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.