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The Servant.--"Praise the Lord, O my soul, in my life I will
praise the Lord; I will sing to my God as long as I shall be."[13]
Who will grant, O God, to my full heart to fulfill before my death
its desire for Thy praise? Who will grant me worthily to praise,
in my day, the beloved Lord whom my soul loveth?
Ah, tender Lord,
would that there issued from my heart as many sweet tones as ever
have issued from sweet harpings, as many as there are leaves and
blades of grass, would that they were all addressed on high to
Thee in Thy heavenly court, so that a song of such a delightful
and unheard of praise might burst from my heart, as would be
pleasing to the eyes of my Lord, and full of joy to all the
heavenly host!
Ah, beloved Lord, although I am not worthy to
praise Thee, still my soul desires that the heavens should praise
Thee, when, in their ravishing beauty and sublime splendour they
are lit up with the multitude of glittering stars; and the fair
delightful meadow, when, in all the bliss of summer it glistens
afresh in blithesome beauty, in manifold flowery adornment; and
all the sweet thoughts and fervent desires that ever a pure and
affectionate heart conceived for Thee when it was encompassed by
the refreshing summer delights of Thy illuminating Spirit.
Lord,
when I but think of Thy high praise, my heart is ready to melt in
my breast, my thoughts wander from me, speech fails me, and all
knowledge escapes me. Something shines in my heart beyond the
power of words, when I will needs praise Thee, O infinite Good;
for, if I take the fairest creatures, the most exalted spirits,
the purest beings, Thou yet surpassest them all unspeakably. If I
enter the deep abyss of Thy goodness, there all praise disappears
in its own littleness.
Lord, when I behold living forms of beauty,
creatures gentle and engaging, they say to my heart: Oh, see how
right gracious He is from whom we emanate, from whom all that is
beautiful has issued! If I traverse heaven and earth, the universe
and the abyss, wood and grove, mountain and valley, lo! they one
and all fill my ears with a rich canticle of Thy unfathomable
praise. Then, when I mark with what infinite beauty and harmony
Thou orderest all things, both evil and good, I am dumb and
speechless.
But, Lord, when I remember that Thou Thyself art this
praiseworthy good which my soul has chosen out solely for herself,
as her one only and undivided love, my heart, for praise, is like
to burst within me, and to cease its throbbings. Oh, tender Lord,
have regard, therefore, for the great and ardent desire of my
heart and soul, and teach me how to praise Thee worthily, and how
to serve Thee acceptably before I depart hence, for this is what
my soul thirsts after in my body.
Eternal Wisdom.--Wouldst thou then gladly praise Me?
The Servant.--Alas! Lord, why dost Thou provoke me? Thou knowest
all hearts, Thou knowest that my heart is ready to turn round in
my body from the true desire of Thy praise, which from my
childhood's day till now I have had.
Eternal Wisdom.--Praise becometh the upright.[14]
The Servant.--Alas! my Lord all my uprightness lies in Thy
boundless compassion. Beloved Lord, the frogs praise Thee in the
pool, and if they cannot speak, yet do they croak. Full well do I
know who I am. Lord, I know that rather than praise Thee, I ought
to lament and beg pardon for my sins. And yet, O unfathomable
good, scorn not the desire I have to praise Thee, miserable worm
that I am.
Lord, though the cherubim and seraphim, and the
countless number of all exalted spirits, praise Thee according to
their utmost powers, yet what can they do more as regards Thy
infinite dignity, far removed above all praise than the very least
of Thy creatures? Lord, Thou standest in need of no creature's
praise; but Thy infinite goodness is made all the more manifest
the more Thou givest Thyself to the praise of those who are
without desert.
Eternal Wisdom.--Whoever thinks he can praise Me to the fullness
of My worth, acts like him who chases the wind and trys to grasp a
shadow. And yet it is permitted to thee and all creatures to
praise Me according to your ability; for there never was a
creature so little, nor so great, nor so good, nor so wicked,
neither will there be one, but it either praises Me or testifies
to My praise; and the more it is united with Me, the more
praiseworthy it finds Me; and the more thy praise is like the
praise of eternal glory, the more praiseworthy it is to Me; and
the more this praise of thine is abstracted in imagination from
all creatures and united in true devotion to Me, the more it is
like the praise of eternal glory.
A fervent contemplating sounds
better in My ears than merely a praising with words, and a
heartfelt sighing sounds better than a lofty appeal. A total
subjection of one's self under God and all mankind, in the wish to
be as nothing in their sight, is a sound for Me above all sweet
sounds. I Myself never appeared on earth so worthy of praise
before My Father as when I hung in mortal agony on the cross.
