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 Absolute Surrender to Divine Providence, 
 
 oh/' 
 
 Rev. J. P. de^AUSSADE, S.J. 
 
 REVISED AND CORRECTED BY 
 
 Rev. H. RAMIERE, S.J. 
 Translated from the Eighth French Edition 
 
 BY 
 
 ,7 Miss ELLA McMAHON. 
 
 New YnrT^^FmrrTrfTniTT) riffi St. Louis : 
 
 BENZIGER BROTHERS, 
 
 Printers to the Holy Apostolic See. 
 
 R. WASHBOURNE, M. H. GILL & SON, 
 
 18 Paternoster Row, London. 50 Upper O'Connell St., Dublin. 
 

 XmjjrUrcatitr, 
 
 * MICHAEL AUGUSTINE, 
 
 ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK. 
 
 New York, Feb. 15, 18! 
 
 Copyright, 1887, by Benziger Brothers. 
 
A PREFACE 
 
 FOUNDATION AND TRUE NATURE OF THE 
 VIRTUE OF ABANDONMENT, 
 
 TO EXPLAIN AND DEFEND 
 
 Father Caussade's Doctrine. 
 
 There is no truth however clear 
 which does not become error the mo- 
 ment it is lessened or exaggerated ; 
 and there is no food however salutary 
 for the soul which may not, when ill- 
 applied, become a fatal poison. 
 
 The virtue of abandonment does not 
 escape this danger; the more holy and 
 profitable it is in itself the more serious 
 are the dangers we risk by misunder- 
 standing its just limits. 
 
 These dangers, unfortunately, are 
 not mere possibilities. The seven- 
 teenth century witnessed the birth of a 
 heresy, — that of the Quietests, — which, 
 
4 Preface. 
 
 while claiming to teach its followers 
 perfect abandonment to God, led them 
 into the most terrible disorders. For 
 a time this sect wrought its ravages in 
 the very capital of Catholicism, and put 
 forth such specious sophistries that the 
 pious Fenelon himself, while abhorring 
 the practical consequences drawn from 
 this teaching, was for a time misled by- 
 its false appearance of perfection. 
 
 To preserve Father Caussade's read- 
 ers from these dangers, we think it well 
 to add to these writings a succinct ex- 
 position of the rules which should guide 
 us in a matter so delicate. By the 
 light of the principles jointly furnished 
 us by reason and faith, we shall have 
 no difficulty in determining the just 
 limits which should mark our abandon- 
 ment to divine Providence; and it will 
 be easy for us afterwards to elucidate 
 the points in our author's doctrine 
 which might be wrongly interpreted. 
 
 Father Caussade explains very clear- 
 ly in his " Letters" the two principles 
 which form the unalterable basis of the 
 virtue of abandonment. 
 
Preface. 5 
 
 First principle: Nothing is done, 
 nothing happens, either in the material 
 or in the moral world, which God has not 
 foreseen from all eternity, and which He 
 has not willed, or at least permitted. 
 
 Second principle : God can will 
 nothing, He can permit nothing, but in 
 view of the end He proposed to Him- 
 self in creating the world ; i.e., in view 
 of His glory and the glory of the Man- 
 God, Jesus Christ, His only Son. 
 
 To these two principles laid down by 
 our author we shall add a third, which 
 will complete the elucidation of this 
 whole subject: As long as man lives 
 upon earth, God desires to be glorified 
 through the happiness of this privileged 
 creature; and consequently in God's de- 
 signs the interest of man's sanctification 
 and happiness is inseparable from the 
 interest of the divine glory. 
 
 If we do not lose sight of these prin- 
 ciples, which no Christian can question, 
 we shall understand that our confidence 
 in the Providence of our Father in 
 heaven cannot be too great, too abso- 
 lute, too child-like. If nothing but 
 what He permits happens, and if 
 He can permit nothing but what 
 
6 Preface. 
 
 is for our happiness, then we have 
 nothing to fear, except not being 
 sufficiently submissive to God. As 
 long as we keep ourselves united with 
 Him and we walk after His designs, 
 were all creatures to turn against us 
 they could not harm us. He who re- 
 lies upon God becomes by this very re- 
 liance as powerful and as invincible as 
 God, and created powers can no more 
 prevail against him than against God 
 Himself. 
 
 This confidence in the fatherly provi- 
 dence of God gannot, evidently, dis- 
 pense us from doing all that is in our 
 power to accomplish His designs; but 
 after having done all that depends 
 upon our efforts we will abandon our- 
 selves completely to God for the rest. 
 
 This abandonment should extend, in 
 face, to everything — to the past, to the 
 present, to the future; to the body and 
 all its conditions; to the soul and all 
 its miseries, as well as all its qualities; 
 to blessings; to afflictions ; to the good 
 will of men, and to their malice; to the 
 vicissitudes of the material, and the 
 revolutions of the moral, world; to life 
 and to death; to time and to eternity. 
 
Preface, 7 
 
 However, as these different orders of 
 things do not enter in the same manner 
 in the designs of divine Providence, 
 neither should our abandonment in re- 
 gard to these be practised in the same 
 manner; and the rules which we should 
 follow in the practice of this virtue 
 should be founded on the nature itself 
 of the objects which call it forth. We 
 shall indicate the principal ones. 
 
