,maxims and ,counsels ,,of ,,st4 ,,francis ,,de ,,sales ,for ,every ,day of the ,year4 ,,translated ,,from ,,the ,,french ,,by ,,miss ,,ella ,mc,m,a,h,o,n ,second ,edition4 ,,dublin ,m4 ,h4 ,,gill ,,son #ej ,,upper ,,sackville ,,street #ahhd ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,imprimatur3 ,,john1 ,,cardinal ,mc,c,l,o,s,k,e,y1 ,,archbishop ,,of ,,new ,,york4 ,september #d1 #ahhb4 ,re-imprimatur3 ,,eduardus ,,card4 ,,mac ,,cabe1 ,,archiepiscopus ,,dublinensis1 ,,hiberni ,,primas4 ,,introduction4 ,,pious ,,soul3 ,the ,spiritual ,father who presents himself to you under this title is the gentle ,bishop of ,geneva1 who1 in the opinion of ,st4 ,jane ,chantal and ,st4 ,vincent de ,paul1 was the most perfect imitation of our ,saviour living among men4 ,love for souls is his great passion4 ,he is not astonished at either falls or discouragement1 which he cures by remedies as gentle as they are efficacious4 ,whatever your disposition you will find sometimes a word of consolation1 sometimes a counsel of perfection1 or a means of accomplishing a difficult step in the ways of ,god1 and of elevating yourself to ,him4 ,this collection is like the inner life of the ,saint unconsciously written by himself4 ,he first practised1 and then taught4 ,one is gentle from motives of virtue1 only when he possesses moral strength2 now we find in these lines the secret of that strength which made ,st4 ,francis de ,sales the gentlest of men4 ,he admirably inculcates the method of sanctity which he perfectly possessed--a sanctity which seems so easy to realise that we feel a desire to reproduce it4 ,it is the flower which the ,spiritual ,father causes to bloom in your soul4 ,it will soon bear fruit if you are faithful4 ,these counsels have been carefully gleaned from the complete collection of the holy ,doctor4 ,,maxims ,,and ,,counsels ,,of ,,st4 ,,francis ,,de ,,sales ,,for ,,every ,,day ,,of ,,the ,,year4 #a4 ,keep yourself faithfully in the presence of ,god2 avoid hurry and anxiety1 for there are no greater obstacles to our progress in perfection4 #b4 ,cast your heart gently1 not violently1 into the wounds of our ,saviour2 have an unlimited confidence in his mercy and goodness4 #c4 ,to make good progress we must devote ourselves to getting over that portion of the path which lies close before us1 and not amuse ourselves with the desire to attain the last step before we have accomplished the first4 #d4 ,we must make our imperfections die with us from day to day4 ,dear imperfections1 which cause us to recognise our misery1 which exercise us in contempt of self1 and the practice of virtue1 and notwithstanding which ,god accepts the preparation of our hearts which is perfect4 #e4 ,i recommend simplicity to you2 look before you1 and not at the dangers which you behold in the distance4 ,keep your will firmly bent upon serving ,god with your whole heart4 ,while you are thus occupied in forecasting the future you expose yourself to some false step4 #f4 ,have no care for the morrow2 think only of doing well to-day1 and when to-morrow shall have become to-day then we shall think about it4 #g4 ,we must make a provision of manna for each day only2 and let us not be afraid that ,god will fail to send down more upon us to-morrow and the day after to-morrow1 and every day of our pilgrimage4 #h4 ,since the ,heart of our ,lord has no more loving law than meekness1 humility1 and charity we must firmly maintain these dear virtues in us4 #i4 ,true sanctity lies in love of ,god1 and not in foolish imaginings1 raptures1 c4 ,let us devote ourselves to the practice of true meekness and submission1 to renouncement of self1 to docility of heart1 to love of abjection1 to consideration for the wishes of others3 this is true sanctity and the most amiable ecstasy of the children of ,god4 #aj4 ,may you belong to ,god for ever in this mortal life1 serving ,him faithfully through its trials1 bearing the cross after ,him1 and may you be his for ever in life eternal with the whole celestial court6 #aa4 ,the great good of our souls is to live for ,god1 and the greatest good to live for ,god alone4 #ab4 ,he who lives but for ,god is never sad1 save at having offended ,god4 #ac4 ,he who lives but for ,god seeks only ,god1 and since ,god is with him in adversity as well as in prosperity1 he dwells in peace in the midst of tribulation4 #ad4 ,he who lives but for ,god frequently thinks of ,him during all the occupations of life4 #ae4 ,then let us belong wholly to ,him1 and live but for ,him1 desiring only to please ,him1 and for his creatures in ,him1 through ,him1 and for ,him4 #af4 ,make your little efforts sweetly1 peacefully1 and amiably to please this ,sovereign ,goodness1 and do not be astonished at difficulties4 #ag4 ,we must be constant in aspiring to the perfection of holy love1 in order that love may be perfect2 for the love which seeks anything less than perfection cannot fail to be imperfect4 #ah4 ,never permit your soul to be sad and live in bitterness of spirit or scrupulous fear1 since ,he who loved it and died to give it life is so good1 so sweet1 so amiable4 #ai4 ,to live contentedly in our exile1 we must keep before our eyes the hope of our arrival in the country where we shall live for ever4 #bj4 ,god1 who calls us to ,him1 sees how we are approaching1 and will never permit anything to happen but what is for our greater good4 #ba4 ,god knows what we are1 and will hold out his paternal hand to us in a difficult step1 in order that nothing may arrest us4 #bb4 ,never look forward to the accidents of life with apprehension2 anticipate them with a perfect hope that ,god1 whose child you are1 will deliver you from them1 according as they come4 #bc4 ,god has preserved you so far2 only keep yourself faithful to the law of his providence and ,he will assist you at all times1 and where you cannot walk ,he will carry you4 #bd4 ,do not think of what may happen to-morrow1 for the same eternal ,father who cares for you to-day will care for you to-morrow and always2 either ,he will not send you trouble1 or1 if ,he does1 ,he will give you invincible courage to bear it4 #be4 ,the child can never perish who remains in the arms of a ,father who is almighty4 #bf4 ,if ,god does not always give us what we ask1 it is to keep us near ,him and give us an opportunity to urge and constrain ,him by a loving violence4 #bg4 ,behold this great ,artisan of mercy4 ,he converts our miseries into graces and the poison of our iniquities into salutary remedies for our souls4 ,tell me1 ,i pray1 what will ,he not do with the afflictions1 the labours1 the persecutions which assail us8 #bh4 ,an over-sensitive mind can neither receive nor endure anything without telling of it1 and it is always a little astonished at the lowly places which humility and simplicity choose4 #bi4 ,i see you with your vigorous heart which loves and wills powerfully4 ,i like it1 for what are those half-dead hearts good for8 ,we must make a particular exercise once every week of willing to love the will of ,god more tenderly1 more affectionately than anything in the world1 and that1 too1 not only in bearable but in the most unbearable events4 #cj4 ,even at a time when you had not so much confidence in ,god1 did you perish in affliction8 ,then why have you not courage to meet all other trials8 #ca4 ,plant in your heart ,jesus ,christ ,crucified1 and all the crosses of this world will seem to you like roses4 #cb4 ,we must not only be willing that ,god should strike us1 but we must accept that ,he shall strike us where ,he wills4 #cc4 ,lord ,jesus1 without reserve1 without an if1 without a but1 without exception1 without limitation1 may thy holy will be done in all things1 at all times4 #cd4 ,daily strengthen yourself more and more in the resolution1 which you formed with so much affection3 of serving ,god according to his good pleasure4 #ce4 ,never think you have attained the purity of heart which you owe to ,god until your will is freely and joyfully resigned to his holy will in all things1 even in the most repugnant4 #cf4 ,regard not the appearance of the things you are to do1 but ,him who commands them1 and who1 when ,he pleases1 can accomplish his glory and our perfection through the most imperfect and trifling things4 #cg4 ,a true servant of ,god has no care for the morrow2 he performs faithfully what is required of him to-day1 and to-morrow he will do what is required of him without a word4 #ch4 ,so1 no matter how ,god treats you1 it is all the same to you1 you tell me4444 ,ah6 how suddenly self-love insinuates itself into our affections1 however devout they may appear4 #ci4 ,here is the great lesson3 ,we must discover ,god's will1 and1 recognising it1 we must endeavour to do it joyfully1 or at least courageously4 #dj4 ,the meek ,saviour would have us meek1 so that1 though surrounded by the world and the flesh1 we may live by the ,spirit2 that1 amidst the vanities of earth1 we may live in heaven2 that1 living among men1 we may praise ,him with the angels4 #da4 ,the sight alone of our dear ,jesus crucified can speedily soften all sorrows1 which are but flowers compared with his thorns4 ,and then our great rendezvous is an eternal heaven2 and compared with the price of eternity1 what are the things which end with time8 #db4 ,continue to unite yourself more and more with our ,lord4 ,plunge your heart into the charity of his1 and say always with your whole soul3 8,may ,i die and may ,jesus live60 ,our death will be a happy one if we have died daily4 #dc4 ,the repugnance you feel testifies no want of love2 for it seems to me that1 if we believed that being flayed ,god would love us more we would flay ourselves1 not without repugnance1 but in spite of the repugnance4 #dd4 ,cultivate not only a solid love1 but a tender1 gentle1 meek love for those about you2 ,i have learned from experience that infirmities destroy1 not our charity1 but our meekness towards our neighbour1 if we are not strongly on our guard4 #de4 ,lord ,jesus1 what true happiness for a soul consecrated to ,god to be strongly exercised in tribulation before leaving this life6 #df4 ,how can we know frank1 ardent love but in the midst of thorns1 crosses1 weariness1 above all1 when this weariness is prolonged8 #dg4 ,nothing can give us deeper peace in this world than to frequently contemplate our ,lord in all the afflictions ,he endured from his birth to his death3 contempt1 calumnies1 poverty1 abjection1 weariness1 suffering1 nakedness1 wrongs1 and grief of every kind4 #dh4 ,a heart which esteems and grandly loves ,jesus crucified1 loves his death1 his sufferings1 his insults1 his poverty1 his hunger1 his thirst2 and when ,jesus grants this heart a small share in them1 it is jubilant with gladness and lovingly embraces them4 #di4 ,every day1 not in prayer1 but in your walks1 you should recall to mind our ,lord amid the thorns of our redemption1 and consider what happiness it would be to share them4 #ej4 ,let us faithfully cultivate that resignation and pure love of ,god which is never wholly practised but amid sufferings2 for to love ,god1 when ,he feeds us with sweetness is nothing more than children do2 but to love ,him when ,he feeds us with gall is to offer ,him the cup of our loving fidelity4 #ea4 ,i recommend you to ,god1 that you may obtain the gift of holy patience2 and it is not in my power to propose to ,him anything for you1 save that ,he may1 according to his holy will1 fashion your heart for his dwelling1 and reign there eternally2 and whether ,he fashion it with the brush1 the hammer1 or the chisel1 must be according to his good pleasure4 #eb4 ,the heart which unites itself to the ,heart of ,god cannot help loving and accepting with sweetness the arrows with which ,god pierces it4 #ec4 ,i desire that your cross and mine should be wholly the cross of ,jesus ,christ2 and as to the imposition of this or that burden1 