Première partie, chapitre I. Description de la vraie dévotion
The Necessity of Discernment
True devotion must be distinguished from the many false, superficial, or self-centered forms of piety that masquerade as holiness.
You long for devotion, my dear Philothea, because as a Christian, you know it’s a virtue that deeply pleases the divine Majesty. But small mistakes made at the start of any undertaking grow enormously as it progresses, becoming almost impossible to correct by the end. So, before anything else, you need to understand what the virtue of devotion is. There is only one true devotion, while there are many false and empty forms of it; if you didn’t know which was true, you could be misled and waste your time pursuing some misguided and superstitious form of devotion. Arelius modeled every face he painted on the features of the women he loved, and in the same way, everyone portrays devotion according to their own passions and imagination. Someone devoted to fasting will consider himself thoroughly devout as long as he fasts, even though his heart is full of resentment; and while his sobriety keeps him from letting his tongue touch wine or even water, he has no qualms about plunging it into his neighbor’s blood through malicious talk and slander. Another person will think himself devout because he says a great many prayers every day, even though afterward his speech pours out harsh, arrogant, and insulting words against his household and his neighbors. Another gladly takes alms from his purse to give to the poor, but he cannot draw enough gentleness from his heart to forgive his enemies; still another will forgive his enemies, but will never pay his creditors what they are owed unless compelled by the full force of the law. All these people are commonly regarded as devout, and yet they aren’t devout at all. Saul’s men were looking for David in his house, but Michal put a statue in the bed and covered it with David’s clothes, making them believe that David himself lay there sick and asleep. In the same way, many people cloak themselves in certain outward practices associated with holy devotion, and the world takes them for truly devout and spiritual people; but in reality, they are nothing more than statues and phantoms of devotion.✦
The Nature of True Devotion
Devotion is the flame of charity in action, characterized by a prompt, diligent, and joyful readiness to follow God's commandments and inspirations.
True and living devotion, Philothea, presupposes the love of God; in fact, it is nothing other than a true love of God—but not just any kind of love. Divine love is called grace insofar as it beautifies our soul and makes us pleasing to God’s divine Majesty; it is called charity insofar as it gives us the strength to do good. But when it reaches such perfection that it not only enables us to do good but moves us to act carefully, frequently, and promptly, then it is called devotion. Ostriches never fly. Chickens do fly, but they do it heavily, close to the ground, and rarely; eagles, doves, and swallows, however, fly often, swiftly, and high. In the same way, sinners don't fly toward God; instead, all their movement remains on the earth and is directed toward earthly things. Good people who haven't yet attained devotion fly toward God through their good actions, but only rarely, slowly, and heavily. Devout people fly toward God often, promptly, and high. In short, devotion is a spiritual agility and vitality by which charity acts in us—or we act through charity—promptly and lovingly. And just as charity leads us to practice all God’s commandments in every area of life, devotion leads us to carry them out promptly and diligently. That is why anyone who doesn't keep all God’s commandments cannot be considered either good or devout: to be good, a person must have charity, and to be devout, a person must have not only charity but also great vitality and readiness in works of charity. And because devotion consists in a certain degree of excellent charity, it not only makes us ready, active, and diligent in keeping all God's commandments, but also moves us to do promptly and lovingly as many good works as we can, even when they aren't commanded at all but only counseled or inspired. For just as someone newly recovered from an illness walks as much as necessary, but slowly and heavily, so a sinner who has been healed of his iniquity does what God commands, yet heavily and slowly, until he has attained devotion. For then, like someone in full health, he not only walks but runs and leaps “in the way of God's commandments”; and beyond that, he travels and runs along the paths of heavenly counsels and inspirations. Ultimately, charity and devotion differ no more than a flame differs from fire, because charity is a spiritual fire, and when it burns intensely, it is called devotion. Devotion adds nothing to the fire of charity except the flame that makes charity ready, active, and diligent—not only in keeping God's commandments, but also in putting heavenly counsels and inspirations into practice.
Read the original Latin
Vous aspirez à la dévotion, très chère Philothée, parce qu’étant chrétienne, vous savez que c’est une vertu extrêmement agréable à la divine Majesté : mais, d’autant que les petites fautes que l’on commet au commencement de quelque affaire s’agrandissent infiniment au progrès et sont presque irréparables à la fin, il faut avant toutes choses que vous sachiez que c’est que la vertu de dévotion ; car, d’autant qu’il n’y en a qu’une vraie, et qu’il y en a une grande quantité de fausses et vaines, si vous ne connaissiez quelle est la vraie, vous pourriez vous tromper et vous amuser à suivre quelque dévotion impertinente et superstitieuse.
