And in each of these grades there is a certain superiority according as one Order aims at acts of a higher order than does another, though of the same class. Thus in the works of the active life it is a greater thing to redeem captives than to receive guests; in the contemplative life, too, it is a greater thing to pray than to study. There may also be a certain superiority in this that one is occupied with more of such works than another; or again, that the rules of one are better adapted to the attainment of their end than are those of another.

Some, however, maintain that the contemplative Orders are not superior to the active Orders, thus:

1. In the Canon Law[495] it is said: "Since the greater good is to be preferred to the less, so, too, the common gain is to be preferred to private gain; and in this sense teaching is rightly preferred to silence, anxious care for others to contemplation, and toil to repose." But that Religious Order is the better which is directed to the attainment of the greater good. Hence it seems that Orders which are devoted to an active life are superior to those which aim solely at contemplation.

But this Decretal speaks of the active life as concerned with the salvation of souls.

2. All Religious Orders aim at the perfection of charity. But on those words in the Epistle to the Hebrews,[496] Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, the Gloss has: "There is no more perfect charity in this life than that to which the holy Martyrs attained, for they strove against sin even unto blood." But to strive unto blood belongs to the Military Religious Orders, and they lead an active life. It would seem, then, that these latter are the highest form of Religious Order.

But these Military Orders are more concerned with shedding the blood of their enemies than with shedding their own, which is the feature of the Martyrs. At the same time, there is nothing to preclude these Religious from at times winning the crown of martyrdom and thus attaining to a greater height than other Religious; just as in some cases active works are to be preferred to contemplation.

3. Lastly, the stricter an Order the more perfect it seems to be. But there is nothing to preclude active Orders from being stricter in their observance than some contemplative Orders.

But strictness of observance is not that which is especially commendable in Religious life, as S. Antony has already told us, and as is also said in Isaias[497]: Is this such a fast as I have chosen, for a man to afflict his soul for a day? Strictness of observance is, however, made use of in Religious Orders for the subjection of the flesh; but if such strictness is carried out without discretion there is danger lest it should come to naught, as S. Antony says. Hence one Religious Order is not superior to another because its observances are stricter, but because its observances are directed to the end of that Order with greater discretion. Thus, for example, abstinence from food and drink, which means hunger and thirst, are more efficacious means for preserving chastity than wearing less clothing, which means cold and nakedness; more efficacious, too, than bodily labour.

FOOTNOTES:

[491] S. Luke x. 42.

[492] Conf., ii. 2.

[493] Hom. V., On Ezechiel.

[494] Of the Divine Names, vii.

[495] Extrav. Of Regulars and of those who pass to the Religious Orders, cap. Licet.

[496] xii. 4.

[497] lviii. 5.



INDEX

Abiding in Christ, 32

Abraham in Limbo, 155

Accidents of the Holy Eucharist, 9

Active Life, the: its meaning, 170, 174, 176, 221, 229; typified in Jacob's Vision, 231; typified by Lia, 174, 222, 225, 234, 242, 246; two features of the Active Life, 221, 241, 247; in what sense it is distinct from the Contemplative Life, 220; how less meritorious than the Contemplative Life, 240-244; not preferable to the Contemplative Life, 233-240; it involves less sacrifice than the Contemplative Life, 244; in what sense it precedes the Contemplative Life, 223, 237, 245, 249-252; how far it is necessary, 186, 221, 239, 245, 250; contrasted with the Contemplative Life, 172, 173; how far it is more stable than the Contemplative Life, 232; its dangers, 136, 147, 186; it is a burden super-imposed upon the Contemplative Life, 238; all are not meant for it, 186, 251, 252; it will not persist after this life, 229-232; the Active Life of the Angels, 231; how far the Active Life is inferior to the Contemplative, 233-240; occasions when it must be embraced, 186, 235, 239; the part which the Moral Virtues play in it, 191, 220-223; it is a preparation for the Contemplative Life, 176, 177, 220, 237, 245; prudence is requisite for it, 186, 223-226; how far the teaching life pertains to the Active Life, 226-229, 230; it will pass away, 177, 191, 229-232; it is the Purgative way, 220; Prelates and the Active Life, 236

Active Religious Orders, they are inferior to the Contemplative, 253-257

Adjure God, in what sense we are said to do so in our prayers, 148

Adoration of the Cross, 37

Adoro Te Devote, the rhythm of St. Thomas in honour of the Holy Eucharist, 112

Albert of Brescia, O.P., 18

Albert the Great, Blessed, 6

Alypius, St. Augustine's friend, 123

Ambrose, St.: on God as the cause of devotion, 57; that the beauty of the soul depends on the Moral Virtues, 184

Andronicus on the meaning of sanctity, 49

Angels, the: how they are differentiated from men, 113, 114, 187, 206; the knowledge of the Angels, 157, 187, 205, 208, 230; the Beatific Vision of the Angels, 231; the intelligence of the Angels, 187, 230; the intercession of the Angels, 165; their conformity to the will of God, 165, 167; the Angelic Hierarchies, 201, 230; the teaching of the Angels 230, 231; the Active Life of the Angels, 231; we shall be like to the Angels, how, 230, 231; Angels gird St. Thomas, 6