or making any choice1 ,god knows what ,he is doing and why ,he does it--it is certainly for our good4 #ed4 ,our sweet ,saviour is pleased that we should speak to ,him of the trouble ,he sends us1 and that we should complain1 provided it be lovingly and humbly1 and to ,himself1 just as little children do when their mother has punished them4 #ee4 ,god wishes that1 like ,job1 ,i should serve ,him in the midst of dryness1 suffering1 and temptation2 like ,st4 ,paul1 that ,i should serve ,him according to his desire4 ,you will see that one day ,he will do all and even more than you can desire4 #ef4 ,i praise ,god for the constancy with which you bear tribulations4 ,nevertheless ,i still see in you a little over-eagerness and restlessness which form an obstacle to the final effect of your patience4 #eg4 ,the effect of patience is to possess one's soul1 and1 in proportion to our patience do we acquire complete and perfect possession of our soul4 #eh4 ,we must lose everything rather than courage1 confidence1 and good-will4 #ei4 ,would to ,god that we paid little attention to the condition of the road which alarms us1 but kept our eyes steadily fixed upon ,him who guides us1 and the happy end to which ,he leads us4 #fj4 ,when you have meditated upon the grievous anguish which our ,master endured in the ,garden1 and in union with ,him prayed to the ,father for consolation1 if it does not please ,him to send it1 think no more of it1 but brace your courage to work out your salvation on the cross1 as if you were never to descend therefrom1 and as if you were never to see the atmosphere of your life clear and serene4 #fa4 ,for the honour of ,god yield completely to his will1 and do not think that you can serve ,him better another way1 for we serve ,him well only when we serve ,him as ,he wills4 #fb4 ,we are always wishing for this or that1 and though we have our sweet ,jesus in our breasts1 we are not content4 ,yet it is all we can desire4 ,one thing alone is necessary1 and that is1 to be near ,him4 #fc4 ,train yourself to serve our ,lord with a strong and fervent gentleness3 it is the true way of serving ,him4 #fd4 ,frequently kiss in your heart the crosses which our ,lord ,himself has placed in your arms4 ,heed not whether they are of perfumed or precious wood3 they are more truly crosses when they are of coarse1 heavy1 ordinary wood4 #fe4 ,this sweet love of our hearts casts us down only to raise us up4 ,he lurks and hides1 peeping through the lattice1 to see the expression of our countenance4 #ff4 ,keep ,jesus closely in your arms1 for it is thus the ,spouse holds ,him as a bouquet of myrrh1 that is of bitterness3 but ,he is not bitter2 ,he only allows us to be bitter to ourselves4 #fg4 ,being a good servant of ,god is not always having consolation and sweetness1 nor being always free from aversion and repugnance to good4 #fh4 ,to be a good servant of ,god is to be charitable to our neighbour1 maintaining in the superior will an invincible resolution to do ,god's will3 to possess great humility and simplicity in confiding one's self to ,god2 to rise as frequently as one falls2 to inure one's self to humiliations1 and to tranquilly bear with others and their defects4 #fi4 ,frequently behold our ,lord who looks down upon you1 poor little creature that you are1 and sees you in the midst of your labours and distractions4 #gj4 ,frequently raise your heart to ,god1 ask his help1 and let the foundation of your consolation be the happiness of belonging to ,him4 #ga4 ,let us raise up our hearts1 and behold that of ,god all goodness1 all love1 all love for us6 ,let us adore and bless his will in all things1 let ,him prune1 let ,him cut where ,he will1 for we are eternally his4 #gb4 ,let us place ourselves before our ,crucified ,sun1 as the weary bee basks in the rays of the sun1 and then let us say to ,him3 8,o beautiful ,sun of hearts1 ,thou dost vivify all by the rays of thy goodness2 behold us exhausted before thee1 whence we will not move1 ,lord ,jesus1 until ,thy fire hath revived us60 #gc4 ,let us not forget the maxim of the saints1 which warns us that every day we must feel that we begin our perfection2 and if we bear this well in mind we will not be astonished at the miseries we find in ourselves4 ,the work is never done1 it must be always recommenced2 and recommenced with a good heart4 #gd4 ,what we are about to commence will be better than what we have done1 and when we shall have accomplished that1 we will recommence something else which shall be still better1 and then something else1 until we leave this world to begin another life1 which will have no end1 for nothing1 nothing better can come to us4 #ge4 ,see1 then1 whether one should weep when he finds trouble in his soul1 and whether he ought not courageously to push on ever further1 since he must never pause1 and whether he ought not to have the resolution to prune1 since we must use the knife1 even to the division of soul and mind4 #gf4 ,why do you weep1 ,o woman8 ,no1 you must no longer be a woman1 you must have the heart of a man4 ,but courage6 take heart6 we have our sweet ,jesus with us4 #gg4 ,the love of ,god does not consist in consolations1 otherwise our ,lord would not have loved his ,father when ,he was sorrowful unto death1 and when ,he cried1 8,my ,god1 my ,god1 why hast ,thou forsaken me80 ,this was the greatest act of love which it is possible to imagine4 #gh4 ,our imperfections should not please us1 but they should not take away our courage4 ,god does not like our imperfections and venial sins1 but ,he loves us in spite of them4 #gi4 ,live joyfully2 our ,lord looks down upon you1 and looks upon you with love1 and with a tenderness proportioned to your foolishness4 #hj4 ,turn your eyes from yourself1 and direct them towards ,god with an humble courage to speak to ,him of his ineffable goodness in loving our poor human nature1 in spite of its infirmities4 #ha4 ,our enemy is a great bawler2 be in no way troubled about him1 for he cannot hurt you2 despise him1 and pay no attention to him4 ,he made as much noise and thundered as loudly about the saints2 but behold6 they are lodged in the place which the miserable creature lost4 #hb4 ,fear not2 you are walking upon the sea1 amid the winds and the waves1 but it is with ,jesus4 ,if fear seizes you1 cry loudly1 8,lord1 save me60 ,he will stretch forth his hand to you2 clasp it firmly and go joyfully on4 #hc4 ,despise1 ,i pray you1 all those thoughts of vainglory4 ,for they are really but flies which cannot harm but only annoy you4 ,it is an incompatible thing to be in this world and not to feel the movements of the passions4 #hd4 ,let yourself be governed by ,god2 do not think so much of yourself4 #he4 ,i expressly forbid you to be over-eager1 as this is the mother imperfection of all imperfections4 #hf4 ,simplify your judgment4 8,if your eye is simple1 your whole body will be light40 ,do not make so many reflections and replies1 but go on with simplicity and confidence4 #hg4 ,for you there are but ,god and yourself in the world1 and you should not concern yourself for all the rest1 save as ,god commands you4 #hh4 ,give your soul a thousand times to ,god1 and sometimes say not a word to ,him1 but simply contemplate his gentleness4 ,this is one of the great sources of spiritual gain1 for as the mind converses so frequently and so easily with its ,god it will be perfumed with all his perfections4 #hi4 ,the ,christian soul is the spouse not yet of ,jesus glorified1 but of ,jesus crucified2 that is why the rings1 ornaments1 and tokens with which ,he adorns her are crosses1 and thorns1 and the nuptial banquet is gall1 hyssop1 and vinegar4 #ij4 ,do not look here and there so much4 ,turn your eyes upon ,god or yourself2 you will never see ,god without goodness1 or yourself free from misery2 and you will find his goodness kind to your misery1 and your misery the object of his mercy4 #ia4 ,rarely examine closely what others do2 look upon them simply1 kindly1 and amiably4 ,do like the bees1 gather honey from all the flowers4 #ib4 ,my commandment is1 that you do like little children2 while they feel their mother holding them by the sleeve1 they go on boldly and run about everywhere1 nothing daunted by the falls that are caused by the weakness of their legs4 ,thus1 while ,god holds you by your good-will to serve ,him1 go on boldly1 undaunted by your little stumblings1 provided you cast yourself into his arms and give ,him the kiss of charity4 #ic4 ,go joyously and with a light heart as far as you can1 and if you cannot always go joyously1 go always courageously and confidently4 #id4 ,we must have patience1 and little by little1 correct and overcome our bad habits1 for life on the whole is a continual warfare4 #ie4 ,rest is reserved for heaven2 on earth we must always struggle between hope and fear1 on condition that hope be ever the stronger when we consider the almighty power of ,him who helps us4 #if4 ,frequently during the day cast your heart1 your mind1 and your care upon ,god with great confidence1 saying1 8,i am thine1 save me40 #ig4 ,be kind to your neighbour in spite of rebellious murmurings and outbursts of anger4 #ih4 ,do not be astonished to find yourself overwhelmed with evil inclinations4 ,god permits them in order to make you humble4 #ii4 ,self-love may be mortified in us1 but it never dies2 from time to time it sends forth shoots which prove that1 though cut down to the root1 it is never completely destroyed4 #ajj4 ,self-love never leaves us4 ,it sleeps sometimes like a fox1 then suddenly springs upon the chickens4 ,we must therefore be constantly watchful of it1 and patiently defend ourselves against it4 #aja4 ,let us keep firm hold of the merciful hand of our good ,god1 for ,he wishes to draw us after ,him4 #ajb4 ,live wholly according to the ,spirit1 live quietly in peace1 have perfect confidence that ,god will help you4 #ajc4 ,be careful to purify your heart more and more each day4 ,now1 this purity consists in weighing everything in the scales of the sanctuary1 which are only the will of ,god4 #ajd4 ,let us be what we are1 and be that well1 in order that we may honour the ,master ,workman who has made us4 ,though we were the most excellent creatures under heaven1 what would it avail us if we were not pleasing to the will of ,god8 #aje4 ,we must always and in all things live peaceably4 #ajf4 ,i approve of your making an act of humility every day1 humbling yourself to an inferior1 performing some menial office in the house4 #ajg4 ,it is not possible that you should so soon be mistress of your soul1 or that you should control it so absolutely at first4 #ajh4 ,dispose your soul to tranquillity in the morning1 and be careful during the day to recall it frequently to that state1 and to keep your soul within your control4 #aji4 ,do not be terrified if you are guilty of some little impatience2 do not let it trouble you1 but when you recognise it quietly humble yourself before ,god4 #aaj4 ,try to preserve a sweet tranquillity of mind2 say to your soul3 8,courage6 we have made a false step1 but let us keep steadily on and keep watch over ourselves40 #aaa4 ,make no account of the judgments of men4 #aab4 ,be silent concerning all things1 and you will have interior peace1 because for you and me the only secret of acquiring this peace is to endure to the utmost the judgments of men4 #aac4 ,consider for whom you labour1 and those who strive to trouble you shall labour in vain4 #aad4 ,among beggars1 those whose sores are the most terrible consider themselves the most fortunate1 for they excite more compassion and receive more abundant alms4 ,we are only beggars1 and the most miserable among us are the most fortunate1 for these ,god looks upon with greater compassion4 #aae4 ,be glad that men make no account of you4 #aaf4 ,consider how all the vexations of the past have vanished2 those of the future