.  It was conferred on Solomon, and down
through the ages many great men have received it, as history
testifies.

85.  Philosophers boast that their wisdom is acquired through
philosophical argumentation.  Alchemists boast of cabalistic
secrets for finding the philosopher's stone in which, they
imagine, this wisdom is to be found.
     It is true that scholastic philosophy, when studied in a
truly Christian way, develops the mind and enables it to
understand the higher sciences, but it will never confer that
so-called natural wisdom which the ancients prided themselves
on possessing.

86.  The science of alchemists, which purports to teach that
natural bodies can be reduced to their basic principles, is
still more worthless and dangerous.  This science, although
valid in itself, has duped and deceived multitudes of people
regarding the end it proposes to attain.  Judging by my own
experience, I am sure that the devil is using this false
science to cause a loss of money and time, as well as grace,
and even the soul itself, under the pretext of finding the
philosopher's stone.  No other science claims to accomplish
such great effects by such obvious means.
     This science claims to produce the philosopher's stone or
a powder (which they call "projection") which, when thrown
upon any metal in a liquid state, will change it into silver
or gold, which will restore health, cure illnesses, even
prolong life, and effect countless marvels which ignorant
people believe are divine and miraculous.
     There is a group of people who consider themselves
experts in this science and who are called "Cabalists" and
these keep such a close guard on the hidden mysteries of this
science that they would rather lose their life than reveal its
so-called secrets.

87.  They justify what they teach by:
     (1) The history of Solomon, whom they firmly believe had
been given the secret of the philosopher's stone, and as proof
they produce a secret book which is false and insidious,
entitled "The Clavicle of Solomon".
     (2) The history of Esdras, to whom God gave a heavenly
liquid to drink and which gave him "wisdom", as is related in
the seventh book of Esdras.
     (3) The history of Raymond Lully and of several great
philosophers who say they have found this philosopher's stone.
     (4) Finally, the better to cover their imposture with a
cloak of piety, they call it a gift of God, which is given
only to those who have persevered in asking for it and who
have merited it by their works and prayers.

88.  I have given an account of the fantasies or illusions of
this futile science so that like many others you may not be
deceived.  I know that some who, after having spent so much
money and wasted so much time, under the most laudable and
pious pretexts in the world and in a most devoted manner, have
finally regretted everything and confessed their pretence and
their delusions.
     I do not admit that the philosopher's stone is a
possibility.  A learned man named Del Rio is certain it is and
has given proofs; others deny it.  Be that as it may, it is
not befitting, it is even dangerous, for a Christian to occupy
himself in seeking it.  It would be an insult to Jesus Christ,
Wisdom incarnate, in whom are found all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge of God (Col. 2:3) as well as every gift 
of nature, grace and glory.  It implies disobedience to the
Holy Spirit who tells us in Ecclesiasticus 3: "Do not seek
what is beyond your capabilities" (Sir. 3:22).

[3. Conclusion]

89.  So let us remain with Jesus, the eternal and incarnate
Wisdom.  Apart from him, there is nothing but aimless
wandering, untruth and death.  "I am the way, I am the truth,
I am the life" (Jn. 14:6).  Now let us see the effects of
Wisdom in souls.

                         CHAPTER EIGHT

      MARVELLOUS EFFECTS OF WISDOM IN THE SOULS OF THOSE
                        WHO POSSESS HIM

90.  Eternal Wisdom, ever transcendent in beauty, by nature
loves everything that is good, especially the good of man
(Wisd. 7:22), and consequently nothing gives him more pleasure
than to communicate himself.  That is why the Holy Spirit
tells us that Wisdom is for ever seeking throughout the world
for souls worthy of him (Wisd. 6:17), and he fills these holy
souls with his presence making them "friends of God and
prophets" (Wisd. 7:27).
     In former times he entered into the soul of God's servant
Moses and filled him with abundant light to see great things,
and endowed him with prodigious power to work miracles and
gain victories.  "He entered the soul of the servant of God
and withstood fearsome kings with signs and wonders" (Wisd.
10:16).
     When divine Wisdom enters a soul, he brings all kinds of
good things with him and bestows vast riches upon that soul. 
"All good things came to me along with him and untold riches
from his hand" (Wisd. 7:11). This is Solomon's own testimony
to the truth after he had received Wisdom.

91.  Among the countless effects eternal Wisdom produces in
souls, often in such a secret way that the soul is not aware
of them, the most usual are the following:

92.  (1) Eternal Wisdom communicates his Spirit of
enlightenment to the soul that possesses him, "I prayed, and
understanding was given to me.  I pleaded and the spirit of
wisdom came upon me" (Wisd. 7:7).  This subtle and penetrating
spirit (cf. Wisd. 7:22-24) enables a man, as it enabled
Solomon, to judge all things with keen discernment and deep
penetration.  "Because of Wisdom, who communicated his spirit
to me, I shall be found keen in judgement and even the great
shall be surprised in my presence" (Wisd. 8:11).

93.  Eternal Wisdom communicates to man the great science of
holiness as well as the natural sciences, and even the most
secret ones when they are needed.  "If anyone desires deep
knowledge, eternal Wisdom knows the past and can forecast the
future.  He understands the subtleties of speech and the
lessons of parables" (Wisd. 8:8). To Jacob he gave the science
of the saints (Wisd. 10:10).  To Solomon he gave a true
knowledge of the whole of nature (Wisd. 7:17).  He revealed to
him countless secrets that no one before him had ever known
(Wisd. 7:21).

94.  From this infinite source of light the great Doctors of
the Church, like St Thomas (as he himself testifies) drew that
eminent knowledge for which they are renowned.  Note that this
enlightened understanding given by eternal Wisdom is not dry,
barren and unspiritual, but radiating splendour, unction,
vigour and devotion.  It moves and satisfies the heart at the
same time as it enlightens the mind.

95.  (2) Wisdom gives man not only light to know the truth but
also a remarkable power to impart it to others.  "Wisdom has
the voice to convey knowledge"  (Wisd. 1:7).  Wisdom knows
what we want to say and communicates to us the art of saying
it well, for "he opened the mouths of those who were dumb and
made the tongues of babies eloquent" (Wisd. 10:21).
     He cured Moses of his impediment of speech (cf. Ex. 4:10-
12).  He imparted his words to the prophets, enabling them "to
root up and to pull down, to destroy and to demolish, to build
and to plant" (Jer. 1:10), although they acknowledged that
left to themselves they could speak no better than children
(Jer. 1:6).
     It was eternal Wisdom who gave the apostles the facility
they had to preach the gospel everywhere and to proclaim the
wonderful works of God (Acts 2:11).  "He made their mouths a
real treasury of words."
     Since divine Wisdom is the Word of God throughout time
and eternity, he has never ceased speaking and by his word
everything was made and everything was restored (cf. Jn. 1:3-
13).  He spoke through the mouths of the prophets and apostles
(Cf. No. 47) and he will go on speaking through the mouths of
those to whom he gives himself until the end of time.

96.  But the words that divine Wisdom communicates are not
just ordinary, natural, human words; they are divine, "truly
the words of God" (1 Thess. 2:13).  They are powerful,
touching, piercing words, "sharper than a two-edged sword"
(Heb. 4:12), words that go from the heart of the one through
whom he speaks straight to the heart of the listener.  Solomon
is referring to this gift of Wisdom he himself had received
when he said that God gave him the grace to speak according to
the feelings of his heart (Wisd. 7:15).

97.  These are the words which our Lord promised to his
apostles, "I will give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none
of your adversaries will be able to resist" (Lk. 21:15).
     How few preachers there are today who possess this most
wonderful gift of eloquence and who can say with St Paul, "We
preach the wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 2:7).  Most of them speak
according to the natural light of their minds, or from what
they have taken from books.  They do not speak under the
impulse of divine Wisdom or from a heart filled to overflowing
with wisdom (Mt. 12:34).  That is why in these times we see so
few conversions made through preaching.  If a preacher had
truly received from eternal Wisdom this gift of eloquence, his
listeners would hardly be able to resist his words, as
happened in the early days of the Church: "They could not
resist the wisdom and the Spirit speaking in him" (Acts 6:10). 
Such a preacher would speak with so much unction and such
authority (Mk. 1:22) that his words could never be ineffectual
and void (cf. Is. 55:10-11).

98.  (3) Eternal Wisdom, besides being the object of the
eternal Father's delight, and the joy of angels (cf. Nos.
10,19,55), is also the source of purest joy and consolation
for man who possesses him.  He gives to man a relish for
everything that comes from God and makes him lose his taste
for things created.  He enlightens his mind with the
brightness of his own light and pours into his heart an
indescribable joy, sweetness and peace even when he is in the
midst of the most harrowing grief and suffering, as St Paul
bears witness when he exclaims, "I exceedingly abound with joy
in all our tribulations" (2 Cor. 7:4).
     Whenever I go into my house, says Solomon, even though I
am alone, I will take my rest with Wisdom because Wisdom's
company is always pleasing, his companionship is never tedious
but always satisfying and joyful (Wisd. 8:16).  And not only
at home did I find joy in conversing with him, but everywhere
and in everything, because Wisdom went before me (Wisd. 7:12). 
There is a true and holy joy in Wisdom's friendship (Wisd.
8:18), while the joys and pleasures we find in created things
are illusory, leading only to affliction of spirit.

99.  (4) When eternal Wisdom communicates himself to a soul,
he gives that soul all the gifts of the Holy Spirit and all
the great virtues to an eminent degree.  They are: the
theological virtues - lively faith, firm hope, ardent charity;
the cardinal virtues - well-ordered temperance, complete
prudence, perfect justice, invincible fortitude; the moral
virtues - perfect religion, profound humility, pleasing
gentleness, blind obedience, complete detachment, continuous
mortification, sublime prayer, etc.  These are the wonderful
virtues and heavenly gifts described briefly by the Holy
Spirit when he says, "If anyone loves justice, great virtues
are again Wisdom's handiwork, for he teaches temperance and
prudence, justice and fortitude. Nothing in the world is more
useful to man in this life than these" (Wisd. 8:7).

100. (5) Finally, as "nothing is more active than Wisdom"
(Wisd. 7:24), he does not leave those who enjoy his friendship
to languish in mediocrity and negligence.  He sets them on
fire, inspiring them to undertake great things for the glory
of God and the salvation of souls.  In order to discipline
them and make them more worthy of himself, he permits them to
engage in strenuous conflicts and in almost everything they
undertake they encounter contradictions and disappointments.
     At times, he allows the devil to tempt them, the world to
calumniate and scorn them, their enemies to defeat and crush
them, their friends and relatives to forsake and betray them. 
Sometimes they may have to suffer illness or loss of
possessions, and at other times endure insults, sadness and
heartbreak.  In short, Wisdom tests them thoroughly in the
crucible of tribulation like god is tested in a furnace.
     "But their affliction", says the Holy Spirit, "was light
and their reward will be great, for God has put them to the
test and found them worthy of himself.  He has tried them like
gold in a furnace and accepted them as sacrificial victims. 
When the time comes, he will look upon them with favour"
(Wisd. 3:4,6).
     It is Wisdom who enriched the virtuous man in his labours
and enabled him to reap the fruit of his toil.  He came to his
aid against those who were trying to deceive him and made him
prosperous.  He protected him against his enemies, shielded
him against seducers and engaged him in combat so that he
might come through victorious and so convince him that Wisdom
is more powerful than anything in the world (Wisd. 10:10).

