practising friendship with god

7/25/2019 Practising Friendship With God

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* * * * * * * * SAINT

ALPHONSUS

* * * * * * * * *

74,, C;81

HOW

TO

ONVERSE

continu lly and f mili rly

with

God

A

NEW TR NSL TION

y

L X .

Aubin c.

SS

. r .

S

T. ALPHONSUS BOOKSHOP

Sa int nne de Beaup re

P. Q., C ANA DA


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SAINT ALPHONSUS

HOW

TO

ONVERSE

continu lly

and f mili rly

with

God

A NEW TRANSLATION

y

L

X. Aubin

C SS T

ST.ALPHONSUS BOOKSHOP

Saint-Anne de Beaupre

P.

Q. C N D


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I

mprimi

pot est

:

ibil obstat:

ibil obstat :

LEON

LAPLANTE C. SS. R .

SUp

Prov o

DENIS

M

COLL C. SS. R.

Censor deputatus

t

GEORGIUS

LEO

PELLETIER

Vic Cap Quebecensis

eacfdmed


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OW TO ONVERSE

CONTINUALLY

AND

fAMILIARLY

WIT

GOD

I W E

SHOULD

SPEAK TO

GOD

WITH CONFIDENCE AND FAMILIARITY

Astonished

at

seeing Almighty God so

intent

on

doing good

to man

that He

seemed to have nothing

more

at

heart

than

to love him

and

to be loved

by

him in return, the holy

servant

Job cried out to the

Lord:

What is man that tbou sbouldst magnify

bim

or

why

ost

thou

set

thy heart upon him?

(Job, 7 17.)

Is it

not

a mistake on

our part

therefore,

to

think

it

a.lack of respect for God s infinite Majesty

to

treat

Him with great confidence and familiarity?

Assuredly, loving souls, you should approach

God with all humility and respect, humbling your-

self in His presence, especially when you recall

your past ingratitude

and

sins. You should never-

theless practice

the

greatest possible love

and

confidence in your dealings with Him. True,

He

is infinite Majesty; but

He

is also infinite Goodness

and

unbounded Love.

There

can be no greater

sovereign

than

God; nor can there be a more


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affectionate lover.

Far

from despising

our

con-

fidence in Him,

He

rejoices in

it confidence

and

f m i l ~ r i t y

and

affection like

that

of little children

towards their mothers.

Consider how

He

invites us

to

come

to

Him,

and

the loving embraces which He promIses

to

lavish

upon us: You shall e carried at the breasts, and

upon the knees they shall caress you: as one whom the

mother caresseth, so will I comfort you. Is., 66,

12.) Everyone knows how a mother delights in

picking up her baby to feed and fondle it; it is in a

similar way

that

God shows His fondness for His

beloved souls who give themselves entirely to Him

and

place all

their

hopes in His goodness.

Rest assured

that

no

on whether

friend or

brother, father or mother, lover or

spouse loves

you more

than your

God. Divine grace is

the

inestimable treasure

by

which vile creatures

and

servants

like ourselves become

dear

friends of

our

Creator

.

For she is an infinite treasure to men,

which they that use become the friends of God.

Wis., 7 14.) It was

to

increase our confidence

that He emptied himself, PhiL, 2, 7) so

to

speak,

humbling Himself to

the

point of becoming man

in order

to

converse on familiar terms with us.

He became a little B ~ b e lived in

poverty and

died

on a cross for our sake.

He

even placed Himself

under

the

species of bread so as

to

be with us always

and in

the most

intimate union.

He that eateth

y

flesh and drinketh

y

lood abideth in me and I

in

him. John, 6, 57.)


7/36

n short, so great is God's love for you that He

seems to love no one but you. You, therefore,

should love no one

but

Him.

You

should

be

able

to

say to Him: My beloved

to

me and I

to him

.

(Cant., 2, 16.) My God has given Himself entirely

to me, and I give my whole seICto

Him;

He has

chosen me for His beloved,

and

I choose

Him

from

among all for

my

only love. My

beloved

is

white

and

ruddy, chosen out

of

thousands.

(Cant.,

5,

10.)

Say to Him often: My Lord,

why

hast Thou

loved me so?

What

good

dost

thou find in my

poor

self? Hast Thou forgotten

the

injuries I

hl tve

done Thee? But since

Thou

hast treated me with

great

love-for

instead

of

condemning me

to

hell

Thou hast showered me with innumerable

graces-l

shall henceforth love no one but Thee, my God

and my aIL What grieves me most in my

past

offences, 0 my loving God, is not so much the

.

punishment

I have deserved, as the displeasure

I have given Thee, Who art worthy of infinite

love. But

Thou

dost never reject a repentant and

h umble heart A contrite and humble heart, God

thou wilt not despise. Ps., 50, 19.) Now indeed

I wish for no one else

but

Thee alone in this life

and in the next.

What have I in heaven?

And

besides thee, what do I desire upon earth? Thou art

the God

of

my

heart

and

the God that

is my

portion

forever. Ps., 72, 35) . Thou alone art and wilt

always

be the

only Lord

of

my heart

and

will;

Thou alone

my

only good,

my

heaven,

my

hope,


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my

all. Tbe God oj

y

beart and tbe God tbat

is

my

portion Jorever.

To

strengthen your confidence in God still more,

recall frequently the

loving manner in which He

has acted towards you. Consider how mercifully

He has tried

to

lead

you

from

your

sinful life,

to

loosen your

attachment Jor the

world

and

draw

you to

His love. With such thoughts foremost

in your mind,

and

the

firm resolution

to

love Him

with all your strength, your only fear should be to

fear God too much

and to

place too

little

confidence

in Him.