shall vanish in the same way4 #aag4 ,the great point of humility is to see1 to honour1 to serve1 and converse fittingly with those whom we dislike1 keeping ourselves humble1 gentle1 and submissive to them1 for remember that the humiliations which are the least visible are the keenest4 #aah4 ,let our ,lord turn us to the left or to the right1 and send us in a hundred directions4 ,he never abandons us but to get closer possession of us2 ,he never leaves us but to guard us better2 ,he never struggles with us but to enter our souls and bless us4 #aai4 ,courage6 ,let us keep on in the low valleys of the small and humble virtues4 ,i love these three little virtues3 gentleness of heart1 firmness of mind1 and simplicity of life4 #abj4 ,i recommend to you more than anything else the exercise of holy gentleness and sweetness in all the events of this life4 #aba4 ,accustom yourself in all that you do to act and speak gently and quietly1 and you will see that in three or four years you will completely control that abrupt impulsiveness4 #abb4 ,he who can preserve peace in the midst of the confusion and complexity of business1 and sweetness in the midst of suffering1 is almost perfect4 #abc4 ,i recommend to you great evenness of temper1 sweetness and gentleness of heart2 for these virtues1 like the oil of a lamp1 maintain the flame of good example2 for there is nothing more edifying to our neighbour than charitable kindliness4 #abd4 ,when shall we be wholly imbued with sweetness and gentleness towards our neighbour8 ,you needed only that2 your zeal was good1 but it had this fault2 it was a little bitter1 over-urgent1 and captious4 #abe4 ,raise your eyes to heaven1 and among the mortals now immortal there you will not find one who attained eternal happiness but through continual afflictions and trouble4 #abf4 ,let us humble ourselves profoundly1 and acknowledge that if ,god be not our shield and armour1 we shall be pierced through and through with every kind of sin4 #abg4 ,i desire that you should be extremely lowly and humble in your own eyes1 condescending and gentle as a dove4 #abh4 ,do not be quick to speak2 say much by a modest and judicious silence4 #abi4 ,behold ,god in all things without exception1 acquiescing in all his commands with great simplicity4 #acj4 ,say frequently1 in the midst of your contradictions and sufferings3 ,this is the path to heaven2 ,i behold the gate1 and ,i am sure that the storms will not prevent my reaching it4 #aca4 ,take no trouble on account of what the world thinks of you2 despise its good opinion and its contempt1 and let it say what it will of good or evil4 #acb4 ,do not think that our ,lord is further from you in the midst of turmoil4444 ,it is not tranquillity which brings ,him to our hearts1 but the fidelity of our love4 #acc4 ,from day to day withdraw your heart from all kinds of amusement and vanity1 444 from all that turns you from a blessed eternity4 #acd4 ,i desire to love ,god or die2 death or love1 for life without love is worse than death4 #ace4 ,o ,god6 it is towards ,thee that ,i am sailing4444 ,we reach the port through all storms1 provided we have an upright heart1 a good intention1 firm courage1 our eyes fixed upon ,god1 and all our confidence in ,him4 #acf4 ,do not be vexed at the annoyances which come from the complexity of business2 believe me1 true virtue is not nourished in exterior repose any more than good fish in stagnant water4 #acg4 ,keep your hearts well under control1 beware of over-anxiety4 ,place your confidence in the providence of our ,lord4 ,be fully convinced that heaven and earth shall pass away rather than that our ,lord shall fail to protect you while you are his obedient daughter1 or1 at least1 desirous to obey ,him4 #ach4 ,live wholly in our ,lord1 let ,him be the atmosphere in which your heart breathes at ease4 #aci4 ,give particular attention to the practice of gentleness1 study every pulsation of your heart1 and if it be not gentle1 make it so before all things4 #adj4 ,i desire that upon all occasions during the day you should interiorly recollect yourself in ,god1 addressing ,him a few words of fidelity and love4 #ada4 ,believe me1 ,god loves souls shaken by storms1 provided they receive all from his hands and valiantly strive to remain faithful in the midst of combats4 #adb4 ,one of the best penances and satisfactions which a heart guilty of some fault can offer is to endure a continual cross and abnegation of its self-love4 #adc4 ,it gives me an incomparable pleasure to think of the great honour it is for a soul to speak heart to heart with its ,god--that great1 sovereign infinite ,being--yes1 for what the heart says to ,god is known only to ,god ,himself4 ,is not this a marvellous secret6 #add4 ,when we pray it is well to think that there is no one in the world but ,god4 #ade4 ,the great secret in prayer is simply to follow the attractions of the heart4 ,we must go on in good faith and with pure intention to reach ,god1 to love ,him1 and unite ourselves to ,him4 ,true love has little method4 #adf4 ,you should be so in love with ,god that even though you can do nothing in his presence1 you should nevertheless be glad to be near ,him1 were it only to see ,him and look at ,him from time to time4 #adg4 ,when your heart is distracted in prayer1 bring it gently back to the point from which it has wandered1 and lay it tenderly at the feet of its ,master4 ,if you do but this your hour will be well employed4 #adh4 ,if we can speak to our ,lord in prayer let us speak to ,him1 praise ,him1 listen to ,him4 ,if we cannot speak because we are spiritually hoarse1 let us stay nevertheless and make ,him a reverence4 #adi4 ,what a happiness it is to be with ,god1 no one knowing what passes between ,god and the heart but ,god ,himself and the adoring heart4 #aej4 ,i should like to have a good hammer with which to blunt the sharpness of your mind1 which is too subtle in its ideas of your advancement4 ,i have often told you that in devotion we must go on in good faith1 acting frankly and promptly4 ,if you do well1 praise ,god2 if ill1 humble yourself4 #aea4 ,humble yourself profoundly1 and urge on your soul with the love of ,christ crucified1 that you may be able to spiritually digest this heavenly food4 #aeb4 ,he who communicates according to the spirit of the ,spouse annihilates himself before ,god1 saying to our ,lord3 ,destroy me1 annihilate me1 and convert me into ,thee2 then it is no longer we who live1 but ,jesus ,christ1 who liveth in us4 #aec4 ,when the mother pearl has received the drops of the fresh morning dew it draws within itself and closes its shell to preserve them fresh2 in like manner1 when you have received the ,blessed ,sacrament1 withdraw into yourself and collect all the faculties of your soul to adore this sovereign ,king1 and relish by a lively faith the spiritual refreshment which this ,divine ,germ produces in your breast4 #aed4 ,take your rest as much as possible near the heavenly ,infant4 ,see how ,he receives the breath of that great ox and that ass1 which neither feel his presence nor show it by any movement4 ,will ,he not then receive the inspirations of our poor hearts8 #aee4 ,how happy we should be had we only ,jesus in our understanding1 only ,jesus in our imagination6 ,jesus would be in us everywhere1 and we everywhere in ,jesus4 #aef4 ,we should manage our years1 our months1 our weeks1 our days1 our hours1 our moments so well that1 being employed for the love of ,god1 they all may be profitable to us for eternal life4 #aeg4 ,shall we not1 in future1 cease to be the old selves1 which shall all1 without exception1 be for ever sacrificed unreservedly and unconditionally to ,god and his love8 #aeh4 ,when you encounter things which give you trouble1 remember that the saints cheerfully did greater and more troublesome tasks1 and encourage yourself by their example4 #aei4 ,a person who is free from the fever of her own will is satisfied with everything1 provided ,god be served4 ,she is indifferent to the nature of the service which ,god chooses to give her4 #afj4 ,frequently say to our ,lord3 ,what wilt ,thou that ,i do8 ,is it ,thy will that ,i should serve ,thee in the most lowly duties of the house8 ,provided ,i serve ,thee1 ,i care not what the service may be4 #afa4 ,love this good ,god in your retreats1 in ,holy ,communion1 and when ,he consoles you2 love ,him particularly in the midst of trouble and confusion1 in aridity1 contradictions1 and tribulations2 for it was thus ,he loved you in the midst of the scourging1 the nails1 the thorns1 the darkness of ,calvary4 #afb4 ,the monastery is a hospital of spiritual sick who desire to be cured1 and to this end submit themselves to the knife1 to the lancet1 to be burned1 to be bled1 and to all kinds of bitter remedies4 ,o my very dear daughter1 firmly resolve that you will submit to all this1 and pay no attention to what self-love may urge to the contrary1 but sweetly1 amiably1 and lovingly take the blessed resolution3 to die or to be cured4 #afc4 ,must you be disquieted and troubled because of difficulties8 ,oh1 by no means4 ,it is the devil who is ferreting and spying about your mind1 to see if he cannot find some door open to him4 #afd4 ,you are right not to care what is said of you2 you who belong to ,god should not think of reputation4 ,let ,god dispose of our life1 our reputation1 and our honour as ,he pleases1 since they are all his4 ,if our humiliations be his glory1 are we not glorified8 #afe4 ,when you meet with contradictions or afflictions through anyone1 beware of yielding to complaints1 but compel your heart to suffer tranquilly2 if some sudden outburst of impatience escape you1 bring your heart back to sweetness and peace4 #aff4 ,see1 my daughter1 we are too fastidious in calling poor a state in which we endure neither hunger1 nor cold1 nor ignominy1 but merely some inconvenience in our plans4 #afg4 ,gradually temper the vivacity of your mind to patience1 sweetness1 humility1 and affability1 in the midst of the silliness and imperfections of your sisters4 #afh4 ,nothing gives us profound tranquillity in this world but to frequently look upon our ,lord in all his sufferings4 ,in comparison with all that ,he endured1 we shall see that we are wrong to call the little accidents which we encounter afflictions1 and that we do not need patience for things so trifling1 since a little modesty would suffice to make us bear well all that happens to us4 #afi4 ,we must never answer temptations1 nor appear to hear the enemy4 ,if he is noisy1 patience6 we must prostrate ourselves before ,god and remain at his feet4 ,he will understand that we want his assistance1 though we may not be able to speak4 #agj4 ,believe me1 my dear daughter1 sweets engender worms in little children2 that is why our ,lord mixes bitter with the sweet for us4 ,we must have a great courage1 which on all occasions will resolutely cry1 ,god be praised6 caring little for sweet or bitter1 light or darkness4 ,let us keep on in this essential love4 #aga4 ,god desires that you serve ,him without relish or feeling1 in the midst of aversions and afflictions of mind4 ,this service will not give you satisfaction1 but it will content ,him2 it will not be to your taste but it will be to his4 #agb4 ,god is so good that ,he will visit your soul interiorly1 and strengthen and establish it in solid humility1 simplicity1 and mortification4 #agc4 ,let us always keep on2 however slow our progress we are getting over a great deal of the road4 ,god wishes that our misery should be the throne of his mercy4 #agd4 ,keep your heart brave and ready for any service that shall be imposed upon it2 according as you undertake many things for ,god1 ,he will second you and work with you4 #age4 ,have the heart of a child2 a will of wax1 and a mind free from the slavery of all affection4 #agf4 ,oh1 what a great blessing it