though everything be overturned about you; for what are all the things
of this life compared to peace of heart?
341.
Under all circumstances, be invariable in the resolution to adhere with
great simplicity and unity to God, by a perfectly trustful love,
abandoning yourself to the mercy of love and the paternal care which His
Providence has of you.
342.
Remain unalterable in a holy nudity of spirit, never assuming any care,
desire, affection, or pretension whatever. Our Lord loves you, He wishes
you to be wholly his; let no arms but his support you, rest upon no
other breast but his.
343.
We must descend to earth to regulate the necessities of this life, but
in all things our heart should relish only the dew of God’s pleasure,
and refer all to the praise of God.
344.
If we love our sweet Saviour let us feed his lambs, since it is a mark
of faithful love;—but with what must we feed these dear sheep? With love
itself, for they will either not live at all, or they will live upon
love.
345.
He who would lay up virtues without humility is like one who carries a
precious dust in his hand exposed to the wind. The great secret of
maintaining true devotion is to have great humility. Be humble and God
will be with you. God is pleased to dwell in a heart deepened by
humility, docile through simplicity, and great through charity. He who
is truly humble desires to be humbled. Humility produces generosity.
Remember, my dear daughter, that the keenest humiliations are those
which are least visible.
346.
We must change from one place to another without changing our love or
the object of our love. Be indifferent to all occupation in the midst of
different occupations. Be uninfluenced by affairs, and remain equally
for God in all things.
347.
How happy we shall be if one day we change self into that holy love
which shall make us one, and entirely free us from all complexity of
affairs, so that we shall have at heart only the sovereign unity of his
Holy Trinity.
348.
Curiosity, ambition, restlessness, and forgetfulness of the end for
which we are in this world are the cause of our having more impediments
than works, more bustle than business, more undertakings than results.
And these incumbrances, these superfluous occupations with which we
burden ourselves, are what divert us from God, and not the legitimate
exercise of our employments.
349.
Our perfection must be true and solid. For example, though anger is
raging within me, though my blood boils, I will not cease to be as
gracious and gentle as it is possible to be, and all the reasons which
nature urges for its release I will strangle as she presents them, I
will not listen to one of them. This is true virtue, true gentleness.
Ah! God gives you occasion to practise patience. Would you let it escape
you? Perhaps you may never in life meet with such another opportunity.
350.
Courage, my poor mind! Let us reject all discourse, research, inquiry;
let us become more simple, and be rid of this tiresome care of self; let
us confine ourselves to the simple view of God and our own nothingness.
Let us steadily lean upon the results of the sovereign will, even when
we fall, for the dear Jesus will give us the necessary sentiments. O
mind, one is never wholly master of thee.... Thou wouldst know all in
spite of us. O my God, stop this miserable wanderer!
351.
The saints did not abound so much in sensible sentiments, they worked
according to the lights and truths of faith. Ah! let us be ever wholly
detached from everything before God, taking no trouble for what comes to
us. Let all that is not God be as nothing to us. Let us contemplate the
infinite goodness of God and forget ourselves. Let us immolate all our
affections to Jesus Christ.
352.
Condescending to the humour of others, bearing with rudeness and
tiresome manners on the part of our neighbour, victories over our own
humours and passions, renouncing our smallest inclinations, efforts
against our aversions and repugnances, a continual endeavour to maintain
the peace of our soul, a kind and amiable manner of receiving censures
upon our condition, our life, our conversation, are all more fruitful to
our soul than we can imagine, provided love for God be the motive which
animates us.
353.
Whenever I enter a place consecrated to our august Queen, I experience a
thrill of love which tells me that I am with my mother, for I feel that
I am the child of her who is called the refuge of sinners.
354.
Away from me those who love severity, for I will have none of it! It is
better to be obliged to account to God for too much gentleness than too
much severity. Is not God all love? God the Father is the father of the
wretched; God the Son is called a lamb; God the Holy Ghost manifests
Himself under the form of a dove. If there were anything better than
benignity Jesus Christ would have told us, and yet He gives us but two
lessons to learn of Him—meekness and humility.
355.
The passport of the daughters of Jesus Christ is peace. The joy of the
daughters of Our Lady is peace. We must always be at peace. Know that
the virtue of patience is that which most assures us perfection; and if
we are to be patient with others, we must be equally so with ourselves.
