Tyrocinium religiosum or

Front matter

Shelf .ZB3.5"

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

TYROCINIUM RELIGIOSUM,

Preface

E hope that this little work 2 will meet with a hearty welcome on the part of many >(5 religious communities of both sexes. In the English language there is a dearth of books of this kind. There are some admirable ascetical works, such as Rodriguez, Practice of Christian and Religious Perfection ; Scaramelli, Guide to the Spiritual Life; Saint- Jure, Treatise on the Vows and Virtues of the Religious State, etc., but a compendious work was needed to serve as text book in the Novitiate — a small manual to accompany the

VI

Religious at all times. Such a compendium of ascetic theology is herewith offered. , In its manuscript form it has been used for many years in this Abbey as the text of instruction to the Novices. Two years ago it appeared in Latin print and now it is published in English that it may be servicable in those religious communities, in which it was not available in its original Latin form.

We think it will be particularly acceptable to the numerous communities of Sisters in this country. Mistresses of Novices will find it a convenient guide in their instructions to aspirants to the religious life.

The Tyrocinium is based upon the Holy Rule of S. Benedict. But as this Rule is the basis of all other religious rules, the School of Religious Perfection will be found well adapted to all Orders and Congregations existing in the Church.

Whilst the work is primarily intended for such as have been called to the religious state, the secular clergy, and even laymen, who aspire to Christian perfection,

VII

will read and study it with much profit to their soitfs.

The translation does not always adhere to the original text. Many things have been omitted and some changes and additions have been made, which, it is hoped, will render the work more adapted and serviceable as a guide to perfection.

That the unpretentious little work may intensify the flame of divine charity in the hearts of many readers, is the ardent prayer of the Translator.

Octave of S. Scholastica.

Part I. Page

1. Nature of the Tyrocinium . . . 1

2. Object of the Tyrocinium ... 2

3. Means of obtaining- the object of the

Tyrocinium ...... 3

4. Aids and Obstacles to progress in the

School of Perfection .... 5

5. What the Novice should avoid and

what he should observe during- the time of his Tyrocinium ... 6

6. On the proper Intention, with which

the Novice should enter upon his Tyrocinium ...... 8

7. Characteristics of the true Novice . 9

CHAPTER I. Manner of making Sacramental Confession ....... 12

§ 1. Matter of- Sacramental Confession . 13

2. Contrition . 14

Necessity of Contrition ... 15 Qualities of Contrition ... 16 Purpose of Amendment and its Qualities 19

IX

PAGE

§ 3. Sacramental Confession .... 20

4. Sacramental Satisfaction ... 21

5. Practical Manner of going- to Confes-

6. General Confession ..... 25

CHAPTER II. Holy Communion ..... 29

§ 1. Preparation for Holy Communion . 29

2. Actual Reception of Holy Communion 32

3. After Holy Communion .... 36

4. Spiritual Communion .... 38

Chapter III

Manner of celebrating- and assisting- at Mass devoutly and of visiting- the

Blessed Sacrament .... 39

§ 1. Manner of celebrating- Mass ... 40

2. Manner of assisting- at Mass . . 42

3. Visit to the Blessed Sacrament . . 45

CHAPTER IV, Prayer

ARTICLE I. — Prayer in General

1. Nature of Prayer

2. Excellence of Prayer

3. Usefulness of Prayer

4. Necessity of Prayer

5. Conditions of Prayer

6. Impediments of Prayer

7. What to do when we find ourselves dis-

tracted in Prayer

48 49 49 50 50 52 54 56

ARTICLE II. — Vocal Prayer . .68 § 1. Nature and Division of Vocal Prayer . 68 2. Antiquity of the Canonical Hours or