is1 my daughter1 to be pliable and easily turned to any service4 ,our ,lord has taught us this submission by his example1 as much as by his words4 #agg4 ,he who is very attentive to please the heavenly lover has no leisure for introspection2 his mind continually tends whither love leads him4 #agh4 ,this exercise of the continual abandonment of one's self to the hands of ,god includes in the most excellent manner all other exercises in their greatest simplicity1 purity1 and perfection1 and while ,god leaves us the desire for it we should not change it4 #agi4 ,simplicity is an act of charity pure and simple1 which considers only ,god4 ,it looks straight at ,god1 and can suffer no mixture of self-interest nor intermingling of creatures2 ,god alone is its object4 #ahj4 ,we should bear tenderly with those whom our ,lord bears with1 we must bow our heads1 and bear ourselves contrary to our habits and inclinations4 #aha4 ,complain as little as possible of injuries1 for it rarely happens that one complains without sin1 since our self-love exaggerates in our eyes and hearts the wrongs we have received4 #ahb4 ,hold the cross of our ,lord upon your breast1 and as long as you firmly clasp it in your arms1 the enemy will be at your feet4 #ahc4 ,great evenness of temper1 continual gentleness and suavity of heart1 are more rare than perfect chastity1 yet very desirable4 #ahd4 ,as regards our perfection1 which consists in the union of our soul with the ,divine ,goodness1 it is only a question of knowing little and doing much4 #ahe4 ,we must make up our minds to two things3 one is1 that we shall find bad weeds growing in our garden1 and the other1 that we will have the courage to uproot them1 for our self-love will live as long as we do1 and from it arises all this noxious growth4 #ahf4 ,we must endeavour to double1 not our desires and our exercises1 but the perfection with which we fulfil them1 seeking by this means to gain more by one action than we would by a hundred others done according to our inclination and affection4 #ahg4 ,one act performed in dryness of spirit is worth more than several done in great sensible fervour4 #ahh4 ,i say1 then1 that we must die in order that ,god may live in us1 for it is impossible to acquire union with ,god by any other means than mortification4 ,these words1 8,we must die10 are hard1 but they are followed by a great sweetness1 and this sweetness is union with ,god4 #ahi4 ,your miseries and infirmities should not astonish you2 ,god has seen many others1 and his mercy does not reject the miserable1 but is exercised in doing them good4 #aij4 ,we must do everything through a motive of love1 and nothing through compulsion4 ,our love for obedience must be greater than our fear of disobedience4 #aia4 ,i leave you liberty of spirit1 not that which excludes obedience1 but that which excludes constraint1 scruple1 or over-eagerness4 #aib4 ,here are the marks of true liberty3 #ast4 ,the heart which possesses this liberty is not attached to consolations1 but receives afflictions with all the sweetness that the flesh admits of4 ,i do not say that it does not love and desire consolations1 but that the heart is not bound to them4 #aic4 #bnd4 ,such a heart is in no way attached to spiritual exercises1 so that if sickness or any other accident interferes with them it feels no regret4 ,i also do not say that it does not love them1 but that it is not attached to them4 #aid4 #crd4 ,such a heart rarely loses its joy1 for no privation saddens one whose heart is not bound to anything4 ,i do not say that it never loses its joy1 but that it is only for a short time4 #aie4 ,a soul which possesses true liberty will leave his prayer1 and with an amiable countenance and gracious manner greet the importunate person who disturbs him4 ,for it is the same to him whether he serve ,god in meditation or by bearing with his neighbour2 they are both the will of ,god4 #aif4 ,liberty of spirit has two vices3 a spirit of inconstancy and a spirit of constraint4 ,for example3 ,i resolve to make a meditation every morning4 ,if ,i have a spirit of inconstancy ,i will defer it till evening at the slightest excuse--for the barking of a dog which has disturbed my sleep1 for a letter to be written1 though it is not at all urgent4 ,on the contrary1 if ,i have a spirit of constraint ,i will not omit my meditation1 even though a sick person is very much in need of my services4 #aig4 ,everything tends to the good of those who love ,god4 ,and1 in truth1 since ,god can draw good from evil1 for whom will ,he do it1 if not for those who have given themselves without reserve to ,him8 ,yes1 everything tends to their profit1 even sin4 ,david would never have been so humble if he had not sinned2 nor would ,magdalene's love for her ,saviour have been what it was4 ,tell me1 then1 what will ,he not do with our afflictions and labours8 #aih4 ,if1 then1 it ever happen that some grief come upon you1 assure your soul that if she love ,god all things will turn to her good4 ,and though you may not see the means by which this good shall be effected1 be all the more convinced of it4 #aii4 ,it is a very good sign that the enemy rages and beats at your door3 it shows that he has not what he wants4 ,if he had he would cease to cry out1 but would quietly enter and stay with you4 #bjj4 ,courage6 ,as long as we can say1 even coldly1 ,god be praised1 there is no reason to fear4 ,and do not tell me that it seems to you that you say it in a spiritless way1 with no strength or courage1 but as if you had to do violence to yourself to utter it4 ,oh1 this is the blessed violence which taketh heaven6 #bja4 ,as long as a temptation is displeasing to you there is nothing to fear1 for why does it displease you if not because you do not wish it8 #bjb4 ,moreover1 these very importunate temptations come from the malice of the devil1 but the trouble and suffering they cause us come from the mercy of ,god4 ,he draws from the malice of his enemy the holy tribulation by which ,he refines the gold ,he desires to place in his treasury4 ,despise the temptations and embrace the tribulations4 #bjc4 ,we must endure our own want of perfection1 if we would attain perfection4 ,i say that we must endure it patiently1 but we must not love or caress it4 ,it is by the endurance of this suffering that humility is nourished4 #bjd4 ,those who aspire to pure love of ,god have not so much need of patience with others as with themselves4 #bje4 ,we must confess the truth3 we are poor creatures1 capable of very little that is good2 but ,god1 who is infinitely good1 is content with our poor labours1 and finds acceptable the preparation of our heart4 #bjf4 ,but what means this preparation of our heart according to the expression of ,holy ,writ3 8,god is greater than our heart1 and our heart is greater than the world80 ,when our heart1 in the solitude of meditation1 prepares the service which it must render ,god1 it effects marvels4 ,all this preparation1 nevertheless1 is in no way proportioned to the grandeur of ,god1 and ordinarily it exceeds our strength1 and becomes too great to be carried out in our exterior actions4 #bjg4 ,our minds prepare for ,god a mortified flesh free from the rebellion of the senses1 prayer free from distraction1 a loving heart free from all bitterness1 a humility free from all taint of vanity4 ,all this is very good1 an excellent preparation2 but who carries it out8 ,alas6 when we come to the practise of it1 we fall short4 ,must we on this account be disquieted1 troubled1 or afflicted8 ,no1 certainly not4 ,must we apply ourselves to exciting a multitude of desires to stimulate ourselves to attain this perfection8 ,by no means4 #bjh4 ,i do not say that we must not tend to perfection2 but we must not desire to attain it in a day1 that is in a day of this mortal life1 for such a desire would only uselessly disquiet us4 #bji4 ,it is not possible1 ,i assure you1 to be completely rid of self while we are on earth4 ,we must always carry self with us1 until ,god carries us to heaven2 and while we carry self1 we carry a burden of very little value4 #baj4 ,solomon tells us that a servant who suddenly becomes mistress is a very insolent creature4 ,were a soul to become all at once perfect mistress of passions which it had long served1 ,i fear it could not but be vain and proud4 #baa4 ,if in our heart there be a single thread of affection which is not for ,god1 we should instantly tear it out4 #bab4 ,i cannot understand how you1 a daughter of ,god1 long since abandoned to the bosom of his mercy and consecrated to his love1 can yield to such immoderate sadness4 ,you should console yourself1 despising all the mournful and melancholy suggestions with which the devil tries to weary you4 #bac4 ,do not examine yourself so carefully to discover whether you are in perfection or not2 for1 should we attain the greatest perfection we should neither know nor recognise it1 but always consider ourselves imperfect4 ,the end of our examen should never be to discover whether we are imperfect1 for that we should never doubt4 #bad4 ,therefore we should never be astonished at imperfection or let it sadden us2 for we cannot fail to find ourselves imperfect in this life1 and there is no remedy for it save humility1 since by this virtue we shall repair our faults and gradually improve4 #bae4 ,it is for the exercise of this virtue that our imperfections are left to us1 since it is inexcusable not to seek to correct them1 and excusable not to succeed perfectly2 for it is not with imperfections as it is with sins4 #baf4 ,if you wish to do well1 regard as a temptation every suggestion concerning change of place2 for while your mind is looking beyond where it should be1 it will never apply itself to doing well the duty which lies before it4 #bag4 ,we must not desire all to begin by perfection4 ,it matters little how one begins1 provided he be resolved to go on well1 and end well4 #bah4 ,i tell you that you will be faithful if you are humble4 ,but will you be humble8 ,yes1 if you wish it4 ,but ,i do wish it4 ,then you are humble4 ,but ,i feel that ,i am not4 ,so much the better2 that helps to make you more so4 #bai4 ,you desire that it should always be spring in your soul1 but that cannot be4 ,we must endure vicissitudes of weather interiorly as well as exteriorly4 ,it is only in heaven that we shall find the perpetual beauty of spring1 the perpetual ripening of summer1 the perpetual fruition of autumn4 ,there we shall have no winter2 but here winter is required for the exercise of abnegation1 and a thousand little virtues which are practised in times of sterility4 #bbj4 ,my ,god6 ,we shall soon be in eternity1 and then we shall see how unimportant are all the things of this world1 and how little it mattered whether they were accomplished or not4 ,yet we are as anxious about them now as if they were affairs of great importance4 #bba4 ,verily1 we do not like crosses if they are not of gold enamelled1 and adorned with precious stones4 #bbb4 ,i am sad and will not speak2 this is what parrots do4 ,i am sad1 but ,i speak because charity requires it2 thus do spiritual persons4 ,i am despised and ,i get angry2 peacocks and monkeys act thus4 ,i am despised and ,i rejoice2 thus did the ,apostles4 #bbc4 ,examine whether your heart pleases ,god8--you must not do it2--but whether his pleases you8 yes1 truly1 for if you look at his ,heart1 it cannot but please you1 it is so sweet1 so condescending1 so loving towards frail creatures when they recognise their misery1 so merciful to the miserable1 so kind to the penitent4444 #bbd4 ,be just2 neither excuse nor accuse your poor soul without due reflection1 lest by excusing it without reason you render it insolent1 or by lightly accusing it you weaken its courage and make it pusillanimous4 #bbe4 ,how many courtiers there are who go into the presence of the king a hundred