A SOUL WHICH IS deliberately oblivious of the goods of this world, but relishes its mortifications and persecutions, which neither loves all it can bestow nor dreads all it can inflict, which avoids honors as it would a contagion, and cherishes humiliation as a beloved thing------such a soul may expect all consolation from God, provided it relies on the strength of God rather than on the weakness of self.

The courage of St. Peter was very great when he declared his resolution of dying with Christ, and his will apparently strong enough to merit commendation, but in reality Peter's reliance was a reliance on his own will, and this was the occasion of his shameful fall. How true it is that we can neither propose nor execute good, unless supported by the almighty power of God.

Let us purge our soul of all desires that nothing may impede its operations in the particular situation. This is not to say that one must ignore temporal affairs entirely, for they are to be managed with a prudent and commendable solicitude in accordance with the circumstances of the individual. Such management of temporal affairs is completely in harmony with the Divine will, and is in no way at variance with our inner peace of soul and spiritual advancement.

We can do nothing better towards profitable employment of the particular time than to offer the soul, entirely divested of all desires, to almighty God, standing humbly before Him as a miserable culprit, incapable of doing anything for himself.

In this freedom of mind and disengagement of self in which there is utter dependence on God alone, we find the essence of perfection. And it is impossible to conceive how God loves and blesses those who have unselfishly consecrated themselves to Him completely. He is pleased to receive confidence without reserve, and he delights in enlightening them, in resolving their difficulties, in forgiving the offenses of the truly penitent, and in raising them when fallen.

For God is still the priest forever, and though He has given to St. Peter and his successors the power of loosing and binding, He has not divested Himself of those powers. So if the penitent cannot have recourse to their confessors as often as they wish, the divine majesty receives them in His infinite mercy, pardoning their sins whenever they approach Him with true confidence, perfect sorrow, and entire love. Such are the fruits of this detachment from self.

CHAPTER TEN
THE NECESSITY OF NOT BEING DEJECTED AT THE OBSTACLES AND
REPUGNANCE WE FIND IN THE ACQUISITION OF THIS INTERIOR PEACE

GOD IS OFTEN PLEASED to permit our inner serenity, this solitude and holy peace of soul, to be disturbed and overcast with the clouds and emotions arising from our self-love and natural inclinations.
But as His goodness permits these trials for our greater good, He will not fail to bestow the refreshing showers of His Divine consolation on this dryness of spirit, enriching the soul with the fruits and flowers of His undying love.

These interruptions of our tranquillity occasioned by the emotions of the sensitive appetites are the very combats in which the saints gained victories which merited them immortal crowns.

Whenever you fall into such weakness, disgust and desolation of spirit, say to God with an humble and affectionate heart: "Lord, I am the work of Thy hands and the slave redeemed by Thy precious blood; dispose of me as entirely Thine, made for Thee alone, and grant that my only hope may be in Thee." Thrice happy is the soul which thus offers itself to God in time of affliction!

Perhaps under particular circumstances you find yourself unable to bend your will immediately to an entire submission to God; if such is the case, you should not be dejected, for it is the cross the Master has commanded you to bear as you follow Him. Did He not first bear the cross of Golgotha to show you how to bear your little cross of earthly affliction? Contemplate His combat in the garden when He struggled with His human nature, the weakness of which made Him cry out: "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from Me." And remember the soul that rose above the weakness of the body, to cry out in pro- found humility: "Not My will but Thine be done."

Perhaps the weakness of human nature may make you try to avoid all trouble or affliction, and at such times you may show your dislike which prompts you to keep suffering at a distance.

Nevertheless, be sure you persevere in prayer and acts of humility until you find no other desire or inclination than the accomplishment of God's holy will in your soul.

Try to keep your heart reserved for God alone, that there may be no room for bitterness, gall, or voluntary repugnance to what God shall appoint. Never be absorbed in the failings of others, but pursue your own path, regarding nothing but that which may wound your conscience. The great secret of belonging to God is to neglect and pass by everything else.

 CHAPTER ELEVEN
CONCERNING THE ARTIFICES OF THE DEVIL TO DESTROY OUR PEACE OF SOUL,
AND THE METHOD OF COMBATING THEM

THE ENEMY OF MANKIND endeavors chiefly to withdraw us from a state of humility and Christian simplicity by suggesting to us our superiority over others; this is soon followed by our manifestation of a critical attitude, and a contemptuous regard of the failings of others. The greatest means utilized by the evil one in stealing into our souls, however, is our own vanity and self-love; and the art of defeating him is to keep deeply entrenched in holy humility without ever forsaking it. If we do not attempt to so discipline self, we abandon ourselves to the proud spirit for whom we are no match. And once he gets possession of our wills, he plays the tyrant to perfection, introducing every vice into our souls.

It is not sufficient that we watch; we must also pray. For it has been said that we must watch and pray, and peace of mind is a treasure which cannot be secured unless it is thus guarded.