 I. Among all the dispositions to which 
 our abandonment can be applied, there 
 are first, those which depend solely 
 upon God, where human liberty has no 
 part either in producing or averting 
 them. Such are, for example, certain 
 scourges, and vicissitudes of the atmos- 
 phere; certain accidents impossible to 
 foresee, certain natural defects of body 
 or soul. 
 
 In regard to facts of this order, 
 (whether of the past, present, or future, 
 'it is evident that our abandonment 
 cannot be too absolute. 
 
 There is nothing to do here but to 
 passively and lovingly endure all that 
 Godsends us; to blindly accept in ad- 
 vance all that it may please Him to send 
 us in the future. Resistance would be 
 
8 Preface. 
 
 useless, and only serve to make us un- 
 happy ; a loving and frequently re- 
 newed acceptance, on the contrary, 
 would make these inevitable sufferings 
 very meritorious. And oh, the marvels 
 of God's goodness ! Our abandonment 
 will not only sanctify and fructify real 
 trials; it will enable us to derive great 
 merit from trials to which we shall 
 never be subjected. For, if we loving- 
 ly accept these trials when they present 
 themselves to our minds as probable, 
 or simply possible, this willing acquies- 
 cence, thisjfrz/uttered in the depths of the 
 heart, cannot fail to please God, and be 
 very useful to our souls. Therefore, in 
 regard to this first order of events, the 
 practice of abandonment cannot but be 
 very sanctifying, as it changes into 
 means of sanctification not only real 
 but even purely imaginary trials. 
 
 II. There are other sufferings which 
 come to us through the malice of creat- 
 ures: persecutions, calumnies, ill-treat- 
 ment, neglect, injustice, and offences of 
 every kind. What are we to do when 
 we find ourselves exposed to vexatious 
 things of this sort ? 
 
Preface. g 
 
 ist. We evidently cannot like the of- 
 fence against God with which they are 
 accompanied; we should, on the con- 
 trary, deplore and detest it, not because 
 it wounds our self-love, but because it 
 is an offence against the divine rights, 
 and compromises the salvation of the 
 offending souls. 
 
 2d. As for that which concerns us, on 
 the contrary, we should regard as a bless- 
 ing that which is in itself an evil; and to 
 do this we need only recall the princi- 
 ples previously laid down: not to look 
 only at the creature who is the immedi- 
 ate cause of our sufferings, but to raise 
 our eyes higher and behold God, who 
 has foreseen and permitted them from 
 all eternity, and who in permitting 
 them had only our happiness in view. 
 This thought will be sufficient to dissi- 
 pate the bitterness and trouble which 
 would take possession of our hearts 
 were we to look only at the injustice of 
 which we are the victims. 
 
 3d. In regard to the effects of this 
 injustice already consummated and ir- 
 reparable, we have only to resign our- 
 selves as lovingly as possible, and care- 
 fully gather their precious fruits. It is 
 
io Preface. 
 
 frequently not difficult to divine the 
 spiritual fruits God destined for us in 
 exposing us to temporal evils: to detach 
 us from creatures; to deliver us from 
 inordinate affections, from our pride, 
 from our tepidity, — veritable maladies. 
 of the soul, frequently all the more 
 dangerous that they are less perceptible, 
 and of which the heavenly Physician 
 wishes to cure us, using the malice of 
 our neighbor as a sharp instrument. 
 We do not hesitate to endure much 
 greater sufferings to be delivered from 
 corporal infirmities; then let us grate- 
 fully accept the spiritual health, in- 
 finitely more precious, which God offers 
 us, however disagreeable the instru- 
 ment through which He gives it to us. 
 4th. If it is in our power to avert the 
 consequences of malice and injustice, 
 and if in our true interest, and in the in- 
 terest of the divine glory, we deem it 
 necessary to take any measures to this" 
 end, let us do so without departing 
 from the practice of the holy virtue of 
 abandonment. Let us commit the suc- 
 cess of our efforts to God, and be ready 
 to accept failure if God judges it 
 more suitable to His designs and more 
 
Preface, it 
 
 profitable to our souls. We are so 
 blind that we always have reason to 
 fear being deceived; but God cannot be 
 deceived, and we may be certain, in 
 advance, that what He determines will 
 be best. Therefore we cannot do 
 better than abandon with fullest confi- 
 dence the result of our efforts to Him. 
 
 III. But should this abandonment 
 extend equally to our acts of impru- 
 dence, to our faults, and all the annoy- 
 ances of every kind in which they may 
 result ? 
 
 It is important to distinguish here 
 two things which self-love tends to con- 
 found. In the fault itself we must dis- 
 tinguish what is culpable and what is 
 humiliating. Likewise in its conse- 
 quences we must distinguish what is 
 detrimental to the divine glory and the 
 confusion inflicted on our self-love. 
 Evidently we cannot hate too much the 
 fault, properly so called, nor regret too 
 keenly the injury done to the divine 
 glory. But as for our humiliation, and 
 the confusion inflicted on our self-love, 
 we should rejoice, and acquiesce in it 
 with complete abandonment. This 
 
1 2 Preface. 
 
 kind of sacrifice is undoubtedly the 
 best fitted to destroy in us the most 
 secret fibres of self-love, and to cause 
 us to make rapid progress in virtue. 
 To souls who have attained a certain 
 degree of regularity and detachment, 
 exterior humiliations are very little. 
 When we have learned the vanity of 
 human glory, we easily endure the 
 sting of contempt; but we may still 
 unite with this exterior detachment 
 great attachment to our own esteem 
 and approbation, and a wholly egotisti- 
 cal desire of perfection. In this case, 
 self-love, by changing its object, would 
 only become more subtle and more 
 dangerous. To destroy it, there is no 
 remedy more efficacious than the hu- 
 miliation resulting from our faults; and 
 we cannot, consequently, strive too ear- 
 nestly to apply the practice of abandon- 
 ment to this humiliation, endeavoring 
 at the same time to correct the faults 
 themselves. 
 