May Jesus be in the midst of thy heart, and thy heart in the midst of
Jesus! May Jesus live in thy heart, and thy heart in Jesus! Amen.
356.
Great saints never are guilty of mortal sin, but only of useless,
ill-timed, imprudent, and rude actions; slight acts of impatience,
slight excesses of joy, of mirth, slight failings in vanity, and other
like faults are useless movements and irregularities into which the just
fall seven times—that is, very often.
357.
If I want only pure water, what does it matter whether it be brought me
in a vase of gold or glass? What is it to me whether the will of God be
presented to me in tribulation or consolation, since I desire and seek
only the divine will?
358.
A heart indifferent to all things is like a ball of wax in the hands of
God, to receive all the impressions of his eternal good pleasure, a
heart with no choice, disposed for all things, placing its affection,
not in the things which God wills, but in the will of God which decrees
them.
359.
Paradise is no more pleasing than the miseries of this world, if the
divine good pleasure be equally in the miseries as in paradise. Labour
is paradise, if the divine will be found in it, and paradise labour, if
the divine will be not in it.
360.
The divine good pleasure is the sovereign object of the detached soul;
wherever it sees it, it runs in the odour of its perfumes, unceasingly
seeks the places where it most abounds, regardless of all other things.
361.
In the monastery of the devout life each one considers himself a novice,
and a lifetime is devoted to a probation according to the rule of the
order; it is not the solemnity of the vows but their fulfilment which
makes novices professed.
362.
He who ardently loves God does not turn back his gaze upon himself to
discover what he is doing, but keeps his heart occupied with God, the
object of his love. A heavenly chorister takes so much delight in
pleasing God, that he desires no pleasure from the melody of his voice,
save as it is pleasing to his Sovereign.
363.
There is nothing so sad as to serve a master who knows nothing of our
devotion, or who, if he knows it, gives no sign of being satisfied with
it; and it must be a strong love which sustains itself alone,
unsupported by any pleasure or aspiration. Thus does it happen in the
exercises of sacred love; like deaf choristers we do not hear our own
voice, on the contrary, we are oppressed by a thousand fears, and by the
uproar which the devil makes about our heart, suggesting that we are not
pleasing to our Master, that our love is useless, yea, even false and
vain. Oh, my dear Theotime! it is then we must manifest an invincible
fidelity to our Saviour, serving Him purely for love of his will, not
only without pleasure, but in the midst of this deluge of sadness,
terrors, alarms, and temptations.
364.
No, Lord, I wish for no event; for I leave Thee to will it for me as
Thou pleasest; but instead of wishing for events I bless Thee for those
Thou has ordained. Father, I am thine. I know not what I should wish; it
is for Thee to will and do for me all that shall seem to Thee good. “My
Father truly loves me, and I am wholly his.”
365.
O Jesus! be my sweetness and my honey; sweeten my heart by the sweetness
of thine.
366.
To whom is He not good, this Sovereign Love of hearts? Those who taste
of his sweetness can never be sated therewith, and those who approach
His heart cannot contain their own with praising and blessing Him for
ever. Continue to unite yourself more and more to this dear Saviour.
Bury your heart in the charity of his, and let us say with all our
heart: “May I die and Jesus live; this shall be a happy death if it take
place in this life.” May you be blessed with the benediction which the
Divine Goodness has prepared for hearts which abandon themselves a prey
to his sacred and holy love.
367.
You must bow your head and bear yourself contrary to your habits or
inclinations. Live humbly before God, amiably with your neighbour, and
sweetly with yourself.
368.
Cast your thoughts earnestly upon the shoulders of the Saviour, and He
will support and strengthen you. When He calls you to a kind of service
which is contrary to your taste, your courage should not be less, but
rather more than if your taste concurred with his pleasure, for where
there is least of self the work goes best. Do not permit your mind to
consider itself, its powers, its inclinations. You must keep your eyes
fixed upon the good pleasure of God, and upon Providence.
369.
We must not amuse ourselves with discoursing when we should run, nor
with chatting about difficulties when we should conquer them. Say
courageously: “I will do much; not I, but the grace of God which is
within me.”