times1 not to speak to him or listen to him1 but merely to be seen by him1 and to show by this assiduity that they are his servants4 ,when1 then1 you come into the presence of our ,lord1 speak to ,him if you can2 if you cannot1 remain and show yourself to ,him1 and do not be anxious to do any more4 #bbf4 ,you do nothing in meditation1 you tell me4 ,but what should you do if not just what you are doing1 that is1 presenting and representing your misery and nothingness to ,god8 ,the most efficacious appeal a beggar can make is to expose to our eyes his ulcers and necessities4 #bbg4 ,but sometimes you do not even do this1 and you remain before ,him like a phantom or statue4 ,well1 that is something4 ,in the palaces of princes and kings there are statues which are only meant to gratify the eyes of the king2 content yourself with a similar service in the presence of ,god4 ,he will animate the statue when it pleases ,him4 ,were we to ask the statue if it desired anything it would answer1 8,no2 ,i am where my master placed me1 and his pleasure is the sole happiness of my being40 #bbh4 ,ah6 but it is a good prayer1 and a good method of keeping one's self in the presence of ,god1 to wait upon his will and good pleasure4 #bbi4 ,as for me1 ,i think that we keep ourselves in the presence of ,god even while we sleep1 for we go to sleep in his presence and by his will4 ,and when we wake we find that ,he is beside us1 that ,he has not stirred from us1 nor we from ,him2 therefore we have kept ourselves in his presence1 though with closed eyes4 #bcj4 ,when a certain cross is given to you alone it is of more value1 and it should be dearer to you because of its rarity4 #bca4 ,god be praised6 ,god or nothing2 for all that is not ,god is nothing1 or worse than nothing4 #bcb4 ,do not turn your eyes on your infirmities and incapacity1 except to humble yourself2 never let them discourage you4 #bcc4 ,finally1 do not be angry1 or at least troubled because you have been troubled2 do not be overcome because you have allowed yourself to be overcome2 do not be disquieted because you have allowed yourself to be disquieted by angry passions2 but take your heart and place it gently in the hands of our ,lord and ask ,him to cure it2 meanwhile1 do all you can to renew and strengthen your good resolutions4 #bcd4 ,the highest degree of humility is not only to recognise but to love our abjection4 ,i am guilty of a blunder2 it brings humiliation upon me2 good4 ,i am guilty of immoderate anger2 ,i am sorry for the offence against ,god1 and very glad that it proves me vile1 abject1 and miserable4 #bce4 ,if envy could reign in the kingdom of eternal love1 the angels would envy the sufferings of ,god for man1 and the sufferings of man for ,god4 #bcf4 ,do not be troubled about not making acts of virtue well2 for1 as ,i told you1 they do not cease to be very good1 even when made languidly and wearily as if by force4 ,you can only give ,god what you have1 and in this season of affliction you have no other action to offer ,him4 #bcg4 ,you will be very happy if you receive with a filial and loving heart what our ,lord sends you from a heart so paternal in its care of your perfection4 #bch4 ,i will not tell you not to regard your afflictions1 for your impulsive heart will answer1 8,i cannot but consider them1 they make themselves so keenly felt20 but ,i tell you to look at them through the cross1 and you will find them so small1 or at least so agreeable1 that you will rather endure their suffering than all consolations without them4 #bci4 ,right sadness speaks thus3 8,i am miserable1 vile1 and abject2 nevertheless ,god will exercise his mercy towards me1 for virtue will be perfected in infirmity40 #bdj4 ,when our ,lord was upon the cross even his enemies declared ,him ,king2 when souls are upon the cross they are declared queens4 #bda4 ,ah6 do not examine whether what you do is much or little1 whether it is done well or ill1 provided it be not sin1 and provided you have an upright intention to do it for ,god4 ,do everything as perfectly as you can2 but1 once an action is performed1 think no more of it1 but rather of what there is to be done4 #bdb4 ,we should equally resolve upon two things3 first1 to bring the utmost fidelity to the fulfilment of our exercises2 second1 to be in no way troubled1 disquieted1 or astonished if we sometimes fail2 for the first comes from our fidelity1 which should always be earnest and constantly increasing1 and the latter comes from our infirmity4 #bdc4 ,we must1 then1 correct our poor heart gently and quietly1 and not add to its trouble by the severity of our reprimands4 8,my heart1 my friend10 we should say1 8in the name of ,god1 take courage2 let us keep on and be more watchful in future2 let us turn to our ,helper and our ,god40 ,alas6 we must be charitable to our poor soul1 and refrain from severity as long as we see that its offences are not deliberate4 #bdd4 ,loadstone attracts iron1 amber attracts hay and straw2 were we hard as iron1 or light as straws1 we must unite ourselves to this ,sovereign ,infant ,jesus1 who truly draws all hearts to ,him4 #bde4 ,the best thoughts1 affections1 and aspirations of a great soul are fixed upon the infinitude of eternity2 destined as such a soul is for immortality1 it finds all that is not eternal too short1 all that is not infinite too small4 #bdf4 ,yes1 speak little1 and gently1 little and well1 little and frankly1 little and amiably4 #bdg4 ,o my ,god1 how beautiful must heaven be1 now that the ,saviour is its ,sun1 and his bosom is a fountain of love where the blessed drink at will6 #bdh4 ,each one looks therein and sees his name written in characters of love--characters which love alone can read1 which love alone has graven4 #bdi4 ,st4 ,john the ,baptist1 through obedience1 kept himself absent from our ,saviour1 knowing well that to seek our ,saviour outside of obedience was to lose ,him4 #bej4 ,i leave you to imagine the good odour which this beautiful lily 7the ,blessed ,virgin7 spreads in the house of ,zachary4 ,what could she give forth but that with which she was filled8 ,and she was filled with ,jesus4 #bea4 ,my ,god1 ,i marvel to find that ,i am so full of myself after so many communions4 #beb4 ,there are two kinds of wills3 one says1 8,i would like very much to do good2 but it costs a disagreeable effort2 it is too difficult20 the other says3 8,i desire indeed to do good2 the will is not wanting1 but the power alone stops me40 ,the first fills hell1 the second paradise1 and it was the latter will which caused ,daniel to be called a 8man of desires40 #bec4 ,i pray you1 hide your trouble from yourself as much as you can1 and if you feel it1 at least do not think about it4 ,you are a little given to dwelling upon it4 #bed4 ,you tell me that it is hard to will to do1 and to be unable to do4 ,i do not say to you that we must will what we can do1 but that before ,god it is a great deal to be able to will4 #bee4 ,what would you do1 if you were never to be delivered from your trials8 ,you would say to ,god3 8,i am thine2 if my miseries are pleasing to ,thee multiply them1 prolong them40 ,make friends with your trials1 as if you were always to live together1 and you will find that when you no longer think of them and cease to be anxious1 ,god will deliver you from them4 #bef4 ,no1 my dear daughter1 ,i am not troubled as long as our resolutions remain steadfast4 ,though we were to die1 though everything were to be overturned1 what would it matter provided they continued firm8 #beg4 ,our night is as brilliant as our day1 when ,god is in our hearts1 and our day is night when ,god is absent from us4 #beh4 ,a spirit of indifference helps us in all things1 even to making us content during seven weeks1 when a father1 and a father who loves as ,i do1 and a daughter1 such as you1 receive no news of each other4 #bei4 ,let the darkness be what it may1 we are near the light4 ,let our impotence be what it may1 we are at the feet of the ,all-powerful4 #bfj4 ,i shall say nothing of the extent of my affection for you1 except that it is incomparable1 that it is whiter than the snow1 and purer than the sun4 #bfa4 ,there is nothing which prevents our attaining the perfection of our vocation like desiring another4 #bfb4 ,i beseech you1 my dear daughter1 do not fear ,god as you do1 for ,he does not wish to harm you2 love ,him fervently1 for ,he wishes to do you a great deal of good4 #bfc4 ,our ,lord will cause us to enjoy peace when we shall be sufficiently humble to sweetly endure war4 #bfd4 ,nothing can equal in merit the offering of our sorrows to ,him who saved us by his own4 #bfe4 ,dwell very little upon the mixture of self-love in your actions2 we should pay no attention to these sallies of self4 ,when we disavow them two or three times a day we have done all that is required4 ,nor must we violently resist them2 a gentle denial is sufficient4 #bff4 ,the whole world is not worth a soul1 and a soul is worth nothing without its resolutions4 ,we need not be troubled because we are weak1 if by trusting in the power and mercy of ,god we never lose courage2 on the contrary1 my daughter1 ,i would rather be weak than strong before ,god1 for ,he takes the weak in his arms1 and the strong ,he leads by the hand4 #bfg4 ,believe me1 we advance through stormy weather1 and under a dark and cloudy sky4 ,it is a better time for travellers than if the sun poured its ardent heat upon us4 ,courage6 light and joy are not within our power1 nor any consolation except that which depends upon the will2 but while that will is protected by our holy resolutions1 and as long as the great seal of the heavenly chancery remains upon our hearts1 we have nothing to fear4 #bfh4 ,those who spiritually digest ,jesus ,christ feel that ,jesus ,christ who is their food is diffused through every part of soul and body4 ,they have ,jesus in their mind1 in their heart1 in their breast1 in their eyes1 in their hands1 in their tongue1 in their ears1 in their feet4 ,but what does this ,saviour do in all these parts8 ,he redresses1 purifies1 prunes1 and vivifies all2 the heart loves through ,him1 the mind understands through ,him1 the breast breathes through ,him1 the eyes see through ,him1 the tongue speaks through ,him4 ,then we can say1 8,we live now1 not we1 but ,christ ,jesus liveth in us40 ,i show you to what we must aspire though we must be content to attain it by degrees4 #bfi4 ,let us keep ourselves humble and go to ,holy ,communion boldly2 we shall gradually become accustomed to this heavenly food and learn to digest it to our profit4 #bgj4 ,charity1 so far from searching for evil1 fears to meet it2 if she encounter it1 she turns away and appears not to see it4 ,she will shut her eyes rather than meet it4 #bga4 ,oh6 happy is the mind which sees but two objects1 ,god and self1 one of which enraptures it with a sovereign delight1 and the other abases it to the extremest abjection4 #bgb4 ,if what we are doing be necessary1 even though it distract our attention from ,god1 we need not be troubled4 ,we are taught to do all our actions for ,god1 and by so doing we keep ourselves in his presence4 ,beware of thinking it necessary to offer each action to our ,lord1 for that would interfere with the simplicity of the practice of the ,presence of ,god4 #bgc4 ,oh6 ,i pray you1 do not fall into the fault of considering the imperfections of others1 for it will retard your perfection very much and will injure your soul4 #bgd4 ,my dear daughter1 we must flay the victim if we would have it acceptable to ,god4 ,in the ,old ,law1 ,god would accept no victim as a holocaust if it had not first been flayed2 in like manner our hearts can never be immolated and sacrificed to ,god until they shall have been flayed1 stripped of their old skin1 that is1 of their habits1 inclinations1 repugnances1 and superfluous affections4 #bge4 ,an act of