Love, the Philosophy of Life. XI: "Without Me You Can Do Nothing"

Irish Jesuit Province

Love, the Philosophy of Life. XI: "Without Me You Can Do Nothing"Author(s): H. V. GillSource: The Irish Monthly, Vol. 69, No. 817 (Jul., 1941), pp. 341-351Published by: Irish Jesuit ProvinceStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20514909 .

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341

Love, the Philosophy of Life

XI-" WITHOUT ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING."S

By H. V. GILL, S.J.

C RITICS of Christianity, even those who admit and

admire its appeal, point to a flaw. They say that much as it may respond to all that is best and noblest in man

nievertheless it is beyond the powers of ordinary human nature

to live up to its teachings. It is clear that if this flaw did exist Christianity as a practical philosophy of life would indeed be a

failure. For the first requisite of any plan of conduct is that it should be possible. It is the fear of this alleged difficulty that has deterred many from embracing it. In the beginning of these

considerations we laid down the principle that any true philo sophy of life nmust be such as to correspond to all the needs and characteristics of human nature. There is no doubt that the teachings of Christ demand its strength, but they must also be shown to take into consideration its weakness.

It is beyond the powers of unaided human nature to live a Christian Life. No one has more strongly insisted on this fact than Jesus Christ Himself. He says plainly: " Without Me you can do nothing "

in the supernatural order. We cannot even invoke His name without help from on High: " And no man can say the Lord Jesus but by the Holy Ghost." St. Paul insists on the insufficiency of man left to his own powers: " I find then a law, that when I have a will to do good, evil is present with me.

For I am delighted with the law of God according to the inward



842 THE IRISH MONTHLY

man; but I see another law in my members, fighting against the law of mind and captivating me in the law of sin, that is in my

members. Unhappy man that I am, who shall deliver me fronm the body of this death ? The grace of God, by Jesus Christ our

Lord." (Rom. 7: -21-25.) Two great truths underlie the teachings of Christ; firstly, that

of our own natural powers we are unable to follow Him, and that we therefore need divine assistance; secondly, that this assistance is always to be had, by those who humbly ask for it. Our Lord in His discourse to His disciples before His death insists that unless we abide in Him we cannot bring forth good fruit, or in other words save our souls:

Abide in me: and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in me.

I am the vine; you the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for without

me you can do nothing. 'If anyone abide not in me: he shall be cast forth as a

branch and shall wither, and they shall gather him up, and cast him into the fire, and he burneth.

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask whatever you will, and it shall be done unto you.

(Jn. 15: -4-7.) We abide in Christ by keeping His commandments, especially

that of loving one another. We keep the commandments with His help, obtained in answer to prayer. On His part He promises to abide with us for ever: " Behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world."

Each man has, in fact, to live a double life. There is the exterior life depending on the use of material things and social intercourse with his fellow-men, the life chiefly concerned with



LOVE, THE PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE 343

all that appeals to the senses-the natural life, in which he is himself the central interest. There is, too, the interior life which has God and the things of God as the centre around which his spiritual nature revolves, the supernatural life of the soul. In

the foregoing considerations we have endeavoured to show that the true end of our existence can only be secured by the fusion of these two lives into the Christian Life. The material life of the body, by the very claims of human existence, appeals to all

with an insistence that tends to make us forgetful of the far more

important life of the soul. There is ordinarily no difficulty in obeying the call of the material side of our nature to undertake the means to secure our temporal interests. But it is very different with regard to the interests of the soul. The satisfaction of the senses is itself an obvious and immediate incentive to living according to the flesh. It requires an effort supported by grace to live according to the spirit. The fact that true and last ing human happiness can never be secured, even in this life, if

we neglect the life of the soul is easily ignored: " By desolation is the whole land made desolate because there is no one who

considereth in his heart." All the unhappiness and misery of life is due to the fact that men for the most part leave God out of their lives.

Our Lord has promised to abide with us if we accept the invi tation of the Father to abide with Him. We can abide with

Christ only because He abides with us. It is well, therefore, to

examine briefly in what this abiding of Christ consists. In the first place He is always with us as our Creator, which, as we have

seen, means not only that He made uis but also that He is ever with us to conserve us in existence and to co-operate with us in all our activities. This fact is for the most part ignored altogether by men, who pass through life without ever adverting to what that implies. The Christian keeps this fact in mind, and



344 T'IlE IRISH MONTHLY

regulates his life so as to be in conformity with the obligations and privileges arising out of the relations of a creature towards his Creator.

Christ abides wvith us through the indwelling of the Holy

Ghost, the Comforter promised by our Lord: " But I tell you the truth it is expedient to you that I go: for if I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you : but if I go I will send him

to you . . .". But man must co-operate with the workings of the Holy Ghost in his soul by constant prayer and consideration of the great truths of Christianity, by frequentation of the

sacraments, by self-denial and by fulfilling the obligations arising out of membership of the Church established by Christ. In the

foregoing pages we have touched on some of these points, which

it would evidently be impossible to consider in detail in a brief outline of the leading points of Christianity such as this. How ever, in concluding this series of considerations it is wvell to dwell at little more fully with the part played in the Christian life by

membership of the Church. For it is through the ministry of the Church that God normally gives us these graces which are necessary for us.

