Advice for students: to serve God and His Church better

May the philosophy you’re going to learn teach you to love and serve God better, to raise you up to Him by love, and... that you may learn the philosophy of Our Lord and His maxims and put them into practice, in such a way that what you’ll learn w on’t make your heart swell, but rather help you to serve God and His Church better. (23 October 1658; SV XII, 57-58)

Advice for students: humility

Don’t desire to be a great success, to walk off with the prize, or to make a show either by supporting by argument, or by defending, or by maintaining, but rather wish, desire, and ask Our Lord to give you the grace to love and practice humility in everything and everywhere, to love your own abjection, and to seek and desire nothing but that; and, above all, to consider that if there’s anything in you that makes you ever so little commendable, you get it from God, and it’s God who has given it to you. (23 October 1658; SV XII, 57)

Availability for any ministry assignment

The man who is not in this state of availability, but in the contrary one, is in a devilish state. In order to keep the vow of obedience we’ve taken, we must be in a state of openness to God’s Will regarding all things... to go to the country, if he’s sent there; to stay at home, if that’s what’s desired of him; to direct a seminary or go to give a mission; to remain in this house or another; to go to foreign lands or not; to obey this Superior or another, since God wills it. (30 August 1658; SV XII, 44-45)

The way to destruction: pride

Pride of life: to want to succeed everywhere, to choose newly-invented words, to seem brilliant in the pulpit, or in talks to the ordinands, and in catechetical instructions. And why? What are we looking for in all that? Do you want to know? It’s ourselves. We want people to talk about us, we’re looking for praise; we want it said that we’re a great success, are working wonders, we want to be exalted. That’s the point. In short, that’s preaching ourselves and not Jesus Christ or souls. (8 June 1658; SV XII, 20-21)

Detachment from the goods of this world

We have given ourselves to God to follow Him, even having taken vows for this, because, by the vow of chastity we’ve promised God to renounce the pleasures of body and mind; by the vow of poverty, the goods and conveniences of this life and the gold, silver, and riches of this earth; and by that of obedience, honors, high positions, and worldly praises. These three vows, namely, chastity, poverty, and obedience, aim at destroying, and are opposed to, the three vices that reign in the world. (8 June 1658; SV XII, 17)

Five enemies against Five Virtues

Those are the five enemies we have to combat, of which the first is prudence of the flesh, the second is a wish to appear to be someone in the eyes of others, the third is the desire to have everyone always submit to our judgment and will; the fourth is to seek our own satisfaction in everything, and the fifth is insensitivity for the glory of God and the salvation of our neighbor. Let’s work courageously to destroy these enemies; let’s arm ourselves with simplicity and candor, let's give ourselves to God to acquire gentleness, humility, mortification, and zeal for souls. (22 August 1659; SV XII, 261)

Insensitivity against Zeal

Fifth: The last enemy is insensitivity regarding the affairs of God and of our neighbor. This vice causes the insensitive man to feel no love or attraction for what concerns his salvation... We certainly go to church to pray, sing, say Mass, and perform the other liturgical functions, but all these functions are performed without feeling, tastelessly, and without devotion... Insensitivity also causes us to be unmoved by the physical and spiritual miseries of our neighbor; we lack charity and zeal and don’t sense offenses against God. (22 August 1659; SV XII, 260-261)

Self-satisfaction against Mortification

The fourth enemy is the pursuit of our own satisfaction in everything. Savior of my soul! What’s that? Isn’t it true that we seek self, without even thinking about it? We flatter ourselves and don't oppose nature, which has no other aim than its own satisfaction. In the name of God, remember that

we have to combat this vice by mortification, which doesn’t seek its pleasures from either the external or interior senses. (22 August 1659; SV XII, 260)

Submission of judgment against Gentleness

The other adversary is the passion of wanting everyone to submit his judgment and will to ours. That’s contrary to gentleness, for we usually see that those who want everything to be done in accord with their judgment, and that everything they want should be done in the time and manner they wish, are rude, violent, angry, and imperious people, and that’s totally opposed to gentleness. On the contrary, gentle persons don’t hold to their own opinion, condescending to the will o f others and never pushing to have their will done... So then, wanting everyone to submit his judgment and will to ours is a vice opposed to gentleness. (22 August 1659; SV XII, 259)

