July 1st
St Chantal on Prayer
Keep Your Eyes Upon God
Faith without works is never enough. It is not a feeling of faith or of hope which will save us, but rather what we do supported by the mercy of God. Now in actual fact you do possess these precious theological virtues, and your works make this plain by the faithfulness with which you observe the law of God and our laws. To conduct oneself in this fashion is to have faith of the right kind, because feelings of affection for the virtues are not within our power, but we can always work at them. At the moment this is what God asks of you, while He holds you in this state of general interior suffering and in a privation of every sort of enlightenment and knowledge. But throughout all this it lies within our power to work away at the virtues. It is to this task that you are giving yourself at present. God is pleased with you because you are accomplishing His holy will. In the general interior martyrdom which God is making you endure, what you are doing is quite enough. So, give no thought any further to your troubles nor to your confusion of mind, nor to the fears and anxieties which all these efforts are causing, however violent and frightening they may seem. In place of this, hold your gaze upon God in patience and let Him do what He wills. This is the instruction of our blessed father, and a great piece of teaching it is.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
June 30th
St Chantal on Prayer
Keep Your Eyes Upon God
You have so often given yourself to God, and assured Him that He might take away from you anything that was not of Him. Now He has done so, He has at last taken you at your word. Well, what are we to say? He withdraws His sensible gifts; He has removed these consolations so that there might remain in your soul nothing but Himself alone. So you must bless Him for what He has accomplished and remain patient and submissive, without a look at what you have done, at what your are doing, nor at what you may do in the future. In place of all such thinking, try to practice the lesson of our blessed father who told us: "Keep your eyes upon God and let Him do His will."
As the much-loved spouse of our Lord then, be of good heart, find your consolation in the will of God and rest assured that your faith, your hope and your love of Him are greater and more perfect than they have ever been. But this love is one of suffering, and in general quite devoid of any satisfaction. So hold fast in the assurance that I am giving you upon the part of God and of our blessed father, that father who so often told us that a way lined with crosses is always the better way. Therefore, do not trouble yourself any more because you have no feeling.
St Chantal on Prayer
Keep Your Eyes Upon God
You have so often given yourself to God, and assured Him that He might take away from you anything that was not of Him. Now He has done so, He has at last taken you at your word. Well, what are we to say? He withdraws His sensible gifts; He has removed these consolations so that there might remain in your soul nothing but Himself alone. So you must bless Him for what He has accomplished and remain patient and submissive, without a look at what you have done, at what your are doing, nor at what you may do in the future. In place of all such thinking, try to practice the lesson of our blessed father who told us: "Keep your eyes upon God and let Him do His will."
As the much-loved spouse of our Lord then, be of good heart, find your consolation in the will of God and rest assured that your faith, your hope and your love of Him are greater and more perfect than they have ever been. But this love is one of suffering, and in general quite devoid of any satisfaction. So hold fast in the assurance that I am giving you upon the part of God and of our blessed father, that father who so often told us that a way lined with crosses is always the better way. Therefore, do not trouble yourself any more because you have no feeling.
June 29th
St Chantal on Prayer
Giving Without Counting the Cost
Do not seek your own contentment, nor make any act of reflection, nor do anything to learn what is going on in yourself, no matter how it may seem, though in your eyes what is happening appears frightful and though you feel it most vividly and painfully. Turn your mind back in all gentleness upon God without mentioning to Him your trouble, and there remain as best you can, patient and enduring, without making any interior act nor anything else of the sort, for any reason whatever, not even during metal prayer or as a way of preparing for mental prayer. Find your contentment in thus resting in God, near God, or under His eye, whatever seems possible, pretending that you are not aware of your own trouble. Above all be faithful to this: never to attempt to get rid of your trial, not to wish to know it well enough so as to be able to speak of it; let it be enough for you to know that this cross is from God. Leave the care of your interior life entirely to God. Concern yourself with it no longer. Simply be patient and submissive; distract yourself by some sort of external occupation; think of the resolutions which you have made and do not allow yourself to be upset by all the racket that is going on in the lower part of your soul. Do not even appear as if you were aware of these revolts and resign yourself to spend your old age in this condition of suffering if it be God's good pleasure. Let me assure you that He is sheltering you in His arms.. So, even though you feel nothing of this, remain content with your discontent. To hold oneself in patience when suffering is already a high state of prayer, you may be sure, so do not force yourself to conscious acts. To gaze upon God while suffering with gentleness and submission is quite enough. Virtuous feelings do not lie within our power, but virtuous conduct does indeed lie within our power, and this it is that God requires of you at the moment, while He holds you on the cross. The way of generous suffering is the way to heaven. Stand fast, and bear your cross without thinking about it. Our Isaac must be sacrificed over and over again by the giving of ourselves to God without counting the cost.
St Chantal on Prayer
Giving Without Counting the Cost
Do not seek your own contentment, nor make any act of reflection, nor do anything to learn what is going on in yourself, no matter how it may seem, though in your eyes what is happening appears frightful and though you feel it most vividly and painfully. Turn your mind back in all gentleness upon God without mentioning to Him your trouble, and there remain as best you can, patient and enduring, without making any interior act nor anything else of the sort, for any reason whatever, not even during metal prayer or as a way of preparing for mental prayer. Find your contentment in thus resting in God, near God, or under His eye, whatever seems possible, pretending that you are not aware of your own trouble. Above all be faithful to this: never to attempt to get rid of your trial, not to wish to know it well enough so as to be able to speak of it; let it be enough for you to know that this cross is from God. Leave the care of your interior life entirely to God. Concern yourself with it no longer. Simply be patient and submissive; distract yourself by some sort of external occupation; think of the resolutions which you have made and do not allow yourself to be upset by all the racket that is going on in the lower part of your soul. Do not even appear as if you were aware of these revolts and resign yourself to spend your old age in this condition of suffering if it be God's good pleasure. Let me assure you that He is sheltering you in His arms.. So, even though you feel nothing of this, remain content with your discontent. To hold oneself in patience when suffering is already a high state of prayer, you may be sure, so do not force yourself to conscious acts. To gaze upon God while suffering with gentleness and submission is quite enough. Virtuous feelings do not lie within our power, but virtuous conduct does indeed lie within our power, and this it is that God requires of you at the moment, while He holds you on the cross. The way of generous suffering is the way to heaven. Stand fast, and bear your cross without thinking about it. Our Isaac must be sacrificed over and over again by the giving of ourselves to God without counting the cost.
Friday, June 28, 2013
June 28th
St Chantal on Prayer
Rise Above Self
Make no response then nor so much as pretend to see or to feel either temptations or troubles, no matter how they show themselves. Give no heed to anything which goes on within your conscience, no matter how agonizing it may be. Look at God. Do this and nothing more. Or remain in Him, or near Him, in peace of mind and utter trust, completely given over to His care, without a deliberate act and without seeking a deliberate act, for God means you to hold yourself in a thoroughly passive state. So, all you have to do is to calm yourself, set yourself at peace, and establish yourself in tranquility. Be sure that you never fail in your resolution which is not to desire to be delivered from this cross which has been given you by God. Submit yourself humbly and with a good heart to this holy intention of His. Make not the slightest effort to escape it nor to find your way out of it, nor even to know what sort of thing it is. In short, endure with humble gentle patience the weaknesses, the sense of being crushed, and any sort of grief, fear, trouble, desolation, with anything else which may happen to you, without alarm nor so much as a deliberate reflection to determine what you are doing, nor what may come upon you. I beg you again, gaze upon God simple and straightforwardly, and let Him do as He pleases. Since you have confided to Him and placed in His hands all that you are, having rid yourself of everything let Him now take charge, for you have made exception of nothing, but have handed over everything to His faithful love, and now you must work out your salvation on this cross, though it means that never again in your life you enjoy a bright or happy day.
