St Stan Illustrated Story

66 T he fruits of Fr. Papczynski’s long and profound meditations have been handed down to us in two books on the spiritual life which he wrote at about this time. One – The Mystical Temple of God (TemplumDei Mysticum) – was intended for general use; the other – The Norm of Life (Norma Vitae) – for future Marians. In this Norm, Fr. Stanis- laus gave the canonical and spiritual directives which were to form the basis of the future “Society of the Immaculate Conception.” It is, in re- ality, a textbook of the Religious Life. The Mystical Temple of God, on the other hand, was one of the first works of its kind to appear in the Church, for it set out to provide a text- book, intended chiefly for the laity, on Christian perfection. Based on the authority of the Bible, the Fathers of the Church, and other outstanding writers on asceticism of more recent date, the book describes and eluci- dates the concept of Christian perfection or sanctity and the means (ac- cessible to the laity) of acquiring it. It is, above all, a practical guide, inasmuch as it treats of the methods and practices of the interior life by which the Christian soul may, with God’s grace, endeavor to avoid sin and practice virtue. Striving thus for sanctity, the soul – the Mystical Temple of God – recovers the beauty and likeness to God which were so tragically defaced by original sin. In short, the book, written in an original, allegorical form, points the way to the heavenly kingdom and eternal happiness.