Prayer.
“We ought always to pray.” — St. Luke 18.1.
NINETEENTH DAY.
It is very advantageous and salutary to occupy one’s self during prayer in making acts of praise and of the love of God; to form a goodness because He is sovereign perfection; to wish that all render Him the honor and glory He deserves; to recommend one’s self to His mercy; to place one’s self simply before Him, admiring His grandeur, humbling one’s self at the sight of our miseries, then to be indifferent as to what He sends us, be it consolations or dryness, convinced that H knows which is better for us — these acts tend to fill the mind with holy affections. The great point is not to think much, but to love much. — St. Teresa.
Father Segneri, the younger, said to one of his friends: “Do not do as I have done. During the time of my studies in theology, I employed my hour of prayer in making reflections, in order to excite in me some pious sentiments. I scarcely ever offered myself to God. At last Our Lord enlightened me. I now do nothing more than recommend myself to Him and make acts of love. If I have been of any use to others, I owe it to this exercise, I think.”
St. Jane Frances found her delight in contemplating the immense perfections of God, and desiring that this Sovereign Good be known and loved by all His creatures.
Prayer.
My God, I will not cease to offer myself to Thee, to praise Thee, to love Thee, to say to Thee, I am ready to do Thy will.