CHAPTER X
CHAPTER X.
St. Louis— Works of Piety.
' Glorificavit illum in conspectu regum.''—EccLEs, xiv.
BEsIDES the holy religious of the Franciscan Order, the Church could turn her eyes on a multitude of other children equally illustrious.
The holy and blessed Spouse of the Saviour had never been so triumphant and so glorious.
Beside the two great Orders of St. Francis and St. Dominic, other Orders sprang up like sweet flowers under the protection of their Mother.
The Carmes had seen the benediction of Heaven descend on them ; they were multiplied in a marvellous way, and fame had carried the fragrance of their virtues afar.
Orders devoted to the relief of those taken captive by the infidels offered a new kind of heroism, and exercised a powerful attraction over those minds that aspired to sublime and dangerous enter-
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prises.
The Servites, devoted to the worship of Mary, had, in their Seven Founders, seven saints; men desirous to lead solitary lives opened monasteries in Italy, France, Spain, and England, and, in every country in the Catholic world.
The world seemed to be penetrated by the spirit of Christianity to an extent hitherto
~ unknown, and by identifying itself with that spirit, it was raised to a position to which it has never attained since those more happy days.
This movement was due, in the first instance, to the Popes.
It was commenced by the indomitable will of Gregory VII. and continued by his successors in the twelfth century, and it was developed in the thirteenth century by the energy of Innocent III., and Gregory IX., and all the Sovereign Pontiffs of that time.
The Crusades had helped to propagate it among the masses, by teaching them that faith is the foundation of social life, the impulse of noble actions, the most glorious inheritance of men, and the most worthy object of heroic sacrifice.
The Religious Orders, from the time of St.
Bernard, had exercised an enormous influence over every class of society, and at the time
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when St. Francis and St. Dominic appeared, the world needed that new Orders should come in contact with it, and teach it the practice of sublime virtues in family life, without imposing on it sad and often impossible conditions of renunciation.
These two great men understood its "needs, and their children seemed to be destined to crown the great work of Blessed Gregory.
France was the head of the Catholic nations of the world, and, at this time, France was governed by St.
Louis, the greatest of the French monarchs since Charlemagne.
We have seen that St. Louis took the side of the religious in their dispute with the University.
No one had a greater love for science than he, but science, he considered, ought to remember her right mission, and not to set herself against men who were devoted to the instruction of the people and to the maintenance of religion, or she would become only a hindrance to the light which she professed to propagate.
St. Louis extended his protection equally to both Orders, and loved them both tenderly, saying that, if it were possible, he would divide himself equally between them.
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Among the friends of the great monarch, St.
Bonaventure occupied a prominent place: his reputation for virtue, his writings, his learning, his zeal in preaching, his election, while yet so young, to the dignity of Superior-General, all these things inspired Louis IX. with a profound veneration for the Saint.
And he did not limit his affection to a mere sterile admiration, he desired to gather some fruit to his soul from his intercourse with the holy Doctor, whom he asked to write for him one of those books which his love could so easily produce.
St.
Bonaventure at once acceded to his request.
No subject of meditation was so dear to the good king as that of the humiliations of the Son of God made Man.
They were the constant theme of his contemplation, and from it he acquired courage in adversity, wisdom in prosperity, and the fragrance of tender devotion which filled his heart.
He had spent immense sums of money to secure for his kingdom the possession of the crown of thorns and of a considerable portion of the true Cross, and he had built the Sainte Chapelle with royal magnificence, to afford to these precious relics
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a shelter that should be worthy of their value ; and Bonaventure gladly assisted a devotion which so harmonised with the feelings of his own heart, by composing an "Office of the Passion " for his royal friend.
In this, as in his other works, his language is pious and compassionate, and it is evident that he is speaking of that which most tenderly excites his love.
This is the first Hymn of this beautiful Office, the rest is still more affectionate in tone:
"Let our refreshment and the supreme desire of our heart be in the Passion of the Lord, by which man obtains salvation.
"Let us bear in our memory the sorrows of Jesus Christ; let us carry His opprobrium and His crown of thorns, His Cross, the nails, and the lance.
"Let us bear with us His most sacred wounds, most worthy subjects for our praise ; let us carry the vinegar, the gall, the reed, and all the bitter adjuncts of His death.