St Chantal on Prayer
Rise Above Self
Make no response then nor so much as pretend to see or to feel either temptations or troubles, no matter how they show themselves. Give no heed to anything which goes on within your conscience, no matter how agonizing it may be. Look at God. Do this and nothing more. Or remain in Him, or near Him, in peace of mind and utter trust, completely given over to His care, without a deliberate act and without seeking a deliberate act, for God means you to hold yourself in a thoroughly passive state. So, all you have to do is to calm yourself, set yourself at peace, and establish yourself in tranquility. Be sure that you never fail in your resolution which is not to desire to be delivered from this cross which has been given you by God. Submit yourself humbly and with a good heart to this holy intention of His. Make not the slightest effort to escape it nor to find your way out of it, nor even to know what sort of thing it is. In short, endure with humble gentle patience the weaknesses, the sense of being crushed, and any sort of grief, fear, trouble, desolation, with anything else which may happen to you, without alarm nor so much as a deliberate reflection to determine what you are doing, nor what may come upon you. I beg you again, gaze upon God simple and straightforwardly, and let Him do as He pleases. Since you have confided to Him and placed in His hands all that you are, having rid yourself of everything let Him now take charge, for you have made exception of nothing, but have handed over everything to His faithful love, and now you must work out your salvation on this cross, though it means that never again in your life you enjoy a bright or happy day.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
June 27th
St Chantal on Prayer
Rise Above Self
To rise above self -- this is what must be done -- above all feelings, all opinions and dislikes, so that we gaze upon God and bind ourselves to Him by a simple assent. We must march on as if blind, following His providence with confidence, even in the midst of temptation, feelings of abandonment, fears and every sort of trouble, if it be God's good pleasure that we serve Him in this wise. For what have we done if not to strip ourselves and abandon ourselves without recourse into His blessed hands. To Him we have confided the care of all that concerns us without exception. So we must not give any of this a single thought, but rather hold fast to the directions and the last resolutions of our blessed father which teach us never to rest our minds voluntarily in anything but God, not asking ourselves what our soul is doing, or what it has done or will do.
St Chantal on Prayer
Rise Above Self
To rise above self -- this is what must be done -- above all feelings, all opinions and dislikes, so that we gaze upon God and bind ourselves to Him by a simple assent. We must march on as if blind, following His providence with confidence, even in the midst of temptation, feelings of abandonment, fears and every sort of trouble, if it be God's good pleasure that we serve Him in this wise. For what have we done if not to strip ourselves and abandon ourselves without recourse into His blessed hands. To Him we have confided the care of all that concerns us without exception. So we must not give any of this a single thought, but rather hold fast to the directions and the last resolutions of our blessed father which teach us never to rest our minds voluntarily in anything but God, not asking ourselves what our soul is doing, or what it has done or will do.
June 26th
St Chantal on Prayer
Abandonment and Trust
I may add that it is this that our blessed father [St Francis de Sales] would always order me to practice, holding the mind in all simplicity and directness, without act or effort, in that simple gaze upon God and contemplation of God, in total surrender to His will; without a wish to see, or feel, or carry out any work, but merely content to remain in His presence -- relaxed, at peace, confident, patient, never inspecting self to see how things are going, nor what one is doing, feeling or enduring. No, you must not inquire what your soul is doing, has done, or will do, nor what may happen to it in any future event or contingency. From this position you must not budge because this sole and single gaze upon God embraces all our duty, especially in a state of suffering.
Of course, all this you know already and I am simply assuring you now of the truth of it. So hold fast to this simple state, and at the instant that you notice your mind drifting away from it, draw yourself back gently, without strain, or looking about, or self-dissection, concerning anything whatever. One thing alone is necessary: it is to have God. In short, then, no matter what is going on, we must hold both our attention and our love on God, not wasting our time in studying what is happening to ourselves, nor what is its cause. Our Lord asks this of us.
Carry on with your holy Communions and other spiritual duties as usual, without asking yourself how you are discharging them, and leave to God Himself all care for your salavtion and spiritual life, along with everything else which concerns you. To Him you have sacrificed all, to Him given up all: so let Him take charge. Amen. May God be blessed.
St Chantal on Prayer
Abandonment and Trust
I may add that it is this that our blessed father [St Francis de Sales] would always order me to practice, holding the mind in all simplicity and directness, without act or effort, in that simple gaze upon God and contemplation of God, in total surrender to His will; without a wish to see, or feel, or carry out any work, but merely content to remain in His presence -- relaxed, at peace, confident, patient, never inspecting self to see how things are going, nor what one is doing, feeling or enduring. No, you must not inquire what your soul is doing, has done, or will do, nor what may happen to it in any future event or contingency. From this position you must not budge because this sole and single gaze upon God embraces all our duty, especially in a state of suffering.
Of course, all this you know already and I am simply assuring you now of the truth of it. So hold fast to this simple state, and at the instant that you notice your mind drifting away from it, draw yourself back gently, without strain, or looking about, or self-dissection, concerning anything whatever. One thing alone is necessary: it is to have God. In short, then, no matter what is going on, we must hold both our attention and our love on God, not wasting our time in studying what is happening to ourselves, nor what is its cause. Our Lord asks this of us.
Carry on with your holy Communions and other spiritual duties as usual, without asking yourself how you are discharging them, and leave to God Himself all care for your salavtion and spiritual life, along with everything else which concerns you. To Him you have sacrificed all, to Him given up all: so let Him take charge. Amen. May God be blessed.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
June 25th
St Chantal on Prayer
Abandonment and Trust
Make no effort to work your way out, nor to overcome your trial, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, periods of darkness, anxieties, frustrations, wild thoughts, nor anything of the like, no matter what they may be or how they may be going on in your heart, no matter how painful a martyrdom they may bring. Never be startled nor frightened at such things, nor make any reflection upon them other than this, which is to take them only as grievous temptations. Hold yourself far above them, pretending that they simply are not there, even though you feel them all so keenly. Hide your distress from your very self, and say nothing about it neither to God nor to yourself. Do not examine it even for so long as to imagine how you might find words to tell someone else what it is, and never make it the subject of an examen. Hold your eyes on God and leave the doing to Him. That is all the doing you have to worry about, and the only activity which God asks of you and towards which it is He alone who is drawing you.
St Chantal on Prayer
Abandonment and Trust
Make no effort to work your way out, nor to overcome your trial, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, periods of darkness, anxieties, frustrations, wild thoughts, nor anything of the like, no matter what they may be or how they may be going on in your heart, no matter how painful a martyrdom they may bring. Never be startled nor frightened at such things, nor make any reflection upon them other than this, which is to take them only as grievous temptations. Hold yourself far above them, pretending that they simply are not there, even though you feel them all so keenly. Hide your distress from your very self, and say nothing about it neither to God nor to yourself. Do not examine it even for so long as to imagine how you might find words to tell someone else what it is, and never make it the subject of an examen. Hold your eyes on God and leave the doing to Him. That is all the doing you have to worry about, and the only activity which God asks of you and towards which it is He alone who is drawing you.
Monday, June 24, 2013
June 24th
St Chantal on Prayer
Abandonment and Trust
Now, to sum up in a few words what I have been suggesting to you as a cure for your ills, I entreat you, by that obedience which you owe to the divine Will, that Will which is conveyed by the superior whom you see in God and as you see God in her, that you hold firm trusting in the guarantee which I give you as from God, that your faith, hope, and charity are greater and more perfect in you than they have ever been. So stop asking yourself if you possess them or if you possess any virtue. Do not go to the trouble of conscious renewals of your resolutions, but simply advert to them with all good will and hold fast in that absolute trust which has been granted to you. Never give way to the desire to be liberated from your difficulties. This is a privilege which is from God in order to make you perfect in every virtue. It is a reward and not a punishment, make no doubt of this. What God desires is that you bear this burden patiently, with complete surrender to His holy good pleasure, without permitting your mind to seek, nor inquire what is going on within you; without allowing your self to discuss, nor even to glance at temptations, no matter what their type, nor even to consider why this trial has been imposed upon you.
St Chantal on Prayer
Abandonment and Trust
Now, to sum up in a few words what I have been suggesting to you as a cure for your ills, I entreat you, by that obedience which you owe to the divine Will, that Will which is conveyed by the superior whom you see in God and as you see God in her, that you hold firm trusting in the guarantee which I give you as from God, that your faith, hope, and charity are greater and more perfect in you than they have ever been. So stop asking yourself if you possess them or if you possess any virtue. Do not go to the trouble of conscious renewals of your resolutions, but simply advert to them with all good will and hold fast in that absolute trust which has been granted to you. Never give way to the desire to be liberated from your difficulties. This is a privilege which is from God in order to make you perfect in every virtue. It is a reward and not a punishment, make no doubt of this. What God desires is that you bear this burden patiently, with complete surrender to His holy good pleasure, without permitting your mind to seek, nor inquire what is going on within you; without allowing your self to discuss, nor even to glance at temptations, no matter what their type, nor even to consider why this trial has been imposed upon you.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
June 23rd
St Chantal on Prayer
In His Good Pleasure
In the same way, your love of God, your faith, your hope are all the greater in that they are cut off from every sensible satisfaction and comfort. All this pleasant and sensible side of your spirituality is now buried in God as in a divine furnace, so that, the more all is lost to your feelings, the greater and more precious is the fragrance before God, by reason of your humble acceptance of His will which makes you thus die to your very self, so that there is nothing you can say except: "It is finished! My God, I have confided my entire being to Your hands, so that You may do as You wish with me, according to Your good pleasure. I leave to You the care of my interior state. Watch over it as it may please You. All I wish to take responsibility for is my faithfulness to holy patience, and to the task of maintaining my mind in that utterly sole and simple gaze upon You, with no concern for anything else whatever."