Hitherto, we have used the word " Christian " rather than Catholic " because we wished to insist on the fact that those

men of goodwill who, although not members of the visible Catholic Church, yet act up to such teachings as they do believe, gain enormously in proportion to their conformity to Christian teachings and ideals. But it is especially necessary in our day,

when the words " Christianity " and " Christian Church " are

used in so vague a sense, to assert our belief that there is only one Christian Church the Holy Catholic Church of which the visible head is Christ's Vicar on earth, our Holy Father the Pope and Bishop of Rome.

Although ignorance, early training and surroundings, and the




absence of the gift of faith may excuse men from membership of the Church as instituted by Christ, yet such membership is

according to the will of God. There can be but one Head in a perfectly constituted society, just as there can be but one and the same faith for all its members. It is the aim of the Church to bring all men into this body. " And other sheep I have, that are not of this fold: them also must I bring, that they shall hear

my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd." (Jn. 10: -16.) "' For as the body is one, and hath many members,

whereas there are many, yet are one body, so also is Christ. For in one Spirit were we all baptised into one body, whether Jews

or Gentiles, whether bond or free; and in one Spirit we have all been made to drink. . . . But now there are many members

indeed, yet one body." (I Cor. 12: -12, 13, 20.) The establish

ment of His Church was an essential part of the Christ's plan of

Redemption, for it was through the instrumentality of the Church that the successors of the Apostles were to continue His work of redemption and the sanctification of souls to the end of time. It is above all through the sacraments that the graces necessary to help nmen to live a Christian life are given by God. It is through the authority and teaching of the Church that Christ

continues His work begun on earth for man's happiness here and

hereafter. It would be outside the scope of these considerations to deal in detail with these subjects, but a few reflections suggest themselves.

From the very beginning of the Church the necessity of

baptism was a fundamental doctrine: " Unless a man be born

again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." These are our Lord's own words. (Jn. 3: -5.) But it

is also true that when baptism in the sacramental sense is, for whatever reason, impossible, the explicit or implicit desire to do whatever is necessary for salvation suffices to incorporate one




into the " soul ", though not the " body ", of the Church. Thus there are many " Christians " who are not " Catholics ', who according to their graces live Christian lives, although they are deprived of the special benefits of bodily membership of the

Church. The Church as an organised body could not exist without a

single Head. The Head of the Church is Christ, but He exercises His authority through His Vicar, the Pope. The notion of delegated authority is widespread in our day. Even dictators have perforce to delegate their power in many things to others. The extraordinary thing is that even those who attribute almost omnipotent knowledge and wisdom, and demand a corresponding submission to civil and military chiefs, refuse to acknowledge the need or right of any authority in spiritual matters. Submission to spiritual authority is described as a soul-killing slavery unworthy of man's freedom of thought and action. Yet these same persons exhibit a degrading subserviency to some leader

who often has no other claim to their loyalty than a false philo sophy which, did they examine it, would be found to be wanting in all that could bring lasting peace or happiness, and which is contrary to the self-respect of a human being.

During His lifetime Christ " spoke with authority " He claimed that He spoke the truth, and confirned this claim by

His miracles. There is no doubt that among the most solemn and impressive actions of Christ was the foundation of His Church and the appointment of a head who was to be His Vicar on earth: " And I say to thee: Thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the king dom of Heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, it shall be bound also in Heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in Heaven." (Matt. 16: -18-19.)




It is natural that there should be attempts to explain this away on the part of those who refuse to accept the plain meaning of the words and actions of Christ. It is, however, evident that

there can be no stability in any body unless there is a leader who claims to " speak with authority ". The authority with which

the successors of Christ speak is none other than that derived from Christ Himself. The Popes do not speak from their own unaided knowledge, but with the assistance of the Holy Ghost. It has never been claimed by them or by the Chutrchl that venver direction or decision given by thenm is infallible. It is evident that many of those who deny the infallibility of the Pope are ignorant of the doctrinle of the Church on this point. What is claimed is that when the Vicar of Christ speaks formally in His

name, and when teaching the Universal Church on sonme important matter of faith and morals, he is preserved from error. Trhe occasions on which pronouncements of this kind are made have been very fewv But it also clained that the Pope is under the general guidance of the IIoly Ghost, so that all His words deserve the respectful attention of every Catholic. To-day we witness the fact that all those who look for Christian guidance turn to the Pope-not only those who are loyal members of the

Church, but we may say, all men of goodwill. We can best show our loyalty to Christ by being loyal to His Vicar. We may not deal at length with the benefits received through

the Church. It is she who administers the Sacraments, which not only enable us to be preserved from sin, but which make it easy for those who have sinned, to obtain pardon and live once

more in the grace of God. Christ Himself, acting through His ministers, is always with us in the life of the Church. He loves 1is as children begotten by Him through His spouse the Church, and compares His union with the Church to that of husband and wife: " Because the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ




is head of the Chturch, he is the saviour of his body. Husbands love your wives, as Christ also loved the Church and

delivered Himself up for it. . . . He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man hateth his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, as also Christ doth the Church; because we are

menmbers of his, of his flesh, and of his bones." (Eph. 5 : -22-33.)

