The Practice of Christian and Religious Perfection, Volume 3

ON THE END FOR WHICH THE SOCIETY OF JESUS WAS INSTITUTED. THE MEANS WHICH ARE CONDUCIVE TO THIS END; AND WHICH REGARD RELIGIOUS IN GENERAL.

Of the end and Institution of the Society of Jesus.

“Attend to thyself and doctrine”, says St. Paul to Timothy; “be earnest in them. For in doing this thou shalt save both thyself and them that hear thee” — I. Tim., iv. 16. The end and institution of the society consist in these two things, of which, the apostle speaks. Our constitutions and the apostolical bulls expressly declare, “that the end of this society, is that all those who compose it may, with the grace of God, labour not only for their own salvation and perfection, but also seriously apply themselves to the salvation and perfection of their neighbour” — Cap. i. Exam. §. 1. It is not sufficient to apply ourselves after an ordinary manner, but we must, according to the Latin words, impenso incurnbere, “earnestly apply ourselves”, that is, we must apply ourselves with zeal and ardour to attain this end. Now it is to be observed, that as our constitutions oblige us to labour not only for our own salvation, but for our perfection; even so they will have us labour not only for the salvation of others, but also for their greater perfection and greater advancement in virtue. Hence, Father Aquaviva, in his instructions to confessors, counsels them to be less zealous in attracting a greater number of penitents, than in perfecting their present number daily more and more* In a word, the same care we have for our own advancement and perfection, we ought also to have for the advancement and perfection of our neighbour.