101. We read in the life of Blessed Henry Suso, a Dominican
friar, that in his eagerness to possess Wisdom, he often
offered himself to undergo any torment in return for his
friendship.  One day he said to himself, "Do you not know that
lovers endure suffering upon suffering for the sake of the one
they love?  For them wakeful nights are pleasant, fatigue is
delightful, labour is restful, once they are assured that the
one they love is pleased and grateful.  If men go to such
lengths to please a mere mortal, are you not ashamed to show
weakness in your resolve to obtain Wisdom?  No, eternal
Wisdom, I will never falter in my love for you, even though I
have to plunge through thicket and bush to reach you, even
though I have to undergo a thousand torments in body and soul. 
I will always prize your friendship more than anything else on
earth and you will always have the first place in my
affections."

102. While travelling a few days later, he fell into the hands
of robbers who beat him so unmercifully that they themselves
could not help pitying him.  Seeing himself in such a state,
Henry Suso forgot his resolution to be brave no matter what
might happen and gave way to deep depression, weeping and
wondering why God had afflicted him in this way.  As he
pondered over his plight, he fell asleep.  Early next morning
he heard a voice reproaching him, "Look at this warrior of
mine.  He can scale mountains, climb over rocks, break into
strongholds, cut to pieces his enemies when everything is
going right for him.  But when he meets with adversity his
courage fades and he is helpless and useless.  In time of
consolation he is a fierce lion, but in time of tribulation he
is a timid deer.  Wisdom does not share his friendship with
such faint-hearted cowards."
     At this reprimand, Blessed Henry confessed he was wrong
in giving way to excessive discouragement, and went on to ask
divine Wisdom to allow him to weep and so unburden his heart
weighed down by grief.
     "No," replied the voice, "all the saints in heaven would
lose their respect for you,. were you to cry like a baby or a
woman.  Wipe away your tears and show the world a cheerful
face."

103. The cross, then, is the portion and reward of those who
desire or already possess eternal Wisdom. But our loving
Saviour numbers, weighs and measures everything and sends
crosses to his friends in proportion to their strength, and
tempers them with divine unction to such an extent that their
hearts are filled with joy.

                         CHAPTER NINE

          THE INCARNATION AND LIFE OF ETERNAL WISDOM

[1. The Incarnation]

104. When the eternal Word, eternal Wisdom, decided in the
grand council of the Blessed Trinity (cf. Nos. 41-46) to
become man in order to restore fallen humanity, it is possible
he made it known to Adam, and Scripture tells us he promised
the patriarchs of the Old Law that he would become man in
order to redeem the world.
     This explains why, during the 4,000 years since the
creation of the world, all the holy people of the Old Law
pleaded earnestly in their prayers for the coming of the
Messiah.  They groaned, they wept and cried out, "Clouds, rain
forth the just one.  Earth, bud forth the Saviour" (cf. Is.
45:8).  "O Wisdom, who proceeded from the mouth of the Most
High, come bring us deliverance."
     But their cries, their prayers, and their sacrifices had
not the power to draw the Son of God, Wisdom Eternal, from the
bosom of his Father.  They reached out towards heaven but
their arms were not long enough to reach the throne of the
Most High.  They offered the sacrifice of their hearts
unceasingly to God but they were not worthy enough to obtain
the greatest of all graces.

105. At last, when the time appointed for the redemption of
mankind came, eternal Wisdom built himself a house worthy to
be his dwelling-place (Prov. 9:1).  He created the most holy
Virgin, forming her in the womb of St Anne with even greater
delight than he had derived from creating the universe.  It is
impossible on the one hand to put into words the gifts with
which the Blessed Trinity endowed this most fair creature, or
on the other hand to describe the faithful care with which she
corresponded to the graces of her Creator.

106. The torrential outpouring of God's infinite goodness
which had been rudely stemmed by the sins of men since the
beginning of the world, was now released precipitately and in
full flood into the heart of Mary.  Eternal Wisdom gave to her
all the graces which Adam and his descendants would have
received so liberally from him had they remained in their
original state of justice.  The fulness of God, says a saint,
was poured into Mary, in so far as a mere creature is capable
of receiving it.  O Mary, masterpiece of the Most High,
miracle of eternal Wisdom, prodigy of the Almighty, abyss of
grace!  I join all the saints in the belief that only the God
who created you knows the height, the breadth and the depth of
the grace he has conferred on you.

107. During the first fourteen years of her life the most holy
Virgin Mary grew so marvellously in the grace and wisdom of
God and responded so faithfully to his love that the angels
and even God himself were filled with rapturous admiration for
her.  Her humility, deep as an abyss, delighted him.  Her
purity so other-worldly drew him down to her.  He found her
lively faith and her ceaseless entreaties of love so
irresistible that he was lovingly conquered by her appeals of
love.  "So great was the love of Mary," explains St Augustine,
"that it conquered the omnipotent God" - O quantus amor illius
qui vincit omnipotentem.
     Wondrous to relate, this divine Wisdom chose to leave the
bosom of his Father and enter the womb of a virgin and there
repose amid the lilies of her purity.  Desiring to give
himself to her by becoming man in her, he sent the archangel
Gabriel to greet her on his behalf and to declare to her that
she had won his heart and he would become man within her if
she gave her consent.  The archangel fulfilled his mission and
assured her that she would still remain a virgin while
becoming a mother.  Notwithstanding her desire to be lowly,
Mary wholeheartedly gave the angel that priceless consent
which the Blessed Trinity, all the angels and the whole world
awaited for so many centuries.  Humbling herself before her
Creator she said" "Behold the handmaid of the Lord.  Let it be
done to me according to your word" (Lk. 1:38).

108. Notice that at the very moment Mary consented to become
the Mother of God, several miraculous events took place.  The
Holy Spirit formed from the most pure blood of Mary's heart a
little body which he fashioned into a perfect living being:
God created the most perfect soul that ever could be created. 
Eternal Wisdom, the Son of God, drew the body and soul into
union with his person.  Here we have the great wonder of
heaven and earth, the prodigious excess of the love of God. 
"The Word was made flesh" (Jn. 1:14).  Eternal Wisdom became
incarnate.  God became man without ceasing to be God.  This
God-man is Jesus Christ and his name means Saviour.

[2. Life of Wisdom Incarnate]

109. Here is a summary of his divine life on earth:
     1. He wished to be born of a married woman, though she
was indeed a virgin, lest he should be reproached as one born
out of wedlock.  Other important reasons are given by Fathers
of the Church.  His conception, as we have just said, was
announced to the Blessed Virgin by the angel Gabriel.  He
became a child of Adam without inheriting Adam's sin.

110. 2. His conception took place on Friday, 25th March, and
on 25th December the Saviour of the world was born at
Bethlehem and was cradled in a manger in a poor stable.  An
angel brought the news of the Saviour's birth to shepherds who
were keeping watch over their flocks in the fields.  He
invited them to go to Bethlehem to adore their Saviour.  At
the same time they heard celestial music, voices of angels
singing, "Glory to God in the heavens and peace on earth to
men who are God's friends" (Lk. 2:14).

111. 3. On the eighth day after his birth, as prescribed by
the Law of Moses, he was circumcised, even though he was not
subject to the law, and he was called Jesus, the name that
came from heaven.  Three wise men came from the east to adore
him having learnt of his birth through the appearance of an
extraordinary star which guided them to Bethlehem.  This event
is celebrated on 6th January, the feast of the Epiphany, that
is, the manifestation of God.

112. 4. Forty days after his birth he chose to offer himself
in the Temple, observing all that the Law of Moses prescribed
for the redeeming of the first-born.  Some time later the
angel told St Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin, to take
the infant Jesus and his Mother into Egypt to escape the wrath
of Herod.  This he did.  Some authors hold the opinion that
our Lord stayed in Egypt for two years; others say for three,
and others such as Baronius, think it was as many as eight
years.  He sanctified the whole of the country by his presence
by making it worthy to be dwelt in by the holy hermits, as
history has shown.  Eusebius tells us that at the approach of
Jesus the devils took to flight, and St Athanasius adds that
the idols toppled over.

113. 5. At the age of twelve the Son of God, sitting among the
doctors, questioned them with such wisdom that all his hearers
were filled with admiration.  After this incident the gospel
makes no mention of him until his baptism when he was thirty
years old.  He then retired into the desert, abstaining from
food and drink for forty days.  There he fought the devil and
vanquished him.

114. 6. After this he began to preach in Judea, choosing his
apostles and working all the miracles related in the gospels. 
I need only mention that Jesus during the third year of his
public preaching and at the age of thirty-three, raised
Lazarus from the dead, made his triumphant entry into
Jerusalem on the 29th day of March, and on the 2nd day of
April which was Thursday, the fourteenth day of the month of
Nisan, celebrated the Pasch with his disciples, washed the
feet of the apostles and instituted the sacrament of the holy
Eucharist under the species of bread and wine.

115. 7. On the evening of this day he was apprehended by his
enemies with Judas the traitor at their head.  The next day,
3rd April, even though it was a feast-day of the Jews, he was
condemned to death after being scourged, crowned with thorns,
and treated most shamefully.
     That same day he was led to Calvary and nailed to a cross
between two criminals.  The God of all innocence thus chose to
die the most shameful of all deaths and undergo the torments
which should have been incurred by a robber named Barabbas
whom the Jews had preferred to him.  The ancient Fathers
believed that Jesus was attached to the cross by four nails
and that there was in the middle of the cross a wooden support
on which his body rested.

116. 8. After languishing for three hours, the Saviour of the
world died at the age of thirty-three.  Joseph of Arimathea
had the courage to ask Pilate for the body and laid it in a
new sepulchre which he had built.  We must not forget that
nature showed its sorrow at the death of its maker by many
marvellous happenings which took place at the moment of his
death.  He rose from the dead on the fifth day of April and
appeared several times to his Mother and his disciples during
forty days.  On Thursday, 14th May, he took his disciples to
Mount Olivet and there in their presence, by his own power he
ascended into heaven to take his place at the right hand of
his Father, leaving on this earth the imprint of his sacred
feet.

                          CHAPTER TEN

    THE CAPTIVATING BEAUTY AND THE INEXPRESSIBLE GENTLENESS
                      OF INCARNATE WISDOM

117. As the divine Wisdom became man only to stir the hearts
of men to love and imitate him, he took pleasure in gracing
his human nature with every kind of quality, especially an
endearing gentleness and a kindness without any defect or
blemish.

[1. Wisdom is gentle in his origin]

118. If we consider him in his origin he is everything that is
good and gentle.  He is a gift sent by the love of the eternal
Father and a product of the love of the Holy Spirit.  He was
given out of love and fashioned by love (Jn. 3:16).  He is
therefore all love, or rather the very love of the Father and
the Holy Spirit.
     He was born of the sweetest, tenderest and the most
beautiful of all mothers, Mary, the divinely favoured Virgin. 
To appreciate the gentleness of Jesus we must first consider
the gentleness of Mary, his Mother, whom he resembles by his
pleasing nature.  Jesus is Mary's child; consequently there is
no haughtiness, or harshness, or unpleasantness in him and
even less, infinitely less, in him than in his Mother, since
he is the eternal Wisdom and therefore pure gentleness and
beauty.

[2.He is declared gentle by the Prophets]

119. The prophets, who had in advance been shown the incarnate
Wisdom, referred to him as a sheep and a lamb because of his
gentleness. They foretold that because of his gentleness "he
would not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax"
(Is. 42:3). He is so full of kindness that even if a poor
sinner be weighed down, blinded, and depraved by his sins,
with already, as it were, one foot in hell, he will not
condemn him unless the sinner compels him to do so.
     St John the Baptist for almost thirty years lived in the
desert practising austerities to gain the knowledge and love
of incarnate Wisdom.  No sooner had he seen Jesus approaching
than he pointed him out to his disciples, exclaiming, "Behold
the Lamb of God.  Behold him who takes away the sins of the
world." (Jn. 1:29).  He did not say, as seemingly he should,
"Behold the Most High, behold the King of Glory, behold the
Almighty."  But knowing him more thoroughly than any man at
any time, he said: Behold the Lamb of God, behold that eternal
Wisdom who, to captivate our hearts and to take away our sins,
has gathered into his person all that is meek in God and in
man, in heaven and on earth.