Anselm of Laudun, 25

Antony, St.: a patron against Hell-fire, 160; on discretion, 154, 157

Areopagite. Cf. s.v. Denis the Areopagite

Aristotle: on the aptitude for virtue, 35; on honour, 39; that the perfection of the moral virtues lies in their mean, 43; on Justice, 55, 221; that "reason asks for the best things," 69; on the need of temporal things, 89; that "each man's life is that which he would wish to share with his friend," 170; that "to live is to be," 170; on action and contemplation as distinctions in the intellectual life, 171; that life is primarily in the vegetative soul, 171; on three kinds of lives, 175; that knowledge has little to do with the moral virtues, 182, 221; that every act of the intellect may be termed "consideration," 188; that the ultimate happiness of man consists in the contemplation of the highest truth, 193; of man's dependence on the imagination, 201; that motion is the act of a perfect thing, 203; on local motion as the chief of bodily motions, 204; that delight follows upon a perfect work, 213; on the nobility of science, 214; that there is no pleasure contrary to that derived from thought, 217; on application to the Contemplative Life, 217; that the Contemplative Life is "beyond man," 218; that prudence pertains to active happiness, 223; that he who commits adultery to steal is more a thief than an adulterer, 223; that prudence is the right mode of procedure in our actions, 224; that the ends of the moral virtues are the principles of prudence, 224; that the proof of the possession of wisdom is the power to teach, 228; eight proofs that the Contemplative Life is superior to the Active, 234, 235; on the better lot, 236; that habits produce perfect acts, 251

Arius, his error regarding the Person of Christ, 161

Athanasius, St., on the chanting of the Psalms, 123

Attention: mental, 225; in prayer, 125-133; three kinds of, 128, 129, 133

Attitudes in prayer, 150, 151

Augustine, St.: St. Thomas's kinship with him in doctrine, 17-19; they are seen in a vision together, 18; the Breviary Hymn to, 26; definition of religion, 28, 29, 30; on Latvia, 30; on Eusebeia, 31; on abiding in Christ, 32; on the desire of God, 32; on prayer for wealth, 33; on sacrifice, 32, 46; of true worship, 40; of idolatry, 46; on the value of external acts in prayer, 46; of virginity, 50; on "God alone," 54, 92, 108, 142, 197, 189, 203, 219; on the will and the understanding, 57; on true grief, 65; prayer defined, 69; why we should pray, 75; on the prayers of the Church, 76; when we pray we are God's beggars, 79, 110; of those who say "He knows already; why then pray?" 80; of the knowledge the dead have of our affairs, 82; on shrinking from death, 83; on avoidance of Hell, 86; of the Beatific Vision, 87, 229; a prayer for continence, 87; and for the knowledge of Holy Scripture, 88; it is lawful to pray for what it is lawful to desire, 89; on prayer for "sufficiency of life," 89; on "seeking first the Kingdom of God," 90; on prayer "without ceasing," 91; of the prayer of desire, 92, 134; his prayer for deliverance from toothache, 92; why temporal favours are sometimes not granted, 94, 95; on prayer for others, 96; that we cannot here distinguish between the predestinate and the reprobate, 97; on the imprecations in Holy Scripture, 100, 101; on prayer for the wicked, 101; on the Lord's Prayer, that it is the most perfect form of prayer, 102; on "our Daily Bread," 103, 109; "hallowed be Thy Name," 104; "Thy kingdom come," 105; "Thy will be done," 105; "forgive us our trespasses," 110, 111; of the Lord's Prayer and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, 106; of the two versions of the Lord's Prayer in St. Matthew and St. Luke, 107; on true righteousness, 111; on exterior religion, 119; on the chanting of the Psalter, 123; on the prayer of the heart, 124; on distractions, 129-131; on prayer at definite times, 134; on the brief prayers of the hermits of old, 134; on "much speaking" in prayer, 135; that God urges us to pray, 138, 139; that prayer is a gift of God, 139; on unheard prayers, 140, 142; on prayers heard in anger, 142, 143; in what sense the prayers of sinners are heard, 143, 144; on the attitudes to be adopted in and of the time and place for prayer, 127, 150, 151; of the knowledge of the Saints in Limbo, 154-156; why the prayers of the Saints are heard, 167; the Contemplative contrasted with the Active Life, 172-174, 186; the three "lives," 175, 185; the "mixed" life, 226; of the final possession and vision of God, 176, 177, 191, 203; on the use of leisure, 186; the claims of the two lives, the Active and the Contemplative, 186, 248; of the Active Life, 236; of the Active Life as opposed to the Contemplative, 238; that every operation of the intellect may be termed "thought," 188; of the derivation of the term "speculation," 189; of our present perfection, 190, 191; on the pleasures of sense, 185; that the contemplation of God is the goal of all our acts, 193; that we must use created things as stepping-stones to the things that abide for ever, 193; on Mary's "better part," 196, 197; on Martha and Mary, 234, 235, 248; that in contemplation we do not see God Himself, 199; the greater the danger in the battle, the greater the joy in the triumph, 212; on the transitory nature of our present contemplation, 218; on the beauty of the teaching life, 227; how the moral virtues remain after death, 230; of the repose of Contemplation, 230, 241; of his desire for solitude, yet he feels that he must work for others, 239; he dare hope for the Contemplative Life, 240; of the higher reason, 249

Basil, St.: on distractions, 127, 128; on unheard prayers, 141

Beatific Vision, the, 87, 153, 172, 176, 177, 180, 181, 193, 198-203, 217

Beatitude, in what it consists, 172, 176, 177, 181, 191, 198, 218, 219, 229

Beatitude, a prayer for, 192

Beauty, definition of, 185

Benedict, St., the vision of, 202

Bernard, St.: on the meaning of contemplation, 188, 189; of the steps in contemplation, 194