Divine Office 69

X

PAGK

§ 3. Dig-nity and Excellence of the Canonical Office . . .... 72

4. Utility of the Sacred Psalmody . . 76

5. Intention, Devotion and Attention re-

quired in the recitation* of the Divine Office 79

6. Nature of the Internal Attention . . 85

7. Aids for preserving- Attention . . 88

8. External Devotion and Reverence dur-

ing- Divine Office ..... 91

ARTICLE III.— Mental Prayer or Meditation ....... 94

§ 1. Nature of Meditation . . . .96

2. Preparation for Meditation ... 99

3. Exercise of the Memory .... 100

4. Exercise of the Understanding- . . 102

5. Exercise of the Will . . . .107

6. Supplemental Parts of Meditation . 114

7. Impediments to a g-ood Meditation and

their Remedies 117

ARTICLE IV.— Ejaculatory Prayers . 120

CHAPTER V. Spiritual Reading 123

§ 1. Necessity of Spiritual Reading- . . 124

2. Manner of making- Spiritual Reading- . 127

3. Suitable Books for Spiritual Reading: . 130

4. Distribution of the books of the Old

and New Testament for Spiritual Reading ...... 136

CHAPTER VI, Daily Examination of Conscience. . 138

ARTICLE I.— General Examination of

Conscience ...... 140

ARTICEE II.— Particular Examination

of Conscience . . . . . 144

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PAGE

§ 1. Nature and Utility of the Particular Examination and Method of makingit well 144

2. Selection of Subject for the Particular

Examen .148

CHAPTER VII. Manifestation 152

CHAPTER VHI.

Religious Modesty 158

§ 1. Nature of Religious Modesty . . 159

2. Necessity of Religious Modesty . . 160

3. General Rules of Religious Modesty . 166

4. Special Rules of Religious Modesty . 168

I. In Conversation .... 168

II. At Table 175

III. In the Dormitory . . .177

IV. In the Cell 178

CHAPTER 1, The Religious State . . . .181

§ 1. Nature of the Religious State . . 181 Inference ...... 184

2. Dignity and Excellence of the Religious State . . . * . . .184 Practical Inferences . . . . 185

Chapter II

Religious Perfection . . . . 186 § 1. Essence of Religious Perfection . . 186 Practical Inferences .... 187 2. Nature of that Charity which constitutes religious Perfection . . . 189 Practical Inferences .... 190

XII

CHAPTER III. page

Grave Obligation of striving- after Perfection ....... 191

1. Whether Religious are required to be

actually perfect 191

2. Whether Religious are obliged under

mortal sin to strive after Religious

Perfection 192

3. In what the Obligation of tending

towards Perfection consists . . 194

Part IV

The Tripple Way . . . . . 200 I. STAGE OF PURGATION . . 203

CHAPTER I.

Penance ......

Nature of Penance .....

• Inference

Necessity of Penance . .

Kinds of Penitential Works .

4,

Motive of Penance . . . . .

CHAPTER II.

Mortification

ARTICLE I. —Mortification in General

Nature of Mortification ....

Division of Mortification

Necessity of Mortification

Fruits of Mortification .... ARTICLE} II. — Mortification in Particular . . . .

XIII

PAGE A. Interior Mortification . . . 224

$ 1. Mortification of the Intellect . . 224

2. Mortification of Self-will and Self-love 227

3. Mortification of the Memory .

4. Mortification of Unruly Passions .

5. Mortification of Human Respect .

B. Exterior Mortification .

§ 1. Mortification of the Sense of Sight

2. Mortification of the Sense of Hearing

3. Mortification of the Sense of Taste

4. Mortification of the Sense of Smell

5. Mortification of the Sense of Touch

6. Mortification of the Tong-ue .

ARTICLE II. — Humility

1. Nature of Humility .

2. Necessity of Humility

3. Additional Incentives to Humility

4. Practice of True Humility

A. Towards God .

B. Towards Others .

5. Signs of False Humility

230 232

236 237 239 240 241 242

II. STAGE OF ILLUMINATION . 244

CHAPTER I.

§ 1. Nature of Virtue ..... 245

2. Division of Virtues 247

3. Manner of Developing Virtues . . 248

CHAPTER II,

ARTICLE I. — Particular Virtues . 250 § 1. Nature of Religious Zeal . . . 250 2. Pure Intention in our Ordinary Actions 252 2. How to Perform our Daily Duties Perfectly 256

4. Means of Performing our Dailv Duties

Perfectlv . . . . . .258

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PAGE

ARTICLE III. — Perfect Conformity of

our Will to the Will of God . . 266

1. Nature of this Virtue . . ' 266

2. Excellence and Necessity of this Virtue 267

3. Motives to Acquire this Conformity . 268

4. Practice and Degree of this Conformity 270

ARTICLE IV. — Resolute Perseverance

in Good . . ' 271

ARTICLE V. — Synopsis of some other Virtue belonging- to the Stag-e of Illumination 272

The Virtue of Religion . . . .272 The Virtue of Prudence .... 274

3. The Virtue of Justice . . . .275

4. The Virtue of Temperance . . . 276 The Virtue of Fortitude . . . .276 The Virtue of Simplicity . . . 277 The Virtue of Meekness .... 278 Religious Friendship and Affability . 282

III. STAGE OF UNION . . .284

CHAPTER I.

