lectures14+15-第6部分

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stage　which　the　despotic　kind　of　God　satisfies。　　But　as　soon　as



the　God　is　represented　as　less　intent　on　his　own　honor　and　glory；



it　ceases　to　be　a　danger。







Fanaticism　is　found　only　where　the　character　is　masterful　and



aggressive。　　In　gentle　characters；　where　devoutness　is　intense



and　the　intellect　feeble；　we　have　an　imaginative　absorption　in



the　love　of　God　to　the　exclusion　of　all　practical　human



interests；　which；　though　innocent　enough；　is　too　one…sided　to　be



admirable。　　A　mind　too　narrow　has　room　but　for　one　kind　of



affection。　　When　the　love　of　God　takes　possession　of　such　a　mind；



it　expels　all　human　loves　and　human　uses。　　There　is　no　English



name　for　such　a　sweet　excess　of　devotion；　so　I　will　refer　to　it



as　a　theopathic　condition。







The　blessed　Margaret　Mary　Alacoque　may　serve　as　an　example。







〃To　be　loved　here　upon　the　earth；〃　her　recent　biographer



exclaims：　　〃to　be　loved　by　a　noble；　elevated；　distinguished



being；　to　be　loved　with　fidelity；　with　devotionwhat



enchantment！　But　to　be　loved　by　God！　and　loved　by　him　to



distraction　＇aime　jusqu'a　la　folie＇！Margaret　melted　away　with



love　at　the　thought　of　such　a　thing。　　Like　Saint　Philip　of　Neri



in　former　times；　or　like　Saint　Francis　Xavier；　she　said　to　God：　



'Hold　back；　O　my　God；　these　torrents　which　overwhelm　me；　or　else



enlarge　my　capacity　for　their　reception。〃＇202＇







＇202＇　Bougaud：　　Hist。　de　la　bienheureuse　Marguerite　Marie；　Paris；



1894；　p。　145。















The　most　signal　proofs　of　God's　love　which　Margaret　Mary　received



were　her　hallucinations　of　sight；　touch；　and　hearing；　and　the



most　signal　in　turn　of　these　were　the　revelations　of　Christ's



sacred　heart；　〃surrounded　with　rays　more　brilliant　than　the　Sun；



and　transparent　like　a　crystal。　　The　wound　which　he　received　on



the　cross　visibly　appeared　upon　it。　　There　was　a　crown　of　thorns



round　about　this　divine　Heart；　and　a　cross　above　it。〃　　At　the



same　time　Christ's　voice　told　her　that；　unable　longer　to　contain



the　flames　of　his　love　for　mankind；　he　had　chosen　her　by　a



miracle　to　spread　the　knowledge　of　them。　　He　thereupon　took　out



her　mortal　heart；　placed　it　inside　of　his　own　and　inflamed　it；



and　then　replaced　it　in　her　breast；　adding：　　〃Hitherto　thou　hast



taken　the　name　of　my　slave；　hereafter　thou　shalt　be　called　the



well…beloved　disciple　of　my　Sacred　Heart。〃







In　a　later　vision　the　Saviour　revealed　to　her　in　detail　the



〃great　design〃　which　he　wished　to　establish　through　her



instrumentality。　　〃I　ask　of　thee　to　bring　it　about　that　every



first　Friday　after　the　week　of　holy　Sacrament　shall　be　made　into



a　special　holy　day　for　honoring　my　Heart　by　a　general　communion



and　by　services　intended　to　make　honorable　amends　for　the



indignities　which　it　has　received。　　And　I　promise　thee　that　my



Heart　will　dilate　to　shed　with　abundance　the　influences　of　its



love　upon　all　those　who　pay　to　it　these　honors；　or　who　bring　it



about　that　others　do　the　same。〃







〃This　revelation；〃　says　Mgr。　Bougaud；　〃is　unquestionably　the　most



important　of　all　the　revelations　which　have　illumined　the　Church



since　that　of　the　Incarnation　and　of　the　Lord's　Supper。　。　。　。　



After　the　Eucharist；　the　supreme　effort　of　the　Sacred



Heart。〃＇203＇　　Well；　what　were　its　good　fruits　for　Margaret　Mary's



