|
When pea-hens hatch in very white places their young
ones are also white: and when our intentions are in
the love of God whilst we project some good work, or
undertake some vocation, all the actions that issue
thence take their worth and derive their nobility
from the love whence they have their origin; for who
does not see that the actions which are proper to my
vocation and requisite to my design depend on this
first election and resolution which I have made?
Yet, Theotimus, one must not stay there; but to make
excellent progress in devotion, we must not only in
the beginning of our conversion, and afterwards every
year, address all our life and all our actions to
God, but we must also offer them to him every day
following the Morning Exercise which we have taught
Philothea; for in this daily renewing of our
oblation, we spread the vigour and virtue of love
upon our actions by a fresh uniting of our heart with
the Divine glory, by means whereof it is ever more
and more sanctified.
Besides this, let us a hundred and a hundred times
a day unite our life to Divine love by the practice
of ejaculatory prayers, elevations of heart and
spiritual retirements; for these holy exercises,
casting and lifting our spirits continually into God,
bear also up to him all our actions. And how could it
be, I pray you, that a soul who at every moment darts
up unto the Divine goodness, and who incessantly
breathes words of love, in order to keep her heart
always lodged in the bosom of her heavenly Father,
should not be considered to do all her works in God
and for God?
She who says: "Ah! Lord, I am thine - My beloved
is wholly mine, and I, I am all his - My God, thou
art my all - O Jesus thou art my life - Ah! who will
do me the favour that I may die to myself, that I may
live only to thee - O to love! to advance! to die to
self! O to live to God! O to be in God! O God,
whatsoever is not thy very self is nothing to me!" -
she, I say, does she not continually dedicate her
actions to her heavenly spouse?
O how blessed is the soul who has once for all
made the offstripping and the perfect resignation of
herself in and into the hands of God, whereof we have
spoken above! - for afterwards she will only need to
make one little sigh and one look at God, to renew
and confirm her offstripping, resignation, and
oblation, together with the protestation that she
wishes nothing but God and for God, and neither loves
herself nor anything in the world save in God and for
the love of God.
The exercise then of continual aspirations is very
useful for vivifying all our works with love; but
especially does it most abundantly suffice for the
small and ordinary actions of our life; for as to
heroic works and matters of consequence, it is
expedient, if we intend to make any great profit, to
use the ensuing method, as I have already in brief
declared elsewhere.(1)
Let us in these occurrences elevate our heart and
spirit to God; let us with deep consideration and
extended thought ponder on eternity, so holy and so
glorious; let us behold how throughout eternity the
Divine goodness tenderly, cherished us, preparing all
suitable means for our salvation and progress in his
love, and in particular the chance of doing the good
which now presents itself to us, or suffering the
evil which has come upon us: this done, spreading
out, if I may so speak, and lifting up, the arms of
our consent, let us embrace dearly, fervently and
most amorously, the good that presents itself to be
done, or the evil that must be suffered, in
consideration of this that it has been eternally
willed by God, to please him and to obey his
Providence.
Behold the great S. Charles, when the plague
attacked his diocese. He lifted up his heart to God,
and reflected attentively that in the eternity of
Divine Providence, this scourge was prepared and
determined for his flock, and that the same
Providence had ordained that in this their scourge he
should take a most tender care to serve, solace and
cordially assist the affiicted, since in this
occurrence he found himself the ghostly father,
pastor and bishop of that province.
Whereupon, representing to himself the greatness
of the pains, toils and hazards which it would be
incumbent on him to undergo in that behalf, he
immolated himself in spirit to God's good-pleasure,
and tenderly kissing this his cross, he cried from
the bottom of his heart, in imitation of S. Andrew:
"I salute thee, O precious cross, I salute thee, O
blessed tribulation! O holy affliction, how
delightful thou art, since thou didst issue from the
loving breast of this Father of eternal mercy, who
willed thee from all eternity, and ordained thee for
my dear people and me! O cross, my heart wills thee,
since the heart of my God has willed thee; O cross,
my soul cherishes and embraces thee, with its whole
affection!"
In this sort we are to undertake the gravest
affairs, and to meet the sharpest tribulations that
can befal us. But if they prove to be of long
continuance, we must from time to time, and very
frequently, repeat this exercise, that we may more
profitably continue our union with God's good will
and pleasure, pronouncing this short yet wholly
divine protestation of his Son; Yea, eternal Father,
for so it hath seemed good in thy sight.(2)
O God, Theotimus, what treasures are in this
practice!
|