I. The Psychology of the Passions Here we but recall briefly what is explained at length in Psychology. 785. i Notion. Passions are vehement movements of the sensitive appetite toward sensible good, reacting more or less strongly on the bodily organism. a) At the bottom of passion, therefore, there is a certain knowledge, at least a sense-knowledge, of a good hoped for or already possessed, or of an evil opposed to the said good. From this knowledge spring the movements of the sensitive appetite. B) These movements are vehement and thus differ from affective conditions, pleasant or unpleasant, which are calm, peaceful, and free from the eagerness and the violence found in passion. e) It is precisely because they are vehement and act strongly upon the sensitive appetite that they have,their reaction upon the physical organism. This is due to the close union that exists, between body and soul. Thus, anger causes blood to rush to the brain and strains the nerves; fear causes us to turn pale; love dilates the heart and fear contracts it. These physiological effects do not reach the same degree in all subjects. they depend upon the individual temperament and the intensity of passion itself, as well as upon the measure of control acquired over self. 786. Passions differ from sentiments, which are movements of the will, and which presuppose, therefore, an intellectual knowledge; although they are strong, they lack the violence of passions. Thus there is a passion of love, and a sentiment of love, a passionate fear and an intellectual fear. We may add that in man, a rational animal, the passions and the sentiments almost invariably blend in varying proportions, and that is is through the will aided by grace that we transform the most ardent passions into lofty sentiments by bringing the former under the sway of the latter. 787. Their Number. Eleven are generally enumerated, all of which proceed from love, as Bossuet lucidly shows : Our other passions refer but to love, love which embodies or stimulates them., 1) Love, is a yearning for union with a person or thing that pleases us ; we thereby crave possession of it. 2) Hatred is an eagerness to rid ourselves of what displeases us ; it is born pf love in the sense that we hate that which militates against what .we love. We hate disease only because we love health ; we hate no one, except those who place an obstacle to our possessing what we love. , 3) Desire is a quest for an absent good and proceeds from the fact , that we love that good. . 4) Aversion (or flight) makes us shun or repel approaching evil. . 5) Joy is the satisfaction arising from a present good. , 6) Sadness, on the other hand, makes us grieve over and shrink from a present evil. . . 7) Courage (daring) makes us strive after union with the objept loved, the acquisition of which is difficult. 8) Fear prompts us to shrink from an evil difficult to avoid. ; 9) Hope eagerly bears us toward the thing loved, the acquisition- of which is possible, though difficult. 10) Despair arises in the soul when the, acquisition of the object loved seems impossible, .. 11) Anger violently repels what hurts us, and incites the desire >of revenge. . . The first six passions which take rise in what is called the concupiscible appetite, are generally, known to modern psychologist as pleasure-passions; the other five, proceeding from what is, termed the irascible appetite, go by the name of aggressive passions. II.The Effects of the Passions 788. The Stoics assumed that the passions were radically evil and must be annihilated. The Epicureans deified the passions and loudly proclaimed the necessity of obeying them; modern Epicureans reecho their cry in saying that life must he lived. .Christianity shuns these two extremes. Nothing, it holds, that God has bestowed on our nature, is evil. Our Lord Himself had well-ordered passions. He loved not only with His will, but with His heart; He wept over dead Lazarus and over faithless Jerusalem; He let Himself be roused to righteous indignation; He felt fear, underwent sadness and weariness; yet He knew how to keep these passions under the control of the will and subordinate them to God. When, on the contrary, passions are ill-ordered they are productive of the most : harmful results. 1 Hence, they must be mortified and disciplined. 789, The Effects of ill-ordered Passions; Passions are said to be ill-ordered ;when directed towards some sensible good which is forbidden, or even towards/a good which is lawful, but is pursued with too much eagerness and without any reference ,to Go.d. Such ill-regulated passions have the following effects : a) They .produce blindness of soul, for heedless of reason, they move headlong toward their object, led on by attraction or by. pleasure. This constitutes a disturbing factor which tends to .unbalance our judgment and becloud right reason, The. sensitive appetite is by nature blind; and should the soul allow itself to be guided by it, it will likewise become blind. The soul then, instead of being guided by duty, allows itself to be fascinated by the pleasure of the. moment; it is as if a cloud stood between it and the truth. Blinded by the passions, the soul no longer sees clearly the will of God, the duty to be fulfilled ; it is no longer competent to form a sane judgment. 