It is thus that You must put to death in yourself every source of reflection or activity, remaining there in God's presence as it may please Him, patient and enduring, faithful to your role, holding to your spiritual exercises, and following the lead of what is good or best, cost what it may, with the support of divine grace.
St Chantal on Prayer
In His Good Pleasure
In the same way, your love of God, your faith, your hope are all the greater in that they are cut off from every sensible satisfaction and comfort. All this pleasant and sensible side of your spirituality is now buried in God as in a divine furnace, so that, the more all is lost to your feelings, the greater and more precious is the fragrance before God, by reason of your humble acceptance of His will which makes you thus die to your very self, so that there is nothing you can say except: "It is finished! My God, I have confided my entire being to Your hands, so that You may do as You wish with me, according to Your good pleasure. I leave to You the care of my interior state. Watch over it as it may please You. All I wish to take responsibility for is my faithfulness to holy patience, and to the task of maintaining my mind in that utterly sole and simple gaze upon You, with no concern for anything else whatever."
It is thus that You must put to death in yourself every source of reflection or activity, remaining there in God's presence as it may please Him, patient and enduring, faithful to your role, holding to your spiritual exercises, and following the lead of what is good or best, cost what it may, with the support of divine grace.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
June 22nd
St Chantal on Prayer
In His Good Pleasure
Now, as to whether this state will go on for long, this is something which we must leave to God. We must not wish to know when it will end, nor wish to be set free from it. Should it please His goodness to abandon you in this condition even until the day of judgment, bow down before His holy will. Your sole fear in these sufferings is that of offending God, of not being pleasing to Him, and of not being able to serve and glorify Him forever. Now I promise you, on the part of Him to whom you have dedicated yourself for so long, that this condition in which you find yourself is more pleasing to Him than if by His grace you were raised to the third heaven, or rejoiced in all the convictions and feelings of virtue of which God has now robbed you. Because in their effects, and in their substance, you do possess all these virtues but you are without the awareness and the sensible feeling of them. Indeed, this is why you hold them in a purer state, more perfectly, and to a higher degree. This state is similar to that which our blessed father was talking about concerning contemplation, which is like a quintessence of flowers from which we extract a perfume.
St Chantal on Prayer
In His Good Pleasure
Now, as to whether this state will go on for long, this is something which we must leave to God. We must not wish to know when it will end, nor wish to be set free from it. Should it please His goodness to abandon you in this condition even until the day of judgment, bow down before His holy will. Your sole fear in these sufferings is that of offending God, of not being pleasing to Him, and of not being able to serve and glorify Him forever. Now I promise you, on the part of Him to whom you have dedicated yourself for so long, that this condition in which you find yourself is more pleasing to Him than if by His grace you were raised to the third heaven, or rejoiced in all the convictions and feelings of virtue of which God has now robbed you. Because in their effects, and in their substance, you do possess all these virtues but you are without the awareness and the sensible feeling of them. Indeed, this is why you hold them in a purer state, more perfectly, and to a higher degree. This state is similar to that which our blessed father was talking about concerning contemplation, which is like a quintessence of flowers from which we extract a perfume.
June 21st
St Chantal on Prayer
In His Good Pleasure
Now then, since God has removed from you the knowledge, the enlightenment, and the consciousness of the graces which He had placed in you, and has thus entirely reduced you to poverty, it is His desire that you remain patient and submissive to His good pleasure. You are not to wish either to see or to know where your faith lies, nor where are any of the other virtues, tastes, consolations, feelings, or whatever you please, and in brief, all the graces, consolations and feelings of inward devotion; contenting yourself with the knowledge that God holds all these things within Himself, and that, by maintaining your union with Him, you possess and hold within yourself all that is His. But above all do not waste any time deliberately considering in what fashion you are united to God, nor in examining the degree of your submission, abandonment to His will, and trust in Him. Be content that God should know these things and should see them, and be confident that all He asks of you at present is that you dwell in Him in patient peace and silence, gazing upon Him, as best you can, while He works His divine labors within your soul.
St Chantal on Prayer
In His Good Pleasure
Now then, since God has removed from you the knowledge, the enlightenment, and the consciousness of the graces which He had placed in you, and has thus entirely reduced you to poverty, it is His desire that you remain patient and submissive to His good pleasure. You are not to wish either to see or to know where your faith lies, nor where are any of the other virtues, tastes, consolations, feelings, or whatever you please, and in brief, all the graces, consolations and feelings of inward devotion; contenting yourself with the knowledge that God holds all these things within Himself, and that, by maintaining your union with Him, you possess and hold within yourself all that is His. But above all do not waste any time deliberately considering in what fashion you are united to God, nor in examining the degree of your submission, abandonment to His will, and trust in Him. Be content that God should know these things and should see them, and be confident that all He asks of you at present is that you dwell in Him in patient peace and silence, gazing upon Him, as best you can, while He works His divine labors within your soul.
June 20th
St Chantal on Prayer
In His Good Pleasure
God wishes you to hold yourself in an extremely passive state. Do not examine yourself in order to learn if you are to persevere, if you are being faithful, if you are pleasing to God. Empty yourself of your very self and of every anxiety, apprehension, trouble, or fear as to how long this state will last, this state in which everything causes you fear and brings you trouble. Your remedy will be a simple gazing upon God, with no attempt to reply to Him. Once more, in God's name I tell you this. You look into yourself far too much. Do not any longer find cause for trouble in your trouble. Never speak of it, neither to God nor to yourself, nor ever so much as look at it for long enough to be able to find words, to describe it, nor express it to anybody whatever; and never make it the subject of any examine. Hide your grief from your very self, and hold your eyes on God as if you did not feel it and, if you can speak to Him at all, let it be about Himself and not about your difficulties. Keep your eyes raised to heaven, and be content to repeat over and over with a smile filled with confidence: O eternity! O eternity!
Remain subject to the good pleasure of the will of God who is making you poor, by depriving you of any sort of inward contentment. For He has entirely removed from you the awareness of the gifts placed in you by His grace, these gifts which His mercy has so infused into your soul that they may no longer be separated from your interior life. But the divine Guide, in order to make you climb to a still higher sanctity, has taken your faith, hope and love for His divine goodness, your trust, the abandonment and security which you felt in Him and all the interior powers of your soul. All these precious gifts, which He himself had placed in you, He has cast into the crucible and fire of His purest and holiest love, so that He might consume away and annihilate in you any sort of pleasure or contentment or complacency -- I do not speak of the earthly kind, for this work is long since accomplished. This Divine Master wishes to destroy in you the pleasure which you enjoy of finding in yourself all these gifts and graces which, by His mercy, He had granted to you. And just as He has given them, so has He taken them away, that is, as regards your awareness of them, so that it might be He alone who will occupy your soul, and not His gifts.
St Chantal on Prayer
In His Good Pleasure
God wishes you to hold yourself in an extremely passive state. Do not examine yourself in order to learn if you are to persevere, if you are being faithful, if you are pleasing to God. Empty yourself of your very self and of every anxiety, apprehension, trouble, or fear as to how long this state will last, this state in which everything causes you fear and brings you trouble. Your remedy will be a simple gazing upon God, with no attempt to reply to Him. Once more, in God's name I tell you this. You look into yourself far too much. Do not any longer find cause for trouble in your trouble. Never speak of it, neither to God nor to yourself, nor ever so much as look at it for long enough to be able to find words, to describe it, nor express it to anybody whatever; and never make it the subject of any examine. Hide your grief from your very self, and hold your eyes on God as if you did not feel it and, if you can speak to Him at all, let it be about Himself and not about your difficulties. Keep your eyes raised to heaven, and be content to repeat over and over with a smile filled with confidence: O eternity! O eternity!