Bestial Life, the, 175

Birds, the movements of, 209

Blood of Christ, the, 163

Boethius, on the liberty needful for contemplation, 237

Cajetan, O.P., Cardinal, 19, 20; on the meaning of Religion, 50; on the meaning of devotion, 53, 54; on its causes, 60; on devotion as opposed to gloom, 64; of the "devout female sex," 62; of the need of meditation, 61; of prayer as the cause of union with God, 71; of prayer as a real cause, 74; on three points to be considered in prayer, 78; on prayer as a sacrifice, 79; of the divisions of the Lord's Prayer, 107, 108; how those in Limbo can hear prayers, 118; on vocal prayer, 121, 123; on the tone to be employed in saying Mass, 122; the function of ecclesiastical chant, 122, 124; on attention in recitation of Divine Office, 128; on attention to the words of Consecration, 149, 150; of the need of the moral virtues in the Contemplative Life, 239; the Parable of the Ten Virgins, 247; on the real object of prayer, 129

Canticle of Canticles, the, 14

Cassian, the Conferences of: on St. Antony and discretion, 254, 257; on different kinds of prayer, 148

Cassiodorus on Ps. xxxviii. 13, 68

Cato on respect for parents, 30

Ceremonial, the value of, 35

Chant of the Church, the Public, 122, 123

Charity as the principle of religion, 56. Cf. s.v. Theological virtues

"Christ, pray for us," why we do not say, 160, 161

Christ, the Name of, on the foreheads of Christians, 219

Chrysostom, St.: the Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum falsely attributed to him, 24; on prayer as a conversation with God, 74; on prayer for others, 95; in public, 121; on prayer for sinners, 143; on prayer through Jesus Christ, 145; on the zeal of S. Paul, 242

Church customs, 158, 163

Church, the prayers of the, 81

Cicero, on religion, 27; on prudence and intellectual quickness, 224

Circular movement of the soul, 172, 203-210

Cleanness, 47, 184

Colere, 31

Collect for Friday in September Ember Week, 147; for Trinity Sunday, 147, 148

Compline, St. Thomas's devotion at, 14

Communion of Saints, 158, 164

Conformity to the will of God, 86

Consecration, the Prayer of the, 147, 149, 150

Contemplation and the Contemplative Life: the meaning of contemplation, 188, 189, 196, 201, 202, 211, 230, 234, 235, 237; it is something beautiful in the soul, 184; not purely an affair of the intellect, 179-182, 189; its relation to the affective powers, 211; the place which reason occupies in contemplation, 195, 210, 211, 225, 226, 249; the place occupied by the imagination, 195; in what sense contemplation involves many acts, 187-192; how far contemplation may be described according to the three species of motion—circular, direct, and oblique, 172, 203-210; contemplation is natural to man, 210; it is pleasurable, 211; it is primarily concerned with God, 180, 241, 250; it does not, in this present life, fall on the Divine Essence as such, 199-203; its ultimate goal, 180, 184, 187, 193, 194, 196, 198, 203, 229; its ultimate goal in this life, 212, 220; how it is distinguished from meditation and thought, 188; and from speculation, 189; four integral parts of contemplation, 193, 194; four phases in it, 194; six steps in it, 195, 196; the contemplation of this present life, 193, 213, 214; not on earth as in Heaven, 176, 177, 217, 243; it is "beyond man," 218; a busy life does not exclude it, 238; it is lawful to desire it, 240; contemplation and ecstasy, 200; four subjects of contemplation, 194; the repose of contemplation, in what it consists, 204, 205, 234, 235, 246

The Contemplative Life: its meaning, 184, 186, 237, 250; how it is distinguished from the Active Life, 169, 173, 220, 234, 235; it is superior to the Active Life, 233-240; it is more meritorious than it, 240-244; its great merit, 242; it is prepared for in the Active Life, 239, 245-249; the Active Life precedes it, 249-252; the Contemplative Life directs the Active, 251; the relation of the Contemplative Life to the Theological virtues, 192; and to the Moral virtues, 182-186, 221, 222, 239; it demands temperance, 184, 185; and chastity, which it in turn fosters, 184, 185; it calls for the subjection of the passions, 184, 185; it results in the subjugation of the passions, 213; it involves a certain liberty of spirit, 234, 237; it is often distasteful, 215, 216; it means the sacrifice of our own soul, 244; its joys, 177, 197, 210-216, 234, 248; its combats, 212, 213; it is imperfect here on earth, 243; it is not incompatible with Prelacy, 236; its relation to the office of teaching, 236-239; it is not meant for all, 235, 236, 239, 241, 251, 252; reading is sometimes necessary for it, 190; how far it refrains from all external actions, 182; it is typified by Rachel, 174, 180, 184, 234, 242; also by Mary of Bethany, 174, 190, 197, 234, 235, 248; it is foreshown in Jacob's Vision, 231

Contemplative Religious Orders: in what sense they are the best, 253-257

Contemplatives, 32

Continence, a prayer for, 87

Conversation, sins of, 110

Correction, fraternal, 97

Created things must serve as stepping-stones, 193

Cross, Adoration of the, 37

Cultus, 31

Cyprian, St., on Our Father, not My Father, 96

Damascene, St. John: on Wonderment, 189; definitions of prayer, 69, 71, 85, 142, 148