There

can be no surer pledge of His love

for you

than

His past mercies towards you. God

is displeased to see diffidence in a soul who loves

Him and

whom

He

H.imself loves.

If

therefore,

you wish to delight His loving Heart, go to Him

from now on with the greatest possible confidence

and affection.

I bave graven tbee

in

my bands, said the Lord

to

Jerusalem:

tby walls are always before

my

eyes.

ls.,49,16.)

Thus

does

He

speak

to

you:

Beloved soul, why do you fear?

Why

are you

diffident ? Your name is written in My hands

that 1 may never forget to do you good. Are you

a fraid, perchance, of enemies? Know that I can

never forget to

protect

you, since 1 have always

before my eyes

the

charge of your defence.

With

this

thought to r j o i ~

him,

David

cried out .

to

God: Tbou bast crowne.d us as .witb a sbield

of

tby

goo

will. (Ps., 5, 13.) Who, 0 Lord, can ever


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\

do us

harm

if Thy loving kindness is cast all around

t s as a wall of defence?

Above all,

reanimate

your

confidence

by

thinking

of the gift which God has given us in the person

of Jesus Christ. "Cod

so

loved the world as to give

His only begotten Son."

(Jo., 3, 16.)

How can

we

entertain the

fear, asks

the

Apostle,

that

God will

ever

deny

us

anything

when

He has

given us His

own

Son?

"He

delivered

him

up

for

us

all: bow

bath

e

not also witb

him

given us all things

?

(Rom., 8, 32.)

"My delights are to e with the children of men '

(Prov., 8, 31.) God's paradise, so

to

speak, is

the

heart of man. God loves you;

you

should love

Him. His delight is

to

be

with you;

let

yours

be

found in Him. Spend all the days of your life

with Him in Whose

company

you hope

to

spend an

eternity of bliss.

II CONVERSATION WITH GOD

IS PLEASANT AND EASY

Acquire the habit of speaking

to

God as if you

were alone with Him, familiarly,

with

confidence

and

love, as you would

to

a very

dear and

affection-

ate friend. t is a big mistake, as we

have

already

remarked,

to be

afraid

of

Him

and to

carryon

in

His presence like a timid and craven slave trembling

with fright before his master.

And

a far greater

mistake it would be

to

look upon intercourse with


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God as wearisome and

bitter. This

cannot be.

Her

conversation hath no bitterness, nor her company:

any tediousness. (Wis., 8, 16.) Ask those who

I

love Him with a

true

love; they will tell you

th/lt

they find no

greater

or

prompter

relief from their

daily

troubles than in loving conversation with

their Divine Friend.

You

are

not asked to apply your mind. con-

tinually

to thoughts

of God

to the

neglect

of

your

duties and legitimate relaxation. Nothing more

is required than to

act

towards God, in

the

midst

of your occupations, as you do, even when busy,

towards

those

who love you and whom you love.

Your God is ever beside you-indeed,

He

is even

within you.

In

Him

w

live

and

move

and

are.

(Acts, 18, 28.) Not only is

there

no need of an

intermediary to address Him, but He finds His

delight in having you deal with Him personally

and

in all confidence. Speak to Him often of your

business, your plans,

your

troubles, your fears-of

everything

that

concerns you. Above all,

speak

to him confidently and openly; for God is loath to

speak to a soul

that

does not speak to Him. f a

soul is a stranger to God's conversation, it will hard

ly hear His voice when He speaks to it, as

He

Himself complains: Our sister is little: What shall

we do

to our sister

in

the day when she is to e spoken

to

?" (Cant., 8, 8.) In other words: Our sister is

like a little child in My love. How can I speak to

her if she does not

understand

what I say? God

wishes to be feared as a mighty and terrible Master


11/36

- 9 -

by

those who reject His grace; on

the other

hand,

He

wishes to

be treated

like a very dear friend by

those who love Him. Hence,

He

desires

that

we

speak to

Him

often with familiarity

and without

any restriction.

I t is true that

the

greatest reverence is due to

God;

but

if

He

grants you

the

grace of feeling His

presence

and

the desire to speak

to

Him as to

the

one

Who

loves you more

than

/anyone else, tell

Him

your thoughts freely and with full confidence.

Sbe

preventetb tbem tbat ovet ber,

s

tbat sbe first

sbowetb berself unto tbem. Wis., 6 16.)

When

you desire His love,

He

does not wait for you to

go to Him,

but He

anticipates

your

wish

and

comes

to

you Himself with

the

graces

and

remedies

you need.

He

only waits for you

to

speak

to

prove

that He

is

at

hand, ready

to

hear and comfort

you, for bis

ears are unto tbeir prayers.

Ps.,

33,

16.)

In

His immensity, God is everywhere.

But

He

has established special abodes in two places:

in heaven, where, by His

pr

esenoe,

He

imparts His

glory to

the

Blessed; and on earth, in the humble

soul that loves Him:

wbo dwelletb witb a contrite

and bumble spirit. Is., 5 17.) Almighty God,

enthroned though

He

is in

the

highest place in

heaven, does

not

disdain

to

commune with His

faithful servants

day and

night in

their

grottoes or

in

their

cells. He bestows on them His divine

consolations a single one of which far exceeds

all worldly

delights consolations

which can be


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1

appreciated only by one who has experienced

them.

Taste and see

that the Lord

is

sweet.

Ps., 33, 9.)

Friends in the

world

have

their

hours

of con-

versation

together,

but

they also have

hours

of

separation. Such need not be

the

case, however,

with God and you; if you but wish it, there will

never

be

a

separation

from

Him:

Thou shalt rest

and

thy sleep shall

e

sweet: the Lord will

e

at thy

side.