Let us not suffer our minds to be afflicted or disturbed on any account whatever. The humble and peaceful soul does everything with a facility that vaults over obstacles with grace and ease; its conduct is holy and the soul perseveres in it. But the soul which permits itself to be perturbed performs few good actions of any significance, and suffers continually but to no advantage.

You will discern whether thoughts are to be encouraged or banished by the confidence or diffidence they inspire in the Divine mercy. If they suggest the continual increase of affectionate confidence, you are to look upon them as messengers from Heaven, entertaining them and delighting in them. But you are to banish as the suggestion of Hell itself all thoughts that make you the least diffident of His infinite goodness.

The tempter of pious souls often magnifies their imperfections, persuading the faithful that they are unfaithful to their duties, imperfect in Confessions, tepid at Communion, and deficient in prayer. Thus with various scruples he keeps them in constant alarm, seeking to distract them from their exercises, as if God had forgotten or forsaken them. Nothing can be more false than to believe this, for the advantages arising from distractions, spiritual dryness, and the like, are innumerable, provided the soul comprehends and complies with what God expects of her in those circumstances. And God only expects patience and perseverance. For the prayers and exercises of a soul, deprived of all satisfaction in what she does, is the delight of the Almighty, according to St. Gregory.

Particularly is such a soul pleasing to God if, notwithstanding its insensibility and apathy, it persists with courage. For the patience of such a soul is a prayer in itself, prevailing more with God than any prayers said with great emotional fervor. St. Gregory adds that the interior darkness with which such a devotion is surrounded shines brightly in the presence of God, and that nothing we do can sooner draw us to Him or evoke from Him fresh gifts of grace.

Never forsake, therefore, any work of piety, however disinclined religiously you may be, unless you would comply with the wishes of Satan. learn from the following chapter, innumerable advantages to be reaped through a humble perseverance in works of piety, when attended with the most irksome spiritual barrenness. [Emphasis added.]

CHAPTER TWELVE
THE NECESSITY OF PRESERVING EQUANIMITY
OF SOUL IN THE MIDST OF INTERNAL TEMPTATIONS

SPIRITUAL BARRENNESS and aridity bestow innumerable benefits upon the soul if accepted in the proper spirit of humility and patience. The thorough mastery of this secret would indeed prevent many uneasy days and unhappy hours of perturbation of spirit.

How utterly mistaken we are in thinking ourselves forsaken and abhorred by God Almighty, and deprived of the treasured tokens of His Divine love; how erroneous to fancy ourselves punished by His anger, when actually we are favored by His goodness. Can we not see that the uneasiness which arises from such interior aridity can only spring from a desire of being altogether acceptable to God and zealous and fervent in His service? Such uneasiness rarely happens at the beginning of one's conversion to the service of God; rather it is found in those who have already consecrated themselves for some time to the Master, and are resolved to travel the paths of perfection.

On the contrary, we seldom hear the inveterate sinner or the worldling complain of such temptations. Thus we may well believe that these trials constitute a precious food by which God nourishes those whom He loves. Even though the temptation is so violent as to strike terror into our hearts, we shall derive innumerable blessings from it; for the blessing derived will be in proportion to the severity of our trial.

Such a situation the soul does not always understand, and shrinks from the path of crosses and afflictions. This is simply to say that the soul is unwilling to be deprived of delight and consolation, and whatever devotion is not accompanied by an emotional glow, so to speak, is erroneously esteemed to be no better than lost labor.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
GOD PERMITS TEMPTATIONS FOR OUR ULTIMATE WELFARE

WE ARE by nature proud, ambitious, and ever mindful to the whims of our sense appetites. Hence it is that we are apt to flatter ourselves continually, and esteem ourselves out of all proportion to our merit.

Such presumption is so great an obstacle to our spiritual progress, that the slightest taint of it impedes us in the attainment of true perfection. It is an evil which we do not always discern, but God, Who loves us and knows the true viciousness of presumption, is watchful in rescuing us from this deceit, waking us from the lethargy of self-love and bringing us to true self-knowledge.

Did He not once rescue the erring Peter when He permitted that Apostle to deny Him, and forswear any knowledge of his Lord? Did He not grant to Peter self-knowledge and strength to cast aside his dangerous presumption? Did He not similarly deal with St. Paul when, in order to preserve him from this insidious vice and prevent him from making an improper use of the sublime revelations entrusted to him, He permitted a troublesome temptation to constantly remind the Apostle of his weakness?

Let us admire, then, the beneficence and wisdom of God, Who so treats us for our own good, favoring us imperceptibly, even when we imagine He is afflicting us.

We are perhaps prone to attribute our tepidity to our imperfections, and our emotional apathy toward the things of God; and we are easily persuaded that no one is so distracted or forsaken as ourselves, that God has no servants as wretched as we are, and that none but miscreants have their minds filled with thoughts like ours.