Some
persons praise Me with fair words, but their hearts are far from
Me, and of such praise I make no account. So likewise, some
persons praise Me when things go according to their desires, but
when things begin to go wrong with them, their praise ceases, and
such praise is disagreeable to Me. But that praise is good and
precious in My divine eyes when, with thy heart, thy words and
works, thou dost praise me as fervently in sorrow as in joy, in
utter adversity as in full prosperity; for then thou thinkest of
Me and not of thyself.
The Servant.--Lord, I desire not sufferings from Thee, neither
will I give cause for such things; but I will give myself up
wholly and entirely, according to the desire of my heart, to Thy
eternal praise, whereas, before, I never could truly forsake and
utterly forget myself.
Lord, if Thou wert to permit me to become
the most despised person the whole earth could produce, Lord, even
this I would suffer for the sake of Thy praise. Lord, I yield
myself up this day to Thy grace and mercy; nay, if I were to be
accused of the foulest murder that ever any man committed, so that
whoever say me should spit in my face, Lord, I would willingly
bear it in praise of Thee, provided I only stood guiltless in Thy
sight. But even if I were guilty, I would still endure it in
praise of Thy blessed justice, which is a thousand times more
precious to me than my own honour. For every term of reproach cast
at me I would give Thee a particular praise, and with the good
thief would say to Thee: Lord, I receive the due reward of my
deeds, but what hast Thou done amiss? Lord, remember me, when Thou comest into Thy Kingdom!
And should it be Thy will to take me now
from hence, if it were for Thy praise, I would not look about me
for a respite, but I would desire to be taken hence; and I would
desire that, if it should have been my lot to have become as old
even as Mathusaia, every year of the long period, and every week
of the years, and every day of the weeks, and every hour of the
days, and every minute of the hours, might praise Thee for me in
such rapturous praise as never did any saint in the veritable
bright reflection of the saints, and this as many times as the
grains of dust are countless in the sunshine, and that they might
fulfill this my good desire, as though I myself had all the time
lived to fulfill it.
Therefore, Lord, take me early or late to
Thyself, for such is my heart's desire. Lord, I will say still
more, that, if I had now to depart hence, and it were to Thy
praise that I should burn fifty years in purgatory, I am ready to
incline myself at Thy feet, and gladly accept it all to Thy
eternal praise; blessed be the fire of purgatory in which Thy
praise is fulfilled in me!
Lord, Thou, and not myself, art what I
here love and here seek. Lord, Thou comprehendest all things, Thou
knowest all hearts, Thou knowest that these are my unshaken
sentiments; nay, if I knew that I should have to lie for ever at
the bottom of hell, however it might afflict my heart to be robbed
of Thy ravishing vision, I yet would not cease from Thy praise;
and could I retrieve the lost time of all men, reform their
misdeeds, and by means of praise and honour, make full amends for
all the dishonour that ever was shown Thee, I would willingly do
it; and if it were indeed possible, then, from the lowest abyss of
hell must needs burst forth from me a beautiful song of praise
which would penetrate hell, the earth, air, and all the heavens,
till it arrived before Thy divine countenance.
But, if this were not possible, I would yet wish to praise Thee
here all the more, that I might even here rejoice in Thee all the
more. Lord, do with Thy poor creature what is for Thy praise; for
let what will happen to me, so long as there is any breath in my
mouth I will utter Thy praise; and when I lose my utterance, I
desire that the raising of my finger may be a confirmation and
conclusion of all the praise I ever spoke; nay, when my body falls
to dust, I desire that, from every grain of dust, an infinite
praise may pierce through the hard stones, through all the heavens
up to Thy divine presence, till the last day, when body and soul
shall again unite in Thy praise.
Eternal Wisdom.--In this desire and good intention thou shouldst
remain till death--such praise is pleasing to Me.
The Servant.--Ah, sweet Lord, since Thou deignest and desirest to
receive praise from me, poor sinful person that I am, it is my
desire that Thou wouldst show me three things, namely, how,
wherewith, and at what time I ought to praise Thee. Tell me,
dearest Lord, is the external praise which is given by words and
singing, any way profitable?
Eternal Wisdom.--It is certainly profitable, and especially as it
stirs up the interior man, which it very often stirs up, above all
in the case of
newly converted persons.