1. Union of the Memory with God . . 284

2. Union of the Intellect with God through

Faith 289

3. Union of the Will with God through

Charity 292

PART V. The Religious Vows . . . .295

CHAPTER L

The Vow of Poverty . . . .296

1. Essence of the Vow of Poverty^ . . 296

2. Excellence of Religious Poverty . . 298

3. Advantages of Religious Poverty . . 299

XV

PAGE § 4. Obligations Resulting- from the Solemn

Vow of Poverty 302

5. What thing's a Religious may possess in his own right and name without violating- the Vow of Poverty . . 307

6- On the Permission required that a Religious may receive or dispose of temporal g-oods without violating- the Vow of Poverty 308

7. Superfluous Thing-s 311

8. Degrees of Poverty 312

9. Practice of Poverty in Dress . . 314

10. Practice of Poverty in Diet . . . 315

11. Practice of Poverty in Cell and Furni-

CHAPTER II.

The Vow of Chastity . . . .318 § 1. Nature of Religious Chastity . . 318

2. Obligations assumed through the Vow

of Chastity . . . . ■ . .319

3. Principal Dangers to Chastity . . 320

4. Means of Preserving Chastity . . 325

5. How to behave when actually assailed

by Temptations against Chastity . 329

Chapter III

The Vow of Obedience . . . .332 § 1. Nature of Religious Obedience . . 332

2. "Excellence of the Vow of Obedience . 333

3. Efficacy of Religious Obedience . . 333

4. Security and Peace of Soul Resulting

from Religious Obedience . . . 334

5. To what things Religious Obedience

Extends 335

6. Whom we must obey in Virtue of the

Vow of Obedience .... 337

7. Degrees of Obedience . . . .339

8. Qualities of Religious Obedience . . 342

9. Murmuring 344

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Chapter IV. Page

The Vow of Stability .... 347

§ 1. Nature of the Vow of Stability . . 347

2. Obligations assumed through the Vow

of Stability .349

3. Reasons that may Excuse from L,ocal

Stability 351

4. Some Regulations for such as are sta-

tioned outside the Monastery . . 354

Chapter V

The Vow of Conversion of Morals . 355 § 1. Nature of the Vow of Conversion of

Morals 355

2. Impediments to a thorough Conversion

of Morals 356

PART FIRST. On things which the Novice should

know at the very beginning

of his course in the

Tyrocinium.

§ 1. Nature of the Tyrocinium.

The Tyrocinium is a school of perfection, in which, from principles expressly or otherwise revealed by God, we learn how Religious should serve Him. Hence, whether we consider the dignity of the Teacher, Who is God Himself, or the nature and excellence of the knowledge imparted, which alone is necessary for salvation, we at once infer that the Novice should attend the instructions given in this school

1. with great internal reverence, founded in the firm conviction that in it he will hear nothing else than the manifestations of Divine Wisdom;

2. with great external reverence, knowing that he receives these instructions through his legitimate superior, whom the Holy Ghost uses as His interpreter and organ;

3. with great fervor and spiritual hung-er;

4. with a diligent remembrance of these instructions;

5. with a generous and persevering- application of them;

6. with a holy and salutary fear, lest, if he should neglect these salutary teaching's, the words of the prophet be verified in him: Because thou hast rejected knowledge I will reject thee. (Osee. 4, 6.)

§ 2. Object of the Tyrocinium.

The object of this school is to teach the Novice how to serve God. It teaches him how to perform the duties of his vocation to the religious life, which demands from him not any ordinary service of God, but rather a hig-her and more perfect one, as is evident from the common belief of the Church, as well as from the intrinsic nature and character of the religious life, as outlined in the writing's of the Fathers and even in Sacred Scripture.

This science of perfection in the service of God is so sublime and at the same time so distasteful and repug-nant to corrupt nature, that the Novice must not expect to learn it by his own endeavors; he is therefore provided with a g-uide, a master, whose duty it is not only to teach thoroughly and clearly the principles and maxims of this science, but also to enforce them at all times with fatherly severity.