[3. He is gentle in his name]

120. But what does the name of Jesus, the proper name of
incarnate Wisdom signify to us if not ardent charity, infinite
love and engaging gentleness?  The distinctive characteristic
of Jesus, the Saviour of the world, is to love and save men.
"No song is sweeter, no voice is more pleasing, no thought is
more appealing, than Jesus Son of God." How sweet the name of
Jesus sounds to the ear and the heart of a chosen soul!  Sweet
as honey to the lips, a delightful melody to the ears,
thrilling joy to the heart.

[4. He is gentle in his looks]

121. "Gentle is Jesus in his looks, and in his words and
actions." The face of our loving Saviour is so serene and
gentle that it charmed the eyes and hearts of those who beheld
it.  The shepherds who came to the stable to see him were so
spellbound by the serenity and beauty of his face that they
tarried for many days gazing in rapture upon him.  The three
Kings, proud though they were, had no sooner seen the tender
features of this lovely child than, forgetting their high
dignity, they fell down on their knees beside his crib.  Time
and again they said to one another,"Friend, how good it is to
be here!  There are no enjoyments in our palaces comparable to
those we are experiencing in this stable looking at this dear
Infant-God."
     When Jesus was still very young, children and people in
trouble came from the country around to see him and find
comfort and joy.  They would say to each other, "Let us go and
see young Jesus, the lovely child of Mary."  St John
Chrysostom says, "The beauty and majesty of his face were at
once so sweet and so worthy of respect that those who knew him
could not prevent themselves from loving him, and distant
kings, hearing of his beauty, desired to have a painting of
him.  It is even said that our Lord by special favour sent his
portrait to King Abogare. Some writers tell us that the Roman
soldiers and the Jews covered his face in order to strike and
buffet him freely because there was in his eyes and face such
a kindly and ravishing radiance as would disarm the most cruel
of men.

[5. He is gentle in his words]

122. Jesus is also gentle in his words.  When he dwelt on
earth he won everyone over by his gentle speech.  Never was he
heard to raise his voice or argue heatedly.  The prophets
foretold this of him (Is. 42:2).  Those who listened to him
with good intentions were charmed by the words of life which
fell from his lips and they exclaimed, "No man has ever spoken
as this man" (Jn. 7:46).  Even those who hated him were so
surprised at his eloquence and wisdom that they asked one
another, "Where did he get such wisdom?" (Mt. 13:54).  No man
has ever spoken with such meekness and unction.  "Where did he
acquire such wisdom in his speech?" they asked.
     Multitudes of poor people left their homes and families
and went even as far as the desert to hear him, going several
days without food or drink, for his gentle words were food
enough for them.  The apostles were led to follow him by his
kindly manner of speaking.  His words healed the incurable and
comforted the afflicted.  He spoke only one word, - "Mary" -
to the grief-stricken Mary Magdalene and she was overwhelmed
with joy and happiness.

                        CHAPTER ELEVEN

            THE GENTLENESS OF THE INCARNATE WISDOM
                        IN HIS ACTIONS

[6. He is gentle in his actions]

123. Finally, Jesus is gentle in his actions and in the whole
conduct of his life.  "He did everything well" (Mt. 7:37),
which means that everything he did was done with such
uprightness, wisdom, holiness and gentleness that nothing
faulty or distorted could be found in him.  Let us consider
what gentleness our loving Saviour always manifested in his
conduct.

124. Poor people and little children followed him everywhere
seeing him as one of their own.  The simplicity, the
kindliness, the humble courtesy and the charity they witnessed
in our dear Saviour made them press close about him.  One day
when he was preaching in the streets the children who were
usually about him, pressed upon him from behind.  The apostles
who were nearest to our Lord pushed them back.  On seeing this
Jesus rebuked his apostles and said to them, "Do not keep the
children away from me" (Mt. 19:14).  When they gathered about
him he embraced and blessed them with gentleness and kindness.
     The poor, on seeing him poorly dressed and simple in his
ways, without ostentation or haughtiness, felt at ease with
him.  They defended him against the rich and the proud when
these calumniated and persecuted him, and he in his turn
praised and blessed them on every occasion.

125. But how describe the gentleness of Jesus in his dealings
with poor sinners: his gentleness with Mary Magdalene, his
courteous solicitude in turning the Samaritan woman from her
evil ways, his compassion in pardoning the adulterous woman
taken in adultery, his charity in sitting down to eat with
public sinners in order to win them over?  Did not his enemies
seize upon his great kindness as a pretext to persecute him,
saying that his gentleness only encouraged others to
transgress the law of Moses, and tauntingly called him the
friend of sinners and publicans?  With what kindness and
concern did he not try to win over the heart of Judas who had
decided to betray him, even when Jesus was washing his feet
and calling him his friend!  With what charity he asked God
his Father to pardon his executioners, pleading their
ignorance as an excuse.

126. How beautiful, meek and charitable is Jesus, the
incarnate Wisdom!  Beautiful from all eternity, he is the
splendour of his Father, the unspotted mirror and image of his
goodness. He is more beautiful than the sun and brighter than
light itself.  He is beautiful in time, being formed by the
Holy Spirit pure and faultless, fair and immaculate, and
during his life he charmed the eyes and hearts of men and is
now the glory of the angels.  How loving and gentle he is with
men, and especially with poor sinners whom he came upon earth
to seek out in a visible manner, and whom he still seeks in an
invisible manner every day.

[7. He continues to be gentle in heaven]

127. Do you think that Jesus, now that he is triumphant and
glorious, is any the less loving and condescending?  On the
contrary, his glory, as it were, perfects his kindness.  He
wishes to appear forgiving rather than majestic, to show the
riches of his mercy rather than the gold of his glory.

128. Read the accounts of his apparitions and you will see
that when Wisdom incarnate and glorified showed himself to his
friends, he did not appear accompanied by thunder and
lightning but in a kindly and gentle manner.  He did not
assume the majesty of a King or of the Lord of hosts, but the
tenderness of a spouse and the kindliness of a friend.  On
some occasions he has shown himself in the Blessed Sacrament,
but I cannot remember having read that he ever did so
otherwise than in the form of a gentle and beautiful child. 

129. Not long ago an unhappy man, enraged because he had lost
all his money at gambling, drew his sword against heaven,
blaming our Lord for the loss of his money.  Then, instead of
thunderbolts and fiery darts falling upon this man, there came
fluttering down from the sky a little piece of paper.  Quite
taken aback, he caught the paper, opened it and read, "O God,
have mercy on me."  The sword fell from his hands, and,
stirred to the depths of his heart, he fell on his knees and
begged for mercy.

130. St Denis the Areopagite relates that a certain bishop,
Carpas by name, had, after a great deal of trouble, converted
a pagan.  On hearing afterwards that a fellow-pagan had lost
no time in making the new convert abjure the faith, Carpas
earnestly prayed to God all night to wreak vengeance and
punishment upon the guilty one for his attack on the supreme
authority of God.  Suddenly, when his fervour and his
entreaties were reaching their peak, he saw the earth opening
and on the brink of hell he saw the apostate and the pagan
whom the demons were trying to drag into the abyss.  Then
lifting up his eyes, he saw the heavens open and Jesus Christ
accompanied by a multitude of angels coming to him and saying,
"Carpas, you asked me for vengeance, but you do not know me. 
You do not realise what you are asking for, nor what sinners
have cost me.  Why do you want me to condemn them?  I love
them so much that if it were necessary I would be ready to die
again for each one of them."  Then our Lord approached Carpas,
and, uncovering his shoulders, said to him, "Carpas, if you
want to take vengeance, strike me rather than these poor
sinners."

131. With this knowledge of eternal Wisdom, shall we not love
him who has loved us and still loves us more than his own
life; and whose beauty and meekness surpass all that is
loveliest and most attractive in heaven and on earth?

132. We read in the life of Blessed Henry Suso that one day
the eternal Wisdom, whom he so ardently desired, appeared to
him.  It happened in this way.  Our Lord appeared in human
form surrounded by a bright transparent cloud and seated upon
a throne of ivory.  A brightness like the rays of the sun at
noonday radiated from his eyes and face.  The crown he wore
signified eternity; his robe blessedness; his word meekness;
his embrace the fullness of bliss possessed by all the
blessed.  Henry contemplated this spectacle of the divine
Wisdom.  What surprised him most was to see Jesus at one
moment appearing as a young maiden of incomparable heavenly
and earthly beauty and, at the next moment, appearing as a
young man who, judging from his face, would seem to have
espoused all that is beautiful in God's creation.  Sometimes
he saw him raise his head higher than the heavens and at the
same time tread the chasms of the earth.  Sometimes he looked
wholly majestic and at other times condescending, gentle, meek
and full of tenderness for those who came to him.  Then he
turned to Henry and said with a smile, "My son, give me your
heart" (Prov. 23:26).  At once Henry threw himself at his feet
and offered him for all time the gift of his heart.
     Following the example of this holy man, let us offer
eternal Wisdom for all time the gift of our heart.  That is
all he asks for.

                        CHAPTER TWELVE

         THE PRINCIPAL UTTERANCES OF WISDOM INCARNATE
              WHICH WE MUST BELIEVE AND PRACTISE
                     IF WE ARE TO BE SAVED

133. 1. If anyone wishes to follow me, let him deny himself,
take up his cross and follow me.  Lk. 9:23.
     2. If anyone loves me, he will keep my commandments, and
my Father will love him and we will come to him.  Jn. 14:23.
     3. If you present your gift at the altar and you remember
that your brother has something against you, leave your gift
before the altar and go make peace with your brother.  Mt.
23:24.

134. 4. If someone comes to me and does not hate his father,
mother, wife, children, brothers and sisters and even his own
life, he cannot be my disciple.  Lk. 14:26.
     5. Whoever has left his house, or brothers or sisters, or
children, or inheritance, out of love for me, will receive a
hundredfold reward and will possess eternal life.  Mt. 19:29.
     6. If you wish to be perfect, go sell what you possess
and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. 
Mt. 19:21.

135. 7. Not everyone who cries out to me, "Lord, Lord" will
enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who obeys the will of
my heavenly Father will enter there.  Mt. 7:21.
     8. Whoever hears my words and obeys them is like a wise
man who builds upon solid rock.  Mt. 7:24.
     9. I tell you solemnly, if you do not change and become
as children you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.  Mt.
18:3.
     10. Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart
and you will find rest for your souls.  Mt. 11:29.

136. 11. When you pray, beware of acting like those hypocrites
who love to stand and pray in their synagogues so that men may
notice them.  Mt. 6:5.
     12. Of what use is it when you pray to use many words,
since your heavenly Father knows your needs before you place
them before him.  Mt. 6:7. 
     13. As you prepare to pray, forgive your neighbour the
wrongs he may have committed against you so that your heavenly
Father may show mercy to you.  Mk. 11:25.
     14. When you ask God in prayer for anything, believe that
you will receive it, and you will indeed receive it.  Mk.
11:24.

137. 15. When you are fasting, do not imitate those gloomy
hypocrites who go about looking worn out to show others they
are fasting.  I tell you solemnly, they have already received
their reward.  Mt. 6:16.

138. 16. There will be greater rejoicing in heaven when one
sinner is seen to be penitent than when ninety-nine just
people show no repentance.  Lk. 15:7.
     17. I have not come to call the just, but to call sinners
and draw them to repentance.  Lk. 5:32.