The Servant.--Lord, I also am filled with the desire
(seeing that one should be glad to begin in time, what one will
have to practice in eternity) to attain the diligent praising of
Thee in my interior, and that I should not be interrupted in Thy
praise at any time, even for the space of a second. Lord, out of
this very desire I have often spoken as follows: "O, thou
firmament why dost thou hasten and revolve so fast? I beseech
thee, stand still in this moment, until I shall have thoroughly
praised my Lord according to my heart's desire. Lord, when
perchance I have been a little while neglectful of Thy present
praise, and have shortly come to myself, I have interiorly cried
out as follows: O Lord, it is a thousand years that I have thought
no more of my Beloved! O Lord, teach me, then, as much as Thou
canst, while my soul is yet in my body, how I may attain to praise
Thee continually and without relaxation.
Eternal Wisdom.--He who in all things is mindful of Me, who keeps
himself from sin, and is diligent in virtue, praises Me at all
times; but still, if thou wouldst seek after the highest sort of
praise, listen to something more: The soul is like to a light
peacock's feather; if nothing is attached to it, it is very easily
borne aloft by its own mobility towards the sky, but if it is
laden with anything it falls to the ground.
In like manner, a mind
that is purified from all heaviness of sin is also raised by
virtue of its native nobility, with the help of gentle
contemplation, to heavenly things; and therefore, when it happens
that a mind is disengaged from all bodily desires, and is set
interiorly at rest, so that its every thought cleaves at all times
inseparably to the immutable Good, such a mind fulfills My praise
at all times; for in the state of purity, so far as words can
express it, man's carnal sense is so wholly drowned and so wholly
transformed from earthiness into a spiritual and an angelic
semblance, that, whatever he receives exteriorly, whatever he does
or operates, whether he eats, drinks, sleeps, or wakes is nothing
else but the very purest praise.
The Servant.--Ah, Lord, what a truly sweet doctrine is this!
Lovely Wisdom, three things there are still that I should be glad
to have explained. One is: Where shall I find the most reasons to
praise Thee?
Eternal Wisdom.--In the first origin of all good, and then in its outflowing springs.
The Servant.--Lord, as to the origin, it is too high for me, too
unknown to me; there let the tall cedars praise Thee, the heavenly
spirits, the angelic minds.
And yet will I too press forward like
a rude thistle with my praise, that they may be admonished by the
spectacle of my impotent longings of their own high worthiness,
that they may be incited in their pure brightness to praise Thee,
just as though the cuckoo were to give the nightingale occasion to
sing a ravishing song. But the outflowings of Thy goodness; these
will be proper for my praise.
Lord, when I ponder well what I was
formerly, how often Thou hast protected me, from what evil chains
and bonds Thou hast delivered me, O Thou Everlasting Good, it is a
wonder that my heart does not wholly melt in Thy praise! Lord, how
long didst Thou not wait for me, how kindly didst Thou not receive
me, how sweetly in secret didst Thou not anticipate me and
interiorly warn me! How ungrateful soever I might sometimes be,
still Thou didst not desist until Thou hadst drawn me to Thee.
Ought I then not to praise Thee, my gentle Lord?
Yes, truly do I desire that a rich praise should ascend before Thy
eyes, even such a great and joyous praise as that rendered by the
angels when they first beheld the sight of their own constancy and
the reprobation of their fallen companions; as that uttered in the
joy felt by the miserable souls in Purgatory when they come forth
from their grim prison house before Thee, and behold for the first
time Thy countenance beaming with delight and love; a praise even
as that unfathomable praise which will resound in the streets of
the heavenly city after the last judgment, when the elect shall be
separated in everlasting security from the wicked. Lord, one thing
I should also like to know respecting Thy praise is this: How all
that is naturally good in me may be referred to Thy everlasting
praise?
Eternal Wisdom.--Inasmuch as nobody in this temporal state can be
sure, from actual knowledge, of the true difference between nature
and grace, so when anything gracious, joyous, or agreeable, arises
in thy mind, whether it be from nature of from grace, enter
quickly and speedily into thy interior, and make an oblation of it
to God, so that it may be consumed in My praise, because I am the
Lord of nature and grace, and in this way will nature now to thee
become supernatural.
The Servant.--Lord, but how then shall I turn even the
imaginations of evil spirits to Thy eternal praise?
Eternal Wisdom.--To the suggestions or inspirations of an evil
spirit speak thou as follows: Lord, as often as this wicked spirit
or any other sends me against my will such disagreeable thoughts,
let me of my own premeditated will send Thee the most fervent
praise in his stead, even the very praise which the same evil
spirit ought to have given Thee throughout all eternity had he
remained loyal, so that in his reprobate state I may represent his
place in praising Thee; and as often as he inspires me with such
odious thoughts, let my good praise ascend to Thee.