790. b) Ill-ordered passions weary and torture the soul. .. i) The passions, says St. John of the Cross, I are as impatient little children that can never be pleased, that ask their mother now for this, now for that, and are never satisfied. A miser tires of digging in vain for a treasure; likewise ; the soul wearies of seeking what its appetites demand. If one of these appetites is satisfied, others arise and wear us out, because they cannot all be satisfied... Appetites afflict the soul, enervate it and trouble it as the wind agitates the sea. 2) Hence, a suffering, all the more intense, the more ardent the passions, for they torture the soul until they are satisfied, and just, as the appetite for food is whetted by eating, so the passions ever crave for; more. v If conscience offers resistance, they lose patience, they fret, they importune the will to yield to their ever-recurring desires. This is an unspeakable torture. 791. C) Ill-ordered passions also weaken the ..will. Drawn hither and thither by these rebellious passions, the will is forced to scatter its efforts in every direction and by so doing to lessen its strength. Every concession it makes to the passions increases their demands and diminishes its own energies, Like the useless, rapacious, parasitic shoots that sprout round the trunk of a tree, uncontrolled appetites grow and sap the strength of the soul. A time comes when the weakened soul becomes the prey of laxness and lukewarmness and is ready to make any surrender^ 792. d) : Ill-ordered passions, lastly, blemish the soul. When the soul, yielding, to the passions, joins itself to creatures it lowers: itself to their level. Instead of .being- the faithful image of God it takes on the likeness of, the things to which it clings; specks of, dust, blots of grime sully its beauty and impede a perfect union with God. I do not hesitate to affirm, says St. John of the Cross, that one single disordered passion, even if it lead not to mortal sin, is enough to cause the soul such a state of darkness, ugliness and uncleanness, that it becomes, incapable of intimate union with God so long as it remains a slave of this passion. What . then shall we say of: the soul, that is marred by the ugliness of all its passions, that is a prey to all its appetites? At what infinite distance will it not be from; divine purity? -Neither words nor arguments .can make us understand the divers stains.which all .these appetites create in the. soul. Each one of. them in. its own way .places its share of filth and ugliness in the soul. 793. Conclusion. If we wish, then, to attain to union with God, we must repress all inordinate movements of the passions even the most trifling; for perfect union with. God presupposes that there be nothing. in us contrary to the, divine will, no wilful attachment to creatures or to self. The moment we deliberately allow any passion to lead us astray, this perfect union no longer exists. This is especially true of habitual attachments. These. paralyze the will even if they bd in themselves trivial. St. John of the Cross says that it makes little difference whether a bird be tied by a thin thread or a heavy cord ; it cannot fly until either be broken. 794. Advantages of well-ordered passions. Passions are helpful when they are well-ordered, that is, when they are directed towards good, when they are controlled and made subservient to the, will of God. They are live, powerful forces that stir our mind and will to action arid thus render them signal help. : , . , a) They act upon the mind by stimulating our. ambition to work, our desire to know the. truth. When we are passionately interested in any object, we are on the alert to know all about it; our minds grasp the truth more readily; the impression made upon our memory is more lasting. An inventor, for instance, burning with love for his country works with greater zest, perseverance and insight because of the very fact that he, wants to serve his country. Iii like manner a student inspired by the high purpose of putting his knowledge at the service of his countrymen makes greater efforts and obtains greater results. But above all, he who passionately loves Jesus Christ, will study the Gospel with greater zeal, understand it better and. relish it more; the words of the Master are for him so many oracles that shed upon his soul a glowing light. 