Envy against Humility

It’s the spirit of envy that makes one want to appear as a good casuist, a good confessor, a fine preacher. Ah, let’s esteem others but humble ourselves and keep God alone in view in our actions, remembering what Our Lord said to His disciples, ‘Rejoice, not because of those brilliant deeds you’re doing in the sight of others, but because your names are written in the book of life. (22 August 1659; SV XII, 258)

Human prudence against Simplicity

Human prudence is opposed to simplicity. Simplicity causes a person never to use duplicity, to speak as he thinks, always to consider God, and never himself, in divine things, and to be mindful of God in the acts of religion and charity he practices. Now, human prudence is just the opposite. What is human prudence? A serious pursuit of illicit means for self-advancement and for attaining our expectations; a constant desire and effort to satisfy the inclinations of our corrupt nature; and, in fact, we see this in persons who live according to the prudence of the flesh. What’s that person trying to achieve? To be filled with knowledge through fine collections and similar things in order to have people admire him. (22 August 1659; SV XII, 255-256)

Five Virtues: the spirit of the Mission

The spirit of the Mission is a spirit of simplicity, humility, gentleness, mortification, and zeal... a Missioner should act only by means of these virtues... Let each and every one of us strive to enclose ourselves in these five virtues, like snails in their shells, and act in such a way that all our actions savor of these virtues. The man who acts in this way will be a true Missioner. (22 August 1659; SV XII, 251)

Unity of Five Virtues

How are we going to have the spirit of simplicity, humility, and gentleness, if we don’t have mortification, which makes us find the good in everything? And how will we have mortification without zeal, which prompts us to rise above all sorts of difficulties, not only by the power of reason, but also by that of grace, which helps us to find pleasure in suffering. (22 August 1659; SV XII, 250)

Zeal

Zeal... consisting in a pure desire to become pleasing to God and helpful to our neighbor: zeal to spread the kingdom of God and zeal to procure the salvation of our neighbor... If love of God is a fire, zeal is its flame; if love is a sun, zeal is its ray. Zeal is unconditional in the love of God. (22 August 1659; SV XII, 250)

The importance of Mortification

Three Gospel teachings : simplicity, humility, gentleness... The first concerns God; the second, ourselves; and the third, our neighbor. But, the means of having these virtues is mortification, which

gets rid of anything that can prevent us from acquiring them. And, in fact, if the spirit of mortification doesn’t animate us, how are we going to live together?... Having this virtue is so necessary that we can’t live with one another if our interior and exterior senses aren’t mortified; and, not only is this necessary among ourselves, but also with regard to the people, where there’s so much to endure. (22 August 1659; SV XII, 249-250)

Gentleness

Gentleness... which concerns both the interior and the exterior, inside and outside the house; gentleness among ourselves and in bearing with our neighbor... If someone isn’t gentle enough to put up with boorishness, he'll discourage those poor people who, on seeing that, will be put off and will never be willing to return to learn the things necessary for salvation. (22 August 1659; SV XII, 248)

Humility

Humility... consists in emptying ourselves completely before God, overcoming ourselves in order to place God in our heart, not seeking the esteem and good opinion of others, and struggling constantly against any impulse of vanity. Ambition causes a person to establish himself, to seek to become well known so that people will say, ‘Look at him !’ Humility causes us to empty ourselves of self so that God alone may be manifest, to whom glory may be given. Humility bespeaks the love of being despised and not putting ourselves forward, with each of us considering himself a poor wretch. It always says ‘Honor and glory to God alone, who is the Being of Beings! (22 August 1659; SV XII, 247)

Always at work

Let’s give ourselves to God then once and for all, let’s work, let’s work, let’s go to the assistance of the poor country people who are waiting for us... giving a mission here or there, going from this village to that, always at work, by the mercy of God. (25 November 1657; SV XI, 391)

Doing good in the way Our Lord did

It’s not enough to do good, to give alms, for example, to fast and so on; all that is good, but it’s still not enough; we must, in addition, do it in the Spirit of Our Lord, in the way Our Lord did it on earth, and purely for the glory of God. (25 November 1657; SV XI, 389)

Doing God's Will for love of God

It isn’t enough to do what God asks of us, but we should do it for love of God; to do the Will of God, this same Will of God, and to do it according to His Will, that is, in the way Our Lord did the Will of His Father when He was on earth. (11 November 1657; SV XI, 384)