Prov.,3,24.)

God will

be

beside

you

when

you sleep, always keeping watch over you: I

will repose

myself

with him,

and

he

shall

e a

comfort

in my

cares

and

grief.

Wis., 8, 16, 9.) He does

not go away from

your

bedside when you rest.

Rather, He continues to think

of

you constantly,

so

that

if

you

awake

during

the

night

He

might

speak to

you by

His inspirations and receive in

return from

you an

act

of

love,

of

oblation,

or of

thanksgiving. In this way, even

during

the night,

He keeps

up

His loving conversation with you.

At

times

He even speaks to

you

in

your

sleep and

makes His voice

sound

in

your

ears, so

that

you

might

put His wishes

into

execution when you

awaken. I will speak

to him

in a dream.

Num., 12, 6.)

Again in the morning He is there

waiting to

hear

some

acts of

love

and

confidence from you

and

to

treasure

your

waking

thoughts and

the

work

you

promise

to

do for Him during the day, as well as

the sufferings you will patiently bear for His glory

and love. Now, since God is certain

to

be at your

side the very moment that you awaken, you must


13/36

not fail to

cast

a loving glance at Him and rejoice

at

hearing from

your

God Himself

the

glad tidings

that

He

is not far from you as He was in times past

because of

your

sins. He loves you and wishes

to be

loved

by

you. Hence, when you open

your

eyes

He

lovingly intimates to you His command

ment:

Tbou

sbalt love tbe Lord tby

od

witb tby

wbole beart. Deut.,

6, 5.)

III

VARIOUS M T T E ~ S

TO DISCUSS WITH GO

You

ought

therefore never to forget God s

presence as most men do.

Speak to

Him as often

as you can, for

it does

not

tire Him, nor will He

treat

it with disregard as do great men of the world.

f

you love God, you will always have something

to

say

to

Him. Bring up whatever comes to your

m ~ n d about yourself and your affairs, as you would

in a conversation with

an intimate

friend.

Do not

think

of Him as a high and mighty monarch who

desires

to

speak only with great personages--and

then only of great things. Our God delights in

stooping down to converse with us and He rejoices

when we make known

to

Him

our

most trivial,

everyday

happenings.

God loves you and

takes

care of you to such

an

extent

that He

w ~ u l seem to have no one else to

think about

but

you. So concerned is

He

with

your interests that

He

seems to have no providence


14/36

1 2

except

to

preserve you, no almighty power except

to

help you, no mercy or kindness except

to

have

compassion on you,

to

do you good

and

win you

to

His love

and

confidence

by

His kind

attention.

Open your

heart to

Him freely, therefore,

and

ask Him

to

lead you

to

do His divine will in a

perfect manner.

Let

all your plans and desires be

directed only towards knowing His good pleasure

and

gratifying His divine

heart.

Commit thy

way to tbe Lord; and desire oj Him

to

direct tby

ways, and that all tby counsels may abide

in him.

CPs.

36, 5;

Tob.

4, 20.) .

Do not

say: But why should I make known

to

God all my needs, since He sees and knows them

better than I? Assuredly He does, but He acts

as though He were not aware of

the

wants which

you neglect

to

disclose

to

Him

and

for which you

do

not

ask His divine help. Our Saviour knew

well

that

Lazarus was dead;

yet He

did

not

reveal

the

fact that He knew it until Magdalen

told

Him,

and

then

He

consoled

her

by

raising

her

brother

back

to

life.

Should you encounter some sickness, temptation,

persecution, or

other

trouble, go

to

Him

at

once

and

ask Him

to

extend a helping hand. No sooner

will you

have put

before His eyes your affiiction

by

saying:

Behold, Lord,

or

I am

in

distress,

Lam.,

1

20.)

than

He

will console you, or

at

least

give you strength

to

suffer

patiently the

passing

trial, in which case

it

will have been

better

for you

to have had the

trial

than

to have

been delivered


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3

from it. Make known to God

any

feeling of

sadness

or

fear

that

might oppress you,

and

say

to Him:

0

my God, all my hopes 4re in Thee.

offer

Thee this

affliction and conform myself

to

Thy will.

But have pity

01). me

and

either deliver

me from

it

or give me streng

th to endure it

. And

God will surely fulfil in you the promise He made

in the Gospel always

to

console and comfort the

afflicted when

they have

recourse

to

Him:

Come

t me, all you tbat labor and are burdened and I will

reJresb you. (Mt., 11, 28.)

God is not displeased if you seek consolation

from your friends; still,

He

wishes that principal

recourse be had

to

Him. At least, therefore, when

you

have

been unsuccessful in

obtaining

solace

from creatures, go to

your

Creator and say

to

Him:

Men,

0 Lord,

have nothing but

words for

me

.

y

Jriends are Jull oj words.

(Job, 16, 21.)

They

cannot raise

my

low spirits; never again shall I seek

consolation from them.

Thou

alone art

my

hope;

Thou

art

my

only love.

To

Thee

alone do I look

for comfort, and my comfort will be in doing

what

is most

pleasing

to

Thee. I am ready '

to bear

this cross during

my

whole life

and

for all eternity,

if such be Thy good pleasure. Only help me.

Do

not

be afraid that you will displease God if

at

times

you quietly

complain

to Him and say:

Wby, j Lord, bas tbou retired ajar off?

(Ps,,9, 1.)

Thou

knowest

that

I love

Thee and

long for

nothing more

than Thy

love.