139. 18. Blessed are they who suffer persecution for the sake
of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Mt. 5:10.
     19. Blessed are you when men hate you and reject you from
their company because of the Son of man; rejoice, for your
reward will be great in heaven.  Lk. 6:22.
     20. If the world hates you and persecutes you, recall
that it hated me before you.  If you belonged to the world,
the world would love you as its own; but because I have chosen
you, it will hate you.  Jn. 15:18.

140. 21. Come to me all you who are afflicted and heavily-
burdened and I will refresh you.  Mt. 11:28.
     22. I am the bread of life come down from heaven.  If
anyone eats of this bread he will live for ever, and the bread
that I give is my flesh.  Jn. 6:51.
     23. My food is the real food and my blood is the real
drink.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me
and I live in him.  Jn. 6:55,56.

141. 24. You will be hated by all men because of me, but I
promise you, not a single hair of your head will be lost.  Lk.
21:17-18.

142. 25. No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate
one and love the other, or he will uphold one and despise the
other.  Mt. 6:24.

143. 26. Evil thoughts which come from the heart make a person
unclean: but eating with unwashed hands does not make a person
unclean.  Mt. 15:19.
     27. A good man draws only what is good from his store of
goodness; but the wicked man can only draw what is evil from
his store.  Mt. 12:35.

144. 28. No one is worthy of the kingdom of God, if, after
putting his hand to the plough, he looks behind him.  Lk.
9:62.
     29. Every hair of your head is counted; so never fear,
you are worth more than many sparrows.  Lk. 12:7.
     30. God did not send his son into the world to judge and
condemn the world, but that he might save the world.  Jn.
3:17.

145. 31. Every man who does evil avoids the light; he is
afraid his evil deeds will be exposed.  Jn. 3:20.
     32. God is a spirit and those who adore him must do so in
spirit and in truth.  Jn. 4:24.
     33. It is the spirit that gives life to everything; the
flesh has nothing to offer.  The words I have spoken to you
are words of life.  Jn. 6:63.
     34. Whoever commits sin becomes the servant and slave of
sin, and the servant does not remain in the house for ever. 
Jn. 8:34-35.
     35. Whoever is faithful in small things will be faithful
in the greater; and whoever is dishonest in small things will
be yet more dishonest in greater things.  Lk. 16:10.
     36. It is more likely that heaven and earth should perish
than that one detail of the law should not be accomplished. 
Lk. 16:17.
     37. Your light must shine before men so that they will
see your good works and they will glorify your Father who is
in heaven.  Mt. 5:16.

146. 38. If your virtue is no better than that of the scribes
and pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 
Mt. 5:20.
     39. If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; for it
is better for you to lose one part of your body than to have
your whole body thrown into hell.  Mt. 5:29.
     40. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and only those
who are violent can take it by force.  Mt. 11:12.
     41. Do not store up a treasure on earth to be destroyed
by moths and rust or stolen by thieves; rather store up a
treasure in heaven which no one can steal.  Mt. 6:19.
     42. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; for God
will judge you in the same way as you judge others.  Mt. 7:1.

147. 43. Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's
clothing but who in their hearts are ravenous wolves; you will
recognise them by their fruits.  Mt. 7:15.
     44. Beware of showing contempt for any of my little ones;
their angels see the face of my Father who is in heaven.  Mt.
18:10.
     45. Be on the watch, for you do not know the day or the
hour when the Lord will come.  Mt. 25:13.

148. 46. Do not be afraid of those who can kill the body; fear
rather the one who can kill the body, and then is able to cast
the soul into hell.  Lk. 12:4,5.
     47. Do not worry over what you are to eat or how you are
to clothe your body; your heavenly Father is well aware of all
your needs.  Lk. 12:22,30.
     48.  All that is hidden will be made known and all that
is covered up will be revealed.  Lk. 8:17.

149. 49. Anyone who aspires to be the greatest among you must
become the servant of all, and anyone who wishes to be the
first must serve as if he were the last.  Mt. 20:26,27.
     50. How difficult it is for those who have riches to
enter the kingdom of heaven.  Mk. 10:23.
     51. It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a
needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. 
Lk. 18:25.
     52. And I say to you, love your enemies; do good to those
who hate you, and pray for those who persecute and calumniate
you.  Mt. 5:44.
     53. Alas for you who are rich; you have your consolation
in this world.  Lk. 6:24.

150. 54. Enter by the narrow gate, for the road that leads to
perdition is broad and spacious and many pass along that way. 
But the gate and the road that lead to eternal life are narrow
and only a few find them.  Mt. 7:13,14.
     55. The last will be first and the first will be last;
for many are called but few are chosen.  Mt. 20:16.
     56. If anyone strikes you on the right cheek turn to him
the other, and if anyone takes you to court to claim your
tunic, let him have your cloak as well.  Mt. 5:39,40.
     57. You must always pray and never become discouraged. 
Lk. 18:1.
     Keep watch and pray, lest you fall into temptation.  Mt.
26:41.
     58. Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and
everyone who humbles himself will be exalted.  Lk. 14:11.
     59. Give alms and everything will be clean for you.  Lk.
11:41.
     60. If your hand or your foot become a cause of sin for
you, cut it off and cast it from you.  If your eye is a cause
of sin for you, pluck it out and cast it from you.  It is
better that you enter heaven with only one hand or foot or one
eye than to enter hell with two hands, two feet, and two eyes. 
Mt. 18:8,9.  

151  61. The eight beatitudes
          1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom
          of heaven is theirs.
          2. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the
          earth.
          3. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall find
          consolation.
          4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
          righteousness, for they will be fully satisfied.
          5. Blessed are the merciful, for mercy shall be
          shown to them.
          6. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see
          God.
          7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be
          called children of God.
          8. Blessed are those who suffer persecution for the
          sake of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is
          theirs.  Mt. 5:3-10.

152. 62. I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for
having hidden these things from the wise and prudent of this
world and for revealing them to humble and little ones; yes,
Father, for that is what it has pleased you to do.  Mt. 11:25.

153. Such is the summary of the great and important truths
which eternal Wisdom came on earth to teach us, having first
put them into practice himself.  His aim was to rid us of the
blindness and waywardness caused by our sins.
     Blessed are those who understand these eternal truths.
     Still more blessed are those who believe them.
     Most blessed of all are those who believe them, put them
into practice and teach them to others; for they will shine in
heaven like stars for all eternity (Dan. 12:13).

                       CHAPTER THIRTEEN
              SUMMARY OF THE UNBELIEVABLE SORROWS
             THE INCARNATE WISDOM CHOSE TO ENDURE
                      OUT OF LOVE FOR US

[1. The most convincing reason for loving Wisdom]

154. Among all the motives impelling us to love Jesus Christ,
the Wisdom incarnate, the strongest, in my opinion, is the
sufferings he chose to endure to prove his love for us.
     "There is," says St Bernard, "one motive which excels all
others which I feel most keenly and which urges me to love
Jesus.  It is, dear Jesus, the bitter chalice which you drank
for our sakes, and the great work of our Redemption which
makes you so lovable to us.  Indeed this supreme blessing and
incomparable proof of your love makes us want to return your
love.  This motive attracts us more agreeably, makes most just
demands upon us, moves us more pressingly and influences us
more forcibly."  And he gives the reason in a few words, "Our
dear Saviour has laboured and suffered much to accomplish our
redemption.  What pain and anguish he has endured!"

[2. The circumstances of his Passion]

155. But what makes us realise more clearly the infinite love
of eternal Wisdom for us is the circumstances surrounding his
sufferings.
     (a) The first of these is the perfection of his person. 
Being infinite he gave infinite value to all the sufferings of
his passion.  Had God sent a seraph or an angel of the lowest
order to become man and die for us, it would have been a
stupendous thing and worthy of our eternal gratitude.  But
that the Creator of heaven and earth, the only Son of God,
eternal Wisdom himself should come and offer up his life! 
This is inconceivable charity, for, compared with his life,
the lives of all angels and all men and all creatures together
are of infinitely less value than say, the life of a gnat when
compared with the lives of the kings of this earth.  Such an
excess of love is shown to us in this mystery that our
admiration and our gratitude should be great indeed.

156. (b) A second circumstance is the condition of the people
for whom he suffered.  They were human beings - unworthy
creatures and his enemies, from whom he has nothing to fear
nor anything to hope for.  We sometimes hear of people dying
for their friends; but are we ever likely to hear of anyone
but the Son of God dying for his enemies?
     But Jesus Christ proved how well he loved us because
though we were sinners - and consequently his enemies - he
died for us.

157. (c) The third circumstance is the amount, the
grievousness and the duration of his sufferings.  Their extent
was so great that he is called "Man of sorrows".  "A man of
every sorrow in whom there is no soundness from the sole of
the foot to the top of the head." (Is 53.3)
     This dear friend of our souls suffered in every way
exteriorly and inwardly, in body and soul.

158. He suffered even in material things, apart from the
poverty of his birth, of his flight into Egypt and his stay
there, and the poverty of his entire life; during his passion
he was stripped of his garments by soldiers who shared them
among themselves, and then fastened him naked to a cross
without as much as a rag to cover his body.

159. He suffered in honour and reputation, for he was
overwhelmed with insults and called a blasphemer, a
revolutionary, a drunkard, a glutton and a possessed person.
     He suffered in his wisdom when they classed him as an
ignorant man and an imposter, and treated him as a fool and a
madman.  He suffered in his power, for his enemies considered
him a sorcerer and a magician who worked false miracles
through a compact with the devil.
     He suffered in his disciples, one of whom bartered him
for money and betrayed him; another, their leader, denied him;
and the rest abandoned him.

160. He suffered from all kinds of people; from kings,
governors, judges, courtiers, soldiers, pontiffs, priests,
officials of the temple and lay members; from Jews and
gentiles, from men and women; in fact, from everyone.  Even
his Blessed Mother's presence added painfully to his
sufferings for, as he was dying, he saw her standing at the
foot of the cross engulfed in a sea of sorrow.

161. Moreover, our dear Saviour suffered in every member of
his body.  His head was pierced with a crown of thorns.  His
hair and beard were torn out; his cheeks were buffeted; his
face covered with spittle; his neck and arms bound with cords;
his shoulders weighed down and bruised by the weight of the
cross.  His hands and feet were pierced by the nails, his side
and heart opened by a lance; his whole body lacerated by more
then five thousand strokes of the scourge, so that his almost
fleshless bones became visible.
     All his senses were almost immersed in a sea of
sufferings.  He suffered in his sight as he beheld the mocking
faces of his enemies and the tears of grief of his friends. 
He suffered in his hearing as he listened to insulting words,
false testimonies, calumnious statements and horrible
blasphemies which evil tongues vomited against him.  He
suffered in his sense of smell by the foulness of the filth
they spat into his face.  He suffered in his sense of taste by
a feverish thirst in which he was only given gall and vinegar
to drink.  He suffered in his sense of touch by the
excruciating pain of the lashes, thorns and nails.

162. His most holy soul was grievously tormented because every
sin committed by man was an outrage against his Father whom he
loved infinitely; because sin was the cause of the damnation
of so many souls who would be lost despite his passion and
death; and because he had compassion not only for all men in
general but for each one in particular, as he knew them all
individually.
     All these torments were much increased by the length of
time they lasted, that is, from the first instance of his
conception to the moment of his death, because all the
sufferings he was to endure were, in the timeless view of his
wisdom, always distinctly present to his mind.
     To all these torments we must add the most cruel and the
most fearful one, namely his abandonment upon the cross which
caused him to cry out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken
me?"