 And what we say of faults of the past 
 applies equally to faults of the future. 
 The practice of abandonment well un- 
 derstood should deliver us from that 
 impatience which makes us wish to at 
 
Preface. 13 
 
 once attain the summit of perfection, 
 and which only serves to keep us from 
 it by turning us from the only path 
 which leads to perfection. This path 
 is humility, and the impatience which 
 we are censuring is only another form 
 of pride. Let us make every effort to 
 correct our faults; but let us be re- 
 signed to not seeing them all disappear 
 in a day. Let us earnestly, and with 
 the most filial confidence, ask God to 
 grant us that decisive grace which will 
 completely wrest us from ourselves, to 
 make us live only in Him; but let us 
 leave to Him, with an equally filial 
 abandonment, the care of determining 
 the day and hour in which this grace 
 shall be given us. 
 
 With still greater reason should we 
 abandon to God the determining of the 
 degree of sanctity which we shall attain 
 upon earth, the extraordinary graces 
 which will accompany this sanctity here 
 below, and the glory with which it will 
 be crowned in heaven. In as far as it 
 depends upon us, we should leave 
 nothing undone to increase this sanc- 
 tity and this glory, in order not to fall 
 short of the degree God has marked 
 
14 Preface. 
 
 for us; but if we must earnestly devote 
 ourselves to realizing His designs, we 
 must not desire to have them other 
 than they are. If our love for God is 
 what it should be, we will thank Him 
 for having granted other souls favors 
 that He has refused us, and we will 
 praise Him no less for our poverty than 
 for our riches. 
 
 IV. Should our abandonment go still 
 farther ? Should we, in view of the 
 hypothesis — perfectly possible, alas! — 
 of our damnation, resign ourselves 
 thereto, and thus make to God the 
 complete and absolute sacrifice of all 
 our own interests? 
 
 To this point would Fenelon have 
 carried the purity of love and the per- 
 fection of abandonment ; and he did 
 not lack plausible motives with which to 
 support this doctrine. He drew from 
 the example and the writings of the 
 Saints arguments still more specious 
 to prove that God frequently requires 
 this complete sacrifice of elect souls; 
 and that to obtain it He impresses 
 them with an irresistible conviction of 
 their eternal loss. According to this 
 
Preface. 15 
 
 great prelate, divine love is only per- 
 fect in souls who have gone through 
 this trial without faltering, and who by 
 a sacrifice have renounced, at least hy- 
 pothetically, all their own interest, even 
 that of their eternal salvation. 
 
 But the Church has condemned this 
 doctrine which, in proposing to man a 
 perfection contrary to his nature, re- 
 verses the order of God's designs. 
 How, in fact, can perfection consist in 
 destroying the most essential law of 
 our moral nature, viz., that irresistible 
 inclination which leads us to seek our 
 happiness? How. could love of God 
 require that we rob God of one of His 
 attributes — the one which makes Him 
 the supreme object of our beatitude? 
 How could one of the theological 
 virtues be contrary to another, and 
 charity exclude hope ? What is eternal 
 happiness if not the eternal reign of 
 pure love ? and how could the pure love 
 of time consist in excluding, even hy- 
 pothetically, from our desires the pure 
 love of eternity ? 
 
 That which perfect abandonment 
 asks is that we observe in our desires 
 the order of God's designs. God 
 
1 6 Preface. 
 
 created all things for His glory first; 
 and secondly, but inseparably, for our 
 happiness. Let us do as He does: let 
 us never separate the interest of His 
 glory from that of our happiness, but 
 let us always make the second subordi- 
 nate to the first. Let us love God as the 
 object of our beatitude, but let us love 
 Him above all for His infinite good- 
 ness. Let us desire and hope for our 
 eternal happiness; but since this hap- 
 piness, when we shall enjoy it, must re- 
 sult from the love of God for Himself, 
 let us begin now to seek it as it must 
 be when we realize it, and refer the de- 
 sire of it, as we will one day refer its 
 enjoyment, to the glory of this great 
 God who desires to be all in all things. 
 
 Thus, at one and the same time, we 
 can practise charity and hope, seek the 
 glory of God and our own happiness, 
 fill the designs of our Creator, and 
 satisfy the deepest and most imperative 
 needs of our nature. 
 
 The saints did not do otherwise; and 
 Father Caussade, in one of his letters, 
 proves very clearly that the formulas 
 of apparent despair that they have 
 sometimes used in the transports of 
 
Preface. 1 7 
 
 their cruel sufferings contained in 
 reality acts of the most meritorious 
 confidence. Elsewhere he also shows 
 most perfectly how ill-founded is this 
 even hypothetic separation between 
 God's interests and our true interests; 
 and he justly concludes therefrom that 
 perfection cannot consist in supposing 
 this separation and sacrificing the in- 
 terest of our eternal happiness to that 
 of the divine glory. 
 