Dead, Prayers for the, 167, 168

Death, fear of, 83

Decii, the, 52

Defects, the thought of our, causes devotion, 63, 64

Delights, earthly, as opposed to heavenly, 215, 216

Denis the Areopagite, 24; on sanctity, 49; on ecstasy, 55; on beginning all with prayer, 70; on being co-workers with God, 154; of the knowledge of the Angels, 157; of the harmony in Divine things, 158; that life implies motion, 171; on the three movements of the soul, 172, 203-210; of the difference between the Angelic and the human intellect, 186; that the goal of contemplation is to attain to the uniformity of the Divine contemplation, 218; that in contemplation here on earth we do not see the Divine Essence, 200; on the illumination of the Angels, 230; of the Divine harmony, 255

Desires, their function and necessity, 77, 91, 105

Devotion: defined, 51, 53, 55, 57, 64; is a special act, 51; is due to an act of the will, 53, 57; is an act of the virtue of Religion, 57; is the principal act of the virtue of Religion, 54; involves sacrifice of the heart, 64; it gives a certain measure to human acts, 52; it means promptitude, 53, 55, 56, 57; two causes of it, 57, 62, 63; caused by meditation, 57; especially by meditation on the Sacred Passion, 59, 63; on the goodness of God, 58, 60; on our own defects, 58, 60; obstacles to it, 62; how far it may be hindered by learning, 60; it is productive of sorrow, 62-64; but is not therefore to be confounded with gloominess, 64, 65; it produces joy, 62, 63; devotion to the Saints, 57; the devotion of women, 59, 62; the "devout female sex," 62

Direct movement of the soul, the, 172, 210-213

Discretion, St. Antony on, 254, 257

Distractions, 127. Cf. s.v. Prayer, distractions in

Divine Office, attention in the recitation of, 128

Dulia, 39

Ecstasy, 4; Denis the Areopagite on, 55; that of St. Paul, 199, 200

Ejaculatory prayers, 134, 135

Enemies, prayer for, 99; love of our, 99

Eternity: the "repose" of, 86, 87, 92; the "silence" of, 87

Etymologies, those of St. Thomas and St. Isidore, 24

Eucharist, the Holy: the Accidents of, 9; St. Thomas's reception of It as Viaticum, 15; the "Chief" of the Sacraments, 103; our "Daily Bread," 103, 109; the rhythm, Adoro Te Devote, 112

Eusebeia, 31

Example, the force of, 222

Exterior religion, 45

External actions, 182, 183

Extraordinary ways of God, the, 3

Faber, Father, 2

Faith, 191, 192

Faith and Vision, 87

Fasting, 63

Fear, 189; the gift of fear, 34; fear of death, 23; of Hell, 36

Female sex, the "devout," 62

"Forgive us our trespasses," 110, 111

Fossa Nuova, 14

Frederic, the Emperor, 8

Friendship, 56

Gifts of God, 92; of the Holy Spirit, 105, 106

Gloom, not a characteristic of the Saints, 64, 65

Gloss, the, on Holy Scripture, 24, 25

God: God alone, 92, 247; in what sense we "adjure" Him in our prayers, 148; by prayer we become His beggars, 79, 110; He is not changed by our prayers, 86, 107; does not need our external acts of religion, 43, 46; His foreknowledge involves no compulsion, 72; His goodness is a reason for prayer, 107, 149; His Holiness is a reason for prayer, 147; the harmony of Divine things, 158, 159; He knows beforehand what we seek, 80, 161; He knows the heart, 157; the majesty of God, 189; the Patience of God, 130; we do not pray to Him alone, 80-84; He does not always hear our prayers, 142, 143; why He wishes us to pray, 74, 86, 107, 138; He does not profit by our service, 43; on seeking after God, 54, 134, 179, 180, 183, 192; He is the First Principle, 180; the Ultimate End, 182; ultimate union with Him, 109, 191; union with Him, 69, 208; we can hope for it, 240; hindrances to it, 103, 104; the Vision of God, 153, 155, 163, 172, 177, 180, 181. Cf. s.v. Beatific Vision; the Antecedent Will of God, 163

Greeks, On the Errors of the, St. Thomas's treatise on, 14

Gregory the Great, St.: on Lia as the type of the Active Life, 222, 225, 234, 242, 246; of Martha and Mary as types of the Active and the Contemplative Life respectively, 174; on attention at prayer, 126; on the intercession of the Angels, 165; on the conformity of the Angels to God's Will, 167; how the prayers of the Saints avail, 167; that the Contemplative Life is occupied with God alone, 180, 184, 192; that contemplation in this life does not attain to the Divine Essence, 199, 200; that contemplation excludes all images, 201; of St. Benedict's vision, 202; on the true sweetness of contemplation, 210; contemplation springs from and leads to love of God, 212; on the combats of the Contemplative Life, 212; that knowledge of God brings about the death of all carnal desires, 213; of the joys of the spiritual life, 215, 216; on disgust for spiritual things 215, 216; of the Active Life, 221, 225; on teaching as falling under the Active Life, 226; as due to contemplation, 227; that the Active Life passes away, not so the Contemplative Life, 229; of the Contemplation of the Angels, 231; on the instability of our present contemplation, 232, 243; of the merits of the Contemplative Life, 240, 241; that those who are Superiors can still practise the Contemplative Life, 236; that the Active Life precedes the Contemplative, 224, 245, 249; of zeal for souls, 243, 244; of the necessity of the Active Life, 250; contemplata aliis tradere, 254; that the Blessed in Heaven know our needs, 82; not all are called to the Contemplative Life, 251, 252