[3. The great love with which he suffered]

163. From all this we must conclude with St. Thomas and the
Fathers of the Church that our good Jesus suffered more than
all the martyrs both those of past ages and those of the
future up to the end of the world.  Now if the smallest pain
of the Son of God is more precious and more likely to stir our
hearts than all the sufferings of angels and men together had
they died and given up everything for us, how deep then should
be our grief, our love and our gratitude for our Lord who
endured for our sakes freely and with the utmost love all that
a man could possibly suffer.  "For the joy set before him, he
endured the cross." (Heb 12.2)  According to the Fathers of
the Church, these words mean that Jesus Christ, Eternal
Wisdom, could have remained in his heavenly glory, infinitely
distant from our misfortunes.  But he chose on our account to
come down upon earth, take the nature of man and be crucified. 
Even when he had become man he could have imparted to his body
the same joy, the same immortality, the same blessedness which
he now enjoys.  But he did not choose this because he wanted
to be free to suffer.

164. Rupert adds to this that at the Incarnation, the eternal
Father proposed to his Son the saving of the world either by
joyful means or by suffering, by acquiring honours or by
suffering contempt, by richness or by poverty, by living or by
dying.  Hence while remaining himself glorious and triumphant,
he could have redeemed men and taken them with him along a way
paved with joys, delights, honours and riches had he wished to
do so.  But he chose rather to endure the cross and sufferings
in order to give to God his Father greater glory and to men a
proof of greater love.

165. Further, he loved us so much that instead of shortening
his sufferings he chose to prolong them and to suffer even
more.  That is why when he was hanging on the cross, covered
with opprobrium and plunged deep in sorrow, as if not
suffering enough, he cried out, "I thirst."  For what was he
thirsting?  St. Laurence Justinian gives us the answer.  "His
thirst arose from the ardour of his love, from the depth and
abundance of his charity.  He was thirsting for us, thirsting
to give himself to us and suffer for us."

[4. Conclusion]

166. Knowing all this are we not right in exclaiming with St.
Francis of Paula, "O God who is love, what excesses of love
you have shown us in suffering and in dying!"  Or with St.
Mary Magdalene of Pazzi, kissing the crucifix, "O Love, how
little are you known!"  Or St. Francis of Assisi, trudging
along the dusty streets, "Jesus, my crucified Love, is not
loved."
     Holy Church makes us repeat every day, "The world does
not know Jesus Christ," (Jn 1.10) incarnate Wisdom; and in
truth, to know what our Lord has endured for us, and yet like
the world not to love him ardently, is morally impossible.

                       CHAPTER FOURTEEN
       THE TRIUMPH OF ETERNAL WISDOM IN AND BY THE CROSS

167. The Cross is according to my belief the greatest secret
of the King (Tob 12.7) - the greatest mystery of Eternal
Wisdom.

[1. Wisdom and the Cross]

     How remote and how different are the thoughts and the
ways of eternal Wisdom from those of even the wisest of men.
(cf Is 55.8)  This great God wished to redeem the world, to
cast out and chain up the devils, to seal the gates of hell
and open heaven to men, and give infinite glory to his eternal
Father.  Such was his purpose, his arduous task, his great
undertaking.  What means will be chosen by divine Wisdom,
whose knowledge reaches from one end of the universe to the
other and orders all things well? (cf Wis 8.1)  His arm is
almighty; at a stroke he can destroy all that is opposed to
him and do whatever he wills.  By a single word he can
annihilate and create.  What more can I say?  He has but to
will and all is done.

168. But his power is regulated by his love.  He wishes to
become incarnate in order to convince men of his friendship;
he wishes to come down upon earth to help men to go up to
heaven.  So be it!  It would be expected then that this Wisdom
incarnate would appear glorious and triumphant, accompanied by
millions and millions of angels, or at least by millions of
chosen men and women.  With these armies, majestic in his
splendour and untouched by poverty, dishonour, humiliations
and weaknesses, he will crush all his enemies and win the
hearts of men by his attractiveness, his delights, his
magnificence and his riches.
     Surely nothing less than that.  But O wonder!  He
perceives something which is a source of scandal and horror to
Jews and an object of foolishness to pagans. (cf 1 Cor 1.23) 
He sees a piece of vile and contemptible wood which is used to
humiliate and torture the most wicked and the most wretched of
men, called a gibbet, a gallows, a cross.  It is upon this
cross that he casts his eyes; he takes his delight in it; he
cherishes it more than all that is great and resplendent in
heaven and on earth.  He decides that that will be the
instrument of his conquests, the adornment of his royal state. 
He will make it the wealth and joy of his empire, the friend
and spouse of his heart.  O the depths of the wisdom and
knowledge of God!  How amazing is his choice and how sublime
and incomprehensible are his ways!  But how inexpressible his
love for that cross! (Rom 11.33)

169. Incarnate Wisdom loved the cross from his infancy. (cf
Wis 8.2)  At his coming into the world, while in his Mother's
womb, he received it from his eternal Father.  He placed it
deep in his heart, there to dominate his life, saying, "My God
and my Father, I chose this cross when I was in your bosom.
(Ps 39.9)  I choose it now in the womb of my Mother.  I love
it with all my strength and I place it deep in my heart to be
my spouse and my mistress." (cf Wis. 8.2)

170. Throughout his life he eagerly sought after the Cross. 
If, like a thirsting deer, (cf Ps 41.2) he hastened from
village to village, from town to town; if with giant strides
(cf Ps 18.6) he pursued his way towards Calvary; if he spoke
so frequently of his sufferings and death to his apostles and
disciples, (cf Mt 16.21; 17.12,22,23; 20.17-19) and even to
his prophets during his Transfiguration; (cf Lk 9.31) if he so
often exclaimed, "I have longed for it with an infinite
desire" (Lk 22.15); it was because all his journeying, all his
eagerness, all his pursuits, all his desires were directed
towards the Cross and because to die in its embrace was for
him the very height of glory and success.
     He espoused the Cross at his Incarnation with
indescribable love.  He sought it out and carried it with the
utmost joy, throughout his whole life, which became but one
continuous cross.  After having made several efforts to
embrace it in order to die upon it on Calvary, he asked, "How
great is my distress until it is completed!"  How am I
hindered?  What is delaying me?  Why can I not embrace you
yet, dear cross of Calvary? (Lk 12.50)

171. At last his wishes were fully satisfied.  Bearing a
stigma of shame he was attached to the cross, indissolubly
joined to it, and died joyfully upon it as if in the arms of a
dear friend and upon a couch of honour and triumph.

172. Do not think that, wanting to be more triumphant, he
rejected the cross after his death.  Far from it; he united
himself so closely to it that neither angel nor man, nor any
creature in heaven or on earth, could separate him from it. 
The bond between them is indissoluble, their union is eternal. 
Never the Cross without Jesus, or Jesus without the Cross.
     Through his dying upon it the Cross of ignominy became so
glorious, its poverty and starkness so enriching, its sorrows
so agreeable, its austerity so attractive, that it became as
it were deified and an object to be adored by angels and by
men.  Jesus now requires that all his subjects adore it as
they adore him.  It is not his wish that the honour even of a
relative adoration be given to any other creature however
exalted, such as his most Blessed Mother.  This special
worship is due and given only to his dear Cross.  On the day
of the last judgement he will bring to an end all veneration
to the relics of the saints, even those most venerable, but
not to those of his Cross.  He will command the chief Seraphim
and Cherubim to collect from every part of the world all the
particles of the true Cross.  By his loving omnipotence he
will re-unite them so well that the whole Cross will be re-
formed, the very Cross on which he died.  He will have his
Cross borne in triumph by angels joyfully singing its praises. 
It will go before him, borne upon the most brilliant cloud
that has ever been seen.  And with this Cross and by it, he
will judge the world.
     Great will be the joy of the friends of the Cross on
beholding it.  Deep will be the despair of its opponents who,
not being able to bear the brilliant and fiery sight of this
Cross, will plead for the mountains to fall upon them and for
hell to swallow them. (cf Lk 23.30)

[2. The Cross and ourselves]

173. While waiting for that great day of the last judgement,
Eternal Wisdom has decreed the Cross to be the sign, the
emblem and the weapon of his faithful people.
     He welcomes no child that does not bear its sign.  He
recognises no disciple who is ashamed to display it, or who
has not the courage to accept it, or who either drags it
reluctantly or rejects it outright.  He proclaims, "If anyone
wishes to come after me, let him renounce himself and take up
his cross and follow me." (Mt 16.24; Lk 9.23)
     He enlists no soldier who does not take up the cross as
the weapon to defend himself against all his enemies, to
attack, to overthrow and to crush them.  And he exclaims, "In
this sign you will conquer.  Have confidence, soldiers of
mine, I am your leader; I have conquered my enemies by the
cross (Jn 16.33), and by it you also will be victorious."

174. He has enclosed in the cross such an abundance of grace,
life and happiness that only those who enjoy his special
favour know about them.  He often reveals to his friends his
other secrets, as he did to his Apostles: "All things I have
made known to you," (Jn 15.15) but he reveals the secrets of
the Cross only to those who make themselves worthy by their
great fidelity and great labours.  One must be humble, little,
self-disciplined, spiritual and despised by the world to learn
the mystery of the Cross.  The Cross even today is a source of
scandal and an object of folly not only to Jews and pagans,
Moslems and heretics, the worldly-wise and bad Catholics, but
even to seemingly devout and very devout people.  Yes, the
Cross remains an object of scandal, folly, contempt and fear:
not in theory, for never has so much been spoken or written
about its beauty and its excellence than in these times; but
in practice, because people lose courage, complain, excuse
themselves, and run away as soon as a possibility of suffering
arises.
     "Father," said this incarnate Wisdom, when beholding in
joyful rapture the beauty of the Cross, "I thank you for
having hidden these things - the treasures and graces of my
cross - from the wise and prudent of this world and revealed
them to the little ones." (Lk 10.21)

175. If the knowledge of the mystery of the Cross is such a
special grace, how great must be the enjoyment when one
actually possesses it?  This is a favour Eternal Wisdom
bestows only on his best friends and only after they have
prayed for it, longed for it, pleaded for it.  However
excellent is the gift of faith by which we please God, draw
near to him and overcome our enemies, and without which we
would be lost, the Cross is an even greater gift.
     "It was a greater happiness for St. Peter," says St. John
Chrysostom, "to be imprisoned for Jesus Christ than to be a
witness of his glory on Mount Thabor; he was more glorious
bound in chains than holding the keys of paradise in his
hand." (Acts 12.3-7; Mt 16.19)  St. Paul esteemed it a greater
glory to wear a prisoner's chains for his Saviour than to be
raised to the third heaven (Eph 3.1; 4.1; 2 Cor 12.2).  God
bestowed a greater favour on the Apostles and martyrs in
giving them his Cross to carry in their humiliations,
privations and cruel tortures than in conferring on them the
gift of miracles or the grace to convert the world.
     All those to whom Eternal Wisdom gave himself have
desired the Cross, sought after it, welcomed it.  Whatever
sufferings came their way, they exclaimed from the depths of
their heart with St. Andrew, "O wonderful Cross, so long have
I yearned for you!"