Remain subject to the good pleasure of the will of God who is making you poor, by depriving you of any sort of inward contentment. For He has entirely removed from you the awareness of the gifts placed in you by His grace, these gifts which His mercy has so infused into your soul that they may no longer be separated from your interior life. But the divine Guide, in order to make you climb to a still higher sanctity, has taken your faith, hope and love for His divine goodness, your trust, the abandonment and security which you felt in Him and all the interior powers of your soul. All these precious gifts, which He himself had placed in you, He has cast into the crucible and fire of His purest and holiest love, so that He might consume away and annihilate in you any sort of pleasure or contentment or complacency -- I do not speak of the earthly kind, for this work is long since accomplished. This Divine Master wishes to destroy in you the pleasure which you enjoy of finding in yourself all these gifts and graces which, by His mercy, He had granted to you. And just as He has given them, so has He taken them away, that is, as regards your awareness of them, so that it might be He alone who will occupy your soul, and not His gifts.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
June 19th
St Chantal on Prayer
Faith, the Science of Saints
When at prayer, we must have eyes and ears for nothing but God. If an angel appeared before us, we ought not to bestow upon him a single glance, for we are speaking to a Mightier than he.
Anybody who always maintains the right attitude is always ready for prayer, and indeed is always praying. Show God that you love Him to this degree, that you would be willing to love Him just as much for a small reward as for a mighty one.
When all else has forsaken us, it is then that we are least forsaken by God. He is never under greater pressure to come to our rescue than when He sees us deprived of all other help. Now, if God finds Himself urged to our rescue when He sees us deprived of everything else, how much more will He feel the obligation to succor us when it is He Himself who is responsible for out abandonment? Anyhow, what can it matter if we are forsaken by God so long as He hears our prayer? Which of us would not be ready, for love o f Him, to see taken from us everything there is in heaven and on earth, and even to see God Himself taken from us for love of Him, if only at least we could cry out to Him: "What is there for me in heaven, and what shall I see upon earth, other than my God?"
St Chantal on Prayer
Faith, the Science of Saints
When at prayer, we must have eyes and ears for nothing but God. If an angel appeared before us, we ought not to bestow upon him a single glance, for we are speaking to a Mightier than he.
Anybody who always maintains the right attitude is always ready for prayer, and indeed is always praying. Show God that you love Him to this degree, that you would be willing to love Him just as much for a small reward as for a mighty one.
When all else has forsaken us, it is then that we are least forsaken by God. He is never under greater pressure to come to our rescue than when He sees us deprived of all other help. Now, if God finds Himself urged to our rescue when He sees us deprived of everything else, how much more will He feel the obligation to succor us when it is He Himself who is responsible for out abandonment? Anyhow, what can it matter if we are forsaken by God so long as He hears our prayer? Which of us would not be ready, for love o f Him, to see taken from us everything there is in heaven and on earth, and even to see God Himself taken from us for love of Him, if only at least we could cry out to Him: "What is there for me in heaven, and what shall I see upon earth, other than my God?"
June 18th
St Chantal on Prayer
Faith, the Science of Saints
A good and perfect prayer requires that we forget self, that we be ready to sacrifice all that we are for God; let us not deceive ourselves, God demands this much of us, He will not take over the management of our lives for anything less. There is no state in which it suits Him more to find us than in that of humiliation. To be little before God is not enough, we must be nothing, nothing at all. This is the foundation upon which He builds, because it pleases Him to make things out of nothing. The more and more we reduce ourselves to nothingness, the greater shall be the things He will work in us. Whether God is granting you His graces, or whether He be taking them away, whether He be stripping you and depriving you even of that which you possess, you must submit yourself humbly to His will, you must take His side against your own, and never seek support or comfort in anything but Him.
St Chantal on Prayer
Faith, the Science of Saints
A good and perfect prayer requires that we forget self, that we be ready to sacrifice all that we are for God; let us not deceive ourselves, God demands this much of us, He will not take over the management of our lives for anything less. There is no state in which it suits Him more to find us than in that of humiliation. To be little before God is not enough, we must be nothing, nothing at all. This is the foundation upon which He builds, because it pleases Him to make things out of nothing. The more and more we reduce ourselves to nothingness, the greater shall be the things He will work in us. Whether God is granting you His graces, or whether He be taking them away, whether He be stripping you and depriving you even of that which you possess, you must submit yourself humbly to His will, you must take His side against your own, and never seek support or comfort in anything but Him.
Monday, June 17, 2013
June 17th
St Chantal on Prayer
Faith, the Science of Saints
Faith is the light of a new universe, it is the science of saints. In prayer more is accomplished by listening than by talking. It is our business to give ear to the Son of God and not to speak. We are not worthy to utter a word in His presence. Let us leave to God the decision as to what shall be said, without troubling ourselves to find a theme or subject in our own minds. God speaks to the heart only when the heart is recollected. You tell me that you have no thoughts, that you have no feelings toward God. But if it is God Himself you hold, why be concerned about anything else? What does there remain for you to desire?
Here you are at prayer. God is granting you nothing whatever. Well, if you did not know how to do anything else, you could adore Him, adore His presence, adore His ways, His works; and, for such a prayer, what need is there of great and high thoughts? You adore Him better by your silence than by your speeches. If you are incapable of anything whatever, then suffer. If you cannot pray by effort, then you will pray by endurance. In such an extremity, turn your face towards the Blessed Virgin, or towards any of the saints. Beg them to make your prayer for you, or to grant you some share in that prayer which they utter forever in heaven.
Are we then to be entirely idle and inactive in prayer? No, we must submit our minds to the Holy Spirit who means to be our light and our guide. Were you to do no other thing than to stand in the presence of God and consume your life away before Him, like a candle burning itself up in the presence of the Sacrament, would you not be blessed and fortunate?
St Chantal on Prayer
Faith, the Science of Saints
Faith is the light of a new universe, it is the science of saints. In prayer more is accomplished by listening than by talking. It is our business to give ear to the Son of God and not to speak. We are not worthy to utter a word in His presence. Let us leave to God the decision as to what shall be said, without troubling ourselves to find a theme or subject in our own minds. God speaks to the heart only when the heart is recollected. You tell me that you have no thoughts, that you have no feelings toward God. But if it is God Himself you hold, why be concerned about anything else? What does there remain for you to desire?
Here you are at prayer. God is granting you nothing whatever. Well, if you did not know how to do anything else, you could adore Him, adore His presence, adore His ways, His works; and, for such a prayer, what need is there of great and high thoughts? You adore Him better by your silence than by your speeches. If you are incapable of anything whatever, then suffer. If you cannot pray by effort, then you will pray by endurance. In such an extremity, turn your face towards the Blessed Virgin, or towards any of the saints. Beg them to make your prayer for you, or to grant you some share in that prayer which they utter forever in heaven.
Are we then to be entirely idle and inactive in prayer? No, we must submit our minds to the Holy Spirit who means to be our light and our guide. Were you to do no other thing than to stand in the presence of God and consume your life away before Him, like a candle burning itself up in the presence of the Sacrament, would you not be blessed and fortunate?
June 16th
St Chantal on Prayer
States of Prayer
The spells of dryness which we experience in prayer are caused by nothing but our warmth of love for God. Anyone who is in love finds it easy to hold attention on that which is loved. If our mind refuses to pronounce a word, let us make our hearts speak for us. Suppose we were to say nothing more to God than this, that we love Him, that He is worthy of our love -- that would be enough. With Him there is no need for long speeches. In heaven the angels utter no other word than this: Holy. This is their entire prayer, and in the region of eternal bliss they are occupied with this single word as an act of homage to the single Word of God who lives eternally.
God is light and darkness, both at once. He is light or darkness, as He pleases, to whom He pleases. If it is His will to be darkness for you, then look for nothing better. We shall be treating the things of God with greater reverence if we gaze upon them only in the shadows and darkness of faith without wishing to see clearly into them; I might even say by the light of grace, because there is more respect in our humbling ourselves before the mysteries of God, than in the attempt to raise ourselves to the level of these mysteries by the use of our understanding.
St Chantal on Prayer
States of Prayer
The spells of dryness which we experience in prayer are caused by nothing but our warmth of love for God. Anyone who is in love finds it easy to hold attention on that which is loved. If our mind refuses to pronounce a word, let us make our hearts speak for us. Suppose we were to say nothing more to God than this, that we love Him, that He is worthy of our love -- that would be enough. With Him there is no need for long speeches. In heaven the angels utter no other word than this: Holy. This is their entire prayer, and in the region of eternal bliss they are occupied with this single word as an act of homage to the single Word of God who lives eternally.
God is light and darkness, both at once. He is light or darkness, as He pleases, to whom He pleases. If it is His will to be darkness for you, then look for nothing better. We shall be treating the things of God with greater reverence if we gaze upon them only in the shadows and darkness of faith without wishing to see clearly into them; I might even say by the light of grace, because there is more respect in our humbling ourselves before the mysteries of God, than in the attempt to raise ourselves to the level of these mysteries by the use of our understanding.