Gregory of Nyssa, St., of joys and sorrows, 64

Gregory X., Pope, 14

Guidonis, Bernard, 6

Habits, 35, 251

Harmony of Divine things, 158, 159

Harmony of reason, the, 183

Heaven: there will be no books in, 111; it is our "Fatherland," 166-168, 173

Holiness, 184

Hope, 191, 192

Hugo a St. Caro, 6, 25

Hugh of St. Victor's: on attention at prayer, 126; on intensity, 126

Idolatry, 46

Images, veneration of, 37

Imagination, its function, 195, 201

Imprecations in Holy Scripture, 100

Indulgences, 168

Ingratitude, 94

"Insinuation" in prayer, 141

Intelligence, quickness of, 224

Intellect, the noblest part of man, 79, 80

Intention, 133

"Intercession" as a part of prayer, 146

Intercession of the Saints, 161

Interior Spirit, the true, 247

Interpretive prayer, 163

Isaias, St. Thomas's Commentary on, 10

Isidore of Seville, St.: his etymologies, 24; on religion, 27; on the word sanctus, 48; on prayer, 68

Jacob's Vision, 231

Jeremias prays for the people, though he is in Limbo, 115, 118, 162

Jerome, St.: on the error of Vigilantius, who said the prayers of the Martyrs were not heard, 115, 162; on making "a virtue of necessity," 35; on the term "super-substantial" Bread, 103

John of St. Julian, O.P., 5

John XXII., Pope, 23

Josias, King of Juda, in Limbo, 155

Joy as an effect of devotion, 62

Joys of Contemplation, the, 210-216

Justice, the chief of the Moral Virtues, 37, 55, 221

Knowledge, its relation to the Moral Virtues, 182

Latria, 30, 34, 44

Leo the Great, St., on the Jews, 56

Lia, the type of the Active Life, 222, 225, 234, 242, 246

Liberty of Spirit, 237

Life: definitions of, 169, 170, 171, 187; considered as intellectual, life may be divided into the Active and the Contemplative, 171, 174; cf. s.v. Contemplative Life and Active Life; the Active and Contemplative Life compared, 233-257; the two Lives distinguished, 169-177; their relative order, 249-252; the "mixed" life, 175, 185; the Life of Beatitude, 191; the bestial life, 175; the busy life, 175; the civil life, 175; the leisurely life, 175, 185; the pleasurable life, 175; the life of repose, 172, 173; the life of toil, 172, 173; the voluptuous life, 176

Limbo, 118, 154-156

Litany of the Saints, 158

Living for Eternity, on, 83

Livy on the Decii, 51

Lombard, Peter, 25

Lord's Prayer, the: the seven petitions of, 105-111; the most perfect form of prayer, 105; distractions in saying it, 132; why we say Our Father, and not My Father, 96; this prayer is recited in the name of the whole Church, 145; in what sense we are tied to this restricted form of prayer, 136, 137; the Lord's Prayer as a subject of meditation, 192

Lyons, the Council of, St. Thomas summoned to it, 14

Lyra, Nicolas de, his Gloss, 25

Martyrs: the prayers of the, 162-164; merits of the Martyrs, 256

Marvel, what it is to, 189

Mass, the: to be said distinctly, 122; the Prayers of, 147; the Prayer of the Consecration in the Mass, 149, 150

Maximus Valerius, On Socrates, 84

Meditation, 188, 190; causes devotion, 57; produces sadness as well as joy, 62-65; the need of it, 61; not to be neglected for vocal prayer, 123; fruitful subjects for, 60; meditation on the Sacred Passion, 59; on choosing subtle subjects for meditation, 58, 60, 61

Melancholy, no fruit of devotion, 64, 65

Merit: definition of, 166; source of, 240; merits and rewards, 242; none in Heaven, 166, 243; of the Active and Contemplative Life, 240-244; the merit of prayer, 141; those of the Saints, 163; how we can merit for others, 141

Military Religious Orders, 256

Monica, St., 123

Monte Cassino, 4

Moral Acts, their nature, 225

Moral Virtues, the: Justice is the chief of the moral virtues, 221; requisites for the moral virtues, 41; their place in the Contemplative Life 182-186; their function, 41, 43, 183-185; their part in the Active Life, 220-226; how far they remain after death, 230