Inference: The religious Novice should manifest his gratitnde to God for this benign proyidence by earnestly and frequently reflecting upon the object he had in yiew on entering the school of perfection; he should endeayor to bear it in mind continually and striye conscientiously to obtain it; he should apply himself diligently to learn the object and the means necessary to attain it, and seriously question himself whether he is equal to the task. Otherwise he would make himself guilty of a fault against the yirtue of religion by neglecting to learn those things, which belong to the service of God, to which he intends to consecrate himself by his religious profession, or at least he would expose himself to the danger of leading a discontented life in the religious state, by entering upon it without an adequate, practical knowledge of his duties.

§ 3. Means of obtaining the object of the Tyrocinium.

The chief means of attaining this end is a proper study of asceticism. For asceticism is a practical science, which, by means of principles divinely revealed, not only teaches how to avoid sin and practice virtue, but also by means of the evangelical counsels and works of supererogation perfects the morals and leads to a most intimate union of the will with the will of God. It is therefore a science, which teaches man how to serve God in the most sublime and perfect manner. Hence it is only through diligent study that man can arrive at a practical knowledge how to serve God perfectly.

However, that the study of asceticism may produce this desired result, certain conditions and directions must be complied with.

The Novice should devote himself to it

1. with a simple, pure and perfect intention;

2. with an humble and confiding prayer to God for the assistance of His grace;

3. with a lively faith, realizing that these ascetic truths are not the teachings of man, but that they are revealed by God; hence, he must not seek empty erudition and beauty of style, but a thorough conversion of morals in the showing of the spirit and power; (I. Cor. 2, 4.)

4. with a diligent application of the mind and frequent reflection;

5. with a firm resolution of putting into practice the teachings of this practical science and of overcoming all real or apparent difficulties with the assistance of God's grace.

He should often examine himself carefully how he has observed these directions; if he has neglected some he should resolve to comply with them for the future, that so by daily use he may put them into practice and make them his second nature.

§ 4. Aids and Obstacles to progress in the School of Perfection.

The aids are:

1. A practical esteem and fervent love of one's relig-ious vocation;

2. an ardent desire of making- great spiritual progress; this desire is enkindled, nourished and strengthened b}^ daily considering* the manifold favors of God and by keeping* before the eyes of the. soul the examples of the Blessed Virgin and other Saints, particularly of our Order;

3. a perfect self-control;

4. an humble and absolute compliance with every behest of the superior;

5. a pious solicitude to perform all the duties of the spiritual life with an actual reflection on the three points: What is to be done, why and how is it to be done?

6. a firm determination of the will to avoid everything- that is displeasing- to God, to do at all times what is pleasing* to Him, to bear everything- that is distasteful to self-love, to advance continually towards higher perfection.

The obstacles are:

1. Love of the world;

2. sloth, aversion to labor, fear of difficulties and faintheartedness;

3. neglect of earnest mortification interior as well as exterior;

4. carelessness and indifference in the remembrance of the loving* presence of God; "

5. ingratitude for graces and favors received from God and their abuse;

6. reliance upon one's own strength and want of confidence in God;

7. want of childlike love and candor towards the superior;

8. lowmindedness, which contents itself with any commonplace and superficial practice of virtue.

§ 5. What the Novice should avoid and what

he should observe during the time of his

Tyrocinium.

The Novice should avoid

1. all intercourse with the world and worldly minded persons, whether in thought, word or affection;

2. all useless and worldly conversations;

3. all frivolity and petulant frowardness in action or speech, or intercourse with others;

4. all idle and unnecessary roaming* about outside the enclosure of the Novitiate;

5. all excess in eating* and drinking*;

6. all envy, bitterness and dislike of others;

7. all sinister, suspicious and rash judgements;

8. all private and sensual friendships and familiarities.

On the other hand the Novice should endeavor to keep himself well disposed towards God, his neig*hbor and himself

1. by a holy zeal for Divine Service and all spiritual exercises;

2. by manifesting* reverence, respect, fraternal charity, patience, gentleness and humility towards others;

3. by a pure intention, assiduity in prayer and an ardent desire for solid virtue and a hig*h degree of perfection;

4. by a careful attention to little thing's;

5. by a childlike candor, and confidence in his spiritual director.

Let the beg*inner in religious life impress it well upon his mind, that the avoidance of the obstacles to perfection, the use of the means conducive to perfection and the observance of all the rules laid down for the religious life are by no means matters of indifference or of little importance; for these are the criterions by which we must judg*e whether he has a true desire of advancing* in spiritual life. Should he prove himself habitually negligent, slothful and careless in these matters, especially should he do so out of contempt, he would sin against obedience, against justice and against the virtue of religion, lose much valuable time, abuse and lose many graces and fail to avail himself of numberless opportunities of acquiring many and great merits.

