Première partie, chapitre III. Que la dévotion est convenable a toutes sortes de vocations et professions
Devotion Adapted to Every Calling
True devotion must be tailored to the specific duties and circumstances of one's state of life rather than imitating the practices of others.
At creation, God commanded the plants to bear fruit, each “according to its kind.” In the same way, he commands Christians—the living plants of his Church—to bear the fruits of devotion, each according to their own condition and calling. Devotion must be practiced differently by a nobleman, a craftsman, a servant, a prince, a widow, an unmarried woman, and a married woman. And that’s not all: each person’s practice of devotion must be fitted to their strength, responsibilities, and duties. Tell me, Philothea: would it make sense for a bishop to seek the same solitude as a Carthusian monk? And suppose married people refused to accumulate any property, just like the Capuchins; or suppose a craftsman spent the whole day in church like a monk, while a monk was constantly meeting all kinds of people to serve his neighbor, as a bishop must. Wouldn’t such devotion be ridiculous, disorderly, and unbearable? Yet this mistake happens very often, and the world, unable or unwilling to distinguish devotion from the lack of judgment shown by people who think themselves devout, grumbles about devotion and condemns it, though devotion itself isn’t responsible for these disorders.1
The Beauty of Devotion in Daily Life
Far from hindering one's responsibilities, true devotion adorns and perfects every vocation, making daily duties more pleasant and sincere.
No, Philothea, true devotion doesn't spoil anything; instead, it perfects everything. Whenever it conflicts with someone’s rightful vocation, it's undoubtedly false. Aristotle says that a bee draws honey from flowers without harming them, leaving them as whole and fresh as it found them. But true devotion does even better, because it doesn't just leave every kind of vocation and responsibility unharmed; on the contrary, it adorns and beautifies them. Every kind of gemstone becomes more brilliant when placed in honey, each according to its own color; in the same way, people become more gracious in their vocations when they unite them with devotion. The care of a family becomes more peaceful, the love between husband and wife more sincere, service to a ruler more faithful, and every kind of work more pleasant and agreeable.
A Universal Call to Perfection
The devout life is accessible to everyone, regardless of their station, as evidenced by the lives of saints and biblical figures who lived in the world.
It is an error—indeed, a heresy—to try to banish the devout life from military companies, artisans’ workshops, princes’ courts, and married households. It is true, Philothea, that purely contemplative, monastic, and religious forms of devotion cannot be practiced in these callings. But besides these three forms of devotion, there are many others suited to perfecting those who live in secular states of life. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Job, Tobit, Sarah, Rebekah, and Judith bear witness to this in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, Saint Joseph, Lydia, and Saint Crispin were perfectly devout in their workshops; Saint Anne, Saint Martha, Saint Monica, Aquila, and Priscilla in their homes; Cornelius, Saint Sebastian, and Saint Maurice in military life; and Constantine, Helena, Saint Louis, Blessed Amadeus, and Saint Edward on their thrones. It has even happened that many people have lost perfection in solitude, though solitude is so desirable for attaining perfection, and preserved it among crowds, though crowds seem so unfavorable to it. As Saint Gregory says, Lot, who remained so chaste in the city, defiled himself in solitude. Wherever we are, we can and should aspire to a life of perfection.
Read the original Latin
Dieu commanda en la création aux plantes de porter leurs fruits, chacune « selon son genre » : ainsi commande-t-il aux chrétiens, qui sont les plantes vivantes de son Église, qu’ils produisent des fruits de dévotion, un chacun selon sa qualité et vacation. La dévotion doit être différemment exercée par le gentilhomme, par l’artisan, par le valet, par le prince, par la veuve, par la fille, par la mariée ; et non seulement cela, mais il faut accommoder la pratique de la dévotion aux forces, aux affaires et aux devoirs de chaque particulier. Je vous prie, Philothée, serait-il à propos que l’évêque voulût être solitaire comme les chartreux ? Et si les mariés ne voulaient rien amasser non plus que les capucins, si l’artisan était tout le jour à l’église comme le religieux, et le religieux toujours exposé à toutes sortes de rencontres pour le service du prochain, comme l’évêque, cette dévotion ne serait-elle pas ridicule, déréglée et insupportable ? Cette faute néanmoins arrive bien souvent, et le monde qui ne discerne pas, ou ne veut pas discerner, entre la dévotion et l’indiscrétion de ceux qui pensent être dévots, murmure et blâme la dévotion, laquelle ne peut mais de ces désordres.
Non, Philothée, la dévotion ne gâte rien quand elle est vraie, ains elle perfectionne tout, et lorsqu’elle se rend contraire à la légitime vacation de quelqu’un, elle est sans doute fausse. L’abeille, dit Aristote, tire son miel des fleurs sans les intéresser, les laissant entières et fraîches comme elle les a trouvées ; mais la vraie dévotion fait encore mieux, car non seulement elle ne gâte nulle sorte de vocation ni d’affaires, ains au contraire elle les orne et embellit. Toutes sortes de pierreries jetées dedans le miel en deviennent plus éclatantes, chacune selon sa couleur, et chacun devient plus agréable en sa vocation la conjoignant à la dévotion : le soin de la famille en est rendu paisible, l’amour du mari et de la femme plus sincère, le service du prince plus fidèle, et toutes sortes d’occupations plus suaves et amiables.
C’est une erreur, ains une hérésie, de vouloir bannir la vie dévote de la compagnie des soldats, de la boutique des artisans, de la cour des princes, du ménage des gens mariés. Il est vrai, Philothée, que la dévotion purement contemplative, monastique et religieuse ne peut être exercée en ces vacations-là ; mais aussi, outre ces trois sortes de dévotion, il y en a plusieurs autres, propres à perfectionner ceux qui vivent ès états séculiers. Abraham, Isaac et Jacob, David, Job, Tobie, Sara, Rébecca et Judith en font foi pour l’ancien testament ; et quant au nouveau, saint Joseph, Lydia et saint Crépin furent parfaitement dévots en leurs boutiques ; sainte Anne, sainte Marthe, sainte Monique, Aquila, Priscilla, en leurs ménages ; Cornélius, saint Sébastien, saint Maurice, parmi les armes ; Constantin, Hélène, saint Louis, le bienheureux Amé, saint Edouard, en leurs trônes. Il est même arrivé que plusieurs ont perdu la perfection en la solitude, qui est néanmoins si désirable pour la perfection, et l’ont conservée parmi la multitude, qui semble si peu favorable à la perfection : Loth, dit saint Grégoire, qui fut si chaste en la ville, se souilla en la solitude. Où que nous soyons, nous pouvons et devons aspirer à la vie parfaite.
Notes
- 1 ↩The older French expression means that devotion itself is not at fault for these disorders.
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