Do not hesitate to ask for temporal blessings,--health, intellect, success.

I can bestow them, and never fail to do so, where they tend to make the soul more holy. What wouldst thou this day, My child?... If thou didst but know how I long to bless thee!...

_Hast thou no interests which occupy thy mind?_

Tell Me of them all.... Of thy vocation. What dost thou think? What dost thou desire? Wouldst thou give pleasure to thy mother, thy family, those in authority over thee? what wouldst thou do for them?

And for Me hast thou no ardor? Dost thou not desire to do some good to the souls of those thou lovest, but who are forgetful of Me?

Tell Me of one in whom thou hast interest; the motive that actuates; the means thou wouldst employ.

Lay before Me thy failures, and _I_ will teach thee the cause.

Whom wouldst thou have to help thee? The hearts of all are in My keeping, and _I_ lead them gently wheresoever _I_ will. Rest a.s.sured, all who are needful to thee, _I_ will place around thee.

_Oh! My child, tell Me of all thy weariness_: who has grieved thee?

treated thee with contempt? wounded thy self-love?

Tell Me all, and thou wilt end by saying, all is forgiven, all forgotten ... and _I_, surely _I_ will bless thee!...

_Art thou fearful of the future?_ Is there in thy heart that vague dread that thou canst not define, but which nevertheless torments thee?

Trust in My Providence.... _I_ am present with thee, _I_ know all, and _I_ will never leave thee nor forsake thee.

Are there around thee those seemingly less devout than formerly, whose coldness or indifference have estranged thee from them without real cause?...

Pray for them. _I_ can draw them back to thee if they are necessary to the sanctification of thy soul.

_What are the joys of which thou hast to tell Me?_

Let Me share thy pleasures; tell Me of all that has occurred since yesterday to comfort thee, please thee, to give thee joy!

That fear suddenly dispelled, that unexpected success, that token of affection, the trial that proved thee stronger than thou thoughtest....

My child, _I_ sent it all; why not show some grat.i.tude, and simply thank thy LORD?

Grat.i.tude draws down a blessing, and the Great Benefactor likes His children to remind Him of His Goodness.

_Hast thou no promises to make to Me?_ I can read thy heart; thou knowest it; thou mayst deceive man, but thou canst never deceive G.o.d. Be sincere.

_Art thou resolved to avoid all occasions of sin?_ To renounce that which tempts thee; never again to open the book that excites thine imagination?

Not to bestow thine affection on one who is not devout, and whose presence steals the peace from thy soul?

Wilt thou go now and be loving and forbearing towards one who has vexed thee?...

Good, My child!... Go, then, return to thy daily toil; be silent, humble, resigned, charitable; then return to Me with a heart yet more loving and devoted, and _I_ shall have for thee fresh blessings.

XXIII.

"There will soon be none left," said S. Francis de Sales, "who will love poor sinners but G.o.d and myself."

Oh! why do we fail in love towards those poor sinful ones! Are they not very much to be pitied?

When they are prosperous, pray for them; but when misfortune comes (and trouble weighs heavily upon the wicked), death depriving them of the only beings they did not hate, afflicting them with a loathsome disease, delivering them up to scorn and misery--oh! then, when all this comes upon them, love them freely. It is by affection alone that we can reach the worst characters, and the souls that are steeped in sin.

How many have died impenitent, who, if only some one had cared for them and shown them love, might have become at last saints in heaven! Oh! the sins that are committed, oh! the souls we suffer to wander from G.o.d, and all because we are so wanting in love towards them.

XXIV.

Let us always be on our guard against _Prejudice_.

Some women have a way (of which they themselves are unconscious) of turning the cold shoulder to some one member of their family.

For what reason? They cannot say, simply because the cause is never very clearly defined and in this lies all the mischief.

Perhaps an air of indifference they may have fancied, and which arose merely from fatigue, or trouble that could not be confided to them.

A word misinterpreted, because heard at a time when they felt discontented, and their morbid imagination made everything appear in a false light.

Some scandal to which they ought never to have listened, or, at least, should have endeavored to fathom, going direct to the person concerned and seeking an explanation.

And behold the result: they in their turn become cold, reserved, and suspicious, misinterpreting the slightest gesture ... in a few days arises a coldness, from the feeling they are no longer beloved; then follow contempt and mistrust, finally, a hatred that gnaws and rends the very heart.

It all springs up imperceptibly, till at last the family life is one of bitterness and misery.

They console, or better still, excuse themselves, with the thought of their suffering, never considering how much pain they give to others, nor where the fault lies.

XXV.

Let it rest! Ah! how many hearts on the brink of anxiety and disquietude by this simple sentence have been made calm and happy!

Some proceeding has wounded us by its want of tact; _let it rest_; no one will think of it again.

A harsh or unjust sentence irritates us; _let it rest_; whoever may have given vent to it will be pleased to see it is forgotten.

A painful scandal is about to estrange us from an old friend; _let it rest_, and thus preserve our charity and peace of mind.

A suspicious look is on the point of cooling our affection; _let it rest_, and our look of trust will restore confidence....

Fancy! we who are so careful to remove the briers from our pathway for fear they should wound, yet take pleasure in collecting and piercing our hearts with the thorns that meet us in our daily intercourse with one another. How childish and unreasonable we are!

XXVI.

Of all the means placed by Providence within our reach, whereby we may lead souls to Him, there is one more blessed than all others,--intercessory prayer.