Movements of the soul, the three, 172, 203-210

Mysticism, 1-3

Necessity, to make a virtue of, 35, 44

Nestorius's error concerning the Person of Christ, 161

Novelty of St. Thomas's teaching, 6, 7

"Obsecration" as a part of prayer, 147-149

Observance, strictness of, 257

Occultism, 3

Office, attention at the Divine, 128

Origen on sanctity, 47; on not swearing, 148

Passion, Meditation on the Sacred, 59, 63, 128

Perfection, 44

Peter Lombard, 25

Philosophy is better than riches, 236

Postillae, 24

Prayer to St. Thomas before study, A, 16

Prayer: defined, 68, 69, 76, 78, 85, 102, 1O5, 127, 136, 148; it is an act, 161; not an act of the appetitive powers, 68, 71, 77; it is an act of the virtue of religion, 76-80, 161; after devotion, prayer is the highest act of the virtue of religion, 77; it is a conversation with God, 74; by it we become God's beggars, 110; it is peculiar to the rational creation, 112-114; in what sense the brute creatures pray, 114; prayer is a gift from God, 139; three requisites for prayer, 146; four requisites for prayer, 138; the real meaning of "petition," 78, 79; the prayer of desire, 92, 105; in what sense desire is not prayer, 77, 78; prayer is a real cause, 72, 74, 166 Why we should pray: prayer is reasonable, 71-76, 107, 120, 147; the merit of prayer, 125, 137-143; the effects of prayer, 71, 120, 125, 132, 138; prayer causes union with God, 70, 71 Errors concerning prayer: in general, 72; it is not an adjuring of God, 148; it never wearies God, 79, 80; "much speaking" in prayer, 135; it cannot change God's decrees, 72, 73, 86, 107, 161; it does not "bend" His will, 86; God knows beforehand what we would pray for, 73, 75, 80, 86, 120 Of prayers heard and unheard: the condition necessary if our prayers are to be heard, 89, 96, 141, 144; of prayers heard in anger, 142, 143; in what sense the prayers of sinners are heard, 143-146; the prayers of the poor are speedily heard, 69; how the prayers of the Saints are heard, 162, 168; the prayers of the Martyrs and Apostles, 162, 163; why prayers are not heard, 142; of unheard prayers, 140; why our prayers for others are sometimes not heard, 96; in what sense the prayers of sinners are heard, 143-146 How we should pray: at regular intervals, 134; our attitude in prayer, 150, 151; beginning occupations with prayer, 70; prayer "without ceasing," 91, 137; attention at prayer, 125; three kinds of attention, 120, 133; distractions, 121, 127-133; the length of our prayers, 133-137; hindrances to prayer, 75; the recitation of Psalms, 123; prayer "in spirit and in truth," 126; weariness in prayer, 134 What we should pray for: the impetratory value of prayer, 138, 141; what we should pray for in general, 129, 142; for Beatitude, 85-87; prayer for definite things, 84-88; for "sufficiency of life," 89; against death, 83; for continence, 87; for knowledge of Holy Scripture, 88; for deliverance from toothache, 92, 94; for others, 95, 97, 98, 229; for the wicked, 97; for the good, 98; for our inferiors, 98; for temporal blessings, 89-95; for the predestinate, 167; for our enemies, 99-102; the Saints in Heaven pray for the resurrection of their bodies, 116 To whom we should pray: not to God alone, 80-84; to the Angels, 81; to the Saints, 157-161; to the lesser Saints, 117 Who pray for us, and how: the Angels pray for us, how, 114; in what sense the Son and the Holy Spirit are said to pray, 113, 115; how the Holy Spirit helps our prayers, 85; the Saints pray for us, 115-118; how, 156, 163, 166, 167; how we merit the prayers of the Saints, 162; how our prayers are known to the Saints, 152-157; those in Limbo prayed for those on earth, 118; those in Purgatory cannot pray for us, 117 Divers forms of prayer: vocal prayer, 119-125; ejaculatory prayer, 134, 135; prayer in secret, 121; prayer of the heart, 124; thanksgiving as a part of prayer, 149; postulations as a part of prayer, 146-148 The Lord's Prayer: we say not "my Father," but "our Father," 96; the seven petitions of the Lord's Prayer, 102-111; the Lord's Prayer not said without distractions, 132; in what sense we are tied to the Lord's Prayer as a formula, 136, 137 The Church's prayers: in general, 76, 147, 158; public and private prayers, 119, 121, 122, 135; how the prayer "of many" avails, 98; the prayer of the Consecration at Mass, 149, 150

Prelates and Contemplative Life, 236

Prosper, St., the Book of Sentences Gleaned from St. Augustine, 140

Prudence: its relation to the other Moral Virtues, 224; it is requisite for the Active Life, 223-226

Purity of soul, 252

Purgatory: why the suffrages of the Church do not empty it at once, 167, 168; the souls in Purgatory do not know our needs, 83; neither do they pray for us, 83, 116, 118; Brother Romanus passed sixteen days in Purgatory, 12

Rabanus Maurus: his Gloss, 25; on Prayer, 69

Rachel, a type of the Contemplative Life, 163, 174, 180, 184, 234, 242

Reading necessary for prayer, 190

Reason: its function, 206; the higher and the lower, 249; the speculative and the practical, 68

Religion: the virtue of, 27-50; that it is a virtue, 34; definition of, 27-31, 39, 49; its principle is charity, 56; it is one virtue, 35; and a Moral Virtue, 40; and a special virtue, 37-39; not a Theological Virtue, 39; the via media in, 41; the harmony of, 42; is superior to the other Moral Virtues, 42; is not for God's profit, but for ours, 43; demands external acts, 44; how far it is identified with sanctity, 47-50

Religious Orders, the Active and Contemplative compared, 253-257

Religious people, 31, 50, 61; they are not always Saints, 50

Reposeful characters, 252

Romanus, Brother, appears to St. Thomas, 12

Sacrifice, the real nature of, 38, 46, 244

Saints, the: what it is to be a Saint, 50; they are not gloomy, 64, 65; their knowledge of our needs, 82, 152-157; their prayers for us, 115-118; they feel no grief for us on earth, 155; their wills are perfectly conformed to that of God, 116, 156, 163, 165, 167; the Communion of Saints, 158, 164; we ought to pray to them, 157-161; of devotion to the Saints, 57; to the lesser Saints, 117, 160; they are co-workers with God, 154; in what sense their prayers are always heard, 158, 162-168; their merits, 163, 166; how they pray for us, 163, 167