176. The Cross is precious for many reasons:
     1. Because it makes us resemble Jesus Christ;
     2. Because it makes us worthy children of the eternal
Father, worthy members of Jesus Christ, worthy temples of the
Holy Spirit.  "God the Father chastises every son he accepts;"
(Heb 12.6) Jesus Christ accepts as his own only those who
carry their crosses.  The Holy Spirit cuts and polishes all
the living stones of the heavenly Jerusalem, that is, the
elect (cf 1 Pet 2.5; Apoc 21.2,10).  These are revealed
truths.
     3. The Cross is precious because it enlightens the mind
and gives it an understanding which no book in the world can
give.  "He who has not been tried, what can he know?" (Sir
34.9)
     4. Because when it is well carried it is the source, the
food and the proof of love.  The Cross enkindles the fire of
divine love in the heart by detaching it from creatures.  It
keeps this love alive and intensifies it; as wood is the food
of flames, so the Cross is the food of love.  And it is the
soundest proof that we love God.  The Cross was the proof God
gave us of his love for us; and it is also the proof which God
requires to show our love for him.
     5. The Cross is precious because it is an abundant source
of every delight and consolation; it brings joy, peace and
grace to our souls.
     6. The Cross is precious because it brings the one who
carries it "a weight of everlasting glory." (2 Cor 4.17)

177. If we knew the value of the Cross, we would, like St.
Peter of Alcantara, have novenas made in order to acquire such
a delightful morsel of paradise.  We would say, like St.
Theresa, "Either to suffer or to die;" or with St. Mary
Magdalene of Pazzi, "Not to die but to suffer."  Like blessed
John of the Cross we would ask only for the grace to suffer
and be despised.  Heaven esteems nothing in this world except
the Cross, he said after his death to a saintly person.  And
our Lord said to one of his servants, "I have crosses of such
great value that my Mother, most powerful as she is, can
procure from me nothing more precious for her faithful
servants."

178. Wise and honest people living in this world, you do not
understand the mysterious language of the Cross.  You are too
fond of sensual pleasures and you seek your comforts too much. 
You have too much regard for the things of this world and you
are too afraid to be held up to scorn or looked down upon.  In
short, you are too opposed to the Cross of Jesus.  True, you
speak well of the Cross in general, but not of the one that
comes your way.  You shun this as much as you can or else you
drag it along reluctantly, grumbling, impatient and
protesting.  I seem to see in you the oxen that drew the Ark
of the Covenant against their will, bellowing as they went,
unaware that what they were drawing contained the most
precious treasure upon earth. (1 Kgs 6.12)

179. The number of fools and unhappy people is infinite, says
Wisdom (Ecc 1.15), because infinite is the number of those who
do not know the value of the Cross and carry it reluctantly. 
But you, true disciples of Eternal Wisdom, if you have trials
and afflictions, if you suffer much persecution for justice's
sake, if you are treated as the refuse of the world, be
comforted, rejoice, be glad, and dance for joy because the
cross you carry is a gift so precious as to arouse the envy of
the saints in heaven, were they capable of envy.  All that is
honourable, glorious and virtuous in God and in his Holy
Spirit is vested in you, for your reward is great in heaven
and even on earth, because of the spiritual favours it obtains
for you.

[3. Practical conclusion]

180. Friends of Jesus Christ, drink of his bitter cup and your
friendship with him will increase.  Suffer with him and you
will be glorified with him.  Suffer patiently and your
momentary suffering will be changed into an eternity of
happiness.
     Make no mistake about it; since incarnate Wisdom had to
enter heaven by the Cross, you also must enter by the same
way.  No matter which way you turn, says the Imitation of
Christ, you will always find the Cross.  Like the elect you
may take it up rightly, with patience and cheerfulness out of
love for God; or else like the reprobate you may carry it
impatiently and unwillingly as those doubly unfortunate ones
who are constrained to repeat perpetually in hell, "We have
laboured and suffered in the world and after it all, here we
are with the damned." (Wis 5.7)
     True wisdom is not to be found in the things of this
world nor in the souls of those who live in comfort.  He has
fixed his abode in the Cross so firmly that you will not find
him anywhere in this world save in the Cross.  He has so truly
incorporated and united himself with the Cross that in all
truth we can say:  Wisdom is the Cross, and the Cross is
Wisdom.

                        CHAPTER FIFTEEN
                MEANS TO ACQUIRE DIVINE WISDOM

               THE FIRST MEANS: AN ARDENT DESIRE

181. Children of men, how long will your hearts remain heavy
and earthbound?  How long will you go on loving vain things
and seeking what is false? (Ps 4.3)  Why do you not turn your
eyes and your hearts towards divine Wisdom who is supremely
desirable and who, to attract our love, makes known his
origin, shows his beauty, displays his riches, and testifies
in a thousand ways how eager he is that we should desire him
and seek him?  "Be desirous, therefore, of hearing my words,"
(Wis 6.12) he tells us.  "Wisdom anticipates those who want
her. (Wis 6.14)  The desire of Wisdom leads to the everlasting
kingdom." (Wis 6.21)

182. The desire for divine Wisdom must indeed be a great grace
from God because it is the reward for the faithful observance
of his commandments.  "Son, if you rightly desire wisdom,
observe justice and God will give it to you.  Reflect on what
God requires of you and meditate continually on his
commandments and he himself will give you insight, and your
desire for wisdom will be granted." (Sir 1.26; 6.37)  "For
Wisdom will not enter into a deceitful soul, nor dwell in a
body subject to sin." (Wis 1.4)
     This desire for Wisdom must be holy and sincere, and
fostered by faithful adherence to the commandments of God. 
There are indeed an infinite number of fools and sluggards
moved to be good by countless desires, or rather would-be
desires, which, by not bringing them to renounce sin and do
violence to themselves, are but spurious and deceitful desires
which are fatal and lead to damnation. (Prov 21.25)  The Holy
Spirit, who is the teacher of true knowledge, shuns what is
deceitful and withdraws himself from thoughts that are without
understanding; iniquity banishes him from the soul. (Wis 1.5)

183. Solomon, the model given us by the Holy Spirit in the
acquiring of Wisdom, only received this gift after he had
desired it, sought after it and prayed for it for a long time. 
"I desired wisdom and it was given to me.  I called upon God
and the spirit of wisdom came to me." (Wis 7.7)  "I have loved
and sought wisdom from my youth, and in order to have her as
my companion and spouse I went about seeking her." (Wis
8.2,18)  Like Solomon and Daniel we must be men of desire if
we are to acquire this great treasure which is wisdom. (cf Dan
9.23)

              THE SECOND MEANS: CONTINUOUS PRAYER

184. The greater the gift of God, the more effort is required
to obtain it.  Much prayer and great effort, therefore, will
be required to obtain the gift of Wisdom, which is the
greatest of all God's gifts.
     Let us listen to the voice of Wisdom himself:  "Seek and
you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you, ask and
it shall be given you." (Mt 7.7; Lk 11.9)  It is as if he
said:  If you wish to find me, you must seek me; if you wish
to enter my palace, you must knock at my door; If you wish to
receive me, you must ask for me.  Nobody finds me unless he
searches for me; nobody enters my house unless he knocks at my
door; nobody possesses me unless he asks for me.  We can only
do this by prayer.
     Prayer is the usual channel by which God conveys his
gifts, especially his Wisdom.  The world was asking for the
incarnation of divine Wisdom for four thousand years.  For
fourteen years Mary prepared herself by prayer to receive him
in her womb.  Solomon received Wisdom only after praying most
fervently for a long time:  "I went to the Lord and besought
him, and I said with all my heart... Give me that Wisdom that
sits by your throne." (Wis 8.21; 9.4)  "If any of you lacks
wisdom let him ask God, and ir shall be given him, for God
gives his gifts to all men abundantly and ungrudgingly." (Jas
1.5)  Note here that the Holy Spirit does not say, "If anyone
lack charity, humility, patience, etc.," although these are
most excellent virtues, but he says, "If anyone lacks Wisdom." 
For by asking for Wisdom we ask for all the virtues possessed
by incarnate Wisdom.

185. Therefore to possess Wisdom we must pray.  But how should
we pray?
     First, we should pray for this gift with a strong and
lively faith, not wavering, because he who wavers in his faith
must not expect to receive any gift from the Lord. (Jas 1.6,7)

186. Secondly, we must pray for it with a pure faith, not
counting on consolations, visions or special revelations. 
Although such things may be good and true, as they have been
in some saints, it is always dangerous to rely on them.  For
the more our faith is dependent on these extraordinary graces
and feelings, the less pure and meritorious it is.  The Holy
Spirit has revealed to us the grandeur and the beauty of
Wisdom, and the desire of God to bestow this gift upon us, and
our own need of it.  Here we find motives strong enough to
make us want it and pray God for it with unbounded faith and
eagerness.

187. Simple faith is both the cause and the effect of Wisdom
in our soul.  The more faith we have, the more we shall
possess wisdom.  The more we possess it, the stronger our
faith (cf Rom 1.17) without seeing, without feeling, without
tasting and without faltering.  "God has said it or promised
it;" these words form the basis of all the prayers and actions
of every wise man, although from a natural point of view it
may seem that God is blind to his plight, deaf to his prayers,
powerless to crush his enemies, seemingly empty-handed when
help is needed, even though he may be troubled by distractions
and doubts, by darkness of the mind, by illusions of the
imagination, by weariness and boredom of the heart, by sadness
and anguish of soul.
     The wise man does not ask to see extraordinary things
such as saints have seen, nor to experience sensible sweetness
in his prayers.  He asks with faith for divine Wisdom.  And he
will feel surer that this Wisdom will be given him than if it
were vouched for by an angel come down from heaven, because
God has said that all who pray in the right manner will
receive what they ask for. (Lk 11.10)  "If you, then, being
evil, know how to give good things to your children, how much
more will your heavenly Father give the good spirit (of
Wisdom) to those who ask him?" (Lk 11.13)

188. Thirdly, we must pray perseveringly to obtain this
Wisdom.  The acquisition of this precious pearl and infinite
treasure requires from us a holy importunity in praying to
God, without which we shall not obtain it.  We ought not to
act as so many do when praying for some grace: after they have
prayed for a long time, perhaps for years, and God has not
granted their request, they become discouraged and give up
praying, thinking that God does not want to listen to them. 
Thus they deprive themselves of the benefit of their prayers
and offend God, who loves to give and who always answers, in
some way or another, prayers that are well said.
     Whoever then wishes to obtain Wisdom must pray for it day
and night without wearying or becoming disheartened. 
Blessings in abundance will be his if, after ten, twenty,
thirty years of prayer, or even an hour before he dies, he
comes to possess it.  And if he does obtain this treasure
after having spent his whole life seeking for it and praying
for it and meriting it with much toil and suffering, let him
remind himself that it is not a gift due to him in justice, a
recompense that he has earned, but rather a charitable alms
given to him out of mercy.

189. No, it is not those who are careless and inconstant in
their prayers and searchings who obtain Wisdom, but those
rather who are like the man in the Gospel who goes during the
night to knock at the door of a friend, wanting to borrow
three loaves of bread (cf Lk 11.15).  Note that it is divine
Wisdom himself who in this parable or story teaches us how we
should pray if we wish to be heard.  This man knocked and
repeated his knocking and entreaties four or five times with
increased force and insistence, in spite of the untimely hour,
near midnight, and his friend having already gone to bed; and
in spite of having been rebuffed and told repeatedly to be off
and not make himself a selfish nuisance.  At length the friend
became so annoyed by the persistence of the man that he got
out of bed, opened the door and gave him all he asked for. (cf
Lk 11.5-8)

190. That is how we must pray to obtain Wisdom.  And assuredly
God wants to be importuned, will sooner or later rise up, open
the door of his mercy and give us the three loaves of Wisdom,
that is, the bread of life, the bread of understanding and the
bread of angels. (cf Sir 15.3; Jn 6.35)
     Here is a prayer composed by the Holy Spirit to ask for
divine Wisdom:

[Prayer of Solomon]

191. God of my fathers, God of mercy, you created all things
by your word, and by your wisdom you formed man that he might
have dominion over all the creatures you have made; that he
might govern the world in fairness and justice and pronounce
judgement with an upright heart; give me this Wisdom that sits
with you on your throne.
     Do not exclude me from the number of your children for I
am your servant and the son of your handmaid, a man who is
weak and short-lived, with little understanding of judgement
and laws.  For even though a person be considered perfect
among the children of men, he is nonetheless worthless if your
Wisdom does not dwell in him.

