MOTIVES FOR SANCTIFYING MY ACTIONS

G.o.d expects me to honor Him by that action.

G.o.d has attached a special blessing to that action, and awaits its fulfilment to bestow it.

G.o.d notes each action; and of them all hereafter I must give an account.

G.o.d will see that I love Him, if I strive to fulfil every duty, in spite of weariness and trouble.

I honor G.o.d by this action; and I, poor, weak, sinful child, am allowed to glorify Him, in place of those who blaspheme and rebel against the Divine will.

XXIX.

They say there is nothing which communicates itself so quickly amongst the members of a family as an expression of coldness or discontent on the face of one of its members. It is like the frost that chills us. This is not altogether true; there is something which is communicated with equal rapidity and greater force--I mean the smiling face, the beaming countenance, the happy heart.

x.x.x.

LITTLE WORRIES

There is not a day in our lives that we are not distressed by some one of those numberless little worries that meet us at every step, and which are inevitable.

The wound made may not be deep; but the constant p.r.i.c.ks, each day renewed, imbitter the character, destroy peace, create anxiety, and make the family life, that otherwise would be so sweet and peaceful, almost unendurable.

Life is full of these little miseries. Each hour brings with it its own trouble.

Here are some of the little worries: An impatient word escapes our lips in the presence of some one in whose estimation we would stand well.

A servant does his work badly, fidgets us by his slowness, irritates us by his thoughtlessness, and his awkward blunders make us blush.

A giddy child in its clumsiness breaks something of value, or that we treasure on account of its a.s.sociations; we are charged with a message of importance, and our forgetfulness makes us appear uncourteous, perhaps ungrateful; some one we live with is constantly finding fault, nothing pleases them. If, when night comes, we find we have not experienced these little worries, then we ought to be grateful to G.o.d. Each of these, and many more, are liable to befall us every day of our life.

HOW TO BEAR LITTLE WORRIES

In the first place, expect them. Make them the subject of our morning prayers, and say to ourselves, Here is my daily cross, do I accept willingly? Surely! for it is G.o.d Who sends it. After all ... these little troubles, looked at calmly, what are they? Ah, if there were never any worse!

Secondly, we must be prepared for them. You know, if you wish to break the force of a blow falling on you, you naturally bend the body; so let us act with regard to our souls.

Accustom yourself, wrote a pious author, to stoop with sweet condescension, not only to exigencies (that is your duty), but to the simple wishes of those who surround you--the accidents which may intervene; you will find yourself seldom, if ever, crushed.

To _bend_ is better than to _bear_; to bear is often a little hard; to bend implies a certain external sweetness that yields all constraint, sacrificing the wishes, even in holy things, when they tend to cause disagreements in the family circle.

Submission often implies an entire resignation to all that G.o.d permits.

The soul that endures feels the weight of its trouble. The soul that yields scarcely perceives it.

Blessed are those docile ones; they are those whom G.o.d selects to work for Him.

x.x.xI.

TO OBTAIN PEACE

Approach the Blessed Sacrament, O restless soul, in search of peace, and, humbly kneeling there, pour forth bravely, slowly, and with earnest desire, the following prayer:--

O JESUS, gentle and humble of heart, hear me!

From the desire of being esteemed, From the desire of being loved, From the desire to be sought, Deliver me, JESUS.

From the desire to be mourned, From the desire of praise, From the desire of preference, From the desire of influence, From the desire of approval, From the desire of authority, From the fear of humiliation, From the fear of being despised, From the fear of repulse, From the fear of calumny, From the fear of oblivion, From the fear of ridicule, From the fear of injury, From the fear of suspicion, Deliver me, JESUS.

That others may be loved more than myself. JESUS grant this desire.

That others may be more highly esteemed.

That others may grow and increase in honor, and I decrease. JESUS, grant me to desire it.

That others may be employed, and I set aside. JESUS, grant me to desire this.

That others may attract the praise, and myself be forgotten.

That others may be preferred in all.

Grant me the utmost holiness of which I am capable, then let others be holier than myself. JESUS, grant me to desire it!

Oh, if G.o.d hearkens,--and hearken He surely will, if your prayer has been sincere,--what joy in your heart, what peace on your countenance, what sweetness will pervade your whole life!

More than half one's troubles arise from an exaggerated idea of one's own importance, and the efforts we make to increase our position in the world.

Lacordaire says, that the sweetest thing on earth is to be forgotten by all, with the exception of those who love us. All else brings more trouble than joy; and as soon as we have completed our task here, and fulfilled our mission, the best thing for us to do is to disappear altogether.

Let us each cultivate carefully and joyously the portion of soil Providence has committed to our care. Let us never be hindered or distracted by ambitious thoughts, that we could do better, or a false zeal tempting us to forsake our daily task with the vain desire to surpa.s.s our neighbors.... Let this one thought occupy our minds. To do _well_ what is given us to do, for this is all that G.o.d requires at our hands. It may be summed up in four words,--simply, zealously, cheerfully, completely.

Then if we _are_ slighted, misunderstood, maligned, or persecuted, what does it matter? These injuries will pa.s.s away; but the peace and love of G.o.d will remain with us forever, the reward of our faith and patience. The love of G.o.d! Who can describe all the joy, strength, and consolation it reveals?

Never has human love, in its brightest dreams, been able to form any idea of all the sweetness the love of G.o.d imparts to the soul, and which is brought still nearer to us in the Blessed Sacrament.

I can well understand the words of a loving soul: "With heaven so near, and daily communion with our G.o.d, how can we ever repine!"

x.x.xII.

AFTER HOLY COMMUNION