 We have no reason, therefore, to fear 
 that in reading Father Caussade's trea- 
 tise we are liable to confound, at least 
 in this respect, the abandonment he 
 recommends with the Quietism con- 
 demned in Fenelon. 
 
 Is our author equally irreproachable 
 in all the other points of his doctrine ? 
 Might he not be accused of turning his 
 readers from duties which require la- 
 bor and effort to keep them in an indo- 
 lent repose ? 
 
 There would be ground for this re- 
 proach if Father Caussade promised 
 to give his readers a complete treatise 
 on Christian and religious perfection; 
 
1 8 Preface. 
 
 but this he does not do. He ad- 
 dresses himself to souls already ad- 
 vanced in virtue and accustomed not 
 only to faithfully fulfil the essential 
 precepts of Christianity, but also to ob- 
 serve the prescriptions of religious dis- 
 cipline. Like the young man in the 
 Gospel who from his youth had kept 
 the commandments, and who begged 
 our Saviour to show him a higher per- 
 fection, these souls ask Father Caussade 
 what they must do to sanctify them- 
 selves after having accomplished all 
 the duties imposed upon their free 
 will. The man of God answers them 
 like our Saviour: If you would be per- 
 fect, rid yourself of all that may still 
 cling to you of attachment to your own 
 interests, your own ideas, your own 
 will, and abandon yourself completely 
 to God. Practise the virtue of aban- 
 donment; practise it so habitually that 
 it will become the constant state of 
 your soul: thus you will cease to live 
 to yourself, to live only in God. 
 
 This is a. summary of the book we are 
 re-editing to-day. To understand it we 
 must bear in mind, as we read it, the 
 situation of the author, and that of the 
 
Preface. 1 9 
 
 souls to whom his counsels are ad- 
 dressed; viz., that it is not, as we have al- 
 ready said, a complete treatise of Chris- 
 tian perfection which he has claimed 
 to write; his only object was to set 
 forth the advantages of a special virtue 
 and a particular state. It is true that 
 this virtue is one of the most essential 
 bases of sanctity, and that this state is 
 sanctity itself as far as it is attainable 
 on earth. But it is no less true that 
 Father Caussade had no idea whatever 
 of telling all Christians what they 
 should do to save their souls. There- 
 fore it would be a serious mistake to 
 believe ourselves dispensed from all 
 duties of which he makes no mention, 
 in order to devote ourselves only to 
 this great duty of abandonment, the 
 importance of which he so justly and 
 eloquently portrays. 
 
 To avoid this dangerous error, and 
 reap all the profit of this true and very 
 consoling doctrine of Father Caussade, 
 it will be sufficient to cast a general 
 glance over the divine economy in the 
 salvation of souls, and to see what place 
 abandonment to divine Providence oc- 
 cupies in this great work. 
 
20 Pj-eface. 
 
 We all know that sanctification is a 
 work both divine and human. It is 
 divine through its immediate principle, 
 the Holy Spirit; through its meritorious 
 cause, the Incarnation and the death of 
 the Son of God; through its end, the 
 happiness of the Holy Trinity, in which 
 holy souls are to participate for all 
 eternity ; finally, through its chief means, 
 the teachings and the graces of Jesus 
 Christ transmitted to men through the 
 Church. 
 
 But this work is human also, since 
 the graces of the Holy Spirit, the merits 
 of the Son of God, the designs of the 
 Holy Trinity, and all the efforts of 
 Providence can bear fruit in a soul only 
 as far as she freely co-operates with 
 them. 
 
 This co-operation in our sanctification 
 which God requires of us is composed 
 of three parts. 
 
 It consists first of all in the destruc- 
 tion of everything in our corrupt na- 
 ture which is an obstacle to the divine 
 action: sins, vices, sensible inclinations, 
 defects, imperfections. This first labor 
 is what the masters of the spiritual life 
 call the purgative way. It is accom- 
 
Preface. 2 1 
 
 plished by examinations of conscience, 
 works of penance and mortification, 
 and the various practices in use in the 
 Church. 
 
 The second part of the labor which 
 God imposes on the soul desirous to 
 attain sanctity is less painful, and 
 easier. It is what is called the illumina- 
 tive way. The soul that God introduces 
 therein exercises herself in producing 
 the interior acts of virtue with which 
 grace inspires her, and in practicing 
 the good works to which this same 
 grace impels her. 
 
 Finally, when the obstacles are re- 
 moved and the soul's preparation is 
 completed, God unites Himself to her, 
 fills her with His grace, inflames her 
 with His love, and uses her as a docile 
 instrument for the accomplishment of 
 His designs: this is the unitive way. 
 
 But let us not misapprehend this 
 condition. Even in this perfect state in 
 which God is fully master of His 
 reasonable creature, He does not act in 
 her without her co-operation; He re- 
 quires of her great fidelity in avoiding 
 the smallest faults, great vigilance over 
 her affections, great generosity in deny- 
 
2 2 Preface. 
 
 ing herself in all things, great fervor 
 in prayer. So far from dispensing her 
 from the works of the illuminative way 
 by which she prepared herself for the 
 divine union, He causes her to accom- 
 plish them with greater perfection and 
 merit. 
 