The Servant.--O Lord, now do I indeed see that to good men all
things may be turned into good, when even the very worst things of
the evil spirit can in such a way be made good things. But now
tell me one thing more. Ah, Thou gracious Lord, how am I to turn
all that I hear, all that I see, to Thy praise and glory?
Eternal Wisdom.--As often as thou seest a great number of people,
as often as thou beholdest an exceeding fair multitude, say from
the very bottom of thy heart: Lord, as often and as beautifully
must the thousand times a thousand angelic spirits who stand
before Thee salute Thee lovingly this day in my name, and the ten
thousand times a thousand spirits who serve Thee praise Thee today
for me, and they must desire for me all the holy desires of the
saints, and that the ravishing beauty of all creatures may do Thee
honour today for me.
The Servant.--O my sweet Lord, how hast Thou not refreshed and
increased my zeal in Thy praise! But truly, Lord, this temporal
praise has stirred up my heart and alas! set my soul a longing for
the praise which is everlasting and eternal.
When, my own elected
Wisdom, when will the bright day arise, when will the glad hour
arrive of a perfectly prepared death and departure from this scene
of wretchedness to my Beloved! Ah me, I begin so to languish, so
ardently to long after my heart's only love! When, O when shall I
ever possess it? How lingering is the time, how late it will be
before I behold face to face the delight of my soul's eyes, before
I enjoy Thee according to my heart's desire!
O misery of
banishment, what a misery thou art to him who considers himself
banished in very truth! Behold, Lord, there is hardly any one on
earth but has some friend to visit, some place on which to rest
his foot a little while. Alas, my only one, Thou whom my soul
alone seeks and desires, Thou knowest that I have no other refuge,
than in Thee alone! Lord, whatever I hear and see, if I find Thee
not, is a torment to me; the society of all mankind without Thee
is bitterness to me. Lord, what should rejoice me, what detain me
here?
Eternal Wisdom.--Here on earth shouldst thou often wander in the
delightful orchard of My blooming praise. In this transient life
there is no truer prelude to the celestial habitations than is to
be found among those who praise God in the joy of a serene heart.
There is nothing that cheers a man's mind so much, and lightens
his sufferings; that drives away evil spirits, and makes sadness
disappear, as joyous praising of God. God is near those who praise
Him; the angels are familiar with them: they are profitable to
themselves; it betters their neighbour and gladdens the soul; all the heavenly host is honoured by cheerful minded praise.
The Servant.--Sweet Lord, my tender, my Eternal Wisdom! I desire that when my eyes first awaken in the morning, my heart may awaken
too, and that there may burst from it a high-flaming fiery
love-torch of Thy praise, with the most fervent love of the most
loving heart that exists in time, according to the most ardent
love of the most exalted seraphim in eternity, in the fathomless
love with which Thou, Heavenly Father, lovest Thy only Son, and
with the most sweet love of the Holy Ghost who proceeds from
Father and Son; and I desire that this praise may resound so
sweetly in the Fatherly heart as never did yet the strings of all
earthly instruments in a joyous mind; and that this love-torch may
send up so sweet a savour of praise as though it were smoking
incense composed of all precious herbs and spices of all virtues
finely powdered together in their highest perfection; and lastly,
that the sight of it may be so beautifully blooming in graces as
never any May was known to be in its most ravishing bloom; so that
it may be a delightful aspect for Thy divine eyes and all the
heavenly host.
All my desire is, that this love-torch may at all times blaze out
fervently in my prayers, from my mouth in my singing, in my
thoughts, words, and works, that it may subdue all my enemies,
consume all my sins, and obtain for me a happy end, so that the
end of this my temporal praise may be but the beginning of my
everlasting, my eternal praise. Amen.
Let everybody who desires to meditate briefly, properly, and
earnestly on the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom all our
salvation lies, and who desires to be thankful for His manifold
sufferings, learn by heart the hundred choice meditations which
hereafter follow, severally, according to their sense, which is
comprised in few words, and go over them devoutly every day, with
a hundred venias or otherwise, as it may suit him best, and at
every venia, when it relates to our Blessed Lady, let him say a
Pater Noster, or an Ave Maria, or a Salve Regina, for in this
manner were they revealed to a preacher by God, at a time when he
stood before a crucifix after Matins, and fervently complained to
God that he could not well meditate on His torments, and that it
was so bitter a thing for him to meditate on them, inasmuch as; up
to that hour, he had had herein great infirmity, from which he was
then relieved.
The prayers he afterwards appended, in a short form, so that all
might be free to find matter for themselves to pray agreeably to
their own feelings, but should the prayers prove too many for a
person all at once, let him divide them into even daily hours, or
into the seven days of the week, according as they are here noted
down.
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