June 15th
St Chantal on Prayer
States of Prayer
One kind of prayer is a tranquil attention of the soul to God, which has the effect of calming the over-activity of our mental faculties, and which brings us interior silence and the repose of all our powers! What a fine thing it is oftener to listen to God speaking in our very depths, than to speak to Him.
Another sort of prayer is that in which the soul enjoys this peace as a lasting state, and through making no act, finds itself nonetheless always inclined to wish all that God may wish of it. This love of the will of God is its very meat and drink.
There is another sort of prayer in which the soul fastens itself as it were on God, and this takes place when the soul attends to God, using every one of its faculties, without even noticing that it is using these powers which it possesses.
There is still another way of prayer which is that of struggle and of trouble. This happens when we find ourselves oppressed by continued and violent temptations. In this condition what is needed is a great faithfulness to God, with a quiet and direct putting aside of the subjects of our trouble.
There is again a prayer of poverty and abandonment. In this kind the soul is incapable of any act, and can overcome its difficulties only by patience and humility. In such a state these are the remedies which the soul must employ. We must welcome our poverty in a spirit of penance and as an act of homage to the divine justice, unite ourselves to the poverty of the Son of God.
St Chantal on Prayer
States of Prayer
One kind of prayer is a tranquil attention of the soul to God, which has the effect of calming the over-activity of our mental faculties, and which brings us interior silence and the repose of all our powers! What a fine thing it is oftener to listen to God speaking in our very depths, than to speak to Him.
Another sort of prayer is that in which the soul enjoys this peace as a lasting state, and through making no act, finds itself nonetheless always inclined to wish all that God may wish of it. This love of the will of God is its very meat and drink.
There is another sort of prayer in which the soul fastens itself as it were on God, and this takes place when the soul attends to God, using every one of its faculties, without even noticing that it is using these powers which it possesses.
There is still another way of prayer which is that of struggle and of trouble. This happens when we find ourselves oppressed by continued and violent temptations. In this condition what is needed is a great faithfulness to God, with a quiet and direct putting aside of the subjects of our trouble.
There is again a prayer of poverty and abandonment. In this kind the soul is incapable of any act, and can overcome its difficulties only by patience and humility. In such a state these are the remedies which the soul must employ. We must welcome our poverty in a spirit of penance and as an act of homage to the divine justice, unite ourselves to the poverty of the Son of God.
Friday, June 14, 2013
June 14th
St Chantal on Prayer
Lose All to Find All
It is in a spiritual fashion that God gives Himself, reaching to the deepest depths of the heart with His inspirations, and uniting Himself so gently with the soul that words cannot express what happens. The net result is that whoever is thus joined to God becomes one spirit with Him. Let us drown ourselves then in this Ocean of holiness, of infinite purity. If we lose all, we shall thereby gain all. The divine Heart will never fail us, this I tell you for certain, if we do not fail Him. And ever if we did, He would not fail us, because His fidelity is greater than our unfaithfulness. He is not one of those who breaks faith with a person who has broken faith with Him, and we shall forever find Him ready to call us back.
Let us humble ourselves before the grandeur of God, let us make ourselves nothing in the presence of this adorable Unknown, let us lose ourselves forever with never a thought of finding ourselves again, let us plunge into this divine abyss. If only we could say in utter truth these words: "My God is my all," we would never find our prayer long or boring.
When boredom descended upon us in prayer, that simple phrase said from the heart would act like a spell to drive away our weariness and disgust. David declared that God hearkens to the desires of the poor, and this is why it is sufficient in order to make a good prayer, merely to tell God: "All my desires are before you and my groanings are not hidden from your sight."
St. Bonaventure offers us this advice for prayer: "If you wish God to stoop down to reach you, carry the woes of Christ crucified in your heart."
St Chantal on Prayer
Lose All to Find All
It is in a spiritual fashion that God gives Himself, reaching to the deepest depths of the heart with His inspirations, and uniting Himself so gently with the soul that words cannot express what happens. The net result is that whoever is thus joined to God becomes one spirit with Him. Let us drown ourselves then in this Ocean of holiness, of infinite purity. If we lose all, we shall thereby gain all. The divine Heart will never fail us, this I tell you for certain, if we do not fail Him. And ever if we did, He would not fail us, because His fidelity is greater than our unfaithfulness. He is not one of those who breaks faith with a person who has broken faith with Him, and we shall forever find Him ready to call us back.
Let us humble ourselves before the grandeur of God, let us make ourselves nothing in the presence of this adorable Unknown, let us lose ourselves forever with never a thought of finding ourselves again, let us plunge into this divine abyss. If only we could say in utter truth these words: "My God is my all," we would never find our prayer long or boring.
When boredom descended upon us in prayer, that simple phrase said from the heart would act like a spell to drive away our weariness and disgust. David declared that God hearkens to the desires of the poor, and this is why it is sufficient in order to make a good prayer, merely to tell God: "All my desires are before you and my groanings are not hidden from your sight."
St. Bonaventure offers us this advice for prayer: "If you wish God to stoop down to reach you, carry the woes of Christ crucified in your heart."
Thursday, June 13, 2013
June 13th
St Chantal on Prayer
A Committed Heart
Anyone who has learned from our Lord how to look within himself, and how to long for His presence in the deepest recesses of his heart -- I can scarcely tell if such a person would not choose for a time to endure the pangs of hell rather than to return to the delights, or better to the vexations, of earth. The more we empty ourselves of whatever is not of God, the more He will fill us with Himself. So let us give up all thought of looking after ourselves in order that God may take charge of us.
The soul is carrying on a mystical silence when, refusing to speak to any creature, nor even to God Himself, it listens with a great interior attention. Such a silence pays a sublime tribute to God. Silence itself brings immense blessings to us, for it separates us from creatures in order to join us to God who is the sole source of our purity of intention. It is said in Holy Scripture: Listen, O Israel, and speak no word! So let us also try to break off all conversation with creatures and to give heed to our God. A single word from Him is worth more than ten thousand of our own invention.
St Chantal on Prayer
A Committed Heart
Anyone who has learned from our Lord how to look within himself, and how to long for His presence in the deepest recesses of his heart -- I can scarcely tell if such a person would not choose for a time to endure the pangs of hell rather than to return to the delights, or better to the vexations, of earth. The more we empty ourselves of whatever is not of God, the more He will fill us with Himself. So let us give up all thought of looking after ourselves in order that God may take charge of us.
The soul is carrying on a mystical silence when, refusing to speak to any creature, nor even to God Himself, it listens with a great interior attention. Such a silence pays a sublime tribute to God. Silence itself brings immense blessings to us, for it separates us from creatures in order to join us to God who is the sole source of our purity of intention. It is said in Holy Scripture: Listen, O Israel, and speak no word! So let us also try to break off all conversation with creatures and to give heed to our God. A single word from Him is worth more than ten thousand of our own invention.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
June 12th
St Chantal on Prayer
A Committed Heart
Let us be sure that we understand what an honor it is for us to spend time in prayer, as much time as we wish, as intimately as we wish. The man who wins from his prince an audience an hour long counts himself lucky, and our God, before whom the kings of the earth are less than a spark in the full blaze of the sun, and less than a little worm in the presence of the highest angels -- this great God, nevertheless, shows Himself eager to hear us at any hour of the day or night that suits us to address Him.
The only thing which is absolutely indispensable to prayer is our heart and, though if this part of us be not committed all the rest is only a hollow mockery, nevertheless with heart alone given to prayer we never lack for anything. We must not be surprised if those who give themselves to prayer pay so little heed to the things of this earth because, forever holding themselves in God's presence, they find themselves lifted to so great a height and see earthly things from so far off, so that it is as if they almost lost sight of them entirely.
St. John Climacus calls prayer the salvation of the world, the great beauty of the angels, the origin of grace, and the most glorious possession which men can hold in this world, as if to say that, sure in the possession of so great a treasure, they will pay scant attention to anything else.
It matters little what work God carries on in the soul, because the soul must not be attached to the work being done by God in the soul, but to God who is doing the work.
St Chantal on Prayer
A Committed Heart
Let us be sure that we understand what an honor it is for us to spend time in prayer, as much time as we wish, as intimately as we wish. The man who wins from his prince an audience an hour long counts himself lucky, and our God, before whom the kings of the earth are less than a spark in the full blaze of the sun, and less than a little worm in the presence of the highest angels -- this great God, nevertheless, shows Himself eager to hear us at any hour of the day or night that suits us to address Him.