Have pity

on me

and

help me. Do not abandon me. f your anguish


16/36

4

does not diminish but continues

to

bother you,

then

unite

your

prayers

to

those of Jesus

Christ

on the Cross, dying in

utter

desolation, and cry

out

to

Him for mercy, saying:

My

God, my God,

why has thou forsaken

me?

(Mt ., 28, 46.) This

trial should serve but to increase your humility,

by reminding you that one who has offended God

does

not

deserve consolation.

t

should evoke a

renewal of your confidence in Him, in the realiza-

tion

that everything that God permits is solely for

your good. All things work together unto good.

Rom., 8, 28.) The more weary and discouraged

you feel, the more confidently should you

cry out:

The Lord is my light and y salvation: Whom shall

I

fear?

Ps., 26, 1.) Thou, 0 Lord,

must

en-

lighten me.

Thou must

save me. I trust in Thee.

In

Thee, Lord, have I hoped; let me never

e

confounded. EccIees., 2, 11.) Prayers such as

these should restore peace to your soul, for no one

has ever been lost who has placed his hope in God.

No

one hath hoped

in

the Lord

and

hath been

confounded. EccIees.,2, 11.)

Bear in mind that your God loves you more than

you can possibly love Him. What have you to

fear?

David

found comfort in these words: The

Lord is careful for me. Ps., 39, 18.)

To

Him,

then,

you should

say: Lord,

I

cast

myself into

Thy arms. I want

to

think of nothing but of

loving Thee and giving Thee pleasure. Behold

I am ready

to

do whatsoever

Thou

shalt ask of me.

Not

only dost Thou desire my welfare;

Thou

art


17/36

1 5 -

solicitous for it. Therefore I leave

to

Thee the

care

of my

salvation.

In

Thee

is my rest,

and

it

will always

be

in Thee, since Thou dost desire

that

I place all my hopes in Thee. In peace

in

the

selJsame, I will sleep and I will res

t

Jor Thou,

Lord, singularly hast settled

me in

hope. (Ps., 4 9 .)

Think oj the Lord in goodness.

(Wis., 1, 1).

Thus does the inspired writer exhort us

to

have

greater confidence in the divine mercy than fear

of

the divine justice, since God is more disposed

to do good than to chastise. So says St.

James:

Mercy exalteth itselJ above judgment.

2,

13.)

So does

the

Apostle St. Peter warn us

that

in the

fears we feel for

our

concerns,

be

they

temporal

or

eternal, we

must

abandon

ourselves entirely

to

the loving God Who has

our

salvation so much

at

heart: Casting all y our

care

upon him, Jor

he

hath

care

oj

you. (I Pet. 2 7.) In this

same

connection,

how beautiful is the title given

to

the Lord

by

David when he explains that our

God

is the God

Who

seeks

to

save:

Our

God is the

God

oj

salvation.

(Ps., 39, 18.)

This

means, according to

Cardinal

.

Bellarinine, that God s special office is

not

so much

to

condemn, as

to

save everyone; for even

though

He

threatens

with

His

disfavor those who despise

Him,

His

mercy is assured to those who fear Him,

as our

blessed

Mother

sang

in

her

Magnificat:

And His mercy is to tbem that Jear him.

I have set

these texts of Scripture

before you,

dear reader; so that when you are

troubled

as to

whether you will

be

saved or lost, or as to whether


18/36

1 6

-

you are predestined or not, you may relieve your

mind

by

recalling

the

desire God

has

to

save

you,

as is proven by His promises, if only you

stand

firm

in your resolution

to

serve and love Him as He

demands.

1

Joys

When you receive pleasant news, do

not act

in

the manner of certain unfaithful and ungrateful

persons who

pray to

God in adversity but forget

and abandon Him in prosperity. Be as faithful

to

Him as you are to a friend who loves you and

desires your welfare.

In

your joy, go

at

once to

God and tell Him of it, praise and

thank

Him for

it. acknowledge

that

it

is

a gift

of

His

bounty.

And rejoice in this happiness, inasmuch as it has

been bestowed upon you by His good pleasure.

In Him alone seek joy

and

consolation. I will

rejoice. in the Lord

CPs.

12, 6.) and will joy in

God

my Jesus. (Rab.,3, 18.)

Say to

Him: My

Jesus, I bless

Thee

and

will always bless

Thee

for

the many graces bestowed on me when I dese.rve

not

graces but chastisements through

my

many

offences against Thee. Say

to

Him

with the

Sacred Spouse:

All

fruits the new and tbe old my

beloved

I have kept for Thee.

(Cant., 7 13.) I

thank

Thee, 0 Lord; I wish

to

be

mindful of

Thy

benefits,

both

past and p r e s ~ t in order

to

render

Thee honor

and

glory for

them

forever.

f you love God, you should rejoice more in His

happiness than in your own.

In

the case

of

a very


19/36

7

dear

friend, one sometimes feels

happier

Over

the

latter's

good fortune

than

in one s own welfare.

Take comfort, therefore, in

the thought that

your

God

is infinitely blessed . . Say

to

Him frequently:

My beloved Lord, I rejoice more in

Thy

happiness

than in

any

good thing I have, for I love

Thee

more than

I

love

~ y s e l f .

2) Faults

Another

mark

of confidence which pleases

your

loving God is

to cast

yourself at His feet to ask

pardon the moment you have committed a fault.

Bear in mind

that

God is so disposed to forgive

sinners

that He

weeps over

their

loss when

they

stray

far from

Him and

live in a

state

of spiritual

death.

He

lovingly calIs

to them

in these words:

Why will you die, house of Israel? Returnye

and live.