192. It is your Wisdom who has knowledge of your works, who
was with you when you made the world, and who knows what is
pleasing in your sight and shows what is right according to
your commandments.
     Send him then from your sanctuary in heaven and from the
throne of your majesty, for him to be with me and work with me
so that I may know what is pleasing to you; for he possesses
the knowledge and understanding of all things.  He will lead
me in all my works with true perception, and by his power will
guard me.  My actions then will be pleasing to you and I will
lead your people with justice and be worthy of the throne of
my father; for what man can know the designs of God, or can
discover what is his will?
     The thoughts of men are unsure and their plans uncertain,
for a perishable body weighs heavily upon their soul, and the
earthly dwelling depresses the spirit disturbed by many cares. 
We understand only with difficulty what is happening upon
earth and we find it hard to discern even what is before our
eyes.  How can we know what is happening in heaven, and how
can we know your thoughts unless you give us your Wisdom and
send us your Holy Spirit from heaven so that he may straighten
out the paths of those living on earth and teach us what is
pleasing to you.  Lord, it is through your Wisdom that all
those who have been pleasing to you since the beginning of
time have been saved. (Wis 9.1-6, 9-19)

193. To vocal prayer we must add mental prayer, which
enlightens the mind, inflames the heart and disposes the soul
to listen to the voice of Wisdom, to savour his delights and
possess his treasures.
     For myself, I know of no better way of establishing the
kingdom of God, Eternal Wisdom, than to unite vocal and mental
prayer by saying the holy Rosary and meditating on its fifteen
mysteries.

                        CHAPTER SIXTEEN
           THE THIRD MEANS: UNIVERSAL MORTIFICATION

1. Necessity of Mortification

194. The Holy Spirit tells us that Wisdom is not found in the
hearts of those who live in comfort, (Job 28.13) gratifying
their passions and bodily desires, because "they who are of
the flesh cannot please God," and "the wisdom of the flesh is
an enemy to God." (Rom 8.8,7)  "My spirit will not remain in
man, because he is flesh." (Gen 6.3)
     All those who belong to Christ, incarnate Wisdom, have
crucified their flesh with its passions and desires.  They
always bear about in their bodies the dying of Jesus.  They
continually do violence to themselves, carry their cross
daily.  They are dead and indeed buried with Christ. (Gal
5.24; 2 Cor 4.10; Lk 9.23; Rom 6.4,8)
     These words of the Holy Spirit show us more clearly than
the light of day that, if we are to possess incarnate Wisdom,
Jesus Christ, we must practice self-denial and renounce the
world and self.

195. Do not imagine that incarnate Wisdom, who is purer than
the rays of the sun, will enter a soul and a body soiled by
the pleasures of the senses.  Do not believe that he will
grant his rest and ineffable peace to those who love worldly
company and vanities.  "To him that overcomes the world and
himself, I will give the hidden manna." (Apoc 2.17)
     Although this lovable prince knows and perceives all
things in an instant by his own infinite light, he still looks
for persona worthy of him. (Wis 6.17)  He has to search
because there are so few and he can scarcely find any
sufficiently unworldly or sufficiently interior and mortified
to be worthy of him, of his treasures, and of union with him.

2. Qualities required for mortification

196. Wisdom is not satisfied with half-hearted mortification
or mortification of a few days, but requires one that is
total, continuous, courageous and prudent if he is to give
himself to us.
     If we would possess Wisdom:

197. 1. We must either give up actually our worldly
possessions as did the apostles, the disciples and the first
Christians, and as religious do now - this is the quickest,
the best and the surest means to possess Wisdom - or at least
we must detach our heart from material things, and possess
them as though not possessing them, (cf 1 Cor 7.30) not eager
to acquire more or being anxious to retain any of them, and
not complaining or worrying when they are lost.  This is
something very difficult to accomplish.

198. 2. We must not follow the showy fashions of the world in
our dress, our furniture or our dwellings.  Neither must we
indulge in sumptuous meals or other worldly habits and ways of
living.  "Be not conformed to this world." (Rom 12.2)  Putting
this into practice is more necessary than is generally
thought.

199. 3. We must not believe or follow the false maxims of the
world or think, speak or act like people of the world.  Their
doctrine is as opposed to that of incarnate Wisdom as darkness
is to light, and death to life.  Look closely at their
opinions and their words:  they think and speak disparagingly
of all the great truths of our religion.  True, they do not
tell brazen lies, but they cover their falsehood with an
appearance of truth; they do not think they are being
untruthful, but they lie nonetheless.  In general, they do not
teach sin openly, but they speak of it as if it were virtuous,
or blameless, or a matter of indifference and of little
consequence.  This guile which the devil has taught the world
in order to conceal the heinousness of sin and falsehood is
the wickedness spoken of by St. John when he wrote, "The whole
world lies in the power of evil" (1 Jn 5.19) and now more than
ever before.

200. 4. We must flee as much as possible from the company of
others, not only from that of worldly people, which is harmful
and dangerous, but even from that of religious people when our
association with them would be useless and a waste of time. 
Whoever wishes to become wise and perfect must put into
practice these three golden counsels which eternal Wisdom gave
to St. Arsenius, "Flee, hide, be silent."  Flee as much as
possible the company of men, as the greatest saints have done. 
Let your life be hidden with Christ in God. (Col 3.3)  In
short, be silent with others, so as to converse with divine
Wisdom.  "He who knows how to keep silent is a wise man." (Sir
20.5)

201. 5. If we would possess Wisdom, we must mortify the body,
not only by enduring patiently our bodily ailments, the
inconveniences of the weather and the difficulties arising
from other people's actions, but also by deliberately
undertaking some penances and mortifications, such as fasts,
vigils and other austerities practised by holy penitents.
     It requires courage to do that because the body naturally
idolises itself, and the world considers all bodily penances
as pointless and rejects them.  The world does and says
everything possible to deter people from practising the
austerities of the saints.  Of every saint, it can be said,
with due allowances, "the wise or the saintly man has brought
his body into subjection by vigils, fasts and disciplines, by
enduring the cold and nakedness and every kind of austerity,
and he has made a compact not to give it any rest in this
world" (cf Rom. Brev. St. Peter of Alcantara).  The Holy
Spirit says of all the saints, that they were enemies of the
stained robe of the flesh (Jude 23).

202. 6. For exterior and voluntary mortification to be
profitable, it must be accompanied by the mortifying of the
judgement and the will through holy obedience, because without
this obedience all mortification is spoiled by self-will and
often becomes more pleasing to the devil than to God.
     That is why no exceptional mortification should be
undertaken without seeking counsel.  "I, Wisdom, dwell in
counsel." (Prov 8.12)  "He who trusts in himself, trusts in a
fool." (Prov 28.26)  "The prudent man does all things with
counsel." (Prov 13.16)  And the great counsel given by the
Holy Spirit is this:  Do nothing without counsel and you shall
have nothing to regret afterwards. (Sir 32.24)  Seek counsel
always of a wise man. (Tob 4.19)
     By holy obedience we do away with self-love, which spoils
everything; by obedience the smallest of our actions become
meritorious.  It protects us from illusions of the devil,
enables us to overcome our enemies, and brings us surely, as
though while sleeping, into the harbour of salvation.
     All that I have just said is contained in this one great
counsel:  "Leave all things and you will find all things by
finding Jesus Christ, incarnate Wisdom." (Imitation of Christ,
III, c. 32, No. 1)

                       CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
          FOURTH MEANS: A LOVING AND GENUINE DEVOTION
                     TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN

203. The greatest means of all, and the most wonderful of all
secrets for obtaining and preserving divine Wisdom is a loving
and genuine devotion to the Blessed Virgin.

[1 Necessity of genuine devotion to Mary]

     No one but Mary ever found favour with God (cf Lk 1.30)
for herself and for the whole human race.  To no other person
was given the power to conceive and give birth to Eternal
Wisdom.  No one else had the power to "incarnate" him, so to
speak, in the predestinate by the operation of the Holy
Spirit.
     The patriarchs, prophets and saints of the Old Testament
yearned and prayed for the incarnation of Eternal Wisdom, but
none of them was able to merit it.  Only Mary, by her exalted
holiness, could reach the throne of the Godhead and merit this
gift of infinite value.
     She became the mother, mistress and throne of divine
Wisdom.

204. Mary is his most worthy Mother because she conceived him
and brought him forth as the fruit of her womb.  "Blessed is
the fruit of thy womb, Jesus." (Lk 1.42)
     Hence it is true to say that Jesus is the fruit and
product of Mary wherever he is present, be it in heaven, on
earth, in our tabernacles or in our hearts.  She alone is the
tree of life and Jesus alone is the fruit of that tree.
     Therefore anyone who wishes to possess this wonderful
fruit in his heart must first possess the tree that produces
it; whoever wishes to possess Jesus must possess Mary.

205. Mary is also mistress of divine Wisdom.  Not that she is
above him who is truly God, or even equal to him.  To think or
say such a thing would be blasphemous.  But because the Son of
God, Eternal Wisdom, by making himself entirely subject to her
as his Mother, gave her a maternal and natural authority over
himself which surpasses our understanding.  He not only gave
her this power while he lived on earth but still gives it now
in heaven, because glory does not destroy nature but makes it
perfect.  And so in heaven Jesus is as much as ever the Son of
Mary, and Mary the Mother of Jesus.
     As his Mother, Mary has authority over Jesus, who because
he wills it, remains in a sense subject to her.  This means
that Mary by her powerful prayers and because she is the
Mother of God, obtains from Jesus all she wishes.  It means
that she gives him to whom she decides, and produces him every
day in the souls of those she chooses.

206. Happy are those who have won Mary's favours!  They can
rest assured that they will soon possess divine Wisdom, for as
she loves those who love her (cf Prov 8.17), she generously
shares her blessings with them, including that infinite
treasure which contains every good, Jesus, the fruit of her
womb.

207. If it is true to say that Mary is, in a sense, mistress
of Wisdom incarnate, what control must she have over all the
graces and gifts of God, and what freedom must she enjoy in
giving them to whom she chooses.
     The Fathers of the Church tell us that Mary is an immense
ocean of all the perfections of God, the great storehouse of
all his possessions, the inexhaustible treasury of the Lord,
as well as the treasurer and dispenser of all his gifts.
     Because God gave her his Son, it is his will that we
should receive all gifts through her, and that no heavenly
gift should come down upon earth without passing through her
as through a channel.
     Of her fulness we have all received, and any grace or
hope of salvation we may possess is a gift which comes to us
from God through Mary.  So truly is she mistress of God's
possessions that she gives to whom she wills, all the graces
of God, all the virtues of Jesus Christ, all the gifts of the
Holy Spirit, every good thing in the realm of nature, grace
and glory.  These are the thoughts and expressions of the
Fathers of the Church, whose words, for the sake of brevity, I
do not quote in the Latin.
     But whatever gifts this sovereign and lovable Queen
bestows upon us, she is not satisfied until she has given us
incarnate Wisdom, Jesus her Son; and she is ever on the look-
out for those who are worthy of Wisdom (Wis 6.17), so that she
may give him to them.

208. Moreover, Mary is the royal throne of Eternal Wisdom.  It
is in her that he shows his perfection, displays his
treasures, and takes his delight.  There is no place in heaven
or on earth where Eternal Wisdom shows so much magnificence or
finds more delight than in the incomparable Virgin Mary.
     That is why the Fathers of the Church call her the
tabernacle of the divinity, the place of rest and contentment
of the Blessed Trinity, the throne of God, the city of God,
the altar of God, the temple of God, the world of God and the
paradise of God.  All these titles are most correct with
regard to the different wonders which the most high God has
worked in Mary.