The only thing which is absolutely indispensable to prayer is our heart and, though if this part of us be not committed all the rest is only a hollow mockery, nevertheless with heart alone given to prayer we never lack for anything. We must not be surprised if those who give themselves to prayer pay so little heed to the things of this earth because, forever holding themselves in God's presence, they find themselves lifted to so great a height and see earthly things from so far off, so that it is as if they almost lost sight of them entirely.
St. John Climacus calls prayer the salvation of the world, the great beauty of the angels, the origin of grace, and the most glorious possession which men can hold in this world, as if to say that, sure in the possession of so great a treasure, they will pay scant attention to anything else.
It matters little what work God carries on in the soul, because the soul must not be attached to the work being done by God in the soul, but to God who is doing the work.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
June 11th
St Chantal on Prayer
"Speak Lord..."
In prayer one must hold fast and never let go because in this game, he who gives up, loses all. If it seems that no one is listening to you, then cry out still louder. If you are driven out of one door, go back in by the other. If you are told, as was the Canaanite woman, that you do not deserve the grace for which you are asking, then reply like her that you lay no claim to unusual favors, but only hope to eat the crumbs which fall from the divine table.
Since God is infinitely above all things, the soul must in its turn raise itself infinitely to attain Him. The heavenly Bridegroom speaking to His bride, when she turns to Him in prayer, compares her to a pillar of smoke which mounts up towards the sky without finding anything which can hinder its climb.
St Chantal on Prayer
"Speak Lord..."
In prayer one must hold fast and never let go because in this game, he who gives up, loses all. If it seems that no one is listening to you, then cry out still louder. If you are driven out of one door, go back in by the other. If you are told, as was the Canaanite woman, that you do not deserve the grace for which you are asking, then reply like her that you lay no claim to unusual favors, but only hope to eat the crumbs which fall from the divine table.
Since God is infinitely above all things, the soul must in its turn raise itself infinitely to attain Him. The heavenly Bridegroom speaking to His bride, when she turns to Him in prayer, compares her to a pillar of smoke which mounts up towards the sky without finding anything which can hinder its climb.
Monday, June 10, 2013
June 10th
St Chantal on Prayer
"Speak Lord..."
The very essence of mental prayer, St. Francis de Sales used to say, consists in talking to ourselves and with God, praising and blessing Him because of what He is, speaking to Him as would a child to his father, a disciple to his master, a subject to his king, a poor beggar to a rich man, a criminal to his judge, a wife to her husband; in short, as we might to a faithful friend; like an utterly ignorant person, humbly silent, not knowing what to say, begging for divine treasure at the doorway of the heavenly court.
Should it happen during prayer that we experience some impulse from God by means of which He indicates that He wishes to communicate Himself to us, we must then halt all our own activity and come to a full stop, in order to give place to His coming and not to hinder Him by any action which might go counter to His will. Rather by an interior silence and a deep reverence we must make ourselves ready to receive what He may send. Sometimes, when we sense His coming, we may say to Him: "Speak, Lord, your servant hears." Then, opening up our heart in great peace and consenting to His grace, we must resolve to draw profit from it, obedient to the impulse received at prayer.
St Chantal on Prayer
"Speak Lord..."
The very essence of mental prayer, St. Francis de Sales used to say, consists in talking to ourselves and with God, praising and blessing Him because of what He is, speaking to Him as would a child to his father, a disciple to his master, a subject to his king, a poor beggar to a rich man, a criminal to his judge, a wife to her husband; in short, as we might to a faithful friend; like an utterly ignorant person, humbly silent, not knowing what to say, begging for divine treasure at the doorway of the heavenly court.
Should it happen during prayer that we experience some impulse from God by means of which He indicates that He wishes to communicate Himself to us, we must then halt all our own activity and come to a full stop, in order to give place to His coming and not to hinder Him by any action which might go counter to His will. Rather by an interior silence and a deep reverence we must make ourselves ready to receive what He may send. Sometimes, when we sense His coming, we may say to Him: "Speak, Lord, your servant hears." Then, opening up our heart in great peace and consenting to His grace, we must resolve to draw profit from it, obedient to the impulse received at prayer.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
June 9th
St Chantal on Prayer
Mental Prayer
What we do in prayer must be determined according to our attraction, whether it be by meditation or by a simple gazing upon God, according as He may lead us.
Every meditation must be ended by three acts which we should never fail to make. The first is thanksgiving; the second, the offering of our prayer; the third, an act of petition, by which we implore God's aid in order to carry out the good resolutions which we have made. We must gather a little bouquet of devotion made up of the chief acts of love which we have carried out in order that we may savor it throughout our day.
St Chantal on Prayer
Mental Prayer
What we do in prayer must be determined according to our attraction, whether it be by meditation or by a simple gazing upon God, according as He may lead us.
Every meditation must be ended by three acts which we should never fail to make. The first is thanksgiving; the second, the offering of our prayer; the third, an act of petition, by which we implore God's aid in order to carry out the good resolutions which we have made. We must gather a little bouquet of devotion made up of the chief acts of love which we have carried out in order that we may savor it throughout our day.
June 8th
St Chantal on Prayer
Mental Prayer
When the hour comes for prayer, our soul which has been awaiting this blessed moment with a holy impatience, must rise up without delay, at the given signal in order to receive the honor which is about to be paid to us. Then we must call down the Holy Spirit, invoke the Blessed Virgin, our good angel, and take some of the saints to act as advocates in our appeal, and to keep us company in God's presence.
The most suitable state of mind for mental prayer is that which will lead us into it with a heart completely detached, so that the soul, in all its interior powers and resources, may appear naked before God and may bow down before His will, sometimes doing this by means of a deliberate act and fresh intention.
If prayer is to be good it must be carried out with attention and reverence. To tell the truth, would it be reasonable for almighty God, before whom the angels efface themselves in awe, to give any heed to a person who addresses Him without due reverence?
St Chantal on Prayer
Mental Prayer
When the hour comes for prayer, our soul which has been awaiting this blessed moment with a holy impatience, must rise up without delay, at the given signal in order to receive the honor which is about to be paid to us. Then we must call down the Holy Spirit, invoke the Blessed Virgin, our good angel, and take some of the saints to act as advocates in our appeal, and to keep us company in God's presence.
The most suitable state of mind for mental prayer is that which will lead us into it with a heart completely detached, so that the soul, in all its interior powers and resources, may appear naked before God and may bow down before His will, sometimes doing this by means of a deliberate act and fresh intention.
If prayer is to be good it must be carried out with attention and reverence. To tell the truth, would it be reasonable for almighty God, before whom the angels efface themselves in awe, to give any heed to a person who addresses Him without due reverence?
June 7th
St Chantal on Prayer
Mental Prayer
In order to put yourself in the presence of God you will picture Him as filling the entire universe, and you will see Him in every place, like the air which we know penetrates everywhere. Sometimes, we may gaze upon God all about us, surrounding us on every hand, while we ourselves are in Him like a fish in the sea, or like the birds lost in the air. Or perhaps it may be necessary for us to withdraw into ourselves, into that inner chamber of our hearts, and there, with a calm and steady eye, to consider how the divine essence lives throughout our soul and fills our inner self, to think how the Father there contemplates Himself, and how Father and Son produce the Holy Spirit.
Another way is to gaze upon our Lord in the Holy Sacrament of the altar. In order to do Him reverence there, it will be enough to recall what the faith teaches us, that this is God made man, and that this same Man is seated a the Father's right hand in eternity. Finally, we must humble ourselves and acknowledge that we are unworthy to speak to God, saying like Abraham: "I will speak to my Lord, I who am but dust and ashes."
St Chantal on Prayer
Mental Prayer
In order to put yourself in the presence of God you will picture Him as filling the entire universe, and you will see Him in every place, like the air which we know penetrates everywhere. Sometimes, we may gaze upon God all about us, surrounding us on every hand, while we ourselves are in Him like a fish in the sea, or like the birds lost in the air. Or perhaps it may be necessary for us to withdraw into ourselves, into that inner chamber of our hearts, and there, with a calm and steady eye, to consider how the divine essence lives throughout our soul and fills our inner self, to think how the Father there contemplates Himself, and how Father and Son produce the Holy Spirit.
Another way is to gaze upon our Lord in the Holy Sacrament of the altar. In order to do Him reverence there, it will be enough to recall what the faith teaches us, that this is God made man, and that this same Man is seated a the Father's right hand in eternity. Finally, we must humble ourselves and acknowledge that we are unworthy to speak to God, saying like Abraham: "I will speak to my Lord, I who am but dust and ashes."