Finally through the Church we offer to God the great Sacrifice of the Mass, wherein the Passion and Death of Christ is renewed and repeated each day on our altars. Every Catholic takes part in this offering of the Body and Blood of Christ in atonement for his own sins and those of the world. We cannot here dwell on this great subject, which, however, should be fully studied

and understood by every Catholic. It is to be feared that many, even of those who attend Mass regularly, do not sufficiently grasp its full significance. It is enough for us to recall here that at

Mass Christ comes among us in His human nature, and offers Himself up for us as He did on Calvary. Those who assist at -Mass have the same benefits and privileges as those xvho stood around the Cross on the first Good Friday.

By the consecration of the bread and wine there is effected the " real presence " of Christ throughout the world not only as otur Redeenmer, but as our Friend and Comforter.

Nowhere better than before tlhe tabernacle can we accept the invitation of Him who said: " Come to me all you who labouir and are heavy burdened and I will refresh yotu." For He is there, true God and true Man, to hear our troubles and to give to our souls that peace, happiness and strength which the world cannot give. It is the real presence of Jesus Christ which makes the Catholic church a homely place. It is this Presence which

makes the difference between our churches and all others. This is the secret of the constant flow of Catholic men and women who



LOVE, THE PHILOSOPHY OP LIFE 349

come to visit the Friend to whom we know we are always welcome. Here in a'special way He is always with us.

In the Blessed Sacrament Christ comes to us in a still more intimate and personal way. He unites Himself with each one

who receives Him worthily in a manner which is akin to His union with His virgin mother when " the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us ". It is in this Sacrament above all that we receive that strength which is necessary to us in living a Chris tian life. The very form of the Eucharist-the appearance of bread and wine, of food-is an indication that its chief function is to give health and strength to the soul. Our Lord not only invites us to eat of this food, but orders us to do so: -" Amen, amen, I say unto you; except you eat the flesh of the son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life : and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in me and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father : so he that eateth me shall live by me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead. He that cateth this bread shall live for ever. " (Jn. 6: -54-59.)

We are warned by Pope Pius X to beware of the mistake of supposing that the frequent reception of Holy Communion is to be looked on as a reward for living a good life. It is to be con sidered as a means of doing so. The weaker one finds himself and the greater his temptations the more ought he strengthen himself by this great sacrament in which the author of grace comes Himself to give life and health to the soul. No doubt St. Paul warns us that a man must " prove himself " worthy of entering into so close a union with Christ. The sacrament of penance provides an easy and sure means of doing so. The




essential conditions for the worthy reception of absolution are not difficult to a man of good will. Once a sinner has been absolved from mortal sin, he is entitled to enjoy the benefits of frequent, and even daily, communion. For the great Pope who did so much to encourage this practice laid it down expressly that the essential disposition for frequent communion consists in freedom from mortal sin together with the desire and intention of leading a good life.

In the same way we night go through the other Sacraments and show that they provide for all the necessities of the life of the soul. From the day of our baptism and incorporation into His Church to the day we receive Extreme Unction to help us to die a happy death, Christ is always working for us through His Church. It is for us to avail ourselves of these helps to for giveness and sanctification. They were all earned for us by the sufferings and death of Christ, the outcome of His love for each

man and woman, for Christ died for all. The best way to show love and gratitude for the great gift of faith in the Church and of membership of it is to use the sacraments in the way intended by Christ. It is in this way He wishes us to show our love for

Him:-" If you love me keep my commandments." And we cannot keep the commandments without His grace, which is obtained through prayer and the sacraments.

In the foregoing series of considerations we have endeavoured to show that Christianity is the only plan or philosophy of life

which can satisfy all the reasonable demands of human nature, and lead us to the attainment of the end for which we are created. In doing so we have seen that unless we recognise the place occupied by love, in its true sense, of God for man and of man for God-and of man for man-we cannot realise the full force of beauty of Christianity which brings to us the love of God



LOVE, 1THE PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE 351

through the humanity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ per feet God and perfect Man.

In the first of these considerations we said that our object was to " describe briefly in its broad outlines a philosophy of life which the average man and woman may, from their own ex perience and the dictates of their minds and hearts, recognise as satisfying the object of their existence, and the longings of their nature."' We have examined some of the leading ideas of Christianity, but clearly it would be impossible to deal in de tail with even such subjects as ve considered, much less with the almost infinity of matters arising from them. This must be suipplied by one's own study of Catholic books, and especially by reading and meditation on the life of Jesus Christ. If this series of articles has succeeded in bringing home to the reader a little more clearly that God is Love, their object will have been attained.



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Love, the Philosophy of Life. XI: "Without Me You Can Do Nothing"