And never to despair of God’s mercy (IV:IV)

21 Jan. 22 May. 21 Sept.
62. Daily to fulfil by one’s deeds the commandments of God.
63. To love chastity.
64. To hate no man.
65. Not to give way to jealousy and envy.
66. Not to love strife.
67. To fly from vainglory.
68. To reverence the Seniors.
69. To love the juniors.
70. To pray for one’s enemies in the love of Christ.
71. To make peace with an adversary before the setting of the sun.
72. And never to despair of God’s mercy.

Behold, these are the tools of the spiritual craft, which, if they be constantly employed day and night, and duly given back on the day of judgment, will gain for us from the Lord that reward which He Himself hath promised – “which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard; nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive what God hath prepared for them that love Him.” And the workshop where we are to labour at all these things is the cloister of the monastery, and stability in the community.

It is with a little sadness and regret that, three times a year, I see that we have come to the end of Chapter IV. Why sadness and regret? The richness of the Instruments of Good Works is such that I should like to have one day dedicated to each of them; this would mean, of course, that we would spend 72 days of the year meditating the Instruments of Good Works, and would not have enough time to read the remainder of the Holy Rule. My consolation is that Chapter IV will return again and again, three times yearly and that, in the time allotted me by God, I may be able to say something about each one of the 72 instruments.

63. To love chastity.

I find that this particular instrument, “To love chastity”, is related to the precept of the Apostle, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4). Chastity is the joyful virtue. I have never known a chaste man to be profoundly unhappy, and I have never know an unchaste man to be profoundly happy. Chastity is a beautiful virtue. It is beautiful because it is an anticipation of heaven, “for in the resurrection,” says Our Lord, “they shall neither marry nor be married; but shall be as the angels of God in heaven” (Matthew 22:30). Chastity, because it is beautiful, is worthy of love. The man who arrives at chastity discovers a fountainhead of supernatural joy.

Cassian, with his customary insight, uncovers the hidden roots of unchastity. Unchastity is not a root sin; it is a symptomatic sin. Unchastity reveals an underlying pathology rooted in anger and in greed. Cassian explains that when Our Lord says, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land” (Matthew 5:4), He is speaking of the good and fruitful land that is chastity. And so Cassian comments:

There is no other way for us to gain possession of our own land, I mean to reduce the rebellious territory of this body to our control, than by first establishing our thoughts in patient meekness. (Conference XII, 6)

Similarly, the man driven by greed, will not enter into possession of chastity because chastity is a  heavenly virtue, and those who live in chastity anticipate the life of the kingdom of heaven. The greedy man is self–centred and grasping. His goal is to lay claim to whatever strikes his fancy in order to use it for his own gratification. The man who is poor in spirit is content to wait on God with empty hands. The psalmist says, “Delight in the Lord, and he will give thee the requests of thy heart” (Psalm 36:4). The greedy man is not free to receive the heavenly gift that is chastity. He is encumbered by his possessions, and absorbed in procuring the satisfaction of his wants.

From Cassian’s doctrine, it becomes clear that Saint Benedict’s injunction, Castitatem amare, “To love chastity”, cannot be understood but in reference to the Beatitudes. Cassian says:

The more placid and patient your heart is, the more easily will you advance in physical purity; the longer you admit the emotion of anger, the more difficult it will be for you to attain chastity.(Conferences XII, 6)

Chastity comes, in effect, after poverty in spirit; after the meekness that is freedom from anger; after tears of compunction; after hungering and thirsting for the justice that is a participation by grace in the holiness of God; after having learned mercy, and after having received mercy. Chastity does not flourish in a vacuum; it requires the climate of the Beatitudes.