 Among these works common to the 
 two ways of which we have just spoken, 
 there are some which are strictly of ob- 
 ligation, either because they are pre- 
 scribed to all Christians by the com- 
 mandments of God and the Church, or 
 because they are imposed on each one 
 by the special circumstances of his state. 
 There are others which are simply of 
 counsel, or even purely of supereroga- 
 tion, and which each one embraces ac- 
 cording to his more or less ardent de- 
 sire of sanctification. In the same way, 
 among the works of penance which 
 form the purgative way there are some 
 from which no one can dispense him- 
 self ; but there are others which, with- 
 out being of absolute necessity, are 
 more or less useful, or even relatively 
 necessary to certain souls, because of 
 their particular position, and the vio- 
 
Preface. 23 
 
 lence of the inclinations which impel 
 them to evil. 
 
 Such is man's threefold part in the 
 beginning, progress, and consummation 
 of the eminently divine work of sancti- 
 fication — a part essentially active, and 
 so necessary that without it God's part 
 would be hopelessly sterile. Father 
 Caussade, however, says very little of 
 it in his book. Does he doubt its im- 
 mense importance and absolute neces- 
 sity ? Far from it. On the contrary, in 
 many passages he is careful to warn 
 us that the fiassiveness which he recom- 
 mends to the soul in no way dispenses 
 her from the very active accomplish- 
 ment of all that is duty, whether general 
 or special. He adds that the souls who 
 walk in the ordinary ways should not 
 dispense themselves from the practices 
 of supererogation in use in the Church 
 among pious persons, and from follow- 
 ing the rules traced by the masters of 
 the spiritual life. Even upon persons 
 who have reached the passive state he 
 imposes the obligation of actively fol- 
 lowing the inspirations of grace when 
 they lead to action, and of doing all to 
 which they are impelled by grace. 
 
24 Preface. 
 
 Why, then, after making these reser- 
 vations in some parts of his work does 
 he seem to forget them, to solely extol 
 the advantages of abandonment to the 
 ' divine action ? We have already said 
 why: because the souls to whom he 
 addressed himself, long exercised in the 
 practice of active virtue, had special 
 need to perfect themselves in this pas- 
 sive abandonment. 
 
 How many such souls there are in 
 religious communities, or even in the 
 midst of the world, who have no need 
 to be urged to activity in the pursuit of 
 sanctity, but who, on the contrary, need 
 above all things to learn to let God act 
 in them ! Father Caussade addresses 
 himself specially to these souls. Had 
 his book no other result than to en- 
 lighten them upon God's real designs 
 concerning them, to deliver them from 
 their disquieting agitation in order to in- 
 troduce them into abroad and peaceful 
 path, and enable them to find powerful 
 means of salvation in unfortutious 
 events which they regard as obstacles, 
 we should still believe that in offering 
 this work to them we are doing them 
 an eminent service. 
 
Preface. 25 
 
 But the salutary teaching of this book 
 is not limited to a special class of 
 persons. Though written specially for 
 souls who have already attained a high 
 degree of perfection, the doctrine it 
 develops is suited to all Christians. It 
 makes it clear to all that if God does 
 not dispense them from laboring ac- 
 tively for their salvation, He takes upon 
 Himself the greatest part of this work; 
 that He unceasingly labors thereon; 
 that He employs all creatures and all 
 events to further it; and that if they 
 will only permit Him to do His will, — 
 without doing any more than they are 
 doing, without suffering any more than 
 they are suffering, but only by recog- 
 nizing and loving God's action in things 
 which He obliges them to do and suf- 
 fer, they will amass infinite merits and 
 attain great perfection. 
 
 Thus Father Caussade does not sup- 
 press our active co-operation in the 
 work of our sanctiflcation, but he 
 teaches us to profit much better than we 
 do of God's part therein, by abandon- 
 ing ourselves more to Him. In events 
 where too frequently we see only mis- 
 fortunes, because we regard them as 
 
26 Preface. 
 
 more or less reprehensible effects of the 
 malice or the imperfection of creatures, 
 he teaches us to see the divine love 
 using these same creatures as instru- 
 ments either to correct our vices or to 
 cause us to practise virtue. Therefore 
 he changes the principal obstacles to 
 the success of this great work into 
 means of sanctification, and teaches us 
 the art of changing creatures the 
 most indifferent or the most hostile into 
 powerful auxiliaries. With good rea- 
 son does he desire to be able to incul- 
 cate this doctrine in men of all condi- 
 tions; forthere is no doubt that, if they 
 understood it well, sanctity would seem 
 to them much more attainable; and that, 
 seeing God laboring unceasingly upon 
 this work, they would fulfil with much 
 greater courage the duties imposed 
 upon their free will. 
 
 H. Ramiere, SJ. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Preface by Rev. H. Ramiere, S.J 3 
 
 BOOK FIRST. 
 
 OF THE NA TURE AND EXCELLENCE OF THE 
 VI R THE OF HOL Y ABA NDONMENT. 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 I. The sanctity of the righteous of the Old Law, 
 and of Joseph and of Mary herself, consisted 
 
 in fidelity to the order of God 31 
 
 II. The duties of each moment are the shadows 
 
 which veil the divine action 33 
 
 III. How much easier sanctity becomes when 
 
 studied from this point of view 36 
 
 IV. Perfection does not consist in knowing the 
 
 order of God, but in submitting to it 42 
 
 V. Reading and other exercises only sanctify us 
 in so far as they are^ the channels of the 
 
 divine action 44 
 
 VI. The mind and other human means are useful 
 only in so far as they are the instruments of 
 
 the divine action 49 
 
 VII. There is no enduring peace but in submission 
 
 to the divine action 52 
 
 VIII. The perfection of souls and the excellence of 
 different states are in proportion to their con- 
 formity to the order of God 54 
 
 IX. All the riches of grace are the fruit of purity of 
 
 heart and perfect self-abandonment 62 
 
28 Contents. 
 
 BOOK SECOND. 
 