June 6th
St Chantal on Prayer
Mental Prayer
The fundamental state of mind for mental prayer is that purity of intention by which we are resolved that everything we do shall be for the glory of God alone. The second condition is a complete self-resignation which may make us indifferent to anything that can happen to us. The third is a complete giving up of our own opinions so that we labor only at that which God has given us for our labor.
When we begin mental prayer we must call home all the faculties of our soul and must tell ourselves: "So now you are going to appear before God and to deal with Him; everything else has got to be dropped."
Believe me, bring to your prayer the deepest peace of heart you can. Shut yourselves within this little interior heaven without allowing yourselves to be distracted by the things of sense, and be certain that you will not fail to drink the water of the divine cistern.
St Chantal on Prayer
Mental Prayer
The fundamental state of mind for mental prayer is that purity of intention by which we are resolved that everything we do shall be for the glory of God alone. The second condition is a complete self-resignation which may make us indifferent to anything that can happen to us. The third is a complete giving up of our own opinions so that we labor only at that which God has given us for our labor.
When we begin mental prayer we must call home all the faculties of our soul and must tell ourselves: "So now you are going to appear before God and to deal with Him; everything else has got to be dropped."
Believe me, bring to your prayer the deepest peace of heart you can. Shut yourselves within this little interior heaven without allowing yourselves to be distracted by the things of sense, and be certain that you will not fail to drink the water of the divine cistern.
June 5th
St Chantal on Prayer
Mental Prayer
The great method for mental prayer is simply this: that there is none when the Holy Spirit has taken charge of the person who is meditation, for then He does with the soul as it pleases Him, and all rules and methods vanish away. In the hands of God the soul must become like clay in the hands of a potter, who from it can form any sort of dish; or, if you like, the soul must become like soft wax receptive to the impression of a seal, or like a blank sheet upon which the Holy Spirit writes His divine will. If, when entering upon prayer, we could make ourselves a mere capacity for receiving the spirit of God, this would suffice for all method. Prayer must be carried on by grace, and not by deliberate art. Enter into your prayer by faith, remain in it in hope, and do not abandon it except by virtue of that charity which asks only to work and to endure.
St Chantal on Prayer
Mental Prayer
The great method for mental prayer is simply this: that there is none when the Holy Spirit has taken charge of the person who is meditation, for then He does with the soul as it pleases Him, and all rules and methods vanish away. In the hands of God the soul must become like clay in the hands of a potter, who from it can form any sort of dish; or, if you like, the soul must become like soft wax receptive to the impression of a seal, or like a blank sheet upon which the Holy Spirit writes His divine will. If, when entering upon prayer, we could make ourselves a mere capacity for receiving the spirit of God, this would suffice for all method. Prayer must be carried on by grace, and not by deliberate art. Enter into your prayer by faith, remain in it in hope, and do not abandon it except by virtue of that charity which asks only to work and to endure.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
June 4th
St Chantal on Prayer
Mortification and prayer are the two wings by which one may take one's flight into those holy resting places in which one may find one's peace in God far from the business of men. Just as birds would never be able to mount the air on a single wing, so we must not allow ourselves to think that by means of mortification alone, without the aid of prayer, a soul will ever take flight in order to raise itself to God. Penances without prayer are useless pains; prayer without penance is food without salt which easily goes bad.
Hence it is absolutely necessary to fit our souls with those two wings in order that we may make our flight to the heavenly court in which we may find contentment of soul in conversation with our God. The thing we have to do is to strip ourselves completely of everything, to give up everything created, devoting ourselves to the mortification of our passions until we are their masters, stamping firmly on them whenever they show a tendency to rebel. Our own will we must oblige to bear the yoke, our own judgment we must make flexible, wishing to depend on God in everything that concerns our interior life.
St Chantal on Prayer
Mortification and prayer are the two wings by which one may take one's flight into those holy resting places in which one may find one's peace in God far from the business of men. Just as birds would never be able to mount the air on a single wing, so we must not allow ourselves to think that by means of mortification alone, without the aid of prayer, a soul will ever take flight in order to raise itself to God. Penances without prayer are useless pains; prayer without penance is food without salt which easily goes bad.
Hence it is absolutely necessary to fit our souls with those two wings in order that we may make our flight to the heavenly court in which we may find contentment of soul in conversation with our God. The thing we have to do is to strip ourselves completely of everything, to give up everything created, devoting ourselves to the mortification of our passions until we are their masters, stamping firmly on them whenever they show a tendency to rebel. Our own will we must oblige to bear the yoke, our own judgment we must make flexible, wishing to depend on God in everything that concerns our interior life.
June 3rd
St Chantal on Prayer
The first piece of advice about prayer is that anybody who wishes to pray, unless drawn and raised to God in an extraordinary fashion, must prepare himself according to the phrase of the wise man: "Before prayer prepare your soul, think where you are going and to whom you mean to speak."
Of meditations badly made, so very many are only the result of a lack of preparation. This preparation is twofold, the first remote and the second proximate. Remote preparation consists in nothing more than this: Peace of conscience, watchfulness over our senses, a normal awareness of God, a familiar conversation with the Divine Majesty in one's soul, and above all the liberation of the soul from all ungoverned affections and passions. The fact is that we must strip ourselves of anything which can trouble our minds or conscience and which can prevent us from maintaining ourselves in a spirit of recollection and interior liberty.
St Chantal on Prayer
The first piece of advice about prayer is that anybody who wishes to pray, unless drawn and raised to God in an extraordinary fashion, must prepare himself according to the phrase of the wise man: "Before prayer prepare your soul, think where you are going and to whom you mean to speak."
Of meditations badly made, so very many are only the result of a lack of preparation. This preparation is twofold, the first remote and the second proximate. Remote preparation consists in nothing more than this: Peace of conscience, watchfulness over our senses, a normal awareness of God, a familiar conversation with the Divine Majesty in one's soul, and above all the liberation of the soul from all ungoverned affections and passions. The fact is that we must strip ourselves of anything which can trouble our minds or conscience and which can prevent us from maintaining ourselves in a spirit of recollection and interior liberty.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
June 2nd
Chapter Thirty of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
Of the Eternal Royalty of Love
Upon her head, like that of a queen, is placed a crown of twelve stars. These twelve stars on the brow of Mary are the twelve prerogatives of the Queen and of the Mother before God in heaven. She possesses, indeed, in the Church Triumphant, surpassing all other blessed spirits, four special prerogatives: the power of listening with great goodness; of condescending with great mercy; of intervening for us with great power; and of succoring on earth with great ease.
She, has besides, in the Church Triumphant, four privileges, outstanding among all: she is resplendent more than all others; she is glorified more than all others; she is loved more tenderly than all others; she is honored more fervently than all others.
Mary possesses also, in relation to the Trinity, four particular favors, which are for her like brilliant stars midst fainter stars. Better, truly, than those who contemplate the glory of the Divine Trinity: she contemplates fully the Divine Trinity Itself; she knows with greater joy Its sweetness; she comprehends with greater profundity Its mysteries; she tastes with greater charm its richness.
Listen again, listen devoutly, to what the greatest of the servants of Mary, the doctor of gentle speech, St Bernard, said to his religious about the stars which form a crown on the forehead of the Virgin: "No one can estimate the importance of the jewels, no one can count the number of the gems which adorn the diadem of Mary in Heaven. It is an undertaking above our power, that of examining the value, or of scrutinizing the composition of her brilliant aureole. We shall undertake to do so with humility. Without wishing to penetrate the secrets of the Lord, it seems that one can see in the twelve stars the twelve prerogatives of our Mother. We find indeed in the Virgin Mary, privileges granted to her soul, privileges infused into her heart, privileges attached to her body. And if we multiply this number three, by the number of the four known favors, we shall find the number of twelve stars which shine on the brow of Mary, our Queen. We find these wonders, at her birth, in the salutation she received form the angel, in the overshadowing of her by the Holy Spirit, and finally in the conception of Jesus Himself."
O most loving Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven, Mistress of the Earth, O you, the Joy of Saints, and the Salvation of sinners, listen to the appeals of our repentant hearts! Listen to the desires of our souls at prayer! Come to the help of the poor and the infirm! Renew the courage of the afflicted! Protect your children against their enemies! Deliver them from the snares of the devils! Lead them near to you in blessedness in heaven, where you reign with your Son in the midst of the elect for all eternity!
Chapter Thirty of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
Of the Eternal Royalty of Love
Upon her head, like that of a queen, is placed a crown of twelve stars. These twelve stars on the brow of Mary are the twelve prerogatives of the Queen and of the Mother before God in heaven. She possesses, indeed, in the Church Triumphant, surpassing all other blessed spirits, four special prerogatives: the power of listening with great goodness; of condescending with great mercy; of intervening for us with great power; and of succoring on earth with great ease.