§ 6. On the proper Intention, with which the Novice should enter upon his Tyrocinium.

Intention is the deliberate volition of an end. The end, which we strive to attain by our actions, may be good or bad, perfect or imperfect, natural or supernatural; so also the intention may be good or bad, perfect or imperfect, natural or supernatural.

As no one can propose to himself a more perfect or exalted end than God, Who is infinitely amiable, it follows that there can be no more perfect intention than that, which proceeds from perfect charity, whether actual or virtual. In virtue of such an intention all man's actions, even those that are of themselves indifferent, as also those that are agreeable to nature, become meritorious; his sufferings and trials are made conducive unto life everlasting and works that are naturally good become more acceptable to God and supernaturally meritorious to man. The value of such works is still more enhanced when the}' are offered to God through the hands of the Blessed Virgin and in union with the works of Christ. Moreover, when an action is performed with several different good intentions, it increases in merit and will consequently receive a greater reward. Hence the Novice, who is truly in earnest in devoting himself to the service of God, who has a desire for heaven and is solicitous about the welfare of his soul, will not fail to make a perfect intention before entering upon the Tyrocinium, and will endeavor to perform all his actions from pure motives; and in order to preserve and increase his first fervor in striving after perfection, he will often renew his good intentions, especially on days of holy communion.

§7. Characteristics of the true Novice.

St. Benedict in his Holy Rule (chap. 58.) enumerates the following characteristics of the true Novice :

1. That he truly seek God; by a proper intention, by diligent prayer, by a continual practice of mortification, by a manly desire of great and solid virtue, by a perfect renouncement and forgetfulness of the world, by an invincible fortitude in adversity, and by a general exclusion of all human fear and respect;

2. that he shozv a careful solicitude for everything that belongs to the Divine Service; by arranging- everything properly, by preparing himself conscientiously, by observing everything exactly and by doing everything in the fear of God and in humility to the edification of those who hear him;

3. that he show a readiness to obey; by complying scrupulously with all rules, regulations and directions^ even in most trivial matters, by submitting himself in all things to the judgment and will of his superior, by despising self-will, by exhibiting an even temper in everything that may be enjoined upon him, by obeying his inferiors, equals and superiors according to the dictates and spirit of the Holy Rule; (chap. 5. and 71.)

4. that he show a willingness to suffer humiliations ; by accepting injury, reproach, correction and punishment with an even temperament, by bearing all afflictions of body or soul with unbroken patience, by preserving an unruffled calmness of mind in all the vicissitudes of life, by manifesting a holy simplicity in all his actions, by endeavoring to cultivate external and internal humility, saying not only with his lips but from profound conviction that he is the least and meanest of all. (Holy Rule,

chap. 7.)

This, then, is the ideal, before which the young* Novice should examine himself, and according* to which he should fashion himself by removing the stains of a worldly life, till he becomes exactly like the ideal.

This it is what God, religion, the community and the eternal welfare of his soul demand from him; let him therefore study this ideal thoroughly, frequently and with fruit.

PART SECOND. Practical Doctrines, from the faithful

application of which depend the

fruits of the spiritual exercises

and, in general, of the entire

monastic discipline.

The practical endeavor of acquiring* religious perfection, the steady observance of monastic discipline and the faithful performance of the spiritual exercises are so intimately connected with each other, that they necessarily stand or fall together. Hence this second part of the Tyrocinium treats of matters of the greatest importance and the young Novice should concentrate all his energy upon the study and practice of them.

Chapter I

Manner of making Sacramental Confession meritoriously and with fruit.

The validity and effects of the Sacrament of Penance depend to a great extent upon the acts of the penitent ; hence no one can be ignorant or content himself with a superficial knowledge of the nature of these acts and their essential requisites, without exposing* himself to the danger of committing- a great sacrilege.

These acts together with their qualities w T ill now be explained in accordance with safe principles of Theology.

§ 1. Matter of Sacramental Confession.

Penance may be considered as a virtue or as a sacrament. As a virtue it is the same as contrition, which is treated in the next paragraph. As a sacrament it is defined as follows : Penance is a sacrament instituted by Christ, in which the priest, as God's representative, forgives sins when the sinner is heartily sorry for them, sincerely confesses them and is willing- to do penance for them. (Deharbe.) It is in this latter signification that penance forms the subject matter of this chapter.