 THE DIVINE ACTION AND THE MANNER IN 
 WHICH IT UNCEASINGLY WORKS THE 
 SANCTIFICA TION OF SOULS. 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. The divine action is everywhere and always 
 present, though only visible to the eye of 
 
 Faith 69 
 
 II. The divine action is all the more visible to the 
 eye of Faith when hidden under appearances 
 most repugnant to the senses 74 
 
 III. The divine action offers us at each moment 
 
 infinite blessings which we receive in propor- 
 tion to our faith and love 79 
 
 IV. God reveals Himself to us as mysteriously, as 
 
 adorably, and with as much reality in the 
 most ordinary events as in the great events of 
 
 history and the Holy Scriptures 82 
 
 V. The divine action continues in our hearts the 
 revelation begun in Holy Scripture; but the 
 characters in which it is written will be only 
 visible at the last day 86 
 
 VI. Divine love is communicated to us through 
 the veil of creatures, as Jesus communicates 
 Himself to us through the veil of the Eucha- 
 
 ristic species 92 
 
 VII. The divine action, the will of God, is as un- 
 worthily treated and disregarded, in its daily 
 manifestation, by many Christians, as was 
 
 Jesus in the flesh by the Jews 94 
 
 VIII. The revelation of the present moment is the 
 more profitable that it is addressed directly 
 to us 97 
 
 IX. The revelation of the present moment is an in- 
 exhaustible source of sanctity 99 
 
 X. The present moment is the manifestation of the 
 name of God and the coming of His king- 
 dom 101 
 
 XI. The divine will imparts the highest sanctity 
 to souls; they have but to abandon them- 
 selves to its divine action 100 
 
 XII. The divine action alone can sanctify us, for 
 it forms us after the divine Model of our per- 
 fection 114 
 
Contents. 
 
 BOOK THIRD. 
 
 THE PATERNAL CARE WITH WHICH GOD 
 SURROUNDS SOULS WHOLLY ABANDONED 
 
 TO HIM. 
 
 CHAPTER. PAGE 
 
 I. God Himself guides souls who wholly aban- 
 don themselves to Him 119 
 
 II. The more God seems to withdraw light from 
 the soul aDandoned to His direction, the more 
 safely He guides her 125 
 
 III. The afflictions with which God visits the soul 
 
 are but loving artifices at which she will one 
 day rejoice 129 
 
 IV. The more God seems to take from a soul wholly 
 
 abandoned to Him, the more generous He is 
 
 to her 133 
 
 V. The less capable the faithful soul is of defend- 
 ing herself, the more powerfully does God 
 defend her 136 
 
 VI. The soul abandoned to the will of God, so far 
 from resisting its enemies, finds in them use- 
 ful auxiliaries 140 
 
 VII. The soul that abandons itself to God has no 
 need to justify herself by words or actions; 
 the divine action abundantly justifies her. . . . 142 
 VIII. God gives life to the soul abandoned to Him 
 by means which apparently lead only to 
 death 144 
 
 IX. Love holds the place of all things to souls who 
 
 walk in the way of abandonment 149 
 
 X. The faithful soul finds in submission to the will 
 of God more force and strength than the 
 proudest of those who resist Him 154 
 
 XL The soul abandoned to God learns to recognize 
 His will, even in the proud who resist Him. 
 All creatures, whether good or evil, reveal 
 
 Him to her 158 
 
 XII. God assures to faithful souls a glorious victory 
 
 over the powers of earth and hell 160- 
 
30 Contents. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 I. A very easy means of acquiring peace of heart, 
 
 by Fr. Surin 165 
 
 II. On perfect abandonment, by Bossuet 172 
 
 III. A short and easy method of making the prayer 
 
 of faith, and of the simple presence of God, 
 by Bossuet 173 
 
 IV. Exercise of loving union of our will with that 
 
 of God, by St. Francis de Sales 185 
 
 V. Acts of abandonment..... .............. 188 
 
$0ok first. 
 
 The Nature and Excellence of the Virtue 
 of Holy Abandonment. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Sanctity of the Righteous of the Old 
 Law, and of Joseph and of Mary herself, 
 consisted in Fidelity to the Order of God. 
 
 God speaks to-day as He spoke to our 
 fathers, when directors were not so nu- 
 merous, nor methods of direction so well 
 denned. All their spirituality consisted 
 in simple fidelity to the orderof God;but 
 it was not reduced to a science which 
 explained it so sublimely or minutely, 
 or contained so many precepts, so many 
 maxims, so much instruction. Our 
 present wants, no doubt, require this 
 explanation. It was not so in the first 
 ages of the Church, when men were 
 more simple and upright. Each moment 
 brought a duty to be faithfully ful- 
 filled : this was sufficient for interior 
 