(Ezek.

18,

31.)

He

promises

to

wel-

come

the

sinner who has abandoned Him, as soon

as he returns to His arms: Tu.rnye to

me and I will

turn

to

you.

(Zach., 1

3.)

f only sinners realized with

what

tenderness the

Lord waits for

them

to

grant

them forgiveness.

The

Lord waiteth that he may h ve mercy on you.

(Is.,

30, 18.) f

only

they

knew His reluctance

at

chastising them, His desire

to

see

them

converted,

to

embrace

them

and

press

them

to

His

heart.

Mark

this solemn declaration:

As I live, saith

the

Lord, I desire not

the de th of the

wicked but that

the wicked turn from his way and liv('.

(Ezek.,

33, 11.) And again: And

then

come

and accuse


20/36

1 8

-

me, saitb tbe Lord, iJ y our sins

be

as scarlet, they

shoil

~

made white

as

snow.

(Is.,

1

18.)

In

other

words,

He

says: 'Sinners, repent of having

offended Me

and

then come to Me,

and

if I do

not forgive you,

accuse M e, blame

Me, a nd treat

Me as one who has broken His promise. But I will

stand by My promises. f you come

to

Me, rest

assured

that,

though

your

conscience

be

black,

My grace will make it

white

as snow.

Finally,

God

has declared

that

when a

person

repents of having offended Him,

He

forgets all

his sins :

I

will not remember all his i n i q u i t i ~ s

(Ezek., 18 22.) Whenever you fall into sin,

therefore, raise

your eyes at once to God, make an

act

of love,

and

while acknowledging y

our

fault,

hope confidently for

pardon and say to Him:

Lord, behold he whom thou lovest is sick; (Jo., 11,3.)

the heart which

Thou

lovest

is

sick

and

covered

with sores. Heal my soul, or I have sinned

against Thee. (Ps., 40, 5.) Thou goest about

seeking

repentant

sinners; behold one

of them

at

Thy feet, seeking Thee.

The

evil is done;

what

am I to

do?

Thou

wilt not have me lose heart.

Even

though

I have sinned,

Thou

wishest me well.

I am sorry for the displeasure I have caused Thee;

I purpose not

to db

it again.

Thou

Who

art

that

God, merciJul and gracious, patient

and

oj

much

compassion,

(Ps.,

85,5.) forgive me. Let me

hear

the words

Thou

didst once speak to Magdalen:

hy

sins are Jorgiven thee (Luke,

7

48.) And

give me the strength

to

be faithful in future.


21/36

1 9

-

Above all, when you have fallen into sin,

cast

a

glance towards Jesus on

the

Oross,

that

you

may

not

be

discouraged. Offer His merits to

the Eternal

Father and then hope confidently for

pardon;

for, in order

to

forgive you, be

sp J;red

not even

His

own

Son.

Filled with trust say to Him: Look

on tbe face of tby Cbrist. (Ps., 83, 10.) 0 my God,

look

on

Thy

Son

Who

died for me,

and

through

love

of

Him, forgive me.

Reflect

attentively

0

devout

soul, on

the

teach

ing commonly given by spiritual masters: that you

should turn to God the

moment

you

have

been

unfaithful to Him, even though it

be the hundredth

time

in

the

day,

that

you should

be at

peace again

after your

faults

and

after

recommending yourself

to

God, as has been said. Otherwise, should your

soul remain discouraged

and

troubled

by

the

sin

you

have

committed, you will converse

but

little

with God; your confidence in Him will diminish;

your

desire to love

Him

win grow cold;

and

you

will make little progress in the way of the Lord.

On

the other hand, if you turn

to

God at once

to

ask

His

pardon and

promise

amendment your

faults will help you to advance

further

in divine

love. . Between intimate friends, it s not a rare

occurrence

that

friendship is

strengthened

when

one has displeased the

other

and has afterwards

humbled himself

and

asked

pardon.

Do likewise.

Let your

sins serve

to bind

you more closely in

love to

your

God.


22/36

2

3) Doubts

Whenever you are in

doubt about

something

whether

it

concerns yourself or others act in

the manner of faithful friends who consult each

other about various problems. Offer God a proof

of your confidence by asking His advice; pray to

Him to enlighten you on what is most pleasing to

Him.

Put

tbose words

in

my

moutb and strengtben

t e

resolution in my beart. (Jud., 9, 18.) Tell me,

o Lord, what

Thou

dost wish me to do or to answer,

and

that

will I do. Speak, Lord, for tby servant

bearetb. 1 Kings, 3, 10.)

4) For our neigbbor

Give additional proof of your confidence in God

by recommending

to Him not

only your own needs,

but those

of

others also. God is particularly

pleased when you forget your own troubles oc

casionally and

speak

to Him of

things that

pertain to

His glory, of

the

difficulties

of

your

neighbors, especially of

those who are troubled and

afflicted, or

of

the

Souls in

Purgatory

who yearn to

see Him,

of

poor sinners deprived

of

His grace.

On

behalf of

the

last-named in particuJar, say

to

God:

0

Lord, Thou art

so

lovable and worthy of

infinite love How canst Thou bear to have so

many

souls in

this

world, upon whom

Thou

dost

lavish such great favors, refuse to know and to love .

Thee? Nay, they eveq offend and despise Thee.

Ah most loving God, make Thyself known; make

Thyself loved Hallowed e Tby name, tby king-


23/36

-

2

-

dom come

May

Thy

name be adored

and

loved

by

all men.

Let

Thy

love rule supreme in all

hearts. I beseech Thee, let me

not depart

from

Thee

without granting me some grace for those

poor souls on whose behalf I am praying

to

Thee.