795. b) Well-ordered passions, likewise, exert their influence upon the will, grouping and multiplying its energies. Whatever is done out of love, is done more thoroughly, more whole-heartedly, pursued more perseveringly and attended by greater success. What does not a loving mother do to save her child? What acts of heroism does not patriotism inspire? A Saint in whom love for God and for souls is a passion balks at no effort, at no sacrifice, at no humiliation if he can but save his brethren. Undoubtedly, it is the will which dictates such acts of zeal, but it is a will inspired, stimulated, and sustained by a hallowed passion. When both the sensitive and intellectual appetites, that is. to say, when the heart and the will join forces and work along the same lines, the attendant results are evidently of far greater import and much more lasting. Hence, the importance of knowing -how to put the. passions to good use. III. The Good Use of the Passions After recalling the psychological principles that will make our task easier, we shall, show how evil passions are resisted, how passions are directed towards good, and how they are controlled. i PSYCHOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES TO BE APPLIED . 796. To attain mastery over the passions, we must, first of all, count on the grace of God and, therefore, on prayer and the Sacraments; but we must also employ the sound tactics furnished by psychology. a) Every idea tends to evoke a corresponding act, especially if the idea is attended by live emotions and associated -with strong convictions. Thus -the thought of sensual pleasure, vividly depicted by the imagination, provokes a sensual desire, often a sensual act. On the other hand, the thought of noble deeds and their happy results excites the desire of performing such acts. This is especially true of the idea that does not remain cold, colorless, abstract, but, accompanied by sensitive images, becomes concrete, real and thereby captivating. It is in this sense that we can say that thought \s power, a dynamic force, the beginning of action. If then,: we are, .to master our illordered passions, we must cautiously banish every thought, every fancy that presents evil pleasure in an attractive guise; and, if we want to foster well-ordered passions or good sentiments, we must welcome the thoughts and the images that picture the beautiful side of . duty, of virtue, and we must make these as vivid and as concrete as possible. 797. b) The influence of an idea abides as long as that idea is not obliterated and supplanted by a stronger one. Thus sensual desire continues to make itself felt so long as it is not driven out by some nobler thought which takes possession of the soul. Hence, if we would be rid of such desires we must through some reading or engaging study apply: ourselves to an entirely different or to an absolutely contrary trend of thought; and should we wish tostrengthen some good desire, we must dwell on it and think of such things as will tend to feed it. C) The influence of an idea grows by being associated with correlative ones that enrich and broaden it. Thus the thought and the desire of saving our soul grow more intense and more active if associated with the idea of working for the salvation of our brethren. The life of St. Francis Xavier is a striking example of this. / 798. d) Lastly, an idea attains its maximum power, when it becomes habitual, absorbing, a sort of fixed idea, the motive-power of action. This is exemplified in the sphere of the natural by the single-mindedness of those who hold , but one purpose in view, for instance, that of bringing about some particular discovery; in the realm of the supernatural ,it is .illustrated by those who are deeply impressed by somev Gospel-truth which becomes the ruling principle of their life, for example : Sell what thou hast and give to the poor. What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul? For to me, to live is Christ. We must, therefore, aim at burying deep into. our souls some directing thoughts, and then embody them in a maxim that makes them real and keeps them ever before our mind, such as : My God and my all! To the greater glory of God! God alone suffices! He who possesses Jesus, possesses all things! To be with Jesus is a sweet paradise! With a .motto of this kind, we shall more easily triumph over ill-ordered passions and make a right use of well ordered ones. How TO WAGE WAR AGAINST ILL-ORDERED PASSIONS . 799. As soon as we are .aware of any ill-ordered movement of the soul, we must .have recourse to every .natural and supernatural means to stay and curb it. , : a) From the outset, we should with the help of grace avail ourselves of the power of inhibition wielded by the will to thwart such motion. ,> We should avoid exterior acts and gestures which would but stimulate or intensify passion. Thus, if we feel roused .to anger, we should avoid excited gestures, and words, holding our peace until calm is , restored; if it be question of a too ardent attachment to some person, .we should avoid any meeting, any conversation with that, person, and above all, we should refrain from showing, even in an indirect way, the affection we feel. In this wise, passion gradually subsides. .v 800. p b) If it be question of some pleasure-passion one must strive to forget the object of that passion. In order to accomplish this : i) one must apply the mind and the imagination to any wholesome activity apt to divert attention from the object of passion; one must seek to engage, all the powers of the mind on some absorbing subject of study, oh the, solution .of some question Or problem, or find