Thus by the effects of this heavenly medicine is the patient, once swollen with presumption, reduced in his own opinion to the status of an unworthy Christian.

Would such a transformation ever happen were man left to his own devices? Would man himself willingly descend from the lofty pinnacles of pride? Would he have been ever cured of his haughtiness? Would the illusory clouds of vanity have been dispelled from his head and heart without this Divine remedy?

Humility is not the only benefit to be derived from such temptations, afflictions, and interior desolation which leaves the soul weary and disconsolate, depriving it of all emotional sweetness in devotion. For such trials compel us to have recourse to God, to fly from everything displeasing to Him, and to apply ourselves with greater diligence to the practice of virtue. Such afflictions are a kind of Purgatory, which burn away the dross from our souls, and gain us crowns of glory when received with humility and patience.

The soul, convinced of the above truths, may judge whether or not it should be disturbed and grieves at losing a taste for devotional exercises or being engulfed in interior temptations. And it may judge too whether or not it is reasonable to attribute to the devil what comes from God, and to mistake the tokens of His tenderness for marks of His indignation.

On such an occasion all the soul needs do is to humble itself in the sight of God; to persevere and bear with patience the disgust it finds in exercises of devotion; to conform to the Divine will, and try to preserve equanimity of soul by humble acquiescence to His decrees. For such is the will of our Father, Who is in Heaven.

Instead of languishing in sorrow and dejection, the soul should bloom forth into acts of thanksgiving, establishing itself in peace and submission to the appointments of Heaven.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE MODE OF BEHAVIOR TO BE ADOPTED WITH REGARD TO OUR FAULTS

IF IT SHOULD HAPPEN that you commit a fault in word or deed, give way to anger, interrupt your devotions out of some vain curiosity, indulge in immoderate joy or frivolity, entertain suspicious thoughts of your neighbor, or succumb to any failing, be not disquieted. Even if you fail often, succumbing to a fault against which you have made firm resolutions, do not permit such failure to depress and afflict you, considering yourself incapable of amendment, and careless in your devotion. For such troublesome thoughts torture the soul and consume much valuable time.

Neither should you dwell too long in sifting the various circumstances of your faults, such as the thoroughness of deliberation or degree of consent; for such considerations only serve to perplex your mind, both before and after Confession, and fill you with uneasiness.

You would not be so much molested with these cares were you well aware of your own inherent weakness, and the conduct you should adopt towards God Almighty after committing such faults. Anxiety and dejection of mind do no good, but only disturb and depress the spirit. By turning to Him, however, with great humility and affection, you are manifesting the proper mode of behavior. And this is to be advocated as regards great faults as well as peccadilloes, not only in those faults occasioned by sloth and tepidity, but even those occasioned by malice itself.

This point is not adequately understood by many; for instead of practicing this great lesson of filial confidence in the goodness and mercy of God, their spirits are so wasted that they are as ineffectual in the execution of a good work as they are in its conception. Thus they lead a miserable, languishing existence, by preferring their own weak imaginations to sound wholesome doctrine in which their welfare consists.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THE SOUL WITHOUT Loss OF TIME SHOULD COMPOSE ITSELF AND MAKE STEADY PROGRESS

As OFTEN AS YOU are guilty of any fault, great or small, frequent or rare, you should adopt the following procedure as soon as you are aware of what you have done. Consider your own weakness, and humbly have recourse to God, saying to Him with a calm and loving confidence: "Thou hast seen, O my God, that I did what I could; Thou hast seen my impotence and, as Thou hast given me the grace to repent, I beseech Thee to add to my pardon the grace never to offend Thee again."

Once you have finished this prayer, do not torture yourself with anxious thoughts on your forgiveness, but without further adverting to your fall, proceed in your devotions with humility and ease, seeking the same tranquillity and peace of mind as before.

This method is to be observed as often as the fault is repeated though it were a thousand times, with as much sincerity and fervor after the last fault as after the first. For this is the way we return immediately to God, Who, like a tender father, is ready to receive us as often as we come to Him.

Such a practice also prevents loss of time in fruitless anxiety which only ruffles the serenity of the mind, and prevents it from resuming its usual calmness and fidelity.

AN ACT OF CONTRITION [VERSION 2]
 

Forgive me my sins, O Lord, forgive me my sins;
the sins of my youth, the sins of my age, the sins of my soul,
the sins of my body; my idle sins, my serious voluntary sins;
the sins I know, the sins I do not know; the sins I have concealed
for so long, and which are now hidden from my memory.

I am truly sorry for every sin, mortal and venial,
for all the sins of my childhood up to the present hour.

I know my sins have wounded Thy Tender Heart,
O My Savior, let me be freed from the bonds of evil through
the most bitter Passion of My Redeemer. Amen.

O My Jesus, forget and forgive what I have been. Amen.

The image SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN TO COME UNTO ME by Harold Coppying c. 1900.

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