370.
Hold the cross of our Lord upon your breast, and as long as you firmly
clasp it in your arms, the enemy will be at your feet.
371.
Ah! how I would like to see you always transfigured in our Lord! Oh! how
beautiful is his face, how sweet his eyes in their wonderful gentleness,
and how good it is to be with Him on the mount of glory! It is there we
should lodge our affections, and not on this earth, where there is
nothing but empty beauty and false vanity.
372.
May God give you strength to break the ties which prevent you from
following the heavenly attractions of your heart! Ah! it is sad to see a
little bee in the treacherous coils of a spider, but if a favourable
wind of grace break these wretched fetters, these unfortunate meshes,
why does not this dear bee hasten to disentangle itself and proceed to
the making of its sweet honey.
373.
The sting of honey-bees is much more dangerous than that of other bees,
and so the machinations of friends against us are exceedingly hard to
bear; but we must endure them, bear with them, and finally love them as
dear contradictions. We must absolutely, invariably, and inviolably
desire only God. But the means of serving Him should be the object of a
very feeble desire on our part, so that if one means be taken from us we
shall not be greatly affected thereby. Our desire for everything which
is not God should be very weak and indifferent.
374.
When we are ill in body we must exact of our minds only acts of
submission and acceptance of labour, and acts uniting our will with the
good pleasure of God, which acts are formed in the superior part of the
soul. As to exterior actions, we must perform them as best we can, even
though it be languidly, heavily, and against our inclinations; and to
make them acceptable to Divine Love, we must acknowledge, accept, and
cherish the holy abjection of our state. In this way you will change the
lead of your languor into gold, and that, too, finer gold than your
heart could offer in its brightest and happiest moments.
375.
It seems to me that I see your heart before me like a dial placed in the
sun, which never moves, while its needle and balance are continually in
motion, ever turning towards the beautiful planet; for your heart in
like manner remains motionless, while your will is continually turning
by means of its good desires towards God.
376.
How is your poor heart? Is it always valiant and vigilant against
attacks of sadness? In God’s name, do not torment it, even though it
wander a little; reprove it gently, and bring it back to the path. You
will see that this heart will become a true heart, according to the
Heart of God.
377.
Think of that great dereliction which our Master endured, and see how
this dear Son, having asked consolation of his good Father, and seeing
that He willed not to grant it, thought of it no more, ceased to seek
it, but, as if He had never desired it, valiantly and courageously set
about the work of our redemption. After you shall have prayed to your
Heavenly Father for consolation, if it does not please Him to give it
you, cease to think of it, but renew your courage to work out your
salvation on the cross, as if you were never to descend therefrom.
378.
O my God! how beautiful, how lovely is this cross! We make every effort
to obtain the wood, and we exalt it on the Mount of Calvary. Alas! happy
are those who love it and bear it. It will be exalted in heaven, when
our Lord shall come to judge the living and the dead, to teach us that
heaven is the mansion of crucified souls.
379.
I love independent, vigorous, and sensible souls; for this great
sensibility confuses and disquiets the heart, and distracts it from the
prayer of loving attention to God, prevents complete resignation, and
impedes the perfect destruction of self-love. I am the most affectionate
person in the world; and it seems to me that I love nothing but God, and
all souls for God.
380.
When a soul aspires to be the spouse of Jesus Christ, it must cast off
the old man and clothe itself in the new, by giving up sin, and then
cutting off from its life all the superfluities which could divert it
from divine love.
381.
As the exercise of purity of heart ends only with life, let us not be
troubled at sight of our imperfections. Our perfection consists in
combating them, and we cannot combat or vanquish them without feeling
and knowing them.
382.
Our Lord is the mysterious tree of desire of which the holy spouse of
the canticle speaks. It is to his feet, then, that we must go to breathe
a sweeter air, howsoever little the heart may be oppressed by the
atmosphere of the world.
383.
We desire to build a great edifice, that is, to erect God’s dwelling
within us; therefore let us consider whether we have sufficient courage
to ruin ourselves, or to let God raze us to the ground that He may
rebuild us into a living temple of his Majesty.
384.
Our sole pretentions should be to be united to God, as our Lord was
united to his Father when He died on the cross.
385.