5) Desire o beaven

t

is

said that in Purgatory there is a

particular

suffering-called the pain of

languishing-for

the

souls who, on earth, had little desire for heaven.

This

is as

it

should be; for one shows small apprecia

tion indeed for the beautiful and eternal kingdom

which Our Redeemer purchased for us

by

His

death, if he desires

it

but little. Do not forget,

loving souls,

to

sigh often for heaven. Tell your

God that

it

seems as though a thousand years

separate you from the

day

on which you will see

and

love Him face

to

face. Develop a great

longing

to

leave this land of exile, this place filled

with sin

and

fraught with dangers of losing His

divine grace, and

to

go

to

that

land of love where

you will love Him with all your strength. Say to

Him often: "As long, 0 Lord, as I live on this earth,

I run the risk of wandering from Thee

and

of

losing Thy love. When will the day come for me

to depart

from this life where I always offend

Thee?

When can I begin

to

love Thee with all my soul

and

be united

to Thee

without fear of ever losing

Thee?

Such was the continui -l desire of St.

Teresa,

to

whom the sound of

the

clock gave fresh

joy

at

the thought that another hour had been


24/36

-

-

struck off

her

life,

and another

danger of losing

God. So intense was her longing for

death,

which

would enable

her

to see God, that she died from

her

desire of dying. Thus did she compose

her

hymn of love:

I die, because I

o

not die.

In short, if you wish to please

the

loving

Heart

of your God, try to converse with Him as long as

possible, with

the

greatest

possible confidence.

He

will not fail to answer you, and will even talk with

you Himself. Not

that He

will address you

audibly,

but

His words you will clearly understand

in your heart, to

the

extent that you cease con

versation with creatures

and

try to speak with

your God-you alone with Him alone. I will

lead her into the wilderness and I will speak to her

heart. Os., 2, 14.) He will then speak

to

you by

inspiration, by interior lights, by manifestations

of His goodness,

by

gentle knockings at

the

door

of your

heart, by

pledges of pardon,

by

feelings

of

peace, by

the

hope

of

heaven, by interior joy,

by

the

delightful . sweetness

of

His grace,

by

the

loving union and intimate

contact

_with Him.

In

a word,

He

will speak to you with words

of

love

which

are

readily understood by souls whom He

loves and who seek nothing but

Him.

IV.

FITTING CONSTANT

PRAYER

PROGRAM

INTO THE DAY S

To

summarize briefly

what

is scattered through

out the previous pages, I wish to

point

out a


25/36

2 3 -

devotional practice which win

render

a

your

daily

actions pleasing

to

God. Upon awakening in the

morning

your

first thought should

be

to raise

your

mind

to

God and to offer Him all the actions of that

day asking Him

to

help you by His grace. Then

make the

other

morning Christian acts

of

thanks-

giving love

petition and the

firm resolve

to

live

during

that day as if

it

were

the last

day

of your

life.

Father

Saint

Jure

teaches

that

/

you

should

in the morning make an agreement with the

Divine Saviour: namely that whenever you make

certain signs such as putting

your

hand to

your

heart

lifting

your

eyes heavenward

or

to the

crucifix or something similar it is your

intention

to

make

an

act

of

love

an

act

of desire

to

see

Him

loved

by

all an act

of

self-offering and so forth.

When you

have

made the preceding acts place

your

soul in

the

side

of

Jesus and

under the

mantle

of Mary

and ask the Eternal

Father

for love

of

Jesus

and Mary

to preserve you

during the

day.

Then

before

anything

else spend

at

least

half

an

hour in mental prayer or meditation. The

principal topic

of your meditation

should

be

the

sufferings

and contempt that our

Blessed Lord

endured in His Passion.

This

is

the subject

that

is most precious

to

devout souls and which most

inflames

them

with divine love.

There

are

three

devotions which you

must

treasure above all

others

if you want to grow in holiness: devotion to

the

Passion to

the Most

Blessed Sacrament and

to

the

Blessed Virgin.

n your

meditation make


26/36

- -

frequents acts

of

contrition, of love of God and

of

self-oblation.

The

Venerable

Father

Charles

Caraffa, founder of the Pious Workers used to say

that a single fervent act of love in the morning

meditation is sufficient

to

keep the soul burning

with love throughout the remainder of the day.

In

your various acts of devotion, such as con

fession, Communion, the divine office, etc., or

when engaged in external occupations such as

study, manual labor, or the duties of

your

state in

life, do not neglect to begin each action by offering

it to God and asking for His help

to

perform it well.

Acquire

the

habit of retiring often into

the

cell

of your heart, as St. Catherine of Siena used to do,

to

unite

yourself

to

God.

In

short,

whatever

you

do, do it with God and for God.

Upon leaving your room or

your

house,

and

upon

returning, recommend yourself to the Blessed

Virgin by saying a Hail Mary. At table, offer to

God whatever pleasure

or

displeasure you may

derive from eating

and

drinking;

after

the

meal,

thank him somewhat like this: "What benefits,

o Lord, Thou dost bestow on one who has so

greatly offended

Thee "

During the course of the

day do some spiritual reading and make a visit to

the Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin;

at

night, say

the

Rosary, examine your conscience,

recite the

Christian

acts of faith, hope, charity,

contrition and a firm purpose of amendment, make

a resolution to receive the holy Sacraments during

life and

at

the

hour of

death, and resolve to gain


27/36

- 5

a

the indulgences

attached

to these acts. Upon

retiring, reflect

that

you

ought to be

in

the

fires

of hell; go

to

sleep with

the

crucifix in your arms

and

with these words on your lips: .. In peace in

tbe selJsame, I will sleep and take m

yr

est.