Be ready and willing to come and go wherever God pleases

We should all be so disposed and have this desire to suffer for God and our neighbor and to wear ourselves out for that purpose. How happy are they to whom God gives such dispositions and desires! Yes, we must be all for God and the service of the people; we have to give ourselves to God

for that, wear ourselves out for that, and give our lives for that, strip ourselves naked, so to speak, in order to be clothed with Him – at least, we should desire to be so disposed, if we aren’t already - we

should be ready and willing to come and go wherever God pleases, whether to the Indies or elsewhere; lastly, to devote ourselves willingly to the service of our neighbor and to extend the empire of Jesus Christ in souls. (17 June 1657; SV XI, 357)

Desire for martyrdom

God grant that all those who present themselves to join the Company will come with the thought of martyrdom, desiring to suffer martyrdom in it and to devote themselves entirely to the service of God, whether in far off lands or here, wherever it may please God to make use of the poor Little Company! Yes, with the thought of martyrdom. How often we should ask Our Lord for that grace and the disposition to be ready to risk our lives for His glory and the salvation of the neighbor, each and every one of us. If Our Lord loves us to the point of dying for us, why should we not desire to have this same disposition with regard to Him and to put it into effect, if the occasion were to present itself? (12 November 1656; SV XI, 334-335)

Asking for good Missioners

Lord, send Your Church good workers, but they should be really good ones; send good Missioners, men such as they should be, to work hard in Your vineyard; persons, my God, truly detached from themselves, their own ease, and worldly goods; they can be a smaller number, provided they’re good. Grant Your Church this grace, Lord. Put in me all the conditions You desire in Your disciples, such as that of having no attachment to worldly goods. (18 October 1656; SV XI, 321-322)

Not to worry about tomorrow

When Our Lord sent out His Apostles, he recommended that they not take any money with them; but later, when the number of His disciples increased, He willed that there be one of the group qui loculos haberet, and would take care not only of giving food to the poor, but also of providing for the needs of His family. Furthermore, he allowed women to follow Him for the same purpose, quae ministrabant ei; and, if He gives orders in the Gospel not to worry about tomorrow, that should be interpreted to mean not to be too anxious or concerned about worldly goods, and absolutely not to neglect the means of keeping ourselves alive and clothing ourselves; otherwise, there would be no point in sowing any seed. (1656; SV XI, 316)

Dependent on the guidance of the Son of God

When you have to take action, you should make this reflection: ‘Is this in conformity with the maxims of the Son of God?’ If you see that it is, then say, ‘Fine, let’s do it.’ If it isn’t, then say, ‘I’ll do nothing of the sort. ’ … Furthermore, when there’s question of doing some good work, say to the Son of God, ‘Lord, if You were in my place, how would you act on this occasion? How would you instruct these people? How would you console this person sick in mind or body?’ (1656; SV XI, 314)

Advice for pastors

In order not to fall into the misfortune of Saul or Judas, you must be inseparably attached to Our Lord and say often, raising your heart and mind to Him, ‘O Lord, do not allow me, in trying to save

others, to be unfortunately lost myself; be my Shepherd, and do not deny me the graces you impart to others through my instrumentality and the functions of my ministry.’ (1656; SV XI, 312)

Mercy

Mercy is the distinctive feature of God. We practice it, too, and must do so all our lives: corporal mercy, spiritual mercy, mercy in the rural areas and in the missions by hastening to meet the needs of our neighbor, mercy when we’re at home, and with regard to the poor, by teaching them the things necessary for salvation, and in so many other circumstances God presents to us. (2-3 November 1656; SV XI, 328)

Let’s be merciful

Let’s be merciful, and let’s practice mercy toward everyone, so that we’ll never meet a poor person again without consoling him if we can, or an ignorant man without teaching him in a few words the things he must believe and do for his salvation. (6 August 1656; SV XI, 309)

The spirit of mercy and compassion

When we go to visit poor persons, we have to sympathize with them in order to suffer with them, and put ourselves in the dispositions of that great Apostle, who said, Omnibus omnia factus sum; I have made myself all to all... and ask God to give us the true spirit of mercy, which is the characteristic spirit of God. (6 August 1656; SV XI, 308)

