The Two Standards

Introduction:

We have considered “Christ the King [91], His Incarnation [101], The Nativity. It is important for us to be convinced that the Incarnation of Christ — the decision for God to become man — was practical.  Christ came for a purpose, a concrete end.  He came to save and redeem.  His greatest adversary was the enemy of this end, Satan.

Ignatius wants us to think deeply about two standards: The one of Christ; the other of Lucifer.

Preparatory Prayer [46]: I will beg God our Lord for grace that all my intentions, actions, and operations may be directed purely to the praise and service of His Divine Majesty.

Preludes[]: 3

First, is the history. Here it will be that Christ calls and wants all beneath His standard, and Lucifer, on the other hand wants all under his.

Mental Representation: of the place. It will be to see a great plain, comprising the whole region about Jerusalem, where the sovereign Commander-in-Chief of all the good is Christ our Lord; and another plain about he region of Babylon, where the chief of the enemy is Lucifer.

Grace:  I will ask God for what I desire: Here it will be to ask for a knowledge of the deceits of the rebel chief and help to guard myself against them; and also to ask for a knowledge of the true life exemplified in the sovereign and true Commander, and the grace to imitate Him.

Points [140-46]: Two parts

First Part: The Standard of Satan

1. The first point is to imagine you see the chief of all the enemy in the vast plain about Babylon, seated on a great throne of fire and smoke, his appearance inspiring horror and terror.
2. Then, consider how he summons innumerable demons, and scatters them, some to one city and some to another, throughout the whole world, so that no province, no state of life, no individual is overlooked.
3. Next, consider the address he makes to them, how he goads them on to lay snares for men and bind them with chains. First, they are to tempt them to covet riches (as Satan himself is accustomed to do in most cases) that they may the more easily attain the empty honors of this world, and then come to overweening pride.

The first step, then, will be riches, the second honor, the third pride. From these three steps the evil one leads to all other vices. 

Second Part: The Standard of Christ

In a similar way, we are to picture to ourselves the sovereign and true Commander, Christ our Lord.

1. First, to consider Christ our Lord, standing in a lowly place in a great plain about the region of Jerusalem, His appearance beautiful and attractive.
2. Next, to consider how the Lord of all the world chooses so many persons, apostles, disciples, etc., and sends them throughout the whole world to spread His sacred doctrine among all men, no matter what their state or condition.
3. And then, to consider the address which Christ our Lord makes to all His servants and friends whom He sends on this enterprise, recommending to them to seek to help all, first by attracting them to the highest spiritual poverty, and should it please the Divine Majesty, and should He deign to choose them for it, even to actual poverty. Secondly, they should lead them to a desire for insults and contempt, for from these springs humility.

Hence, there will be three steps: the first, poverty as opposed to riches; the second, insults or contempt as opposed to the honor of this world; the third, humility as opposed to pride. From these three steps, let them lead men to all other virtues.

Colloquy [147]. 

A colloquy should be addressed to our Lady, asking her to obtain for me from her Son and Lord the grace to be received under His standard, first in the highest spiritual poverty, and should the Divine Majesty be pleased thereby, and deign to choose and accept me, even in actual poverty; secondly, in bearing insults and wrongs, thereby to imitate Him better, provided only I can suffer these without sin on the part of another, and without offense of the Divine Majesty. Then I will say the Hail Mary.

Then, this will be to ask her Son to obtain the same favors for me from the Father. Then I will say, Soul of Christ.

Last, will be to beg the Father to grant me the same graces. Then I will say the Our Father.

Additional Points for Consideration:

Saint Francis De Sales, considers the promptness that men often times have when they serve a good king in this earthly life — and then how much more this ought to be true for the greatest of Kings.

Theotimus, how great is the ardor of those knights to serve and satisfy their master!  They fly, they break through their enemies’ ranks, they incur a thousand dangers of destruction to satisfy a single simple desire that their King expresses to them.

When our Savior was in the world, he declared his will in many things by way of commandment, but in many others he only signified it by way of desire.  He gave high praise to chastity, poverty, obedience, and perfect resignation, denial of one’s own will, widowhood, fasting, and continual prayer…Because of this desire, the most valiant Christians have entered the race.  Overcoming all repugnance, concupiscence, and hardship, they have attained to holy perfection by binding themselves to strict observance of their King’s desires.  By such means they have obtained the crown of glory (74).

The precise difference between a commandment and a counsel is that a commandment obligates us under pain of sin, while a counsel merely invites us without pain of sin…To proclaim that one does not wish to follow the counsels, not any of them, cannot be done without contempt of him who gives them (76).

(Treatise on Divine Love, Bk8-Ch6)