and ineffectual. He remains really the slave of his attachment. He wills indeed in a sort of way, but only half-heartedly and insincerely.

The third desires to root out thoroughly and effectually every fibre of attachment to his wealth, so as to have no preference either for retaining it or parting with it, save only as God may make His will known to him. He will not indeed actually part with it till he is sure that God would have him do so. But meanwhile he wishes to consider himself as having actually parted with it, and intending not to resume possession of it unless and until he knows that it is God's will that he should do so, striving (S. Ignatius says) not to wish for that, or for any other thing, unless it be solely the service of God our Lord that moves him; so that the desire of being better able to serve God our Lord may be what moves him to take or leave the thing, i.e. the money. This, and this only, is to will sincerely and effectually.

S. Ignatius illustrates the dispositions of these three classes of persons by describing their conduct with regard to wealth, because the exercitant is supposed to be deliberating whether God may not be calling him to poverty in the Religious state. But the Directory (xxix. 7) suggests that we may make use of other illustrations. For example, we may think of three sick persons, each of whom wishes to recover his health. But the first will not take any remedies because of their bitterness, nor submit to an operation because of its painfulness. The second consents to some measure of treatment, provided it is not too irksome or too painful. The third gives himself up entirely to his physician or surgeon, and is ready to do and bear everything which is necessary for a perfect cure.

Other illustrations may be gathered from holy Scripture. Thus we might take for the three points of our meditation: (i) the rich young ruler, who wished to go on to perfection, but could not make up his mind to part with the wealth which hindered him (S. Matt. xix. 16-22); (ii) Judas Iscariot, who went farther and did actually follow our Lord in a life of poverty for a time, but only half-heartedly and insincerely, not really rooting out covetous desires from his heart (S. John vi. 70, 71; xii. 4-6); (iii) S. Matthew, who, when called by our Lord, at once left all, rose up, and followed Him' (S. Luke v. 27, 28).

Or, again, (i) the man who offered to follow our Lord, but on hearing the words 'foxes have holes, etc.,' shrank, as it would

appear, from the poverty of Christ, and gave up his intention; (ii) those other two who were ready to follow Christ, but only with a condition, in the one case, 'Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father,' in the other, 'Let me first go and bid them farewell which are at home at my house,' and our Lord's answer in each case (S. Luke ix. 57–62); (iii) the two pairs of brothers, S. Andrew and S. Peter, and the two sons of Zebedee, who left their ships and nets, and parents and homes, and followed Christ immediately they were called (S. Matt. iv. 18-22; S. Mark i. 16-20; S. Luke v. 1–11).

Or we might make use of our Lord's parable of the sower (S. Matt. xiii. 1-9): only then we should have four classes, instead of three, corresponding to the four kinds of ground upon which the good seed was sown. For of course our Lord intended that we should strive to be like the good ground, in the same way as S. Ignatius desires that if we find ourselves in the first or the second class we should use all our efforts to bring ourselves to the dispositions of the third.

NOTE N

ON THREE MODES OF HUMILITY

The three Modes of Humility are not proposed to us as a meditation with a definite day and hour assigned for making it, but rather as a consideration which we are to keep in mind, and recur to again and again, both in our meditations and at other times, during the whole period in which we are occupied with our Election, whether it be concerned with the choice of a state of life, or with advance towards perfection in that state to which God has already called us. It is by constantly dwelling on the thought of the third Mode that we shall become well affected towards the true doctrine of Christ our Lord, as it is unfolded in the contemplations on the Mysteries of His life, and shall find ourselves drawn on to desire to follow Him in the closest and most perfect manner. Thus these contemplations, if we approach them in the spirit of the third and most perfect Mode of Humility, will put the final touch upon our preparation for the Election, and enable us to make it with a single eye, looking only to the end, i.e. the glory of God and our own salvation. See Preamble to making the Election, p. 125.

The Directory (xxiii. 3) warns us that the second Mode, which

involves perfect indifference to creatures, is a necessary condition of making an Election at all, so that unless we have attained to it the whole matter of the Election must be relinquished, or deferred till by further use of the Exercises we have come to better dispositions.