32 Holy Abandonment 
 
 souls of that day. Their whole atten- 
 tion was concentrated simply upon the 
 duty of each successive moment with 
 the fidelity of the hour-hand of a clock 
 which steadily traverses stroke by stroke 
 the circle in which it is appointed to 
 move. The mind, unceasingly moved 
 by divine grace, turned insensibly to 
 the new duty which presented itself in 
 the order of God every hour. Such 
 were the hidden springs of Mary's life, 
 the most perfect example of simple and 
 absolute self-abandonment to the will 
 of God. The simple words, Fiat mihi 
 secundum verbum tuuni, with which she 
 was content to answer the angel, ex- 
 pressed all the mystic theology of the 
 ancients. Then, as now, it was all re- 
 duced to the simplest and most abso- 
 lute abandonment of the soul to the 
 will of God under whatever form it 
 manifested itself. This noble and ex-" 
 alted disposition, the basis of all Mary's 
 spirituality, is brilliantly manifested in 
 the words Fiat mihi. Observe how per- 
 fectly they accord with those which 
 our Lord would have ever on our lips 
 and in our hearts: Fiat voluntas tua. 
 True, the duty required of Mary at 
 
The Divine Action Overshadowed. 33 
 
 that supreme moment was a glorious 
 one for her. But all the splendor of 
 that glory would have made no impres- 
 sion upon her if the divine Will, alone 
 capable of influencing her, had not ar- 
 rested her attention. It was this divine 
 will which guided her in everything. 
 Her occupations, whether ordinary or 
 exalted, were in her eyes but shadows 
 more or less obscure in which she found 
 equal means of glorifying God and re- 
 cognizing the workings of the Almighty. 
 She joyfully accepted the duty or suf- 
 fering of each moment as a gift from 
 Him who fills with good things the 
 hearts which are nourished by Him 
 alone, and not by appearances or 
 created things. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The Duties of each Moment are the Shadows 
 which veil the Divine Action. 
 
 " The power of the Most High shall 
 overshadow thee," said the angel to 
 Mary. 
 
 This shadow, behind which the power 
 
34 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 of God effects the entrance and growth 
 of Jesus Christ in our souls, is the form 
 assumed by the duties, attractions, and 
 crosses of each moment. 
 
 They are in truth but shadows like 
 those to which we give the name in 
 the order of nature, and which envelop 
 sensible objects and hide them from 
 our view. Thus in the moral and su- 
 pernatural order the duties of each 
 moment under their obscure appear- 
 ances conceal the truth of the divine 
 will, which alone merits our atten- 
 tion. Thus Mary regarded them. 
 Therefore these shadows passing be- 
 fore her senses, so far from deceiving 
 her, filled her with faith in Him who is 
 always the same. Withdraw, Arch- 
 angel ; thy moment passes ; thou van- 
 ishest. Mary passes beyond thee; she 
 is ever in advance ; but the Holy Ghost, 
 with whom she has been filled through 
 the sensible appearances of thy mis- 
 sion, will never abandon her. 
 
 There are few extraordinary events 
 in the exterior life of Mary. At least 
 it is not to these that Holy Scripture 
 calls our attention. Her exterior life 
 is represented as very simple, very or- 
 
The Divine Action Overshadowed. 35 
 
 dinary. She did and suffered as did 
 others of her condition. She goes to 
 visit her cousin Elizabeth : the other 
 relatives go also. She retires to a 
 stable : it is a consequence of her pover- 
 ty. She returns to Nazareth : the per- 
 secution of Herod had driven her forth. 
 Jesus and Joseph lived there with her, 
 by the labor of their hands. Behold 
 the daily bread of the holy family ! 
 But with what bread was the faith of 
 Mary and Joseph nourished ? What 
 was the sacrament of all their sacred 
 moments ? What did they discover 
 under the ordinary appearance of the 
 events which filled their lives? Ex- 
 teriorly, nothing more than was hap- 
 pening to the rest of mankind ; inte- 
 riorly, faith discovers and develops 
 nothing less than God working great 
 things. O bread of angels ! Heavenly 
 manna! Pearl of the Gospel ! Sacra- 
 ment of the present moment ! Thou 
 givest God under appearances as poor 
 and mean as the manger, the hay, and 
 the straw ! But to whom dost thou 
 give Him ? Esurientes reples bonis. God 
 reveals Himself to the humble in little 
 things ; and the proud, regarding only 
 
$6 Holy Abandonment 
 
 the exterior, find Him not even in 
 great things. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 How much Easier Sanctity becomes when 
 studied from this Point of View. 
 
 If the work of our salvation offers 
 obstacles apparently so insurmountable, 
 it is because we have not a just idea of 
 it. In truth, sanctity consists in but 
 one thing — fidelity to the order of God; 
 and this fidelity is equally within the 
 reach of all, whether in its active or in 
 its passive part. 
 
 The active part of fidelity consists in 
 fulfilling the duties imposed upon us 
 either by the general commands of God 
 and the Church, or by the particular 
 state we have embraced. 
 
 Its passive part consists in lovingly 
 accepting all that God sends us each 
 moment. 
 
 Which of these two parts of sanctity 
 is above our strength ? Not the active 
 part, since the duties it enjoins cease to 
 be duties for us the moment our strength 
 is really unequal to them. Will not the 
 
How Sanctity may be made Easier. 37 
 
 state of your health permit you to hear 
 Mass ? You are no longer obliged to 
 do so. And so it is with all positive 
 obligations which prescribe duties to 
 be fulfilled. Only those precepts which 
 • forbid things evil in themselves admit 
 of no exception, for it is never permitted 
 to do evil. 
 