distraction in play, social intercourse, conversation, walks, etc... 2) Then, when calm ensues one should have recourse to such moral considerations as may- strengthen the will against the allurement of pleasure : considerations of the natural order, such as the untoward consequences, for the present and the future, with which a dangerous attachment, a too sentimental friendship may be fraught (n. 603); but above all, one should appeal to supernatural considerations, for instance, that it is impossible , to advance in the way of perfection so long as we cling to such attachments, that these are but chains we forge for ourselves, that we thereby risk our salvation, that through_our fault scandal may.be given, etc. If-it be some aggressive passion with which we have to deal, anger for example, we must first of all, through instant flight, allow the passion time to cool ; then we can take the offensive, face the difficulty, convince ourselves through1 rational considerations and chiefly through motives of faith that it is unworthy of man, unworthy of a Christian .to yield himself a willing prey to anger or to hatred; that -serenity, self-control is the highest^ the noblest course to follow, the one most , consistent with the Gospel. e) Lastly, positive acts* directly Opposed to /the harassing .passion must be elicited. .. . .,- If we experience dislike for any one we must act as if we wished to .gain his good graces, strive to serve him, be amiable towards him; and above all pray for him. Nothing so empties the heart of all bitterness as an earnest prayer offered for an enemy. If, on.the contrary, .we feel a too ardent affection for any one we shall avoid his company or, if this be impossible, treat him with that cold formality, that sort of courteous indifference wherewith we treat the rank and file of human, beings These contrary acts finally succeed in weakening passion. THE DIRECTION OF PASSIONS TOWARDS GOOD 802. We have said that the passions are not in themselves evil ; all can without exception be turned to good. a) Love and joy can be directed towards pure and lawful family affection, towards good and supernatural friendship, but chiefly towards Our Lord, Who is the most tender, the most generous, the most devoted of friends.. This, .then, is what matters most, that we center our hearts .on Him by reading, meditation, and by actually carrying out in our lives the teachings contained in the two chapters .of the Following of Christ, On the love of Jesus above all things and On familiar friendship with Jesus?, two chapters which have proved a potent source of, inspiration to many souls. b) Hatred and aversion can be turned against sin, against vice, and against whatever leads to them, in order that we may loathe them and fly from them: I have hated iniquity. C) Desire :is transformed into lawful ambition; into the natural ambition of doing honor to ones family, ones country, and into the supernatural ambition of becoming a saint, an apostle. , d) Sadness, instead of degenerating into melancholy, becomes; a sweet resignation under trials, which are for the Christian soul a seed of glory,; or it is changed into tender compassion for the, suffering Christ, loaded down with insults; or it is turned towards afflicted Soul.: e) Hope becomes a Christian virtue of unfailing trust in God and multiplies, our energies for good. . f) Despair takes-the form of a rightful mistrust of self, based upon our own insufficiency and our. sins, but tempered by trust in .God. g} Fear is no longer that -sense of depression which weakens the soul ; but in the Christian -it is a1 source of power. : The Christian fears sin, he fears hell ; but this righteous fear inspires him with courage, in the struggle against evil. He fears God above all, he dreads to offend his Maker and treads under foot human respect. . h) Anger instead of causing us- to. lose self-control, is but a just and holy indignation that ;Strengthens us against evil. :, . i) Boldness becomes process in the face of obstacles and dangers; the greater the difficulty we encounter, the more eager we are to make efforts ,to overcome it. 803. To attain these happy results, there is nothing like; meditation, -accompanied by. devout affections and generous, resolutions, thereby, we; conceive ^-an ideal, and form deep-seated convictions that help us daily to approach that ideal., The purpose in view is xto evoke and nurture in the soul such thoughts and feelings as are in harmony with the virtues we want to practice, and to remove images and / impressions allied to the vices we want to shun. These results cannot be better realized than by the practice /of daily meditation after the manner noted in no. 679 and following. In this intimate converse with God, infinite Truth and infinite Goodness, virtue becomes every day more attractive and vice more loathspme, whilst the will strengthened by convictions draws the passions towards good instead of allowing itself to be drawn by these towards evil,
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 04:30:31 +0000
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