The matter of this Sacrament is twofold, remote and proximate. The remote matter are only those sins, which have been committed after Baptism. Mortal sins, according to their kind, number and the circumstances, which change the kind of sin, form a necessary matter of confession so long as they have not been properly confessed and remitted through the absolution of the priest. Venial sins, on the contrary, and those mortal sins, which have been already confessed and forgiven, constitute a sufficient, but optional matter of confession.

To be able to distinguish more easily between necessary and optional matter of confession, it is necessary to know that to incur the g-uilt of mortal sin three thing's are absolutely and conjointly required:

1. The matter must be grave either in itself or on account of circumstances;

2. there must be full advertence to the sinfulness of the act or omission;

3. there must be full and perfect consent on the part of the will. (Gury, Comp. Theol. Mor. n. 150.)

The proximate matter of this Sacrament are three acts of the penitent, namely, contrition, confession and satisfaction.

§ 2. Contrition.

Contrition is an interior sorrow and detestation of sin committed^ with the resolution not to sin any more, (Council of Trent, sess. 14. chap. 4.)

Detestation of sin, which is the principal part of contrition, has reference to the past, whilst the resolution has reference to the future. The above definition does not take into consideration the New Law, in which contrition must be accompanied by the will of going- to confession, to make it effective in regard to mortal sin. Hence the Council of Trent subjoins — with the will to do all that is required in order to receive this Sacrament properly.

This is clearly expressed by St. Thomas

when he says that contrition is a sorrow

for sins with the purpose of confessing'

them and making satisfaction for them.

(Suppl. qu. 1. art. 1.)

There are two kinds of contrition, perfect and imperfect. Perfect contrition is that sorrow and detestation of sin, which proceeds from perfect charity ; in other words, it springs from a consideration of the intrinsic goodness of God, on account of which He is infinitely amiable in Himself. Imperfect contrition, which is also called attrition, is a detestation of sin, which proceeds from some other supernatural motive, e. g. from a consideration of the hatefulness of sin or a fear of helL, or a desire of eternal happiness.

Necessity of Contrition.

Perfect contrition with the will of receiving the Sacrament, or imperfect contrition with the actual reception of the Sacrament of Penance are the only means, through which the state of grace can be regained by one, who has committed mortal sin after Baptism. This doctrine is clearly contained in the Scriptures and in the writing's of the Fathers, and reason itself teaches that sin can not be forg-iven without sorrow for it. Hence the Council of Trent says : This act of sorrow was at all times necessary in order to obtain the forgiveness of sin, (sess. 14. chap. 4.) and (sess. 6. chap. 6.) it numbers hatred and detestation of sin, among- the principal dispositions required for justification.

It is clear that the act of contrition must precede or at least co-exist with the absolution itself. Practically speaking-, the act of sorrow must precede the absolution, because the penitent should have all the required dispositions before he presents himself for absolution. It is very advisable to renew the act of contrition immediately before confession, especially if the last act of sorrow has been made a considerable time before confession, althoug-h the act may virtually continue for an entire day or even long-er. Should the penitent, immediately after absolution, confess some mortal sin, which he had forg-otten, it is safer to renew the act of contrition.

Qualities of Contrition.

In order that contrition, whether perfect or imperfect, may effectively dispose the sinner to receive the remission of sin, it must have the following- qualities:

1. It must be interior, according* to the words of God spoken by the mouth of the prophet: Rend your hearts and not your garments; (Joel 2, 13.)

2. it must be supernatural, that is, it must be elicited by the assistance of divine grace and from some supernatural motive made known to man throug*h revelation and in some way drawing* the sinner towards God; for natural -means cannot conduct to a supernatural end. There are five such supernatural motives of contrition, namely: The fear of punishment, the hope of reward, the hatefulness of sin, the goodness of God manifested by His gifts and

favors to man and the goodness of God considered as one of His attributes. When the act of sorrow spring's from any one of these motives as known by the lig*ht of faith and is accompanied by the hope of obtaining* pardon, it is supernatural;

3. it must be supreme, i. e. the sinner must detest his sins more than all other evils that mig*ht befall him, and he must be so disposed that he would choose to lose and suffer everything* rather than to commit sin ag*ain; otherwise his conversion to God would not be entire and without reserve;