209. Only through Mary, then, can we possess divine Wisdom.
     But if we do receive this great gift, where are we to
lodge him?  What dwelling, what seat, what throne are we to
offer this Prince who is so dazzling that the very rays of the
sun are dust and darkness in his presence?  No doubt we will
be told that he has asked only for our heart, that it is our
heart we must offer him, and it is there we must lodge him.

210. But we know that our heart is tainted, carnal, full of
unruly inclinations and consequently unfit to house such a
noble and holy guest.  If we had a thousand hearts like our
own and offered him the choice of one of them as his throne,
he would rightly reject our offer, turn a deaf ear to our
entreaties, and even accuse us of boldness and impertinence in
wanting to house him in a place so unclean and so unworthy of
his royal dignity.

211. What then can we do to make our hearts worthy of him? 
Here is the great way, the wonderful secret.  Let us, so to
speak, bring Mary into our abode by consecrating ourselves
unreservedly to her as servants and slaves.  Let us surrender
into her hands all we possess, even what we value most highly,
keeping nothing for ourselves.  This good mistress who never
allows herself to be surpassed in generosity will give herself
to us in a real but indefinable manner; and it is in her that
Eternal Wisdom will come and settle as on a throne of
splendour.

212. Mary is like a holy magnet attracting Eternal Wisdom to
herself with such power that he cannot resist.  This magnet
drew him down to earth to save mankind, and continues to draw
him every day into every person who possesses it.  Once we
possess Mary, we shall, through her intercession, easily and
in a short time possess divine Wisdom.
     Mary is the surest, the easiest, the shortest, and the
holiest of all the means of possessing Jesus Christ.  Were we
to perform the most frightful penances, undertake the most
painful journeys, or the most fatiguing labours, were we to
shed all our blood in order to acquire divine Wisdom, all our
efforts would be useless and inadequate if not supported by
the intercession of the Blessed Virgin and a devotion to her. 
But if Mary speaks a word in our favour, if we love her and
prove ourselves her faithful servants and imitators, we shall
quickly and at little cost possess divine Wisdom.

213. Note that Mary is not only the Mother of Jesus, Head of
all the elect, but is also Mother of all his members.  Hence
she conceives them, bears them in her womb and brings them
forth to the glory of heaven through the graces of God which
she imparts to them.  This is the teaching of the Fathers of
the Church, and among them St. Augustine, who says that the
elect are in the womb of Mary until she brings them forth into
the glory of heaven.  Moreover, God has decreed that Mary
should dwell in Jacob, make Israel her inheritance and place
her roots in his elect and predestinate (cf Sir 24.13).

214. From these truths we must conclude:
     1. that it is futile for us to compliment ourselves on
being the children of God and disciples of Wisdom, if we are
not children of Mary;
     2. that to be numbered among the elect we must have a
loving and sincere devotion to our Lady, so that she may dwell
in us and plant the roots of her virtues in us;
     3. that Mary must beget us in Jesus Christ and Jesus
Christ in us, nurturing us towards the perfection and the
fulness of his age (Eph 4.13), so that she may say more
truthfully than St. Paul, "My dear children, I am in travail
over you afresh until Jesus Christ my Son is perfectly formed
in you" (Gal 4.19).

[2 What genuine devotion to Mary consists in]

215. If I were asked by someone seeking to honour our Lady,
"What does genuine devotion to her involve?" I would answer
briefly that it consists in a full appreciation of the
privileges and dignity of our Lady; in expressing our
gratitude for her goodness to us; in zealously promoting
devotion to her; in constantly appealing for her help; in
being completely dependent on her; and in placing firm
reliance and loving confidence in her motherly goodness.

216. We must beware of those false devotions to our Lady which
the devil makes use of to deceive and ruin many souls.
     I shall not describe them here.  I shall only say that
genuine devotion to Mary must be sincere, free from hypocrisy
and superstition; loving, not lukewarm or scrupulous;
constant, not fickle or unfaithful; holy, without being
presumptuous or extravagant.

217. We must avoid joining those whose devotion is false and
hypocritical, being only on their lips and in their outward
behaviour.
     Neither must we be among those who are critical and
scrupulous, who are afraid of going too far in honouring our
Lady, as if honour given to our Lady could detract from her
Son.
     We must not be among those who are lukewarm or self-
interested, who have no genuine love for our Lady or filial
confidence in her, and who only pray to her to obtain or keep
some temporal benefit.
     We must not be like those who are inconstant and casual
in their devotion to the Blessed Virgin, who serve her in fits
and starts, honour her for a short time and fall away when
temptation comes.
     Lastly, we must avoid joining those whose devotion is
presumptuous, who under the cloak of some exterior practices
of devotion to Mary, conceal a heart corrupted by sin, and who
imagine that because of such devotion to Mary they will not
die without the sacraments but will be saved, no matter what
sins they commit.

218. We must not neglect to become members of our Lady's
confraternities, especially the Confraternity of the Holy
Rosary, fulfilling faithfully the duties prescribed which can
only make us holy.

219. But the most perfect and most profitable of all devotions
to the Blessed Virgin consists in consecrating ourselves
entirely to her, and to Jesus through her, as their slaves. 
It involves consecrating to her completely and for all
eternity our body and soul, our possessions both spiritual and
material, the atoning value and the merits of our good actions
and our right to dispose of them.  In short, it involves the
offering of all we have acquired in the past, all we actually
possess at the moment, and all we will acquire in the future.
     As there are several books treating of this devotion, I
will content myself with saying that I have never found a
practice of devotion to our Lady more solid than this one,
since it takes its inspiration from the example of Jesus
Christ.  Neither have I found any devotion which redounds more
to God's glory, is more salutary to the soul, and more feared
by the enemies of our salvation; nor, finally, have I found a
devotion that is more attractive and more satisfying.

220. This devotion, if well practised, not only draws Jesus
Christ, Eternal Wisdom, into our soul, but also makes it
agreeable to him and he remains there to the end of our life. 
For, I ask you, what would be the good of searching for
secrets of finding divine Wisdom and of making every effort to
possess this treasure, if after acquiring it, we were, like
Solomon, to have the misfortune to lose it by our
unfaithfulness?  Solomon was wiser than we perhaps shall ever
be, and consequently stronger and more enlightened.  He went
astray, was overcome by temptation, and fell into sin and
folly.  Thus he left to all those who came after him a double
source of wonderment, that he should be so enlightened and
still not see; so wise and still be so foolish in his sins. 
We can say that, if his example and writings have moved so
many who came after him to desire and seek Wisdom, the example
of his fall - a fact, as far as we can judge - has kept
multitudes of souls from effectively going after something
which, although priceless, could easily be lost.

221. To be then in some way wiser than Solomon, we should
place in Mary's care all that we possess and the treasure of
all treasures, Jesus Christ, that she may keep him for us.  We
are vessels too fragile to contain this precious treasure,
this heavenly manna.  We are surrounded by too many cunning
and experienced enemies to trust in our own prudence and
strength.  And we have had too many sad experiences of our
fickleness and natural thoughtlessness.  Let us be distrustful
of our own wisdom and fervour.

222. Mary is wise: let us place everything in her hands.  She
knows how to dispose of us and all that we have for the
greater glory of God.
     Mary is charitable: she loves us as her children and
servants.  Let us offer everything to her and we will lose
nothing by it; she will turn everything to our gain.
     Mary is liberal: she returns more than we give her.  Let
us give her unreservedly all that we own without any
reservation; she will give us a hundredfold in return.
     Mary is powerful: nothing on earth can take from her what
we have placed in her keeping.  Let us then commit ourselves
to her care; she will defend us against our enemies and help
us to triumph over them.
     Mary is faithful: she will not permit anything we give
her to be lost or wasted.  She stands alone as the Virgin most
faithful to God and to men.  She faithfully guarded and kept
all that God entrusted to her, never allowing the least bit to
be lost; and she still keeps watch every day, with a special
care, over all those who have placed themselves entirely under
her protection and guidance.
     Let us, then, confide everything to the faithful Virgin
Mary, binding ourselves to her as to a pillar that cannot be
moved, as to an anchor that cannot slip, or, better still, as
to Mount Sion which cannot be shaken.
     Thus whatever may be our natural blindness, our weakness,
and our inconstancy, however numerous and wicked our enemies
may be, we shall never go wrong or go astray or have the
misfortune to lose the grace of God and that infinite treasure
which is Eternal Wisdom.

                    CONSECRATION OF ONESELF
              TO JESUS CHRIST, WISDOM INCARNATE,
                   THROUGH THE HANDS OF MARY

223. Eternal and incarnate Wisdom, most lovable and adorable
Jesus, true God and true man, only Son of the eternal Father
and of Mary always Virgin, I adore you profoundly, dwelling in
the splendour of your Father from all eternity and in the
virginal womb of Mary, your most worthy Mother, at the time of
your incarnation.
     I thank you for having emptied yourself in assuming the
condition of a slave to set me free from the cruel slavery of
the evil one.
     I praise and glorify you for having willingly chosen to
obey Mary, your holy Mother, in all things, so that through
her I may be a faithful slave of love.
     But I must confess that I have not kept the vows and
promises which I made to you so solemnly at my baptism. I have
not fulfilled my obligations, and I do not deserve to be
called your child or even your loving slave.
     Since I cannot lay claim to anything except what merits
your rejection and displeasure, I dare no longer approach the
holiness of your majesty on my own. That is why I turn to the
intercession and the mercy of your holy Mother, whom you
yourself have given me to mediate with you. Through her I hope
to obtain from you contrition and pardon for my sins, and that
Wisdom whom I desire to dwell in me always.

224. I turn to you, then, Mary immaculate, living tabernacle
of God, in whom eternal Wisdom willed to receive the adoration
of both men and angels.
     I greet you as Queen of heaven and earth, for all that is
under God has been made subject to your sovereignty.
     I call upon you, the unfailing refuge of sinners,
confident in your mercy that has never forsaken anyone.
     Grant my desire for divine Wisdom and, in support of my
petition, accept the promises and the offering of myself which
I now make, conscious of my unworthiness.

225. I, an unfaithful sinner, renew and ratify today through
you my baptismal promises. I renounce for ever Satan, his
empty promises, and his evil designs, and I give myself
completely to Jesus Christ, the incarnate Wisdom, to carry my
cross after him for the rest of my life, and to be more
faithful to him than I have been till now.
     This day, with the whole court of heaven as witness, I
choose you, Mary, as my Mother and Queen. I surrender and
consecrate myself to you, body and soul, with all that I
possess, both spiritual and material, even including the
spiritual value of all my actions, past, present, and to come.
I give you the full right to dispose of me and all that
belongs to me, without any reservations, in whatever way you
please, for the greater glory of God in time and throughout
eternity.

226. Accept, gracious Virgin, this little offering of my
slavery to honour and imitate the obedience which eternal
Wisdom willingly chose to have towards you, his Mother. I wish
to acknowledge the authority which both of you have over this
little worm and pitiful sinner. By it I wish also to thank God
for the privileges bestowed on you by the Blessed Trinity. I
solemnly declare that for the future I will try to honour and
obey you in all things as your true slave of love.
     O admirable Mother, present me to your dear Son as his
slave now and for always, so that he who redeemed me through
you, will now receive me through you.

227. Mother of mercy, grant me the favour of obtaining the
true Wisdom of God, and so make me one of those whom you love,
teach and guide, whom you nourish and protect as your children
and slaves.
     Virgin most faithful, make me in everything so committed
a disciple, imitator, and slave of Jesus, your Son, incarnate
Wisdom, that I may become, through your intercession and
example, fully mature with the fullness which Jesus possessed
on earth, and with the fullness of his glory in heaven. Amen.

     Let those accept it who can (Mt 19.12).
     Let the wise consider these things (Hos 14.9; cf Jer
9.12; Ps 106.43).
