Holiness of Life by St. Bonaventure

[Stone]

CHAPTER VIII: FINAL PERSEVERANCE

It is not enough to be virtuous. To be firmly rooted in virtue, to possess virtuous habits, does not render us glorious in God’s sight. Something else is still wanting. To be an object of glory to the eye of God we must possess the culminating virtue, the crown and consummation of all virtues: perseverance. No mortal being whatever, no matter how perfect He may seem, should be praised while he is still living. Let a man be praised not because he has begun a good work but because he has brought it to a good and happy completion. “Perseverance is the end, acme and crown of the virtues. It nurtures and fits one for merit; it leads to and culminates in reward” (S. Bern. Ep. cxxix, 2.)

Hence St. Bernard says, “Take away perseverance and nothing remains. For the fulfilment of duty, the performance of good deeds and the exercise of fortitude will not procure the grace sufficient to obtain eternal praise” (Ibid.) It will avail a man little to have been a religious, to have been patient and humble, devout and chaste, to have loved God and to have exercised himself in all the virtues, if he continues not to the end. He must persevere to win the crown. In the race of the spiritual life all the virtues run, but only perseverance “receives the prize” (1 Cor. ix, 24.) It is not the beginner in virtue but “he that shall persevere unto the end that shall be saved” (Matt. x, 22.) “What is the use of seeds sprouting if afterwards they wither and die?” asks St. Chrysostom (S. Chrys., Hom. xxxiii, 5.) None whatever!

If then, dear spouse of Jesus Christ, your virtues are productive of good works—and I assume that this is so—be sure to continue in your good practices. Persevere in your virtuous habits. Make it a practice ever and constantly to increase in the performance of good works. Wage the war of Christ with all your might. Practise and increase in virtue up to the very moment of death. Then, when your last moment comes and your life is brought to a close, God will give you the crown of honour and glory as the prize and reward of your labour.

Your Best Beloved Lord Jesus Christ has assured you of this. These are His words, written for your instruction by the inspired author of the Apocalypse: “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life” (Apoc. ii, 10.) What is this crown if not the reward of eternal life? The heart of every Christian ought to burn with the desire of winning this reward. In value there is nothing comparable to it; it is priceless. It surpasses the mathematician’s power, says St. Gregory, to count its varying parts and manifold possibilities (Cf. S. Greg. II Hom. on Gospels xxxvii, I.) There is no limit to its duration. It is to be enjoyed eternally. It can never cease.

Your Beloved Spouse Jesus Christ invites you to win this prize, to gain this crown. Listen to what He says to you in the Canticle of Canticles: “Come from Libanus, my Spouse, come my friend from Libanus, come and thou shalt be crowned” (Cant, iv, 8.) “Arise at once,” you who call yourself “the friend” of God, the spouse of Jesus Christ, the best beloved of the Eternal King, “come, make haste” (Cant, ii, 10) to the marriage feast of the Son of God (Cf. Apoc. xix, 9.) “Everything is prepared” (Matt, xxii, 4); the whole court of Heaven awaits you (Cf. S. Bonav. Soliloq.)

Three wonderful joys are prepared for you in the heavenly Kingdom. First, there is a servant of noble lineage, beautiful to look upon, who will be at your beck and call. Second, there is a food of priceless worth and alluring in its sweetness to refresh you. Third, there is a society, sweet and delightful and lovable beyond conception. Such fellowship will intensify your joy.

Arise then and speed with haste to the nuptials, because of the transcendent beauty of the servant who waits to perform your commands. That servant is not one only, for the whole angelic assembly—yes, even the very Son of God will be in readiness to attend to your wants. Listen to what He says of Himself as reported in the Holy Gospel of St. Luke: “Amen, I say to you, that He will gird Himself, and make them sit down at table, and passing, will minister unto them” (Luke xii, 37; Cf. S. Bonav. Soliloq. iv, 12.) Ah, then, indeed great will be the glory of the poor and lowly, to have the Son of God, the Eternal King ministering to their wants and the whole court of Heaven diligently obeying their behests.

A precious, delight-giving food, a food to refresh you, awaits you there. The very Son of God with His own hands will prepare the table. He pledged His word to this, as we read in St. Luke: “I dispose to you, as my Father has disposed to me a Kingdom; that you may eat and drink at my table, in my Kingdom” (Luke xxii, 29 & 30.) Oh, how sweet and luscious is that food which God in all His sweetness has prepared for the poor! (Cf. Ps. lxvii, ii.) Oh, how blessed will he be who eats that food in the Kingdom of Heaven! In the precincts of the virginal womb of Mary that food was prepared by the burning love of the Holy Ghost. “If any man eats of this Bread he shall live forever” (John vi, 52.)