The source of all evil

There's no evil in the world that doesn't spring from this accursed passion to possess. Greed, avarice, love of riches - there’s the source of all sorts of ills. Cupiditas, radix omnium malorum. The person subject to this avarice bears within himself the principle, the origin, and the source of all evil, radix omnium malorum... There’s no crime so scandalous that a man who wants to have possessions may not commit. (13 August 1655; SV XI, 224)

Desire to have possessions

The desire to have possessions makes a man think only of himself. (13 August 1655; SV XI, 222)

Spirit of poverty

Let’s all ask God to give us in His mercy His spirit of poverty. Yes, the spirit of poverty is the spirit of God; for to despise what God despises and value what He values, to seek what He approves and to be attached to what He loves, is to have the spirit of God, which is nothing else than to have the same desires and affections of God, to adopt the sentiments of God. (6 August 1655; SV XI, 212)

In Jesus Christ be united

Be united among yourselves and God will bless you; but let it be through the charity of Jesus Christ, for any other union that’s not cemented by the Blood of this Divine Savior can't subsist. So, it’s in Jesus Christ, through Jesus Christ, and for Jesus Christ that you must be united with one another. (End of 1646, SV XI, 137)

Advice for priests on celebrating mass

It's not enough for us to celebrate Mass, but we must also offer this Sacrifice with the greatest devotion possible, in accord with God's Will, conforming ourselves, as far as is in us, with His grace, to Jesus Christ offering himself, when He was on earth, as a sacrifice to His eternal Father. So then, let's strive to offer our sacrifices to God in the same spirit that Our Lord offered His, and as perfectly as our poor, wretched nature allows. (SV XI, 83)

Sincere humility

Let’s follow in everything the humble footsteps of Jesus Christ; let’s use simple, everyday, familiar words; and if God allows it, let’s be glad that people make little account of what we say, that they look down on us and make fun of us, and let’s hold for certain that, without genuine, sincere humility, it’s impossible for us to benefit either ourselves or others. (SV XI, 78)

Meditation

Meditation is a sermon we preach to ourselves to convince us of the need we have to turn to God and to cooperate with His grace in order to uproot vices from our soul and implant virtues in it. In meditation, we have to strive especially to combat the passion or evil inclination that is devouring us and try always to mortify it because, when we succeed in that, the rest easily follows. (SV XI, 76)

Helping one another in ministries

Missioners must not only love one another with a holy, interior affection, and make this apparent simply by their words, but they must witness by works and good results, willingly helping one another in their ministries in this spirit and always being ready to go to the aid... By this mutual support the strong will sustain the weak, and the work of God will be accomplished. (SV XI, 68)

Christian love

Christian love is one by which we love one another in God, in accordance with God, and for God; it’s a love that causes us to love one another for the same purpose for which God loves us, which is to make saints of us in this world and blessed in the next; and, for that purpose, this love causes us to look at God and not anything else but God in every person we love. (SV XI, 67)

Burning desire to serve God

Let's pray that God will fill our hearts with the burning desire to serve Him; let's give ourselves to Him to do with us whatever He pleases... We won’t be true Christians until we’re ready to lose everything and even to give our lives for the love and glory of Jesus Christ. (SV XI, 62-63)

The good use of illness

It must be admitted that the state of sickness is an unfortunate state and is almost unbearable to nature; nevertheless, it's one of the most powerful means God uses to remind us of our duty, to detach us from attraction to sin, and to fill us with His gifts and graces... It’s through sickness, that souls are cleansed of impurities and that those who lack virtue have an efficacious means of acquiring it. No more suitable state can be found in which to practice it; it’s in sickness that faith is exercised in a marvelous way: hope shines brightly in it; resignation, love of God, and ample opportunities for the practice of all the virtues are found in it. (SV XI, 60)

External mortification also important

Woe betide the person who seeks his own satisfactions! Woe betide the person who flees from crosses, for he'll find such heavy ones that they'll overwhelm him! The man who makes little account of external mortifications, saying that interior ones are much more perfect makes it rather clear that he isn't mortified at all, either interiorly or exteriorly. (SV XI, 59)

Missioners need mortification

Let’s hold fast against our nature; for, if we give it an inch, it will take a mile. And we can rest assured that the measure of our progress in the spiritual life must be taken from the progress we’re making in the virtue of mortification, which is particularly necessary for those who have to work for the salvation of souls; for it’s useless for us to preach penance to others, if we don't practice it ourselves and if it isn't obvious in our actions and behavior. (SV XI, 59)