mortification performed with great repugnance is infinitely suited to strongly advance you in perfection4 #bgf4 ,my daughters1 do not deprive yourselves of ,holy ,communion because of bitterness of heart2 but when you feel it you must draw near to ,god1 to strengthen your heart and unite it to his spirit of meekness4 #bgg4 ,to pray is to raise the mind to ,god and converse with ,him concerning our interests with a reverent familiarity1 and a confidence greater than has the most petted child in its mother1 and to talk with ,him of all things both high and low1 of the things of heaven and the things of earth2 it is to open one's heart to ,him and pour it out unreservedly to ,him2 it is to tell ,him of our labours1 our sins1 our desires1 and all that is in our soul1 and to find our rest with ,him as we would with a friend4 ,it is what the ,holy ,scripture calls 8pouring forth one's heart as water before ,him40 #bgh4 ,all should serve charity and charity should serve no one1 not even her ,beloved1 of whom she is not the servant1 but the spouse1 and to whom she owes love1 not service4 #bgi4 ,be patient with your trials2 our ,lord1 alas6 permits them that you may one day know what you are when left to yourself4 ,do you not see that the trouble of the day is lighter after the rest of the night8 an evident sign that our soul needs but to firmly resign itself to its ,god1 and to become indifferent to serving ,him amid thorns or roses4 #bhj4 ,be a little lamb1 a little dove1 quite simple1 sweet1 and amiable1 unquestioning and frank4 ,love this good ,god who loves you so much4 #bha4 ,be not too tender towards yourself2 avoid weeping and complaints2 endeavour to be free and detached from yourself1 in order to be wholly under the guidance of ,god's hand1 for where his spirit is there is also liberty4 #bhb4 ,i see your childish tears and troubles4 ,know1 then1 that all our childishness comes from this3 that we forget the maxims of the saints1 who warn us that we must act as if we were daily to begin anew the labour of our advancement2 we shall not be so much astonished to find miseries and faults to correct in ourselves4 ,the work we have undertaken is never finished2 we must continually begin over again with a good heart4 #bhc4 ,there is and can be nothing which ,i cannot do1 inasmuch as ,i place all my confidence in ,god1 who can do all things1 and with this confidence the soul courageously undertakes all that it is commanded1 however difficult it may be4 #bhd4 ,live joyously1 my dearest daughters1 in the midst of your holy occupations4 ,when the atmosphere is heavy in the midst of aridity1 labour independently of your heart by the practice of a holy abjection and humility4 #bhe4 ,we shall never possess perfect sweetness and complete charity1 if they be not exercised in spite of repugnance1 aversion1 and disgust4 ,true peace does not consist in not combating but in conquering4 #bhf4 ,it should be a source of humiliation to us that we are so little master of ourselves1 and so fond of our ease4 ,our ,saviour did not come to seek his ease or comfort1 either spiritual or temporal1 but to deny1 to combat ,himself1 and to die4 #bhg4 ,do not allow yourself to yield in any way to sadness1 which is the enemy to devotion4 ,what1 then1 should sadden a soul which serves ,him who shall be our joy forever8 #bhh4 ,our ,lord revealed to ,blessed ,angela that there is no good so pleasing to ,him as that which is done by force2 that is1 the good which a resolute will effects and offers ,him by working against the weight of the flesh1 and the repugnances in the inferior part of the soul1 and in spite of sadness1 aridity1 and interior desolation4 #bhi4 ,what can ,i say to you on the return of your miseries1 save that as the enemy returns we must resume our arms and bring back our courage1 in order to fight more valiantly than ever8 #bij4 ,beware of yielding to any kind of distrust1 for the heavenly goodness does not permit you to fall in order to abandon you1 but to humble you1 and teach you to keep a firmer and closer hold of the hand of his mercy4 #bia4 ,what happiness to serve ,god in the desert without manna1 without water1 with no consolation save that of being under his guidance1 and suffering for ,him6 #bib4 ,when you meet with some contradiction1 take your resolutions and place them in the wounds of our ,lord1 and pray ,him to preserve them and you with them2 then wait in these blessed retreats until the tempest has past4 #bic4 ,the throes and pangs of spiritual birth are painful to nature2 our souls must give birth not exteriorly1 but interiorly to the sweetest1 the most pleasing1 the most beautiful child that could be desired4 ,it is the good ,jesus whom we must form within ourselves4 ,courage6 we must suffer much that ,he may be born in us4 #bid4 ,you always examine too much to discover whence your sadness comes4 ,we must not be so curious as to wish to know the cause of the diversity of states in this life4 ,and in what way shall we show our love for ,him who suffered so much for us1 if not by patiently enduring aversions1 repugnances1 and struggles8 #bie4 ,we must cast our heart among the thorns of difficulties1 allow it to be transpierced with the lance of contradictions1 steeped with gall and vinegar2 in a word1 feed on absinthe and bitterness1 since ,god wills it4 #bif4 ,i desire that you should continue the exercise of getting rid of self by abandoning yourself to our ,lord1 to the guide of your soul4 ,say3 8,i earnestly wish it1 ,lord2 tear1 wrest from me without hesitation all that burdens my heart4 ,i except nothing2 wrest me from myself6 ,o self6 ,i abandon thee for ever40 #big4 ,you must abide like a poor miserable creature before the throne of ,divine ,mercy1 and remain there wholly stripped of all action and of all affection to creatures1 and make yourself indifferent to all things4 #bih4 ,how beautiful it is to renounce esteem of self1 to renounce what we are1 our own will1 all complacency in the creature1 and1 in short1 all of self4 ,we must bury this human self in an eternal abandonment1 that we may never more see or know it as we have seen and known it4 #bii4 ,the virtues which grow in prosperity are of little value2 those which are born in the midst of afflictions are strong and firm4 ,in this life ,god usually allows his children and faithful servants only the honour of suffering much and carrying their cross after ,him4 #cjj4 ,a heart indifferent to all things is like a ball of wax in the hands of ,god1 capable of receiving all the impressions of his eternal good pleasure4 ,it does not place its love in the things which ,god wills but in the will of ,god which decrees them4 #cja4 ,to belong wholly to ,god say adieu to all that is not ,god4 #cjb4 ,a monastery is an academy of strict correction1 where each one should allow himself to be treated1 planed1 and polished so that all the angles being effaced he may be joined1 united1 and fastened to the will of ,god4 #cjc4 ,it is an evident sign of perfection to wish to be corrected1 for the principal fruit of humility is to show us the need we have of correction4 #cjd4 ,does ,god look upon you with love8 ,what a subject to be in doubt about6 ,in his goodness ,he looks down with love upon the most terrible sinner1 have he never so little true desire to be converted4 #cje4 ,when shall we become wholly dead to ourselves in the sight of ,god1 and live that new life in which we shall no longer wish to do anything of ourselves1 but leave ,god to do all that ,he will through us1 and let his living will act upon ours1 wholly dead in his love8 #cjf4 ,jesus our ,heart1 our ,heart of ,hearts1 lovingly watches over us4 #cjg4 ,rest your spirit upon the stone which was represented by the one beneath the head of ,jacob1 for it is the same upon which ,st4 ,john reposed on the day when his ,master manifested the excess of his love4 #cjh4 ,behold ,st4 ,peter2 fear is a greater evil than the evil which is feared2 it would have caused him to perish in the waters had not his ,master saved him4 ,oh6 child of little faith1 fear not6 ,you are walking on the waters1 in the midst of the wind and waves1 but it is with ,jesus2 if fear seizes you cry loudly1 8,lord1 save me or ,i perish60 ,he will extend his hand to you2 clasp it firmly and go on joyously4 #cji4 ,yes1 abandonment to ,god in interior and exterior suffering is excellent4 ,oh6 how good it is to live but in ,god1 to work but in ,god1 to rejoice but in ,god4 #caj4 ,when we are in doubt of not having done our duty1 or of having offended ,god1 we must humble ourselves1 beg ,god to forgive us1 and start afresh4 ,pure love of ,god says to us3 8,unfaithful one1 humble thyself1 rely upon the mercy of ,god1 ask pardon1 and after renewed promises of fidelity and love1 continue on in the pursuit of thy perfection40 #caa4 ,i must tell you that you are now dead to the world4 ,this is a part of the holocaust2 there remain two other parts1 one of which is to remove the skin of the victim1 divesting your heart of self1 cutting off or getting rid of all the impressions of nature and of creatures2 and the other1 to burn and reduce your self-love to ashes1 and to convert your whole soul into flames of heavenly love4 #cab4 ,you should be particularly careful to lean wholly to the side of humility1 since you are so much inclined to pride and self-esteem4 #cac4 ,let us humble ourselves and speak of our wounds and miseries at the door of the temple of divine piety2 but remember to show them with joy1 and be perfectly happy to appear in want and despoiled of all things1 in order that our ,lord may fill you with his grace4 #cad4 ,be sweet and affable to all except to those who would take from thee thy glory1 which is thy misery and thy absolute poverty3 8,i glory in my infirmities10 says the ,apostle2 8it is good for me to die1 rather than that any man should make my glory void40 ,see1 he would rather die than lose his infirmities4 #cae4 ,yes1 you must keep your misery and lowliness1 for ,god looks down upon it4 ,men look at the exterior1 ,god looks at the heart2 if ,he sees the lowliness of your heart ,he will give us great graces4 ,this humility preserves chastity2 that is why the soul of the spouse is called the ,lily of the ,valley4 #caf4 ,keep yourself joyously humble before ,god1 but maintain an equally joyous humility before the world4 ,be very glad that men make no account of you4 ,if you have their esteem laugh at it joyously2 if they esteem you not1 console yourself that1 as regards you at least1 the world judges truly4 #cag4 ,i am truly like those fathers who never tire speaking with their children of means for their advancement4 ,but what shall ,i say to you to this end8 ,be always very lowly2 humble yourself more and more every day4 ,this is true greatness4 #cah4 ,i have gotten the habit of recommending all who address themselves to me to lift up their hearts1 as the ,church tells us in the ,holy ,sacrifice of the ,mass4 ,a heart thus generously lifted up is always humble1 for it is established in truth and not in vanity2 it is sweet and peaceful1 for it makes no account of what could trouble it4 #cai4 ,when ,i say that the heart is sweet and peaceful1 ,i do not mean that it does not suffer and feel affliction4 ,no1 certainly1 ,i do not say that2 but ,i say that it meets sufferings1 trials1 and tribulations with such a strong will to bear them for ,god1 that all its bitterness is full of peace and tranquillity4 #cbj4 ,it is a great part of our perfection to bear with one another in our imperfections4 ,how can we1 in fact1 practise love for our neighbour1 if not by this forbearance8 #cba4 ,our heart must be kind and gentle towards our neighbour1 and full of affection for him1 particularly when he is wearisome and displeasing to us1 for then we find nothing in him to make us love him but respect for our ,saviour4 #cbb4 ,if your