Hence the Church has always recommended study. The Fathers were men of study; the men whose genius has made them illustrious, were studious men. Look at Bossuet! we boast of his fluency; yes, he was fluent; but the thought of the life which he led up to a very advanced age is enough to make one tremble. He generally rose at two in the morning, to continue a task hardly interrupted. Let us not deceive ourselves in this matter: the labors which have redounded to the glory of the Church have been dearly bought.
Bossuet's intense devotion to study was notorious. One day his gardener accosted him thus: "Monseigneur, I am very much put out; for I dig away and plant flowers, and you do not take the least notice of them. If I could plant some John Chrysostoms or some Saint Augustines in my garden I should be much more successful."
Even in our own times, those priests who effect any real good are unremitting in their studies. The rule which Père Maccarthy prescribed for himself is appalling:—"My recreations," said he, "must be short. It is generally enough for me to walk about with a book in my hand, or while I am reciting my prayers. Unprofitable talk and time misspent are crimes in a priest."
At the age of fifty, he could no longer work seated, owing to an infirmity brought on by doing a charitable act. He lay down on a sheepskin spread in the centre of his room, and there worked from ten to twelve hours a day. We admire his success; but we here see what it cost him. We complain that the faithful do not come to our sermons; have we made any such efforts as these? Let us do the men of our time this justice, that whenever they come in contact with a priest possessing piety and knowledge—sound knowledge which is not acquired from books alone—he never fails to make a lively impression upon them.
On the other hand, the men of the present day crave after knowledge: it is one of their fancies. Are they right in this, or are they to blame? You may think as you please on the subject; but we are, nevertheless, bound by the obligation of charity to become all things to all men, that we may save all; and among the means thereto, knowledge is one of the most efficacious.
There are but two powers in the world nowadays: namely, the power of wealth and the power of talent.
The prestige of a name, of authority, and of dignity, has passed away. The fact is to be deplored; but it is true. What are we to do in consequence? We must take men as they are, in order to better them.
As regards the power of wealth, we do not possess it; and we are certainly not the worse for that. We are for the most part poor, the offspring of humble parents; and what Saint Paul said of the first Christians is applicable to us:—"Not many mighty men, not many noble, are called."