She, has besides, in the Church Triumphant, four privileges, outstanding among all: she is resplendent more than all others; she is glorified more than all others; she is loved more tenderly than all others; she is honored more fervently than all others.
Mary possesses also, in relation to the Trinity, four particular favors, which are for her like brilliant stars midst fainter stars. Better, truly, than those who contemplate the glory of the Divine Trinity: she contemplates fully the Divine Trinity Itself; she knows with greater joy Its sweetness; she comprehends with greater profundity Its mysteries; she tastes with greater charm its richness.
Listen again, listen devoutly, to what the greatest of the servants of Mary, the doctor of gentle speech, St Bernard, said to his religious about the stars which form a crown on the forehead of the Virgin: "No one can estimate the importance of the jewels, no one can count the number of the gems which adorn the diadem of Mary in Heaven. It is an undertaking above our power, that of examining the value, or of scrutinizing the composition of her brilliant aureole. We shall undertake to do so with humility. Without wishing to penetrate the secrets of the Lord, it seems that one can see in the twelve stars the twelve prerogatives of our Mother. We find indeed in the Virgin Mary, privileges granted to her soul, privileges infused into her heart, privileges attached to her body. And if we multiply this number three, by the number of the four known favors, we shall find the number of twelve stars which shine on the brow of Mary, our Queen. We find these wonders, at her birth, in the salutation she received form the angel, in the overshadowing of her by the Holy Spirit, and finally in the conception of Jesus Himself."
O most loving Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven, Mistress of the Earth, O you, the Joy of Saints, and the Salvation of sinners, listen to the appeals of our repentant hearts! Listen to the desires of our souls at prayer! Come to the help of the poor and the infirm! Renew the courage of the afflicted! Protect your children against their enemies! Deliver them from the snares of the devils! Lead them near to you in blessedness in heaven, where you reign with your Son in the midst of the elect for all eternity!
Saturday, June 1, 2013
June 1st
Chapter Twenty-Nine of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
The Divine Intervention of Mary
O Mother of tenderness and Mother of sweetness, Mother of mercy and Mother of Love! incomparable Virgin, worthy to be loved, Mother who alone merited to have as Son, the Son of God Himself, born of you! You are at the same time Mother to all and a Mother to each one of us. You give to all and to each his part of your heart and his portion of your love. O Virgin blessed among all virgins, Mother of men and Queen of Angels, come, take away from me the weight of my sins, draw me far from earth and close to you! Infuse into my softened soul your grace, like to the life-giving dew of the sky, so that from here on earth, I may feel that you are the Mother of mercy.
Reflect upon what Jesus is. He is the Son of God, the Savior of all, the King of heaven and earth, He is the hope of the just and the peace of the meek. He is the strength of the weak and the way of the wanderers. He is the support of those whom misfortune oppresses: He is the succor of those who suffer tribulation: He is the refuge of those who are of good heart.
Honor both the Son and the Mother, and you will be in return blessed by the Father. You give honor and glory to Jesus each time that you honor the Mother. Place Mary as a seal upon your heart and as a seal upon your acts. In all your works and in all your pleasures, in the midst of your joys and sadnesses, let the name of Jesus and the name of Mary be often on your lips and always in your heat.
Let all peoples and tongues, let all creatures serve you, O Mary! Let all bow before you! Let the heavens say of you: Rejoice, O Mary, throughout eternity; and let the earth respond: Rejoice for eternity and beyond. Let all the saints proclaim your name, O Mother, your sublime name, and let all the blessed rejoice before you and before your Son, Our Lord and our eternal Master.
Chapter Twenty-Nine of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
The Divine Intervention of Mary
O Mother of tenderness and Mother of sweetness, Mother of mercy and Mother of Love! incomparable Virgin, worthy to be loved, Mother who alone merited to have as Son, the Son of God Himself, born of you! You are at the same time Mother to all and a Mother to each one of us. You give to all and to each his part of your heart and his portion of your love. O Virgin blessed among all virgins, Mother of men and Queen of Angels, come, take away from me the weight of my sins, draw me far from earth and close to you! Infuse into my softened soul your grace, like to the life-giving dew of the sky, so that from here on earth, I may feel that you are the Mother of mercy.
Reflect upon what Jesus is. He is the Son of God, the Savior of all, the King of heaven and earth, He is the hope of the just and the peace of the meek. He is the strength of the weak and the way of the wanderers. He is the support of those whom misfortune oppresses: He is the succor of those who suffer tribulation: He is the refuge of those who are of good heart.
Honor both the Son and the Mother, and you will be in return blessed by the Father. You give honor and glory to Jesus each time that you honor the Mother. Place Mary as a seal upon your heart and as a seal upon your acts. In all your works and in all your pleasures, in the midst of your joys and sadnesses, let the name of Jesus and the name of Mary be often on your lips and always in your heat.
Let all peoples and tongues, let all creatures serve you, O Mary! Let all bow before you! Let the heavens say of you: Rejoice, O Mary, throughout eternity; and let the earth respond: Rejoice for eternity and beyond. Let all the saints proclaim your name, O Mother, your sublime name, and let all the blessed rejoice before you and before your Son, Our Lord and our eternal Master.
May 31st
Chapter Twenty-Eight of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
The Mediation of Mary With God
I am the Mother of mercy to the heart filled with compassion: I am the mysterious ladder of sinners, I am the hope and pardon of the culpable, I am the consolation of afflicted souls, I am the joy and the fruition of the blessed. Come to me, all you who love me, come and you will be filled with my consolation. Come, because I have pity on all those who pray to me: Come to me! Come everyone, just and sinners. I shall also pray to the Eternal Son, my Son, so that He will pardon each of you through the Holy Spirit. I call to all of you, and I await all of you; I desire to see you all, everyone of you, come to me. I scorn no sinner, indeed far from that, I rejoice with the angels in heaven over one sinner who is converted and returns. Thus bears fruit the blood of my sweet Son, offered to God for the salvation of the entire world.
Come to me, come children of men, my mother's heart protects you with God. I shall myself bear His aroused anger, if it be necessary, and I shall appease Him until you are pardoned. Change your ways and turn to God! You have offended His love and His grace, but ask pardon and I shall obtain for you indulgence and peace. I have been chosen by God Himself to be mediatrix for you, between heaven and you, between the world and God.
O word filled with grace and sweetness! O kind word heard from heaven itself, word that consoles, word that comforts; word that delights the sinner and the just, voice of the mother, voice that resounds in the heart as a gentle harmony in heaven.
I confide myself and my cause to your tenderness, O Mother, now, in the future, and at every moment. From the day you spoke to me, an orphan, I have been transformed into a new man, and I have felt in my soul new strength. I was weighted down, without hope or life: at your call, O my Mother, I felt that a new courage, and a new joy were coming to lift me up.
Chapter Twenty-Eight of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
The Mediation of Mary With God
I am the Mother of mercy to the heart filled with compassion: I am the mysterious ladder of sinners, I am the hope and pardon of the culpable, I am the consolation of afflicted souls, I am the joy and the fruition of the blessed. Come to me, all you who love me, come and you will be filled with my consolation. Come, because I have pity on all those who pray to me: Come to me! Come everyone, just and sinners. I shall also pray to the Eternal Son, my Son, so that He will pardon each of you through the Holy Spirit. I call to all of you, and I await all of you; I desire to see you all, everyone of you, come to me. I scorn no sinner, indeed far from that, I rejoice with the angels in heaven over one sinner who is converted and returns. Thus bears fruit the blood of my sweet Son, offered to God for the salvation of the entire world.
Come to me, come children of men, my mother's heart protects you with God. I shall myself bear His aroused anger, if it be necessary, and I shall appease Him until you are pardoned. Change your ways and turn to God! You have offended His love and His grace, but ask pardon and I shall obtain for you indulgence and peace. I have been chosen by God Himself to be mediatrix for you, between heaven and you, between the world and God.
O word filled with grace and sweetness! O kind word heard from heaven itself, word that consoles, word that comforts; word that delights the sinner and the just, voice of the mother, voice that resounds in the heart as a gentle harmony in heaven.
I confide myself and my cause to your tenderness, O Mother, now, in the future, and at every moment. From the day you spoke to me, an orphan, I have been transformed into a new man, and I have felt in my soul new strength. I was weighted down, without hope or life: at your call, O my Mother, I felt that a new courage, and a new joy were coming to lift me up.
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