Ps

.

,4,9 .

It might

be well,

at

this point,

to

summarize

br

iefly the

man

y indulgences

attached to

various

prayers

and

practices

of

devotion. From

this it

will

be

seen

the

great advantage there

is in be

ginning each day by making the intention of gain

ing all

the

indulgences

to

which you

are entitled

during the

da

y. Seven years

and

seven

quaran-

tines

may

be gained for each recitation of the

Christian acts of faith, etc., listed above; a plenary

indulgence onoe a

month

for

their

daily recitation

during one month,

and

a

plenary

indulgence

at

the

hour

of

death

for

their

frequent recitation during

life. Indulgences

are attached to the

Rosary,

when said on a blessed

pair of

beads, to the recita

tion of

the

Angelus three times a

day ,

the

Litany

oj

tbe Blessed Virgin, the Salve Regina Hail, Holy

Queen),

the Hail

Mary,

the

Glory

e

to tbe Fatber,

and

the ejaculatory: Blessed

e

tbe boly and imma-

culate and most pure Conception

oj

tbe Blessed

Virgin

Mar

y ; Praised e t e Most Blessed Sacra-

ment, now and always

There

are indulgences

for

the

Anima Cbristi (Soul

oj

Cbrist, the

prayer of

St.

Ignatius, said

after

Holy Communion), for

an

inclination of the head

at the

Glory

e to

tbe Fatber

and

at

the

holy Names

of

Jesus

and Mary, and

for

hearing Mass. A

plenary

indulgence

is

gained


28/36

6

once a

month

by those who meditate for

half

ad

hour

(or

at

least

a

quarter

of

an

hour) every day,

with confession

and

Communion as prescribed.

Indulgences are attached to genuflections before

the Blessed Sacrament, to kissing the crucifix.

Again I say, always make the initial

intention

of

gaining every indulgence obtainable.

(Translator s note: Tbe

bove

list

o

indulgences

is tbe one in force today, not tbe one in tbe time o

St. Alpbonsus).

In

order to keep yourself recollected

and

united

to

God as far as possible, take advantage of all

you hear

and

see

to

raise your mind

to

God and

to

remind you of eternity.

For

instance, when you

see water tric,kling from a leaking container,

reflect that, in the same way,

your

life is ebbing

away and

death is drawing near. A lamp running

low for want of oil should remind you that one day

your

life also will

have

to

come to an end. At

the

sight of a funeral

or of

a corpse, remember

that

your

turn

wiII come

to

die. Should you see

the

great ones of the

earth

rejoicing in

their

dignity

and

wealth, have compassion on their folly

and

say: God is enough for me. Some trust in

~ b a r i o t s

some in borses, but

we

in tbe name

o

tbe Lord.

CPs.

19,8.)

They

rejoice in vain things: no

other

glory do I desire than to be in God s grace

and

in

His love.

When

you witness elaborate funeral rites or see

imposing monuments on the graves of famous men,

say to yourself: What does it all avail them if


29/36

1 : 7

they

should be damned

1"

When you gaze

at

the

sea,

be

it

calm

or

rough, behold in

it

the

difference

between a soul that is in God's grace and one that

is not. A tree

that

has withered should put you

in mind of a soul deprived of God and good for

nothing but

to

be burned. Should you happen

to

see a culprit trembling with shame

and

fright,

because of some grave offence, before his judge,

his father

or

his superior, consider how frightened

a sinner will

be

in the presence

of Christ

: his

Judge When you are nervous at the rumbling

of thunder, think of the fear that must overwhelm

the damned on hearing constantly in hell the

thunders

of

the

divine justice.

f

ever you

hear

someone condemned to death, exclaim in his

grief: "Is there then no escape from death for me

1"

consider the feeling of despair of

the

soul sentenced

to

hell, who cries

out: "Can

nothing then prevent

my

eternal ruin

1"

When

fields

and

seashores, flowers

and

fruit,

gladden you with their appearance or their fra-

grance, say

to

yourself: "How many beautiful

things God has made for me on this earth so that

I might love Him What further delights He has

in store for me in heaven " St. Teresa, at the

sight

of

beautiful hills

and

landscapes, used

to

say

that

they

reproached her for her ingratitude

towards God. The Abbot de Rance, founder

of the Trappists, was frequently heard to remark

that these wonderful things of created nature

reminded him of the obligation

to

love God. St.


30/36

8

Augustine expressed the same thought in these

words:

Heaven and earth and all things tell

m

to

lov

Thee.

A certain holy man, while walking

through

the

fields, would gently strike with a stick

the

flowers and

plants

he encountered.

Do

not

speak any more, he would say, do not reproach

me with my ingratitude to God. I hear you. Keep

quiet; that

is enough." St.

Mary

Magdalen of

Pazzi, when she held in her hand

a

fruit or

flower,

felt herself wounded by divine love.

Behold,

she would say,

how my

God has thought for all

eternity

of creating

this

fruit

and this

flower as a

token of

His love for

me.

When you look at rivers

and

brooks, reflect ,that

just as the waters run

to

the sea

witnout

ever

stopping, so you

too must

always run to God, Who '

is

your

only good. f you are riding in a vehic'le

drawn

by beasts

of

burden, say to yourself: How

these animals toil to be

of

service to me;

and

how

much trouble do I

take to

serve

and

please God

?