life？　　Apparently　little　else　but　sufferings　and　prayers　and



absences　of　mind　and　swoons　and　ecstasies。　　She　became



increasingly　useless　about　the　convent；　her　absorption　in



Christ's　love







〃which　grew　upon　her　daily；　rendering　her　more　and　more　incapable



of　attending　to　external　duties。　　They　tried　her　in　the



infirmary；　but　without　much　success；　although　her　kindness；　zeal；



and　devotion　were　without　bounds；　and　her　charity　rose　to　acts　of



such　a　heroism　that　our　readers　would　not　bear　the　recital　of



them。　　They　tried　her　in　the　kitchen；　but　were　forced　to　give　it



up　as　hopelesseverything　dropped　out　of　her　hands。　　The



admirable　humility　with　which　she　made　amends　for　her　clumsiness



could　not　prevent　this　from　being　prejudicial　to　the　order　and



regularity　which　must　always　reign　in　a　community。　They　put　her



in　the　school；　where　the　little　girls　cherished　her；　and　cut



pieces　out　of　her　clothes　＇for　relics＇　as　if　she　were　already　a



saint；　but　where　she　was　too　absorbed　inwardly　to　pay　the



necessary　attention。　　Poor　dear　sister；　even　less　after　her



visions　than　before　them　was　she　a　denizen　of　earth；　and　they　had



to　leave　her　in　her　heaven。〃＇204＇







＇203＇　Bougaud：　　Hist。　de　la　bienheureuse　Marguerite　Marie；



Paris；　1894；　pp。　365；　241。







＇204＇　Bougaud：　　Op。　cit。；　p。　267。















Poor　dear　sister；　indeed！　Amiable　and　good；　but　so　feeble　of



intellectual　outlook　that　it　would　be　too　much　to　ask　of　us；　with



our　Protestant　and　modern　education；　to　feel　anything　but



indulgent　pity　for　the　kind　of　saintship　which　she　embodies。　　A



lower　example　still　of　theopathic　saintliness　is　that　of　Saint



Gertrude；　a　Benedictine　nun　of　the　thirteenth　century；　whose



〃Revelations；〃　a　well…known　mystical　authority；　consist　mainly　of



proofs　of　Christ's　partiality　for　her　undeserving　person。　



Assurances　of　his　love；　intimacies　and　caresses　and　compliments



of　the　most　absurd　and　puerile　sort；　addressed　by　Christ　to



Gertrude　as　an　individual；　form　the　tissue　of　this　paltry…minded



recital。＇205＇　In　reading　such　a　narrative；　we　realize　the　gap



between　the　thirteenth　and　the　twentieth　century；　and　we　feel



that　saintliness　of　character　may　yield　almost　absolutely



worthless　fruits　if　it　be　associated　with　such　inferior



intellectual　sympathies。　　What　with　science；　idealism；　and



democracy；　our　own　imagination　has　grown　to　need　a　God　of　an



entirely　different　temperament　from　that　Being　interested



exclusively　in　dealing　out　personal　favors；　with　whom　our



ancestors　were　so　contented。　　Smitten　as　we　are　with　the　vision



of　social　righteousness；　a　God　indifferent　to　everything　but



adulation；　and　full　of　partiality　for　his　individual　favorites；



lacks　an　essential　element　of　largeness；　and　even　the　best



professional　sainthood　of　former　centuries；　pent　in　as　it　is　to



such　a　conception；　seems　to　us　curiously　shallow　and　unedifying。







＇205＇　Examples：　　〃Suffering　from　a　headache；　she　sought；　for　the



glory　of　God；　to　relieve　herself　by　holding　certain　odoriferous



substances　in　her　mouth；　when　the　Lord　appeared　to　her　to　lean



over　towards　her　lovingly；　and　to　find　comfort　Himself　in　these



odors。　　After　having　gently　breathed　them　in；　He　arose；　and　said



with　a　gratified　air　to　the　Saints；　as　if　contented　with　what　He