"Saint of Saints, The," 160

Scripture, prayer for knowledge of Holy, 88

Seneca: on petitions, 74; on idolatry, 46

Sentences, the Book of, 6, 25

Sinners, prayer for: 97; the prayers of sinners, 143-146

Sins of conversation, 110

Socrates on prayer, 84

Solicitude, how far it is forbidden, 90

Sorrow, as an effect of devotion, 62, 64

Speculation, 189

Spirit, the Holy, how He helps us to pray, 85

"Spirit and truth," prayer in, 126, 127

Spiritualism, 3

Stability implied in the notion of sanctity, 49

Strabo, Walafrid, his Gloss, 24

Strictness of life not an end in itself, 257

"Sufficiency of life," prayer for, 89

Suffrages for the Dead, 167, 168

Summa Theologica: the broad divisions of, 19, 20; the method employed in, 21, 22; the Tertia Pars, 13

Superiors and Contemplation, 238

Supererogation, works of, 44

Superstition, 42

Supersubstantial Bread, 103

Supplications as a part of prayer, 146

Swearing, Origen on, 148

Teaching: in what it consists, 227, 228; due to Contemplation, 227; how far it belongs to the Active Life, 226-229; the beauty of the teaching life, 227; how the Angels teach, 231

Temperance: a necessity for the Contemplative Life, 184, 185; how far it is identical with sanctity, 50

Temporal things: the part they play in our life, 89; they are "stepping-stones" to Heaven, 91; how far they may be asked for, 89-95

Thanksgivings as part of prayer, 147

Theological Virtues, the, 39-41, 191, 192

Theosebeia, 31

Thomas Aquinas, St.: born at Rocca Secca, 4; his early occupation with Divine things, 5; goes to Monte Cassino, 4; to Naples University, 5; receives the habit of the Friars Preachers, 5; is sent to Santa Sabina, 5; is imprisoned, and studies the Bible, the Sentences, and the Philosophy of Aristotle, 6; is created Bachelor in Theology, 6; the novelty of his teaching, 7, 8; created Master in Theology, 7; says he would prefer to possess St. Chrysostom's Commentaries on the Gospel according to St. Matthew to the possession of the city of Paris, 10; hears from Our Lord's lips, Bene scripsisti de Me, Thoma, 10; his three petitions, 8; his prayer before study, 8-11; is visited by St. Peter and St. Paul, who explain to him a passage of Isaias, 11; Brother Romanus appears to him, 12; his approaching end is revealed to him, 12, 13; the Crucifix speaks to him, 13; he ceases to write, 14; his emotion on hearing the words, Ne projicias nos, sung, 14; is summoned to the Council of Lyons, 14; his faith in the Holy Eucharist, 9, 15; his dying words, 15; his rhythm, Adoro Te Devote, 112; the method of his teaching, 19; his teaching is regarded as miraculous, 23; his use of the works of the Fathers, 16, 18, 23; his teaching and that of St. Augustine, 16-18; his self-effacement, 23

Tocco, William of, biographer of St. Thomas, 5 note, 6, 8, 9, 11, 15

Toothache: St. Thomas's deliverance from it, 93; St. Augustine's deliverance from it, 93

Trinity, the Holy: how to pray to, 81; the Collect for Trinity Sunday, 147

Union with God, 3, 197, 198. Cf. s.v. God

Valgornera, Theologia Mystica, 1

Via media in religion, 41

Vigilantius's errors regarding prayer, 117, 162

Virginity, 50

Virgins, the five wise and the five foolish, 247

Virtue: definition of, 34; its praiseworthy character, 43; it lies in the will, 43

Walafrid Strabo, his Gloss, 24

Will: the object of the, 57; its functions, 52, 70; the part it plays in the Contemplative Life, 179-181

Women, the natural devotion of, 59

Worship: in what it consists, 41

Zeal for souls, 243, 244



INDEX OF TEXTS QUOTED OR EXPLAINED

Genesis. xxix. 17; 184 xxxii. 30-32; 200, 214

Exodus. iii. 6; 117 iii. 14; 176 xiii. 6; 117 xix. 21; 136, 237 xx. 1-17; 42 xxxv. 20, 21; 52

