St Vincent Seminary - Symposium Yearbook (Latrobe, PA)

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zlllllla Ill! - ,,! ' ,rf-1.1.5 .1 an auumumr X , ' ' i ' ff xv., , The Pursuit of cm Ideal JOHN F. ROACH, A B ROM the moment the infant opens his eyes and puckers up his little mouth, until those eyes are closed 1n the cold sleep of death, man rises and falls-the enigma of creation. Throughout the world stand his works. What a brain they mani- fest! How powerful in wrestling the secrets of nature! How almost infinite in understanding! How wondrous his achievements! How inspiring his arts! Yet these are but cold, inert, lifeless aspects of the true man. Man-not his works-remains the most interesting study. To really know him, we must study him in that aspect which is by far the most fruitful, stimulating, and fi ,nf gnmmuuu ' lil , M mmmu.. 5 mQm, 5 L 9 . V .. . I . XX 1 unumnun Q - PIC . 9 . t K 0 , I 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 . . 4' :mmm mg - . 3 5 - s ' s 3 5 ilmlmnmf beautiful-we must study man in his almost unlimited potenti- ality for good. Perhaps no subject is more' calculated to incite the aversion of an audience than the subject of asceticism or self-discipline. Immediately the mind conjures up associations linked with the foibles and the excesses of men who lived in the so-called Dark Ages. The prejudices against this word are an almost universal acquisition of the human race. They are a great obstacle in less educated minds and in educated minds they are manifested in no less a person than William james who treats this subject with the sarcastic chuckle of a cui bono? However a little introspection manifests the fact that this antipathy is too often the result of an argument between con- science and self-love, or traces its source to a misunderstanding of true asceticism Conscience wishes us to follow the ideal. Self- love replies 'that's too difficult for me. Quite .unconsciously one acquires a paratawus of defense, manifesting itself in a parti- cular odium for knowledge concerning this matter. No one who is acquainted with the facts, can truthfully deny that there is no little misunderstanding of the word and the spirlt of asceticism Even the minds of the clergy are not entirely immune from a distorted notion of 1tS meaning. Of course there is some founda- tion for these prejudices in the past and not a little abuse in the present. But 1f asceticism is examined in the light of true psy- chology- a psychology which emphasizes the positive side of these practices which further demands that man build upon his God-given endowmentsg and which looks upon man as an A speech delivered before the St. Vincent Seminary Unit of the Catholic Students Mission Crusade. X52 !l33ll r I t nf palrfgf R , , .4-2 Jigga' as I l 1 - I l 1 I I l l CHI ll lllllt El li 'mm mum r 9 . 5 E ' ll:

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Q Jlllllllllllll: , A A Ellllllg ' . iflllllllllllle ' ' if practical assertion of the sovereignty of the people. The Colony developed The population increased steadily so that in 1660 there were between eight and twelve thousand souls, at peace with God and man determined to spend the remainder of their lives in that Maryland dear to the hearts of each and everyone. These then were the contrasting conditions existing in the realms of Puritamsm and Catholicism in Colonial times. We have seen in the one, bigotry and prejudice, nourished by hate and ill will, in the other, tolerance and brotherly love. We have seen how the Puritans, apparently unmindful of the sufferings they formerly experienced in England under prejudiced sover- eigns, now administering similar persecutions upon those at variance with their beliefs. On the other hand, we have noticed how the Catholics, having undergone the same afflictions, and remembering the terrible penalties that were exacted from them, now cheerfully opening to all not only their Colony but also their hearts. Indeed, a genuine Christian charity was here dis- played. Truly, Maryland was a haven for the oppressed, an abode of religious freedom, a state constructed along the very teaching of Christ: Love thy neighbor as thyself .viii ttlmraoysiyr awe Xl ll32l gmnnu ll alll I 1 ! I . illlllllllllll 'I I I

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Sllillllllllllll Elllllli Lai, ' I I ' glll - :llllll . . , Y , u , . 1 I S X . 'N 'K . . . , 0 5 , U 0 . Y Y 'Y that habit in living beings is due to their plasticitvg which makes Y Y Y 1 Y ' YY , . . . Y Jllllllll I IL l I 5 l Ill Ill l T f by active being capable of boundless energy,-asceticism becomes a welcomed term a much-sought means to an end. DoctorVerner Moore remarks Impulses are ineradicable and it is vain for us to attempt to dominate them by uprooting them, but they can be-and must be-balanced by other impulses. You hear of no negative suppression in these words, but there are implications of a skillful guidance and direction of action--the spirit of true asceticism Asceticism does not imply the stunting of man's progress, nor a negation of his powers. It rather stimulates their develop- ment rules effemmacy out of society, pleads for, and gives, a noble vigorous manhood provides a stability which wonders at the fickleness of man supplies a virility which thwarts the at- tack of false freedom In its ultimate analysis asceticism marks man as a truly rational animal, placing reason ever in her sublime coign of vantage for leadershipg and manifests a will untrammeled by the unrelenting appeals of the animal. VVith these few words as preface, our subject shall be con- sidered indirectly by proposing what it really means when understood in the light of true psychology and in the light of that ideal which IS our true aimg the end after which we strive for the attainment of which we constantly pray. So considered asceticism involves knowledge of man in the power of his weak- ness or as a creature subject to habit. It is a weakness in man to be so facile yet in this very weakness he manifests his strength. Professor james in his classic chapter on habits maintains them weak enough to yield to an impulse, but strong enough not to yield at once. Organic matter, especially the nervous system seems to be endowed with an extraordinary degree of through the blood stream and the stimuli pouring into the brain from the sensory nerve roots. Once in these currents must find a way out' right here IS an opportunity to counter the march of an old habit with a new. It is not our intention to treat of the na- ture of neurones synapses or what takes place in the building up and breaking down of habit. We shall only consider the nature of the end-result Habit has been aptly called a second nature. Habit is ten times nature! the Duke of Wellington exclaimed. The truth of this statement may be readily recognized from an analysis of man s daily life of men about us: of society itself. Few men ever take the time to note which shoe they slip on first in the morning ll34ll -IIIIIIIIIIIIE jlllg gllllllg + illli 0 llllllllllllll mmlulmll. plasticity. The brain moreover, is subject to habit formation llll- :mmnmmi