+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

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O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

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St. Ignatius of Loyola: pray for us.

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Introduction

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St. Ignatius places this meditation before making elections, since it is intended for confirming “two standards” and “three classes of men”. Third note: “Before entering on the Elections, that a man may get attachment to the true doctrine of Christ our Lord, it is very helpful to consider and mark the following three Manners of Humility, reflecting on them occasionally through all the day, and also making the Colloquies, as will be said later”.

 

Preparatory Prayer①: “The preparatory prayer is to ask grace of God our Lord that all my intentions, actions and operations may be directed purely to the service and praise of His Divine Majesty”.

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Composition of Place: We can use for our composition of place, here it is to see myself how I stand in the presence of Christ Himself, who is on the Cross. The Blessed Virgin, the beloved disciple, and Mary Magdalene are beside Him. They are the beloved ones and the true lovers of Christ. He is looking at me, and loving me says to me, “if you wish to be perfect, come to me…”.

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Petition: “[It] is to ask God our Lord for what I want and desire. I will implore my Lord to be pleased to choose me to the Third Mode of greater and more perfect Humility or Sanctity, the better to imitate and serve Him. And I need to repeat this petition as often as possible during the day.”

 

Corpus of the Meditation

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I. The First Mode of Humility

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It is necessary for eternal salvation. It is in submitting myself to the will of God in such a way as not to deliberate about breaking any commandment, whether Divine or human, which binds under mortal sin; even though the observance of these commandments led me to poverty, dishonour, sickness, and death itself. I choose them because my eternal salvation is at stake.

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This humility allows me to so humble myself that I obey in everything the law of God in such sort that I would not seriously entertain myself in any mortal transgression even if my life were at stake.

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Such a determination is absolutely necessary to anyone who wants to be saved. Not to have this disposition would imply that this soul is in a state of opposition to God, or at least of apathy towards Him.

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It is absolutely necessary for salvation. It corresponds to the purgative life. It just avoids mortal sin. It closes the doors of hell. It suffers humiliation, but sadly.

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How to acquire it? This is the fruit of the 1st week: the tantum-quantum rule.

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II. The Second Mode of Humility

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The second mode of humility consists in submitting myself to the will of God, in such a way as not to deliberate about breaking any commandment, whether Divine or human, though it binds only under venial sin; even if from their observance it follows poverty, dishonour, sickness and death itself.

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This disposition is far higher than the other one. It is not absolutely necessary for salvation. But whoever does not have this 2nd mode of humility, cannot make election of state, and cannot make a goof reform of life. This 2nd mode corresponds with the illuminative life. It avoids venial sins. It tolerates humiliations. 

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This second mode of sanctity includes indifference and a strong desire of not committing any venial sin.

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How to acquire it? The best way is the study of Jesus’ examples and love.

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III. The Third Mode of Humility

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It consists, directly, not in avoiding mortal and venial sin, but in submitting one’s will more and more perfectly to the Will of God, and in an ever greater control of self in using the good things of this world and in enduring its hardships and humiliations.

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In the first Mode we obey God’s Holy Will commanding under penalty of mortal sin.

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In the second Mode we obey all the commandments of God, even those binding under venial sin only.

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In the third Mode we submit to God’s holy Will not only when He commands under penalty of sin -mortal or venial-, but when merely He expresses a desire.

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In other words, we are determined to do everything that pleases Him, to avoid every imperfection, to follow all counsels and obey all inspirations.

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It truly means to have dispositions of saints. It includes more than a simple indifference: “when --including the first and second, and the praise and glory of the Divine Majesty being equal -- in order to imitate and be more actually like Christ our Lord, I want and choose poverty with Christ poor rather than riches, opprobrium with Christ replete with it rather than honours; and to desire to be rated as worthless and a fool for Christ, Who first was held as such, rather than wise or prudent in this world”.

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During a retreat, Jesus spoke to Saint Faustina, and He said, “I will strengthen you, in peace and in courage, so that your strength will not fail in carrying out my designs. Therefore you will cancel out your will absolutely in this retreat and, instead, my complete will shall be accomplished in you. Know that it will cost you much, so write these words on a clean sheet of paper: “From today on, my own will does not exist,” and then cross out the page. And on the other side write these words: “From today on, I do the will of God everywhere, always, and in everything.” Be afraid of nothing; love will give you strength and make the realisation of this easy.”

 

Colloquy

 

My first dialogue should be addressed to our Lady, asking her to obtain for me from her Son and Lord the grace to imitate Christ.

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• First in the highest spiritual poverty, and if the Divine Majesty be pleased to choose and accept me, even in actual poverty.

• Secondly, in bearing insults and wrongs, in order to imitate Christ better, provided only I can suffer these without sin on the part of another, and without offence of the Divine Majesty.

 

Then, I will say the Hail Mary.

 

My second dialogue will be with Christ, asking Him to obtain the same favours for me from the Father. Then, I will say, Soul of Christ.

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My third dialogue will be with the Heavenly Father, and I will beg Him to grant me the same graces. Then I will say the Our Father.

 

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Footnote:

① SE 46.