WE may truly say, and all those who knew Father De Andreis most intimately can bear witness to our words, that the continual business of his life was to die to himself by means of the most severe and universal mortification, so that he might attach himself the more closely to the cross of his Lord. His resolutions were constantly directed to discover in his heart the slightest disorderly tendencies, and to over\u00adcome them by means of holy mortification. It will suffice here to give some of these re\u00adsolutions; they will enable us to gain some idea of the extent to which he possessed this virtue.<\/p>\n
“Considering my conduct up to the pres\u00adent moment, it appears to me that the little good I do is adventitious. I seem to have no inward fervor, and am like a tree on which are hung flowers and fruits that do not belong to it, because it has not suffici\u00adent vigor to produce them from its own sap. I do good as if by compulsion, and not from any interior energy. In one word, I see plainly that the old Adam is living, like an immense giant, within me, while Jesus Christ is but a mere child, if he is in me at all. I must then combat valiantly against this old Adam, exterminate, de\u00adstroy him, so that Jesus Christ may abide in me. Tantum, proficies quantum tibi ipsi vim intuleris.”<\/i><\/p>\n
The following are some resolutions which he took on the feast of Corpus Christi:<\/p>\n
“RESOLUTIONS.-MOTIVES.<\/p>\n
“1. God has frequently called me to the dignity of union by making me experience the delights of his divine love, so that I may be entirely detached from myself; and, seeing that I have not yet fully resolved to do away with my. self-love, and embrace mortification, which is the foundation of this union, he permits me to be assailed by truly frightful temptations, which, like so many scourges of his love, forcibly impel me to do what he desires. . . . 0 how great is his goodness!<\/p>\n
“2 In order to divest myself fully of all these imperfections, experience has thaught me that there is no better means than to put on a spirit of universal mortification.<\/p>\n
“3 To succeed in the sacred functions of our ministry, and to overcome those de\u00adfects which I know are innate in my heart, a high degree of divine union is absolutely necessary, which cannot be attained with\u00adout this mortification.<\/p>\n
“4. Having placed myself last evening unreservedly at the feet of the most Holy Virgin, asking her to show me a path by which I might escape from the darkness around me and save my soul, it seemed that she laid the cross upon me and said : ‘Attach thyself to this and never leave it.’<\/p>\n
“I resolve then and purpose that it shall be the principal end of this retreat, to em\u00adbrace this virtue of mortification, and to place myself upon the cross in such a manner as never to descend from it during my life. But, to enter into particulars, I especially resolve upon the following ar\u00adticles :<\/p>\n
“MORTIFICATION OF THE IMAGINATION AND MEMORY.<\/p>\n
“1. To attend carefully to the presence of God, but without anxiety or constraint; to reject every useless, foolish, or curious thought, or any idea which is not of evident utility.<\/p>\n
“2. In prayer, and particularly while re\u00adpiting the Divine Office, I will exactly execute the resolutions which I took in the retreat of r8ir.<\/p>\n
“THE JUDGMENT AND UNDERSTANDING.<\/p>\n
“Avoid all curious investigation, and submit cheerfully to the opinion of others whenever my conscience does not require me to act otherwise. Submit especially to the judgment of my superiors, and prin\u00adcipally with regard to what I am told in my communications about despising those in\u00adterior troubles to which I am liable.<\/p>\n
“THE WILL.<\/p>\n
“Observe minutely every point of the rule; above all, what is said in Art. 3, Chapter 2, on Conformity to the will of God.<\/p>\n
“THE TONGUE.<\/p>\n
“1. Love silence, and never speak but when the rule prescribes it.<\/p>\n
“2 Even in time of recreation avoid much talkativeness.<\/p>\n
“3 Never speak of myself but through necessity and then with humility and such caution, that self-love may lose more than it gains by what I say. This refers par\u00adticularly to anything concerning ccuntry, friends, relations, and similar subjects.<\/p>\n
“4 Never make a display of learning by speaking on scientific or religious sub\u00adjects without necessity; and when it is re\u00adquisite to do so, act in such a manner that humility will not be the loser by it.<\/p>\n
“5 Never despise or accuse any one; but, on the contrary, esteem and excuse all, reserving contempt for myself alone.<\/p>\n
“THE TASTE.<\/p>\n
“1. Refrain entirely from any kind of food for which I may feel excessive liking; this is to be understood, also, of everything else towards which my natural inclination might lead me with too much ardor.<\/p>\n
“2 Never empty a plate unless it be through real necessity.<\/p>\n
“3 Make a little offering of some of those morsels which are most pleasing to the taste, with the interior disposition to deprive myself of the whole, if it were the holy will of God.<\/p>\n
“THE HEARING, SIGHT AND SMELL.<\/p>\n
“Deny myself any satisfaction not ab\u00adsolutely necessary, or at least useful; and even then direct my intention to God.<\/p>\n
“THE TOUCH AND BEHAVIOR.<\/p>\n
“1. Sleep upon straw, and maintain a modest position while sleeping.<\/p>\n
“2 Bridle any natural impetuosity, and endeavor to walk and act with gravity, modesty and humility, seeking always the last place.<\/p>\n
“3 Bear patiently the molestations of insects which are so troublesome to me, and consider that they are to take the place of hair-cloth.<\/p>\n
“4 Always find some means of remain\u00ading on the cross, either in one way or an\u00adother, and seek a subject of mortification in everything.<\/p>\n
“These resolutions are difficult, but I hope to find them easy in practice; it is God who has inspired them ; it belongs then to him to give me the grace to execute them, and the most holy Mary will ask this for me. On my part, I will make use of the following means :<\/p>\n
“1 To meditate on them frequently, and read the lives of those saints that are most likely to inspire me with love of mor\u00adtification.<\/p>\n
“2 To examine myself very often on these points, and allow no fault to go un\u00adpunished.<\/p>\n