With such food, with such bread the King of Heaven feeds and refreshes His chosen ones. This we are told also in the book of Wisdom. “Thou didst feed Thy people with the food of Angels and gavest them bread from Heaven, prepared without labour, having in it all that is delicious and the sweetness of every taste, and serving every man’s will” (Wisd. xvi, 20, 21.) Such, in a word, is the repast provided at the heavenly table.

There is also a loving and exceedingly lovable fellowship prepared, that your happiness in Heaven may be complete. There the company will be the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, together with Mary and her throng of chaste virgins. There you will dwell with the Apostles, the Martyrs, the Confessors, the whole army of the elect. How altogether miserable it will be for those who fail to be associated with this most noble band! If there is one who does not long to have part in this fellowship, all desire in him must be dead.

You, O most noble handmaid of Christ, I know, desire Christ. You are striving to gain possession of Christ and you are striving with all your might. Your great desire is to languish in the companionship and embraces of the Eternal King.

“Well now, have courage, inflame your heart, arouse your soul, keep your intellect on the alert and think well on what you are able to do. If each good thing separately may furnish delight, reflect how replete with delight must be the good that contains all the delight which all good things can produce collectively. If the life of the creature is good, what goodness must there be in the Creator of life? If the health of the body is an inestimable delight, what is to be said of that Health, that saving Power which is the Author of all health and salvation, whether of soul or body?

“When one possesses this great Good there is no limit to one’s possessions. There is nothing that does not belong to him. Whatever he desires will be his. Whatever he does not want he will not have. In Heaven, undoubtedly, will be found the good things of soul and body—good things such as ‘eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, and that have neither entered into the heart of man’ [I Cor. ii, 9.] Why then do you wander about so much, searching for good things for soul and body? Love the One Only Good. Love the Good in which all other good is contained. That One Good suffices. Long for that Goodness alone which is all that is Good. It is all that you need” (S. Anselm, Proslog. xxiv & xxvi.)

“In Heaven, Mother dear, all that you love, all that you desire is to be found. What is it you love? O loving virgin, on what do you center all the desires of your heart?

“Is it beauty which charms you and claims your love? If so, In Heaven ‘the just shall shine as the sun’ [Matt. xiii, 43.]

“If a long life, a life full of health is what you mostly wish, in Heaven you will realize your desire, for there the righteous shall live forever. ‘The salvation of the just is for evermore’ [Wisd. v, 16; Ps. xxxvi, 39.]

“Is it a complete, a total satisfaction that you crave? If so, ‘there they will be satisfied when the glory of God shall appear’ [Cf. Ps. xvi, 15.]

“Would you be inebriated, intoxicated with delight? ‘They shall be inebriated with the plenty of the house of God’ [Cf. Ps. xxxv, 9.]

“Do you look to be delighted with sweet melody? Well, in Heaven the Angelic Choirs chant in harmony praising God without ceasing.

“Is it in loving friendship you seek your delight? In Heaven the Saints love God more than themselves. So, too, they love each other more than themselves and God loves them infinitely more than they love themselves.

“Should it be peace of heart and union which appeal to you, realise that in Heaven there is no will but the Will of God.

“If honour and riches please you, God ‘will place’ His servants and his handmaids ‘over many things’ [Matt, xxv, 21.] 215 They ‘shall be called,’ and will be indeed, ‘the sons and daughters, the children of God’ [Matt, v, 9.] Where God is there they also shall be who are ‘the heirs indeed of God, and co-heirs with Christ’ [Cf. John xii, 26 and Rom. viii, 17.]” (S. Anselm, Proslog. xxv.)

“Where goodness to such a degree and to such an excess exists, what will be the qualities and extent of the joy there to be found? Certainly, O Lord Jesus, ‘eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither in this life hath it entered into the heart of man’ [I Cor ii, 9] to conceive how Thy Blessed ones will love Thee and rejoice on Thy account when they revel in heavenly bliss” (S. Anselm, Proslog. xxvi.)

Whatever measure men set for their love of God here will be the measure of their rejoicing with God in Heaven. Therefore love God intensely here, and your rejoicing will be intense hereafter. Continue to grow in the love of God here, and afterwards in Heaven you will possess the fullness of eternal joy. “Ponder in mind on the joy of Heaven, talk it over with yourself, love it with all your heart and speak of it to others. Let your soul hunger and your body thirst for it. Long for it with all your being until at last you ‘enter into the joy of your Lord’ [Matt. xxv, 21.]” (S. Anselm, ibid.)

Sigh for it until you fall into the loving embrace of your Spouse and are introduced by Him into His own bridal chamber, where with the Father and the Holy Spirit He lives and reigns, One God, for ever and ever. AMEN.