A little dog is faithful to its master for the crumb

of

bread

it receives from him. How much more

are you

bound

to be faithful to God, Who has

created you and is ever preserving you, Who

lavishes you with good things and overwhelms you

with blessings When you

hear

the

singing of

birds, say:

Hark, 0

my

soul,

to these little

creatures praising

their

Creator. What are you

doing ? And then make acts of love. On the

other hand, when you

hear

the rooster crow,

remember that, like St. Peter, at one time you too


31/36

9

. denied your Master; and renew your sorrow and

your tears. Again, when you come in sight of a

place where you have committed sin, turn to God

and say:

The sins

of my

y outh and

my

ignorances

remember not, 0 Lord. (Ps., 24, 7.)

The

sight of valleys made fertile by

the

waters

running down from

the

mountains above, should

remind you that, in a similar manner, the grace of

God s poured out on humble souls,

but

abandons

the

proud. When you see a

beautiful

church all

adorned, consider the

beauty

of a soul in

the

state

of

g ~ a c e a

real temple of God.

The

sea should

remind us of

the

immensity and greatness of God.

When you see a fire, or candles burning on

an

altar

say:

How

many years I ought to have been burning

in hell

But

since

Thou hast

preserved me from

it, 0 Lord, grant that my heart may burn with

love for Thee as that fire, or those candles." When

you gaze at the starlit skies, say with St. Andrew

Avellino: 0 my feet, one day you will tread over

those stars.

So as to dwell often on the loving mysteries of

Our Saviour's life, whenever you see some hay, or

a manger or a cave, think of the Infant Jesus in the

stable of Bethlehem. A saw, a hammer, a plane

or an axe should remind you of Jesus working as an

ordinary boy in the workshop of Nazareth. Ropes,

thorns, nails and wood should recall the sufferings

and death of your Redeemer. The mere sight of a

lamb made St. Francis of Assisi weep.

My Lord,

he would say, "was led to death like a lamb, for


32/36

30

me. Altars, chalices

and

patens should make you

remember

the

great love Jesus Christ

had

for us in

giving,us the Most Blessed Sacrament.

During

the

day make frequent offerings of your

self

to

God, as St. Teresa was wont

to

do; by

saying; Here I am, 0 Lord, do with me what Thou

pleasest. Tell me what Thou wish est me

to

do for

Thee,

and

I will do

it

all.

Make

frequent acts

of

love of God. St. Teresa used to say that acts

of love are like logs maintaining

the

fire of divine

love kindled

in

our hearts. One

day

the Venerable

Sister Seraphina ofCarpri was musing over the fact

that the mule of

the

convent was incapable of

loving God

and

she voiced her

sympathy; Poor

beast, you do not know God. Neither can you

love Him. And

the

mule reacted by shedding

tears, as though it wishes

to

give expression to its

grief. You who can love God should thus be

incited

to

make more frequent acts of love whenever

you see animals incapable of knowing

and

loving

Rim. Should you fall into sin, humble yourself

at once

and

rise again with a more fervent

act

of

love. When something disagreeable happens

to

you, offer

it

up to God immediately

by an

act of

conformity with His holy will, and acquire the

habit

of repeating in all adverse situations

the

words: Such

s

God's will and such also

s

mine.

Acts of resignation are acts of love most dear and

pleasing

to

the

heart of the Almighty.

When you must. make a decision or give advice

on

matters

of importance, first recommend your-


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3

-

self

to

God

and then set

to work or give your

answer. Repeat as often as you

can

during

the

day the invocation:

0

God

come

to my

assistance.

And

there is

also

the

prayer of St. Rose of Lima:

Help me, Lord, do not

leave me

in

my

own bands.

Gaze frequently upon

the

crucifix

and

upon the

picture of

the

Blessed Virgin that you have in

your

room,

and

invoke

the

Holy Names of Jesus

and

Mary, particularly when you are tempted.

God, because he is Infinite Goodness, has a great

desire

to

grant us His graces.

The

Venerable

Father

Alvarez one day saw the Saviour with His

hands filled with graces, going

about

seeking souls

upon whom

He

might lavish them.

He

wishes

us to ask for them, however: Ask

and

you

sball

receive.

(Jo.,

16 22.)

Otherwise He withdraws

His hand.

But

He willingly opens it to those

who pray

to

Him. And who has ever called upon

God, says Ecclesiasticus,

and

gone away unanswer

ed?

Who

bath called upon

bim

and be bath

despised bim? David

has written

that the

Lord

is

not only merciful

but abundantly

so

to

those

who pray

to Him: For tbou,

0

Lord, art sweet and

mild and plenteous in mercy to all tbat call upon

tbee.

(Ps., 85, 5.)

How generous

and

bountiful is

the

Lord

to

those

who seek Him with love:

Tbe Lord is .

good to

tbe

soul that seeks

bim. (Lam., 3,25.) f He lets even

those who do

not

seek, find

Him- I .was found

by them that did not seek me -(Rom.,

10,20.)

how

much more readily will He be found

by

one who


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3

seeks Him. and who ~ e e k s Him just to serve and

love Him

Finally. St. Teresa says: Just souls upon earth

must unite and conform themselves in love to

that

which the souls of the blessed do in heaven."

Just as the saints in heaven are concerned with God

alone and have no

other thought

and pleasure than

that

of His glory and His love. so

must

you

be

also.

On

this

earth. God should be your only happiness.

the sole object of your affections. the only end of

all your actions and

desires-so

that

you may

arrive at the eternal kingdom. where your love

will

be

entirely perfect and full. and where your

desires will

be

completely fulfilled

and

satisfied.

Long live Jesus our Love and Mary our Hope


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PRIN

T

ED

IN CANADA

practising friendship with god

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