“3 To pray to our Lord that he will vouchsafe to strengthen me to carry my cross, and not permit me to live another moment according to the suggestions of nature. Fortis est rat moss dilectio.”<\/i><\/p>\n
Although this practice of mortification traced out by rather De Andreis might seem, to a less fervent soul, incapable of receiving any increase, he nevertheless car\u00adried it out still further by renouncing those very delights which are sometimes felt, and very often sought after, in the things of God. Let us see what he writes on this subject:<\/p>\n
“I must also remove from my mind an\u00adother illusion, which consists in imagining that I can enjoy, in this miserable life, such permanent love and affection for good works, that I shall meet with no obstacle in the performance of them, but on the con\u00adtrary, experience great pleasure. If such were the case, those words of our Saviour, that we are to take tip our cross and carry it every day, deny ourselves, and, by means of great suffering, enter into the kingdom of God, would be false.<\/p>\n
“Certain delights belong to heaven, and Divine Goodness gives some of them to us at times in this life, as a fortaste of celestial joy, and that we may be incouraged to suffer. To wish that perficiatur in te, <\/i>is to desire what can only be fulfilled in para\u00addise. Ever to pray, and to mortify oneself unceasingly, these are the means which render virtue and the practice of good works easy. Leaving all, however, to the will of God, I have taken, as it seems to me by his inspiration, a strong resolution :<\/p>\n
“1. As the desire of spiritual delights and the loss of the same cause much per\u00adturbation in my soul;<\/p>\n
“2 As they are sometimes snares set by self-love and pride, accompanied with much risk of illusion;<\/p>\n
“3 As they produce in me a certain spiritual concupiscence, which, not being satisfied in the spirit, sometimes seeks other delights, and is transformed into con\u00adcupiscence of the flesh, which gives me much trouble;<\/p>\n
“4 As the sweets of God are not God himself, and, when too much sought after, prevent one from saying with truth, Deus mews et omnia, <\/i>and from being united with God alone;<\/p>\n
“5 As the renunciation of these delights will render me less sensitive to those of an inferior kind, and will bind me more closely to the cross;<\/p>\n
“I have resolved: To relinquish all spiritual joys even unto death. <\/i>I mean that I will not seek after them, desire, or ask for them, nor aspire to them in any way whatsoever, believing myself to be totally unworthy of such favors.”<\/p>\n
The end that Father De Andreis had in view by so much mortification, was solely to become more surely and intimately united with God, and to acquire that ardent charity which cannot exist without com\u00admunicating its flame to others, and promot\u00ading their salvation by the complete sacrifice of self ; so that one may say with the Apostle, Optabam ego ipse anathema esse a Christo pro fratribus meis. <\/i>Rom. ix. 3.<\/p>\n
“Truly,” he writes in 1814, “no one is more ready to love his neighbor, as he should, purely through charity, as one who considers himself tanquam mortuus a corde hominum. <\/i>Under the specious pretext of charity, the desire to oblige, politeness, civility, how much chaff of secondary motives lies concealed! (No. 8.) In order that the flame which burns within my breast may inflame the hearts of others, it must first consume and purify my own; fire never spreads, but merely sends forth some little heat, until it has devoured all the materials which immediately surround it. I must then co-operate with this flame and help it to destroy the old man, by removing everything that might serve to strengthen his ’empire.”<\/p>\n
If we judge him by his own description of the flame of the love of God, we may truly say that it was strong within him, as he was enabled to spread it among so many souls who were total strangers to it. “Any one whose vocation it is to labor for the salvation of others,” says Father De An\u00addreis in his 44th Number, “must be like a ray that is reflected from another body; the heart should first proceed directly to God, and from him return to mingle with creatures, by conversing with them, preach\u00ading to them and counselling them in their difficulties. Then it is that one works securely, with purity of intention, zeal and success, because the blessing of God accom\u00adpanies him, according to those words of the Psalmist : Beatus vir cujus voluntas in lege Domini; omnia qaecumque faciet prospera\u00adbuntur.”<\/i><\/p>\n
Such being the principles that actuated Father De Andreis, it is easy to understand how he renounced, not only all his wordly expectations, but those likewise which the Congregation offered him, and found him\u00adself happy in the midst of labor, sacrifices, infirmities, and even persecutions. “Esteem, honor, (No. 33,) food, rest, etc., all these things should be for me arbitror ut stercora ut Christum lucri fitciant. I <\/i>must not, for one imoment, allow my mind to rest on them, as they do not concern me in the least. Quid ad te? tu me sequere. <\/i>This is what I have to do : follow Jesus Christ in the sublime ministry to which it has pleased him to call me ; considering as ad\u00addressed to myself those words which he spoke in the gospel to one, who, before following him, wished to bury his dead father ; relinque mortuos .sepelire mortuos suos, et tu vade et annuntia regnum Dei. <\/i>0 my God! what a glorious destiny! to traffic for souls, enter into partnership with the incarnate son of God, in his own especial calling ; to extend the kingdom of God and destroy that of the demon and sin; to convert souls to God, enlighten and bring them back into the paths of virtue and sal\u00advation ; to guide them to their first principle and last end ! 0 my God ! et unde hoc mihil <\/i>How much has the Almighty ac\u00adcomplished in my soul, to render me fit for so noble an employment! Would it not be a shame if one called to so sublime a min\u00adistry were to give himself up to vanity and worldly enjoyments? if he were to seek earthly honors, weep over the death of butterflies, or amuse himself by breaking spiders’ webs! Duc in altum, due in altum, et laxate retia vestra in capturam\u2014non in capturam auri vel argenti, vel vanitatis, sed in capturam animarum.”<\/i><\/p>\n