Affability toward the poor

Since God has destined us to serve the poor, we have to do it in the way most beneficial to them, and, consequently, treat them with great affability, taking this advice of the Wise Man as if it were addressed to each one of us in particular: Congregationi pauperum affabilem te facito: make yourselves affable to the assembly of the poor. (SV XI, 58)

Patience during distress and trouble

One of the surest signs that God has great plans for someone is when He sends him distress upon distress and trouble upon trouble. The real time to recognize the spiritual mettle of a soul is the time of temptation and tribulation because the way we are during these trials is the way we usually are afterward. We can acquire greater merit in a single day of temptation than in many other peaceful ones. (SV XI, 56)

Patience

The state of pain and affliction is not a bad state; God puts us in it to make us practice the virtue of patience and to teach us compassion toward others. He himself willed to experience this state in order that we might have a high priest who could share our sufferings and encourage us by His example to practice this virtue. (SV XI, 56)

Gentleness

There are no people more constant and steadfast in doing good than those who are gentle and good-natured, just as, on the contrary, those who allow themselves to give in to anger and the passions of the irascible appetite are usually very fickle because they act only on impulse and fits of anger. They're like mountain streams, strong and impetuous only when they overflow, but which dry up as soon as their waters are drained; whereas rivers, which represent good-natured people, flow quietly, tranquilly, and never dry up. (SV XI, 54)

Pleasing God in humble actions

If we want to please God in great actions, we must accustom ourselves to please Him in humble ones. (SV XI, 53)

No Ambition

God hasn't sent us to have honorable posts and ministries, or to act or speak pompously and authoritatively, but to serve and evangelize poor persons and to carry out the other activities in a humble, gentle, and friendly way. (SV XI, 51)

True Missioner and humility

Humility is the virtue of Jesus Christ, of his holy Mother, of the greatest saints, and in a word, it's the virtue of Missioners... Without humility, we mustn’t expect to make any progress for ourselves or benefit for the neighbor... Anyone who wants to be a true Missioner must constantly strive to acquire this virtue and make progress in it, being careful above all to banish all thoughts of pride, ambition, and vanity, as being the greatest enemies he can have. As soon as they appear, he must rush upon them to uproot them, and keep a close watch so as not to give them any opening. (SV XI, 46)

Christian prudence

Christian prudence consists in judging, speaking, and working as the Eternal Wisdom of God, clothed in our weak flesh, judged, spoke, and worked. (SV XI, 43)

Doing things in the Spirit of Jesus Christ

It's not enough to fast, to observe the Rules, to carry out the ministries of the Mission; but we must do this in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, that is with perfection, for the purpose, and in the way He did them. (SV XI, 43)

The Royal Road

Let's walk confidently along the royal road on which Jesus Christ will be our leader and guide, remembering that He has said that heaven and earth will pass away, but His words will never pass away. Let's strive to think and judge as He did and do what He recommended by His words and examples. Let's enter into His Spirit to adopt His ways of acting; for doing good isn’t everything; it must be done well, in imitation of Our Lord, of whom it is said. Bene omnia fecit: He has done all things well. (SV XI, 43)

Prudence in conversations

One of the effects of prudence and wisdom is not only to speak well and to say good things, but also to say them at the right time so that they may be well received and beneficial to the persons to whom we speak. Our Lord gave the example of this on several occasions, especially when He was speaking to the Samaritan woman and used the opportunity of the water she had just drawn to speak to her about grace and to inspire her with the desire of perfect conversion. (SV XI, 41)

The prudent person

The prudent man acts in the way he should, when he should, and for the purpose he should. The imprudent man, on the contrary, pays no attention to the manner, the time, or the proper motives, and that's where he’s at fault, whereas the prudent man, acting discreetly, weighs and measures everything. (SV XI, 42)

Prudence

It’s characteristic of this virtue to regulate and guide words and actions. Prudence helps us to speak wisely and at the right time, causing us to converse discreetly and judiciously of things that are good in their nature and circumstances and to keep silent about and suppress those that are contrary to God or which may harm the neighbor or tend to our own praise or to some other bad end. (SV XI, 42)