Arélius peignait toutes les faces des images qu’il faisait, à l’air et ressemblance des femmes qu’il aimait, et chacun peint la dévotion selon sa passion et fantaisie. Celui qui est adonné au jeûne se tiendra pour bien dévot pourvu qu’il jeûne, quoique son cœur soit plein de rancune ; et n’osant point tremper sa langue dedans le vin ni même dans l’eau, par sobriété, ne se feindra point de la plonger dedans le sang du prochain par la médisance et calomnie. Un autre s’estimera dévot parce qu’il dit une grande multitude d’oraisons tous les jours, quoiqu’après cela sa langue se fonde toute en paroles fâcheuses, arrogantes et injurieuses parmi ses domestiques et voisins. L’autre tire fort volontiers l’aumône de sa bourse pour la donner aux pauvres, mais il ne peut tirer la douceur de son cœur pour pardonner à ses ennemis ; l’autre pardonnera à ses ennemis, mais de tenir raison à ses créanciers, jamais qu’à vive force de justice. Tous ces gens-là sont vulgairement tenus pour dévots, et ne le sont pourtant nullement. Les gens de Saül cherchaient David en sa maison ; Michol ayant mis une statue dedans un lit et l’ayant couverte des habillements de David, leur fit accroire que c’était David même qui dormait malade : ainsi beaucoup de personnes se couvrent de certaines actions extérieure appartenant à la sainte dévotion, et le monde croit que ce soient gens vraiment dévots et spirituels ; mais en vérité ce ne sont que des statues et fantômes de dévotion.
La vraie et vivante dévotion, ô Philothée, présuppose l’amour de Dieu, ains elle n’est autre chose qu’un vrai amour de Dieu ; mais non pas toutefois un amour tel quel : car, en tant que l’amour divin embellit notre âme, il s’appelle grâce, nous rendant agréables à sa divine Majesté ; en tant qu’il nous donne la force de bien faire, il s’appelle charité ; mais quand il est parvenu jusques au degré de perfection auquel il ne nous fait pas seulement bien faire, ains nous fait opérer soigneusement, fréquemment et promptement, alors il s’appelle dévotion. Les autruches ne volent jamais ; les poules volent, pesamment toutefois, bassement et rarement ; mais les aigles, les colombes et les arondelles volent souvent, vitement et hautement. Ainsi les pécheurs ne volent point en Dieu, ains font toutes leurs courses en la terre et pour la terre ; les gens de bien qui n’ont pas encore atteint la dévotion volent en Dieu par leurs bonnes actions, mais rarement, lentement et pesamment ; les personnes dévotes volent en Dieu fréquemment, promptement et hautement. Bref, la dévotion n’est autre chose qu’une agilité et vivacité spirituelle par le moyen de laquelle la charité fait ses actions en nous, ou nous par elle, promptement et affectionnément ; et comme il appartient à la charité de nous faire généralement et universellement pratiquer tous les commandements de Dieu, il appartient aussi à la dévotion de les nous faire faire promptement et diligemment. C’est pourquoi celui qui n’observe tous les commandements de Dieu, ne peut être estimé ni bon ni dévot, puisque pour être bon il faut avoir la charité, et pour être dévot il faut avoir, outre la charité, une grande vivacité et promptitude aux actions charitables.
Et d’autant que la dévotion gît en certain degré d’excellente charité, non seulement elle nous rend prompts et actifs et diligents à l’observation de tous les commandements de Dieu ; mais outre cela, elle nous provoque à faire promptement et affectionnément le plus de bonnes œuvres que nous pouvons, encore quelles ne soient aucunement commandées, ains seulement conseillées ou inspirées. Car tout ainsi qu’un homme qui est nouvellement guéri de quelque maladie chemine autant qu’il lui est nécessaire, mais lentement et pesamment, de même le pécheur étant guéri de son iniquité, il chemine autant que Dieu lui commande, pesamment néanmoins et lentement jusques à tant qu’il ait atteint à la dévotion ; car alors, comme un homme bien sain, non seulement il chemine, mais il court et saute « en la voie des commandements de Dieu », et, de plus, il passe et court dans les sentiers des conseils et inspirations célestes. Enfin, la charité et la dévotion ne sont non plus différentes l’une de l’autre que la flamme l’est du feu, d’autant que la charité étant un feu spirituel, quand elle est fort enflammée elle s’appelle dévotion : si que la dévotion n’ajoute rien au feu de la charité, sinon la flamme qui rend la charité prompte, active et diligente, non seulement à l’observation des commandements de Dieu, mais à l’exercice des conseils et inspirations célestes.
Scripture echoes
- ↩1Sam.19.11-1Sam.19.17 — Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch over him and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, his wife, told David, saying, 'If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be dead.' 1Sam.19.12 — So Michal let David down through the window, and he went and fled and escaped. 1Sam.19.13 — Then Michal took the household idols and laid them on the bed, and she placed a covering of goats' hair at its head, and she covered them with a garment. 1Sam.19.14 — And Saul sent messengers to take David, and she said, "He is sick." 1Sam.19.15 — Then Saul sent messengers to see David, saying, "Bring him up to me on the bed, that I may put him to death." 1Sam.19.16 — When the messengers arrived, behold—the household idols were on the bed, with a goatskin quilt at its head. 1Sam.19.17 — Saul said to Michal, "Why have you deceived me and sent away my enemy, so that he has escaped?" And Michal said to Saul, "He said to me, 'Let me go; why should I kill you?'"
Introduction to the Devout Life — Parts 1-2 companion
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