Desire nothing, ask nothing, refuse nothing; this practice contains all
perfection.
386.
There is a certain simplicity of heart which contains the perfection of
all perfections; and it is this simplicity which makes our soul consider
God alone, and keep its forces wholly collected within itself, in order
to devote itself with all possible fidelity to the observance of his
laws, with no wish or desire for anything else.
387.
Recall yourself sometimes to the interior solitude of your heart, and
there, removed from all creatures, treat of the affairs of your
salvation and your perfection with God, as a friend would speak heart to
heart with another.
388.
We retire into God because we aspire to Him, and we aspire to Him that
we may retire into Him. Thus the retirement of the heart and the
aspiration towards God are one the effect of the other.
389.
Our will can never die, but it sometimes passes beyond the limits of its
ordinary life to live wholly in the divine will. This is accomplished
when it will not and cannot any longer will anything, but abandons
itself without reserve to the good pleasure of Providence: it no longer
lives, but the will of God lives in it.
390.
Let us be earnestly attentive to blessing God for all that He shall do,
saying: “The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name
of the Lord.” No, Lord, I desire nothing; for I leave Thee to will for
me wholly as Thou pleasest; instead of wishing for anything, I bless
Thee for what Thou shalt decree.
391.
Hast thou fallen into the net of adversity? Look not at thy misfortunes,
or the snares into which thou art taken, but turn to God and leave all
to Him. He will care for thee.
392.
We should peacefully abide in our misery and abjection, in the midst of
our imperfections and weakness until it shall please God to raise us to
the practice of great virtues.
393.
We must live in this world as if our mind were in heaven and our body in
the tomb.
394.
Choose the best virtues and not those which are most esteemed; the most
excellent, and not the most apparent; the most solid, and not the most
fanciful.
395.
If anger or pride attack me, I must do all in my power to incline my
heart to humility and meekness, devoting to that end my spiritual
exercises, the sacraments and the other virtues.
396.
Do not limit your patience to certain trials, but extend it universally
to all that God shall send you, or permit to reach you through any
source.
397.
A truly patient man bears, with the same evenness of temper, ignominious
trials and those which are honourable. As the sting of bees is more
painful than that of flies, so the contradictions we experience at the
hands of good people are more trying than those which come from the
wicked.
398.
Complain as little as possible of injuries, for it rarely happens that
one complains without sin, since our self-love exaggerates in our eyes
and hearts the wrongs we have received.
399.
You wish absolutely to form Jesus Christ in you, in your heart, in your
works, by a sincere love of his doctrine and a perfect imitation of his
life; rest assured it will cost you many pangs; but they will pass away,
and the presence of Jesus, who shall live in you, will fill your soul
with an ineffable joy which can never be taken from you.
400.
Think frequently of Jesus crucified; consider Him covered with wounds,
filled with sadness, despoiled of everything, loaded with maledictions.
Then you will acknowledge that your sufferings can in no way compare
with his, and that never shall you endure anything in the least degree
approaching what He suffered for you.
401.
God’s great desire is that we should be perfect, to unite ourselves with
Him by the perfect imitation of his sanctity. “Be you therefore perfect,
as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”
LIVE JESUS!
_=God be Praised.=_
M. H. Gill & Son, Printers, Dublin.
Transcriber’s Notes
1. Italic text in the original is delimited by underscores.
2. Bold text in the original is delimited by equals signs.
3. Blackletter text in the original is delimited by both underscores
and equals signs.
4. Maxim 398 is a repeat of maxim 181, and maxim 370 is a repeat of
maxim 182.
5. The following table notes the changes made to the printed text,
denoted in brackets:
=Page= =Maxim= =Text= =Operation=
16 24 may happen [you] to-morrow Removed.
38 78 imperfections and venia[l] Added.
42 86 body w[ /i]ll be Replaced.
47 100 constant[ly] Added.
60 135 confidence in Him[.] Added.
79 176 as by his words[.] Added.
86 194 for a short time[.] Added.
97 213 so carefull[y] to discover Added.
107 233 you ha[ ]ve been Removed.
124 268 through Him[,] the mind Added.
151 323 your[/newline/]self Removed.
163 349 practise patience[.] Would Added.
178 374 37[ ]4 Removed.