Simplicity in preaching

When the Company is working in the missions, it must give itself to God to explain by familiar comparisons the truths of the Gospel. So, let’s strive to form our minds to this method, imitating in that Our Lord, who, as the holy Evangelist states, sine parabolis non loquebatur ad eos. Let's be judicious about using passages from profane authors in our preaching; in addition, this should be done only to serve as a stepping stone to Holy Scripture. (SV XI, 41)

God is very simple

God is very simple, or, rather. He's Simplicity personified; consequently, where there’s simplicity, there God is also found. (SV XI, 40)

Disposition of prayer for the sicks

We pray that God will be pleased to preserve the sick; nevertheless, we submit entirely to His Divine Will... In asking God to restore health to the sick and to provide for other needs, it may always be on condition that such is His good pleasure and His greater glory. (SV XI, 38)

By our works we love God

The Church is compared to a great harvest that requires workers, but hard working ones. Nothing is more in conformity with the Gospel than to gather light and strength for our soul in meditation, reading, and solitude on the one hand, and then to go out and share this spiritual nourishment with others. This is to do as Our Lord did and His Apostles after Him; it's to unite the office of Martha to that of Mary and to imitate the dove, which half digests the food it has eaten and then uses its beak to put the rest in to that of its babies in order to feed them. That's what we should do, that's how we should witness to God by our works that we love Him. Totum opus nostrum in operatione consistit. (SV XI, 33)

Trust in God's Providence

The true Missioner mustn’t be concerned about the goods of this world but cast all his cares on the Providence of the Lord, holding for certain that, as long as he’s firmly grounded in charity and well anchored in this trust, he'll always be under the protection of God; consequently, no harm will befall him and he'll lack no good thing, even when he thinks that, judging from appearances, all is going to be lost. (SV XI, 32)

Why we won't be successful in a certain ministry?

Do you want to know why we won't be successful in a certain ministry? It's because we rely on ourselves. This preacher, that Superior, or that confessor relies too much on his own prudence, knowledge, and intelligence. And what does God do? He withdraws from him and leaves him on his own; and even though he works, whatever he does produces no fruit, in order to make him aware of his own uselessness and so that he’ll learn from personal experience that, whatever talent he may have, he can do nothing without God. (SV XI, 31)

Trust in God

Let’s trust in God. But let our trust be total and perfect, and let's rest assured that, having begun His work in us, He will complete it... So, let's put all our trust in Him; for, if we put it in human persons or rely on some advantage of nature or fortune, then God will withdraw from us.... Let's seek God alone, and He'll provide us with friends and with everything else, so much so that we'll lack nothing. (SV XI, 31)

Preaching in conformity with the light of faith

Experience teaches us that preachers who preach in conformity with the light of faith do more good in souls than those who fill their discourse with human and philosophical reasoning because the light of faith is always accompanied by a certain heavenly unction that diffuses itself secretly in the hearts of the listeners. From that we can judge how necessary it is, both for our own perfection and to procure the salvation of souls, to accustom ourselves to follow the light of faith always and in all things. (SV XI, 25-26)

Truths of Faith

Only eternal truths are capable of filling our hearts and of guiding us with assurance.... all we have to do is to rely strongly and solidly on one of the perfections of God, e.g.. His goodness, His providence, His truth. His immensity, etc. We have only to be firmly established on these divine foundations in order to become perfect in a short time. It's not that it isn't also good to be convinced by strong, significant reasons, which can always help us, but they must be subordinate to the truths of faith. (SV XI, 25)

Christianity and priests

The success of Christianity depends on priests; for, when good parishioners see a good member of the clergy, a charitable Pastor, they honor him, do what he says, and try to imitate him. (SV IX, 6)

The distinguishing mark of priests

The distinguishing mark of priests is a participation in the priesthood of the Son of God, who has given them the power to sacrifice His own Body and to give it as food, so that those who eat it will have eternal life. That's a totally divine and incomparable characteristic, a power over the Body of Jesus Christ that angels admire, and a power to forgive the sins of the people, which is a great source of amazement and gratitude to them. Is there anything greater and more admirable? Oh, What a great thing a good priest is! (SV XI, 6)

Missioners

The state of the Missioners is one in conformity with the evangelical maxims, which consists in leaving and abandoning everything, as the Apostles did, to follow Jesus Christ and, in imitation of Him, to do what is proper. (SV XI, 1)