But the third Mode is by far the best and safest disposition for making it aright. For, in the first place, it ensures that we really have attained to the second, a matter in which we may easily deceive ourselves, imagining that we are perfectly indifferent to all created things when in fact we are not, but are secretly wishing that God would come over to what we desire, like those whom S. Ignatius describes in the second of the Three Classes. But if we have reached the third Mode, so as to desire, out of love to our Lord and the wish to imitate Him, to advance beyond mere indifference and to choose rather those things which are difficult and repugnant to nature, praying at the same time that He would call us to the actual practice of them, then there can be no delusion. Self-love and all carnal and worldly desires will be effectually contradicted and set aside, and we shall be ready both to recognize and to accept the call to the life of evangelical perfection, if our Lord should give it. And in the second place, if any one, having attained to this third Mode and using rightly the methods of Election taught by S. Ignatius, should decide to remain in the common state of obedience to the commandments, he will be able to enjoy great peace and quiet of mind in that state, because he has chosen it only after he has come to see that, though he was ready and desirous to embrace the life of the counsels, God wills that he should remain where he is.

From all that has been said in explanation of these Exercises of the Second Week we may see the gradual steps by which S. Ignatius leads us on to that perfect subjugation of all inordinate affections, which is necessary if we are to have a clear perception of the will of God while making our Election.

The first step is a deliberate and firm purpose to follow Christ our Lord in the spirit of poverty, and in actual poverty if He should deign to call us to such a life and state (Kingdom of Christ).

The second is an ardent desire to imitate Christ in the closest way, and a sincere prayer that we may be received under His Standard in the highest degree of the spirit of poverty, and not

less in actual poverty, and in bearing reproaches, contempt and injuries, if that should be His will (Two Standards).

The third, which tests the sincerity and reality of the two former steps, is to have such a genuine desire to embrace actual poverty that we would at once do so were it not that we are still uncertain whether it is God's will for us. And meanwhile, so long as the uncertainty remains, we wish to consider ourselves as having actually parted with our possessions, and as intending not to resume them, unless God plainly shows that it is His will that we should do so (third of the Three Classes).

The fourth is a desire and purpose, God willing, to choose by preference poverty and humiliations with Christ, out of pure love for Him, and the desire to imitate Him as closely as possible, even though, in other respects, it might seem that the retention of wealth and honours would be as much for His service and glory as our parting with them (third Mode of Humility).

This is the disposition which S. Ignatius considers the most fit for seeking and finding the will of God in our Election (Directory xxiii. 4, 5).

It is also the highest point of that heavenly doctrine with which S. Ignatius instructs us, 'not in wisdom of words' (1 Cor. i. 17, R.V.), for he was a man altogether unlettered when he set down in writing the first rough draft of these Exercises. He speaks not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: but the wisdom of God in a mystery' (1 Cor. ii. 6, 7), the wisdom which our Lord revealed when He said: 'If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me' (S. Matt. xvi. 24).

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For in truth in this third Mode of Humility S. Ignatius teaches nothing else 'save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified' (1 Cor. ii. 2), in whom,' indeed, are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge' (Col. ii. 3). Like S. Paul he preaches 'Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks,' and especially to all who are called to the perfect following of Christ in the Religious state, 'Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men (1 Cor. i. 23–25). For what indeed is weaker or more foolish, in the world's judgment, than this voluntary

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choice of poverty, shame, and contempt in order to be more like Christ? And yet there is in it a wisdom and a strength beyond all human calculation. For God hath chosen the foolish things of the world' (such as those who aspire to this third Mode of Humility) to confound the wise; and the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world, and things which are despised, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are' (the powers, that is, of the world, the flesh and the devil), that no flesh should glory in His presence' (1 Cor. i. 27, 28).

Thus it is that this third Mode of Humility is the culminating point of that perfection to which S. Ignatius leads us. If we attain to it we shall have found that treasure hid in the field of the Exercises, which will be cheaply purchased at the cost of all that we possess.

NOTE O

ON THE FORM OF THE EXERCISES OF THE SECOND AND FOLLOWING WEEKS

Although strictly speaking the Second Week begins with the contemplation on the Incarnation, yet it will be convenient to treat the meditation on the Kingdom of Christ as belonging to it. It is in fact, as the Directory points out (xix. 1), a kind of introduction to, or new foundation for, all the ensuing Exercises both of this and of the following Weeks. See also Note 1, p. 76.

Counting it then, for our present purpose, as one of them, we notice that the Exercises of the Second Week fall into two classes. Certain of them contain, especially in their colloquies, a series of steps by which the exercitant is led on to the third Mode or Degree of Humility, which is at once the highest point of perfection, and 'the best of all possible dispositions for making a good Election. To this class belong the Exercises on the Kingdom of Christ, the Two Standards, the Three Classes, and the three Modes of Humility. These, because of their great importance, are sometimes called the capital or cardinal meditations. 1 They are indeed the very soul of the Exercises, and the truths which they teach and the affections which they 1 Among the capital meditations should be reckoned also the Principle and Foundation with which the Exercises begin.