'Let these memories satiate us with sweetness, and make us to abound in virtues and in glorious fruit.
"O crucified Saviour, we offer to Thee the
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10g homage of our hearts, and we entreat Thee to unite us in Heaven to the assembly of Thy
Saints.
"To Jesus Christ, Who was sold for us, be honour and praise, to Jesus Christ betrayed for us, and delivered to the cruel death of the Cross, for the salvation of His people."
Among the religious who were called on to appear from time to time at the court, there was one who was remarkable before all others for his modesty, the sweetness of his face, the gentleness of his language—a man whom to _ know was to love, and who could not speak without leading others to think as he did, and to become better men.
This was the General of the Order of St. Francis, Bonaventure, who was recognised by all who knew him, as a learned Doctor and a perfect imitator -of St.
Francis.
Not only the king, but his children also, came to the Saint to learn the ways of holiness, and he wrote for the Princess Blanche, a daughter of St. Louis, a little work on Zhe Government of the Soul, which contains in a few pages, all that is necessary to attain to eminent sanctity.
IIo
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"Exercise yourself in a modest economy of food and clothing, of sleep and waking, without exceeding in anything, by moderating your silence and your conversation, your sorrow or your joy, your gentleness or severity, according as necessity or reason shall direct.
Exercise yourself in a modest honesty, by the dignity, the suitableness, and good tone of your actions, your movements, your gestures, your clothes ; order your exterior, your members, your senses, as moral honesty or the observance of your
Rule shall demand of you.
. Practise yourself in justice .
. justice which consists of zeal for the love of God, of the accomplishment of the law of God, of the desire for the salvation of your brethren; practise yourself in the justice of order, by obedience to your superiors, by union with your equals, by vigilance over your inferiors; in the justice of perfection by adhesion to all truth, by love for all good, by the hatred of all wickedness, not only of heart but of words and actions, doing nothing to others which you would not have done to you, and never refusing to another what it would pain you to be refused yourself.
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Tir 'Practise yourself in piety .
. in the piety whose end is the worship of God, by reciting the Canonical Hours with sincere reverence, by confessing every day, and weeping for your sins; by receiving the Most Holy Eucharist at fixed times, and by hearing Mass every day; by the piety which has for its object the salvation of souls, helping them by frequent prayers, and the preaching of a good example.
Act wisely in all things, so that your salvation may not receive any injury.
Practise yourself in the piety whose object is the comforting of bodily sufferings, bearing them with patience, lavishing
- tender consolations on them, helping those who are afflicted, with humility, with joy, and compassion.
** Now, if you wish to practise all that I have pointed out to you, the most powerful means is to remember constantly Jesus Crucified, and to bear your Well-Beloved, like a bouquet of myrrh, on your heart.
May He grant it to you, Who is blessed for evermore."
Among the other works of St. Bonaventure are "Meditations" on Sin, on Death, on Judgment, on Hell, on the Glory of Heaven, on the Bless-
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ings of God, on the Eucharist, and on the Passion of Christ our Lord.
After having, in these meditations, sought to inspire fear by the consideration of the more appalling of these subjects, he tries to inspire love by the memory of the blessings of God, and especially by the blessing of the Most Holy Eucharist, and, transported at the thought of that ineffable gift, he exclaims—" O truly admirable munificence!
O unheard-of generosity, super-excellent charity!
What can He refuse to us, Who gives us Himself?
He hath done for us everything that He could do; all that He possessed, He has given to us; He has given us His kingdom, He has given us Himself.
The Eucharist is the medicine of the sick, the daily Bread of travellers, the strength of the weak, the joy of the strong, the health of the infirm, the antidote of all maladies.
By It man becomes more gentle under chastisement, more patient in work, more earnest in love, more active in vigilance, more ready to obey, more fervent in giving thanks to God."
These meditations were eagerly read, and they served to cement the union between the
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world and the poor religious of the Lord.
In all ages it has pleased God to regenerate the world by means of men who were poor and destitute of all temporal resources.
They have inspired it with a hatred of vice and a love for virtue; they have revealed to it the loving Heart of the Redeemer ; they have brought it into the shelter of that Sacred Heart, and, in consequence, great things have come to pass, and happiness has brightened the face of the earth.