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.