heart be in heaven the winds of the earth cannot move it4 ,no action of the world can harm him who has renounced the world4 #cbc4 ,speak of yourself as little as possible2 this ,i tell you earnestly2 remember it and pay attention to it4 ,if you are imperfect1 humble yourself and do not speak of it4 #cbd4 ,we must die between the two pillows of humility and confidence4 #cbe4 ,we must fortify our courage1 and never give up because of obstacles1 but fight valiantly1 astonished neither at the number of our enemies nor the duration of the struggle4 #cbf4 ,lord1 command my soul all that ,thou wilt1 and give me strength to obey4 ,thou hast begun in me the work of my perfection1 and ,i can never doubt that thy goodness will achieve it1 if ,i faithfully co-operate with ,thee4 #cbg4 ,in what do you think the greatness of courage consists8 ,it is in the humility of courage1 and yours will be greater in proportion to the humility in which you possess it1 that is1 in proportion to your little esteem of yourself4 #cbh4 ,recall to mind the words so admirably impressed upon the hearts of the apostles by our ,saviour3 8,unless you be converted and become as little children1 you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven40 ,verily1 if we would attain perfection we must be like little children in our courage1 that is1 humble1 gentle1 docile1 and easily turned to any purposes4 #cbi4 ,if you speak1 speak of ,god2 if you are silent1 speak to ,god4 #ccj4 ,i would rather be a gnat by the will of ,god than a seraph by my own4 #cca4 ,our gentleness with our neighbour must be carried to extreme1 even to foolishness1 and we must never retaliate2 believe me1 if we lose something by this1 our ,lord will make it up elsewhere4 #ccb4 ,courage1 my very dear daughter3 behold1 you are at last upon the sacred altar to be sacrificed1 immolated1 consumed before the face of the living ,god4 ,truly1 this day must be counted as one of the days which the ,lord has made4 #ccc4 ,ah6 how happy are these beloved hearts of my daughters1 in having left for a few years the false liberty of the world to enjoy eternally the enviable slavery which takes away no liberty1 save that which would prevent us from being truly free4 #ccd4 ,i know the state of your soul very well1 and ,i seem to see it always before me with its little emotions of sadness1 surprise1 and disquiet--emotions which continue to trouble it1 because it has not yet cast deep enough the foundations of love of the cross and abjection4 #cce4 ,no1 my dear daughter1 it is not necessary to the practice of virtues to be continually mindful of all of them2 that would only embarrass your thoughts and your affections4 ,humility and charity are the mother cords to which all the others are attached3 one is the highest1 the other the lowest4 ,the safety of a whole edifice depends upon the foundation and the roof4 ,these are the mother virtues1 which the others follow as little chickens do the mother hen4 #ccf4 ,i have just spoken of you with our ,lord1 but ,i dare not absolutely ask for your deliverance2 for if it please ,him to flay the victim1 it is not for me to desire that ,he should not2 but ,i implore ,him to hold you by the hand as ,he has always done4 #ccg4 ,god be praised6 ,live1 ,jesus6 ,we must bear our cross2 whoever bears it best1 is through it made the stronger4 #cch4 ,there never was a saint who did not experience both ecstasy and rapture in life and its operations by overcoming himself and his natural inclinations4 #cci4 ,whoever has a spirit of prayer despatches more business in an hour than others in several1 and wholly at leisure hastens to his rest1 which is to treat with ,god2 but ,god only communicates ,himself to the obedient4 #cdj4 ,never lose your interior peace for anything1 whatever it may be1 even though everything be overturned about you2 for what are all the things of this life compared to peace of heart8 #cda4 ,under all circumstances1 be invariable in the resolution to adhere with great simplicity and unity to ,god1 by a perfectly trustful love1 abandoning yourself to the mercy of love and the paternal care which ,his ,providence has of you4 #cdb4 ,remain unalterable in a holy nudity of spirit1 never assuming any care1 desire1 affection1 or pretension whatever4 ,our ,lord loves you1 ,he wishes you to be wholly his2 let no arms but his support you1 rest upon no other breast but his4 #cdc4 ,we must descend to earth to regulate the necessities of this life1 but in all things our heart should relish only the dew of ,god's pleasure1 and refer all to the praise of ,god4 #cdd4 ,if we love our sweet ,saviour let us feed his lambs1 since it is a mark of faithful love2--but with what must we feed these dear sheep8 ,with love itself1 for they will either not live at all1 or they will live upon love4 #cde4 ,he who would lay up virtues without humility is like one who carries a precious dust in his hand exposed to the wind4 ,the great secret of maintaining true devotion is to have great humility4 ,be humble and ,god will be with you4 ,god is pleased to dwell in a heart deepened by humility1 docile through simplicity1 and great through charity4 ,he who is truly humble desires to be humbled4 ,humility produces generosity4 ,remember1 my dear daughter1 that the keenest humiliations are those which are least visible4 #cdf4 ,we must change from one place to another without changing our love or the object of our love4 ,be indifferent to all occupation in the midst of different occupations4 ,be uninfluenced by affairs1 and remain equally for ,god in all things4 #cdg4 ,how happy we shall be if one day we change self into that holy love which shall make us one1 and entirely free us from all complexity of affairs1 so that we shall have at heart only the sovereign unity of his ,holy ,trinity4 #cdh4 ,curiosity1 ambition1 restlessness1 and forgetfulness of the end for which we are in this world are the cause of our having more impediments than works1 more bustle than business1 more undertakings than results4 ,and these incumbrances1 these superfluous occupations with which we burden ourselves1 are what divert us from ,god1 and not the legitimate exercise of our employments4 #cdi4 ,our perfection must be true and solid4 ,for example1 though anger is raging within me1 though my blood boils1 ,i will not cease to be as gracious and gentle as it is possible to be1 and all the reasons which nature urges for its release ,i will strangle as she presents them1 ,i will not listen to one of them4 ,this is true virtue1 true gentleness4 ,ah6 ,god gives you occasion to practise patience4 ,would you let it escape you8 ,perhaps you may never in life meet with such another opportunity4 #cej4 ,courage1 my poor mind6 ,let us reject all discourse1 research1 inquiry2 let us become more simple1 and be rid of this tiresome care of self2 let us confine ourselves to the simple view of ,god and our own nothingness4 ,let us steadily lean upon the results of the sovereign will1 even when we fall1 for the dear ,jesus will give us the necessary sentiments4 ,o mind1 one is never wholly master of thee4444 ,thou wouldst know all in spite of us4 ,o my ,god1 stop this miserable wanderer6 #cea4 ,the saints did not abound so much in sensible sentiments1 they worked according to the lights and truths of faith4 ,ah6 let us be ever wholly detached from everything before ,god1 taking no trouble for what comes to us4 ,let all that is not ,god be as nothing to us4 ,let us contemplate the infinite goodness of ,god and forget ourselves4 ,let us immolate all our affections to ,jesus ,christ4 #ceb4 ,condescending to the humour of others1 bearing with rudeness and tiresome manners on the part of our neighbour1 victories over our own humours and passions1 renouncing our smallest inclinations1 efforts against our aversions and repugnances1 a continual endeavour to maintain the peace of our soul1 a kind and amiable manner of receiving censures upon our condition1 our life1 our conversation1 are all more fruitful to our soul than we can imagine1 provided love for ,god be the motive which animates us4 #cec4 ,whenever ,i enter a place consecrated to our august ,queen1 ,i experience a thrill of love which tells me that ,i am with my mother1 for ,i feel that ,i am the child of her who is called the refuge of sinners4 #ced4 ,away from me those who love severity1 for ,i will have none of it6 ,it is better to be obliged to account to ,god for too much gentleness than too much severity4 ,is not ,god all love8 ,god the ,father is the father of the wretched2 ,god the ,son is called a lamb2 ,god the ,holy ,ghost manifests ,himself under the form of a dove4 ,if there were anything better than benignity ,jesus ,christ would have told us1 and yet ,he gives us but two lessons to learn of ,him--meekness and humility4 #cee4 ,the passport of the daughters of ,jesus ,christ is peace4 ,the joy of the daughters of ,our ,lady is peace4 ,we must always be at peace4 ,know that the virtue of patience is that which most assures us perfection2 and if we are to be patient with others1 we must be equally so with ourselves4 ,may ,jesus be in the midst of thy heart1 and thy heart in the midst of ,jesus6 ,may ,jesus live in thy heart1 and thy heart in ,jesus6 ,amen4 #cef4 ,great saints never are guilty of mortal sin1 but only of useless1 ill-timed1 imprudent1 and rude actions2 slight acts of impatience1 slight excesses of joy1 of mirth1 slight failings in vanity1 and other like faults are useless movements and irregularities into which the just fall seven times--that is1 very often4 #ceg4 ,if ,i want only pure water1 what does it matter whether it be brought me in a vase of gold or glass8 ,what is it to me whether the will of ,god be presented to me in tribulation or consolation1 since ,i desire and seek only the divine will8 #ceh4 ,a heart indifferent to all things is like a ball of wax in the hands of ,god1 to receive all the impressions of his eternal good pleasure1 a heart with no choice1 disposed for all things1 placing its affection1 not in the things which ,god wills1 but in the will of ,god which decrees them4 #cei4 ,paradise is no more pleasing than the miseries of this world1 if the divine good pleasure be equally in the miseries as in paradise4 ,labour is paradise1 if the divine will be found in it1 and paradise labour1 if the divine will be not in it4 #cfj4 ,the divine good pleasure is the sovereign object of the detached soul2 wherever it sees it1 it runs in the odour of its perfumes1 unceasingly seeks the places where it most abounds1 regardless of all other things4 #cfa4 ,in the monastery of the devout life each one considers himself a novice1 and a lifetime is devoted to a probation according to the rule of the order2 it is not the solemnity of the vows but their fulfilment which makes novices professed4 #cfb4 ,he who ardently loves ,god does not turn back his gaze upon himself to discover what he is doing1 but keeps his heart occupied with ,god1 the object of his love4 ,a heavenly chorister takes so much delight in pleasing ,god1 that he desires no pleasure from the melody of his voice1 save as it is pleasing to his ,sovereign4 #cfc4 ,there is nothing so sad as to serve a master who knows nothing of our devotion1 or who1 if he knows it1 gives no sign of being satisfied with it2 and it must be a strong love which sustains itself alone1 unsupported by any pleasure or aspiration4 ,thus does it happen in the exercises of sacred love2 like deaf choristers we do not hear our own voice1 on the contrary1 we are oppressed by a thousand fears1 and by the uproar which the devil makes about our heart1 suggesting that we are not pleasing to our ,master1 that our love is useless1 yea1 even false and vain4 ,oh1 my dear ,theotime6 it is then we must manifest an invincible fidelity to our ,saviour1 serving ,him purely for love of his will1 not only