1 Kings. i. 18; 120 xv. 19; 73

2 Kings. vii. 18; 150

3 Kings. xviii. 42; 150

4 Kings. xxii. 50; 155

2 Paralipomenon. xxix. 31; 52

Job. v. 1; 80, 157 xiv. 21; 152 xvi. 20-23; 210 xxxi. 14; 226 xxxi. 23; 236

Psalms. v. 5; 177 vi. 7; 151 vi. 11; 99 x. 17; 69 xv. 2; 43 xv. 5; 32 xv. 5, 6; 172 xv. 9; 120 xv. 11; 177 xvi. 6-9; 252 xxiv. 6-11; 177 xxvi. 4; 70, 136, 197 xxvi. 5; 240 xxvi. 8; 120 xxxii. 20, 21; 137 xxxiii. 9; 211, 216 xxxiv. 13; 97, 137 xxxv. 7; 235 xxxvi. 23-25; 146 xxxvii. 10; 91 xxxviii. 4; 57 xxxviii. 13; 68, 143 xxxix. 13; 120 xli. 3; 63 xli. 1-6; 182 xlv. 11; 235, 246 xlvii. 9; 13 xlvii. 9, 10, 15; 238 xlix. 13; 46 l. 19; 64 liv. 1-7; 150 liv. 23; 95 lvii. 11; 100 lviii. 7; 43 lxv. 8-12; 232 lxvi.; 84 lxx. 17, 18; 76 lxx. 20; 14 lxxii. 21-28; 192 lxxii. 28; 58 lxxv. 4, 5; 129 lxxvi. 1; 32 lxxvi. 4; 62 lxxix. 4; 85 lxxxiii. 3; 44 lxxxiii. 12; 81 lxxxv. 1-5; 125 xciv. 3; 46 xcvi. 7; 113 cii. 1-15; 249 ciii. 33, 34; 80 cxviii. 35; 85 cxviii. 145; 124 cxx. 1, 2; 58 cxx. 4; 80 cxxxviii. 14; 194 cxl. 2; 76 cxli. 1; 119 cxlii. 4-7; 132 cxlii. 5, 6; 194 cxliii. 15; 191 cxliv. 13; 104 cxlv. 1; 130 cxlvi. 9; 114

Proverbs. xxviii. 8; 144 xxx. 8; 89

Ecclesiastes. vii. 14; 97

Wisdom. vii. 7; 190 viii. 2; 185 viii. 16; 171, 204, 210 ix. 15; 132, 213 xv. 1-3; 244

Ecclesiasticus. xxviii. 2; 146 xxx. 24; 244 xxxvi. 1-3; 102 xxxvi. 16-19; 114 xli. 1-6; 223 xliii. 33; 41

Isaias. xii. 1-6; 219 xxv. 8, 9; 198 xxvi. 3,4,8,9; 201 xxxii. 17; 184 xxxiii. 13-17; 181 xlvi. 10; 104 lviii. 5; 256 lxiii. 15, 16; 88, 154 lxiv. 8, 9; 71 lxv. 24; 70

Jeremias. vii. 16; 97 xiv. 8,9; 186 xv. 1; 96, 164 xxxi. 34; 231

Lamentations. iii. 19; 63

Daniel. ix. 14; 160 ix. 18, 19; 147 x. 12, 13; 165

Osee. xiv. 3; 120

Habacuc. ii. 4; 190

Malachi. i. 6; 36 iii. 14; 72

2 Maccabees xv. 14; 115, 162

St. Matthew. v. 8; 184 v. 44; 99 vi. 6; 121 vi. 7; 135 vi. 8; 80 vi. 9; 136 vi. 9-13; 84 vi. 25; 90 vi. 32; 73 vi. 33; 90 vii. 7; 78 xviii. 10; 157, 231 xxii. 30; 165 xxv. 3, 4; 247

St. Luke. i. 49; 104 i. 74, 75; 47 vi. 12; 135 vi. 13; 139 ix. 55; 57 x. 39; 190 x. 40; 241 x. 41; 234, 248 x. 42; 216, 233, 248, 253 x. 43; 235 xi. 2-4; 84, 106 xv. 13-16; 61 xviii. 1; 71, 133, 137 xxii. 43; 135

St. John. iv. 24; 45, 85, 126 v. 16; 95 ix. 31; 144 xi. 3; 146 xiv. 8; 177 xiv. 16; 113 xvi. 23; 96 xvii. 1-5; 111, 177 xvii. 24; 98 xix. 1-5; 56 xxi. 22; 243

Acts. vii. 59; 151 xv. 9; 177 xx. 36; 151

Romans. i. 20; 45, 193 vii. 24; 213 viii. 26; 85, 113, 198 viii. 31; 32 viii. 38, 39; 48 ix. 3; 241 xiii. 10; 183 xv. 4; 99 xv. 30; 98, 158

1 Corinthians. i. 11; 98 iii. 8; 242 iv. 5; 177 vi. 9, 10; 104 ix. 16; 44 x. 31; 134 xii. 31; 237 xiii. 8; 217 xiii. 12; 176, 213 xiv. 14; 126 xiv. 15; 82

2 Corinthians. iii. 18; 189 iv. 18; 90 v. 6; 131 v. 6, 7; 190 v. 15; 239 x. 31; 38 xii. 7-9; 139

Galatians. iv. 14; 32 v. 13; 30

Ephesians. i. 4; 76 iv. 5, 6; 35

Philippians. iii. 20; 65 iv. 7; 198

Colossians. iii. 3, 4; 176

1 Thessalonians. v. 17; 91, 133, 137

1 Timothy. i. 5; 191 ii. 1; 146, 147 ii. 4; 86

2 Timothy. iii. 5; 144

Hebrews. iii., iv., v.; 92 vii. 25; 115 x. 20; 248 xii. 4; 256 xii. 14; 48, 184

St. James. i. 6; 141 i. 27; 28 iv. 3; 85 v. 16; 95

1 St. John. iii. 2; 176, 197, 231 iv. 19; 107 v. 16; 97

Apocalypse. vi. 10; 100, 164 vi. 11; 164 viii. 4; 81 xv. 1; 164 xxii. 17; 244

THE END

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