Friday, February 1, 2013

The Maxims Of St. Peter Claver, S.J.


1. 
Man's salvation and perfection consists in doing the will of God, which he must have in view in all things, and at every moment of his life; the more he accomplishes this divine will, the more perfect he will be.

2. 
To do the will of God, a man must despise his own; the more he dies to himself, the more will he live to God. But to acquire this double advantage we must love God, and the more we purge the heart of self-love, the more shall we love God.

3. 
To love God as he ought to be loved, we must be detached from all terrestial love ; we must love nothing but Him; or if we love anything else, we must love it only for His sake.

4. 
Let a man direct all his thoughts, words, and actions, solely to the glory of God, incessantly striving for submission to His will, insomuch as to desire neither evil nor good, unless God wills it; and in whatever trials he may be placed, the peace of his soul cannot then be troubled.

5. 
To derive true profit from whatever happens, a man should be silent amidst reproaches, injuries, and ill-treatment, whether there be any fault on his side or not; and when people contend with him, let him prefer silence to victory.

6. 
To make rapid progress in virtue a man must carefully guard his tongue, and let truth, peace, and edification be in all his words. Let him say much in few words; and that he may always speak well, let him always speak either of God or with God.

7.
 Let him prefer nothing to obedience, no matter who commands; submitting to all creatures for the sake of God, and doing all that is required of him with great peace of mind. If however he cannot do all, and is asked the reason, let him be content with simply saying that he could not; and whatever may be said, let him answer nothing—no, absolutely nothing: whatever reproaches may be made, let him be silent, accepting all for the sake of God; provided there be nothing contrary to God, or to obedience. This is indeed the way in which to vanquish self."

Link (here) to the Maxim's of St. Peter Claver, S.J.

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