without pleasure1 but in the midst of this deluge of sadness1 terrors1 alarms1 and temptations4 #cfd4 ,no1 ,lord1 ,i wish for no event2 for ,i leave ,thee to will it for me as ,thou pleasest2 but instead of wishing for events ,i bless ,thee for those ,thou has ordained4 ,father1 ,i am thine4 ,i know not what ,i should wish2 it is for ,thee to will and do for me all that shall seem to ,thee good4 8,my ,father truly loves me1 and ,i am wholly his40 #cfe4 ,o ,jesus6 be my sweetness and my honey2 sweeten my heart by the sweetness of thine4 #cff4 ,to whom is ,he not good1 this ,sovereign ,love of hearts8 ,those who taste of his sweetness can never be sated therewith1 and those who approach ,his heart cannot contain their own with praising and blessing ,him for ever4 ,continue to unite yourself more and more to this dear ,saviour4 ,bury your heart in the charity of his1 and let us say with all our heart3 8,may ,i die and ,jesus live2 this shall be a happy death if it take place in this life40 ,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 love4 #cfg4 ,you must bow your head and bear yourself contrary to your habits or inclinations4 ,live humbly before ,god1 amiably with your neighbour1 and sweetly with yourself4 #cfh4 ,cast your thoughts earnestly upon the shoulders of the ,saviour1 and ,he will support and strengthen you4 ,when ,he calls you to a kind of service which is contrary to your taste1 your courage should not be less1 but rather more than if your taste concurred with his pleasure1 for where there is least of self the work goes best4 ,do not permit your mind to consider itself1 its powers1 its inclinations4 ,you must keep your eyes fixed upon the good pleasure of ,god1 and upon ,providence4 #cfi4 ,we must not amuse ourselves with discoursing when we should run1 nor with chatting about difficulties when we should conquer them4 ,say courageously3 8,i will do much2 not ,i1 but the grace of ,god which is within me40 #cgj4 ,hold the cross of our ,lord upon your breast1 and as long as you firmly clasp it in your arms1 the enemy will be at your feet4 #cga4 ,ah6 how ,i would like to see you always transfigured in our ,lord6 ,oh6 how beautiful is his face1 how sweet his eyes in their wonderful gentleness1 and how good it is to be with ,him on the mount of glory6 ,it is there we should lodge our affections1 and not on this earth1 where there is nothing but empty beauty and false vanity4 #cgb4 ,may ,god give you strength to break the ties which prevent you from following the heavenly attractions of your heart6 ,ah6 it is sad to see a little bee in the treacherous coils of a spider1 but if a favourable wind of grace break these wretched fetters1 these unfortunate meshes1 why does not this dear bee hasten to disentangle itself and proceed to the making of its sweet honey4 #cgc4 ,the sting of honey-bees is much more dangerous than that of other bees1 and so the machinations of friends against us are exceedingly hard to bear2 but we must endure them1 bear with them1 and finally love them as dear contradictions4 ,we must absolutely1 invariably1 and inviolably desire only ,god4 ,but the means of serving ,him should be the object of a very feeble desire on our part1 so that if one means be taken from us we shall not be greatly affected thereby4 ,our desire for everything which is not ,god should be very weak and indifferent4 #cgd4 ,when we are ill in body we must exact of our minds only acts of submission and acceptance of labour1 and acts uniting our will with the good pleasure of ,god1 which acts are formed in the superior part of the soul4 ,as to exterior actions1 we must perform them as best we can1 even though it be languidly1 heavily1 and against our inclinations2 and to make them acceptable to ,divine ,love1 we must acknowledge1 accept1 and cherish the holy abjection of our state4 ,in this way you will change the lead of your languor into gold1 and that1 too1 finer gold than your heart could offer in its brightest and happiest moments4 #cge4 ,it seems to me that ,i see your heart before me like a dial placed in the sun1 which never moves1 while its needle and balance are continually in motion1 ever turning towards the beautiful planet2 for your heart in like manner remains motionless1 while your will is continually turning by means of its good desires towards ,god4 #cgf4 ,how is your poor heart8 ,is it always valiant and vigilant against attacks of sadness8 ,in ,god's name1 do not torment it1 even though it wander a little2 reprove it gently1 and bring it back to the path4 ,you will see that this heart will become a true heart1 according to the ,heart of ,god4 #cgg4 ,think of that great dereliction which our ,master endured1 and see how this dear ,son1 having asked consolation of his good ,father1 and seeing that ,he willed not to grant it1 thought of it no more1 ceased to seek it1 but1 as if ,he had never desired it1 valiantly and courageously set about the work of our redemption4 ,after you shall have prayed to your ,heavenly ,father for consolation1 if it does not please ,him to give it you1 cease to think of it1 but renew your courage to work out your salvation on the cross1 as if you were never to descend therefrom4 #cgh4 ,o my ,god6 how beautiful1 how lovely is this cross6 ,we make every effort to obtain the wood1 and we exalt it on the ,mount of ,calvary4 ,alas6 happy are those who love it and bear it4 ,it will be exalted in heaven1 when our ,lord shall come to judge the living and the dead1 to teach us that heaven is the mansion of crucified souls4 #cgi4 ,i love independent1 vigorous1 and sensible souls2 for this great sensibility confuses and disquiets the heart1 and distracts it from the prayer of loving attention to ,god1 prevents complete resignation1 and impedes the perfect destruction of self-love4 ,i am the most affectionate person in the world2 and it seems to me that ,i love nothing but ,god1 and all souls for ,god4 #chj4 ,when a soul aspires to be the spouse of ,jesus ,christ1 it must cast off the old man and clothe itself in the new1 by giving up sin1 and then cutting off from its life all the superfluities which could divert it from divine love4 #cha4 ,as the exercise of purity of heart ends only with life1 let us not be troubled at sight of our imperfections4 ,our perfection consists in combating them1 and we cannot combat or vanquish them without feeling and knowing them4 #chb4 ,our ,lord is the mysterious tree of desire of which the holy spouse of the canticle speaks4 ,it is to his feet1 then1 that we must go to breathe a sweeter air1 howsoever little the heart may be oppressed by the atmosphere of the world4 #chc4 ,we desire to build a great edifice1 that is1 to erect ,god's dwelling within us2 therefore let us consider whether we have sufficient courage to ruin ourselves1 or to let ,god raze us to the ground that ,he may rebuild us into a living temple of his ,majesty4 #chd4 ,our sole pretentions should be to be united to ,god1 as our ,lord was united to his ,father when ,he died on the cross4 #che4 ,desire nothing1 ask nothing1 refuse nothing2 this practice contains all perfection4 #chf4 ,there is a certain simplicity of heart which contains the perfection of all perfections2 and it is this simplicity which makes our soul consider ,god alone1 and keep its forces wholly collected within itself1 in order to devote itself with all possible fidelity to the observance of his laws1 with no wish or desire for anything else4 #chg4 ,recall yourself sometimes to the interior solitude of your heart1 and there1 removed from all creatures1 treat of the affairs of your salvation and your perfection with ,god1 as a friend would speak heart to heart with another4 #chh4 ,we retire into ,god because we aspire to ,him1 and we aspire to ,him that we may retire into ,him4 ,thus the retirement of the heart and the aspiration towards ,god are one the effect of the other4 #chi4 ,our will can never die1 but it sometimes passes beyond the limits of its ordinary life to live wholly in the divine will4 ,this is accomplished when it will not and cannot any longer will anything1 but abandons itself without reserve to the good pleasure of ,providence3 it no longer lives1 but the will of ,god lives in it4 #cij4 ,let us be earnestly attentive to blessing ,god for all that ,he shall do1 saying3 8,the ,lord gave and the ,lord hath taken away2 blessed be the name of the ,lord40 ,no1 ,lord1 ,i desire nothing2 for ,i leave ,thee to will for me wholly as ,thou pleasest2 instead of wishing for anything1 ,i bless ,thee for what ,thou shalt decree4 #cia4 ,hast thou fallen into the net of adversity8 ,look not at thy misfortunes1 or the snares into which thou art taken1 but turn to ,god and leave all to ,him4 ,he will care for thee4 #cib4 ,we should peacefully abide in our misery and abjection1 in the midst of our imperfections and weakness until it shall please ,god to raise us to the practice of great virtues4 #cic4 ,we must live in this world as if our mind were in heaven and our body in the tomb4 #cid4 ,choose the best virtues and not those which are most esteemed2 the most excellent1 and not the most apparent2 the most solid1 and not the most fanciful4 #cie4 ,if anger or pride attack me1 ,i must do all in my power to incline my heart to humility and meekness1 devoting to that end my spiritual exercises1 the sacraments and the other virtues4 #cif4 ,do not limit your patience to certain trials1 but extend it universally to all that ,god shall send you1 or permit to reach you through any source4 #cig4 ,a truly patient man bears1 with the same evenness of temper1 ignominious trials and those which are honourable4 ,as the sting of bees is more painful than that of flies1 so the contradictions we experience at the hands of good people are more trying than those which come from the wicked4 #cih4 ,complain as little as possible of injuries1 for it rarely happens that one complains without sin1 since our self-love exaggerates in our eyes and hearts the wrongs we have received4 #cii4 ,you wish absolutely to form ,jesus ,christ in you1 in your heart1 in your works1 by a sincere love of his doctrine and a perfect imitation of his life2 rest assured it will cost you many pangs2 but they will pass away1 and the presence of ,jesus1 who shall live in you1 will fill your soul with an ineffable joy which can never be taken from you4 #djj4 ,think frequently of ,jesus crucified2 consider ,him covered with wounds1 filled with sadness1 despoiled of everything1 loaded with maledictions4 ,then you will acknowledge that your sufferings can in no way compare with his1 and that never shall you endure anything in the least degree approaching what ,he suffered for you4 #dja4 ,god's great desire is that we should be perfect1 to unite ourselves with ,him by the perfect imitation of his sanctity4 8,be you therefore perfect1 as your ,heavenly ,father is perfect40 ,,live ,,jesus6 ,god be ,praised4 ,m4 ,h4 ,gill ,son1 ,printers1 ,dublin4 ,transcriber's ,notes #a4 ,italic text in the original is delimited by underscores4 #b4 ,bold text in the original is delimited by equals signs4 #c4 ,blackletter text in the original is delimited by both underscores and equals signs4 #d4 ,maxim #cih is a repeat of maxim #aha1 and maxim #cgj is a repeat of maxim #ahb4 #e4 ,the following table notes the changes made to the printed text1 denoted in brackets3 ,page ,maxim ,text ,operation #af #bd may happen you to-morrow ,removed4 #ch #gh imperfections and venial ,added4 #db #hf body w _/ill be ,replaced4 #dg #ajj constantly ,added4 #fj #ace confidence in ,him4 ,added4 #gi #agf as by his words4 ,added4 #hf #aid for a short time4 ,added4 #ig #bac so carefully to discover ,added4 #ajg #bcc you ha ve been ,removed4 #abd #bfh through ,him1 the mind ,added4 #aea #cbc your_/newline_/self ,removed4 #afc #cdi practise patience4 ,would ,added4 #agh #cgd #cg #d ,removed4