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Thinking with the Church The 10th annual Path to Rome Conference will take place on November 12 -13th in London, England. The Path to Rome Conference features the personal testimonies of famous converts to the Catholic Church who have embraced the fullness of the faith, like Dr. Bernard Nathanson, M.D. Those who attend the conference and hear the testimonies of theses inspiring converts get a graced-filled infusion of Catholic Truth. The following “Rules for Thinking With the Church” contain the backbone of Catholic formation which all those who attend the Path to Rome receive. Join us this year for your annual Catholic booster-shot! Rules on Thinking with the Church from St. Ignatius 1. To put aside all private judgment, we should keep our minds prepared and ready to obey promptly and in all things the true spouse of Christ our Lord, our Holy Mother, the Hierarchical Church. 2. To praise sacramental confession and the reception of the Most Holy Sacrament once a year, and much better once a month, and better still every week, with the requisite and the proper dispositions. 3. To praise the frequent hearing of Mass, singing of hymns and psalms, and the recitation of long prayers, both in and out of church; also the hours arranged for fixed times for the whole Divine Office, for prayers of all kinds and for the canonical hours. 4. To praise highly religious life, virginity, and continence; and also matrimony, but not as highly as the foregoing. 5. To praise the vows of religion, obedience, poverty, chastity, and other works of perfection and supererogation. It must be remembered that a vow is made in matters that lead to evangelical perfection. It is therefore improper to make a vow in matters that depart from this perfection; as, for example, to enter business, get married, and so forth. 6. To praise the relics of the saints by venerating them and by praying to these saints. Also to praise the stations, pilgrimages, indulgences, jubilees, Crusade indulgences, and the lighting of candles in churches. 7. To praise the precepts concerning fasts and abstinences, such as those of Lent, Ember days, Vigils, Fridays, and Saturdays; likewise to praise acts of penance, both interior and exterior. 8. To praise the adornments and buildings of churches as well as sacred images, and to venerate them according to what they represent. 9. Finally, to praise all precepts of the Church, holding ourselves ready at all times to find reasons for their defense, never offending against them. 10. We should more be inclined to approve and praise the directions and recommendation of our superiors as well as their personal behavior. Although these may not be or may not have been praiseworthy, to speak against them when preaching in public or in conversation with people would give rise to murmuring and scandal rather than edification. As a result, the people would be angry with their superiors, whether temporal or spiritual. Still, while it does harm to our superiors in their absence to speak ill if them in the presence of the people, it might be useful to speak of their bad conduct to those who can apply a remedy. 11. To praise both positive and scholastic theology, for as it is more characteristic of the positive doctors such as St. Augustine, St. Jerome, St. Gregory and others, to encourage the affections to greater love and service of God our Lord in all things, so it is more characteristic of the scholastic doctors, such as St. Thomas, St. Bonaventure, and the Master of the Sentences, etc., to define and explain for our times the things necessary for eternal salvation, and to refute and expose all errors and fallacies. Also, the scholastic doctors, being of more recent date, not only have a clearer understanding of Holy Scripture and of the teachings of the positive and holy doctors, but also, being enlightened and inspired by the Divine Power, they are helped by the Councils, Canons and Constitutions of our Holy Mother Church. 12. We must be on our guard against making comparisons between the living and those who have already gone to their reward, for it is no small error to say, for example: ‘This man knows more than St. Augustine;’ ‘This is another St. Francis, or even greater;’ ‘He is another St. Paul in goodness, holiness, etc.’ 13. If we wish to be sure that we are right in all things, we should always be ready to accept this principle: I will believe that the white that I see is black, if the hierarchical Church so defines it. For i believe that between the Bridegroom, Christ our Lord, and the Bride, His Church, there is but one spirit, which governs and directs us for the salvation of souls, for the same Spirit and Lord who gave us the Ten Commandments, guides and governs our Holy Mother Church. 14. Although it may be true that no one can be saved unless it be predestined and unless he have faith and grace, still we must be very careful of our manner of discussing and speaking of these matters. 15. We should not make predestination a habitual subject of conversation. If it is sometimes mentioned we must speak in such a way that no person may fall into error, as happens on occasion when one will say, “It has already been determined whether I be saved or lost, and in spite of all the evil or good that I do, this will not be changed”. As a result, they become apathetic and neglect the works that are conducive to their salvation and to the spiritual growth of their souls. 16. In like manner, we must be careful least by speaking too much and with too great emphasis on faith, without any distinction or explanations, we give occasion to the people to become indolent and lazy in the performance of good works, whether it is before or after their faith is founded in charity. 17. Also in our discourse we ought not to emphasize the doctrine that would destroy free will. We may therefore speak of faith and grace to the extent that God enables us to do so, for the greater praise of His Divine Majesty. But in these dangerous times of ours, it must not be done in such a way that good works or free will suffer any detriment or be considered worthless. 18. Although the generous service of God for motives of pure love should most highly be esteemed, we should praise highly the fear of His Divine Majesty, for filial fear and even servile fear are pious and most holy things. When one cannot attain anything better or more useful, this fear is of great help in rising from mortal sin, and after this first step one easily advances to filial fear which is wholly acceptable and pleasing to God our Lord, since it is inseparable from Divine Love. Reprinted from the “Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius” Translated by Anthony Mottola, Ph.D. |