 Is there anything easier or more rea- 
 sonable ? What excuse can be urged 
 against it ? Yet this is all the co-opera- 
 tion God requires of the soul in the 
 work of its sanctification. 
 
 He requires it of great and small, of 
 strong and weak ; in a word, of all, at 
 all times, in all places. 
 
 Therefore He only requires of us 
 what is easy, since to attain eminent 
 sanctity requires but a simple good- 
 will. 
 
 If over and above the commandments 
 He shows us the counsels as the more 
 perfect end of our efforts, He is ever 
 careful to accommodate their observ- 
 ance to our position and character. As 
 the chief mark of our vocation for the 
 counsels He sends us the attractions 
 and graces which facilitate the practice 
 of them. He urges no one but in pro- 
 
38 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 portion to his strength and according 
 to his attainments. Again I ask, what 
 could be more just? 
 
 O you who aspire to perfection and 
 are tempted to discouragement by what 
 you read in the lives of the saints and 
 find prescribed in certain pious books! 
 O you who are overwhelmed by the 
 terrible ideas that you form of perfec- 
 tion! It is for your consolation that 
 God permits that I write this. 
 
 Learn what you seem not to know. 
 
 In the order of nature, necessary 
 things, as air, water, earth, the God of 
 all goodness has made common and 
 easy of attainment. Nothing is more 
 necessary than breath, sleep, food, and 
 nothing is more common. Love and 
 fidelity are no less necessary in the 
 spiritual order; therefore the difficulty 
 of acquiring them cannot be as great 
 as you represent it to yourselves. 
 
 Observe your life; of what does it 
 consist? Of a multitude of unimpor- 
 tant actions. Yet with these same un- 
 important actions God deigns to be 
 content. This is the co-operation re- 
 quired of the soul in the work of its 
 perfection. God Himself expresses it 
 
How Sanctity may be made Easier. 39 
 
 too clearly to admit of doubt: "Fear 
 God, and keep His commandments: for 
 this is all man" (Eccles. xii. 13). That 
 is to say, this is all that is required on 
 man's part; in this consists his active 
 fidelity. Let him fulfil his part; God 
 will do the rest. Grace, working by 
 itself, effects marvels which surpass the 
 intelligence of man. For ear has not 
 heard, eye has not seen, heart has not 
 felt, what God conceives in His mind, 
 resolves in His will, executes by His 
 power in souls wholly abandoned to 
 Him. 
 
 The passive part of sanctity is still 
 easier, since it consists in accepting 
 what very often we cannot avoid, and 
 bearing with love, that is, with consola- 
 tion and sweetness, what we too fre- 
 quently endure with weariness and irri- 
 tation. Again let me repeat, herein 
 lies all sanctity. It is the grain of 
 mustard-seed the fruits of which we 
 do not gather, because we fail to recog- 
 nize it in its littleness. It is the drachma 
 of the Gospel, the treasure which we do 
 not find, do not seek, because we imag- 
 ine it too far beyond us. 
 
 Ask me not the secret of finding this 
 
4o Holy Abandonment. 
 
 treasure, for secret there is none. This 
 treasure is everywhere; it is offered to 
 all, at all times, in all places. 
 
 Through creatures, friends, and en- 
 emies it flows plentifully; it flows over 
 the faculties of our bodies, of our souls, 
 and into the very centre of our heans. 
 Let us but open our mouths and they 
 will be filled. The divine action floods 
 the universe; it penetrates all crea- 
 tures; it floats above them, about them; 
 it is ever present with them; it precedes 
 them; it accompanies them; it follows 
 them, and they have but to allow them- 
 selves to be borne onward on its tide. 
 
 Would to God kings and their minis- 
 ters, princes of the Church and of the 
 w T orld, priests, soldiers, peasants, labor- 
 ers, in a word, all men, knew how easily 
 they can attain eminent sanctity! They 
 have but to fulfil the simple duties of 
 religion and their state in life, and bear 
 with submission the crosses these duties 
 bring, and accept with faith and love 
 the work and suffering which unsought 
 and unceasingly come to them through 
 the order of Providence. This is the 
 spirituality which sanctified the patri- 
 archs and prophets before there were 
 
How Sanctity may be made Easier. 41 
 
 so many methods and so many masters 
 in the spiritual life.* 
 
 This is the spirituality of all ages and 
 of all states, which cannot be more 
 surely sanctified, or in a manner more 
 noble, more extraordinary, more easy, 
 than by the simple use of that which 
 God, the Sovereign Director of souls, 
 gives them each moment to do or suffer. 
 
 * It would be a gross misapprehension of the 
 author's words to suppose that he wishes to urge 
 souls to enter the paths of the spiritual life with- 
 out a director. He himself expressly states else- 
 where that to be able to do without a director, 
 one must have been long and skilfully directed. 
 Still less does he wish to discourage the prac- 
 tices adopted by the Church for the extirpation 
 of vice and the acquisition of virtue. What he 
 desires to say, and what we cannot impress too 
 much upon Christians, is that the first of all 
 directions is the guidance of Providence, and 
 that the most necessary and the most perfect 
 of all practices is the faithful accomplishment 
 and loving acceptance of all that this fatherly 
 Providence sends us to do and suffer, 
 
42 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Perfection does not consist in knowing the 
 Order of God, but in submitting to it. 
 
 The order of God, the good pleasure 
 of God, the will of God, the action of 
 God, the grace of God, all these are 
 one and the same thing in this life. It 
 is God laboring to render the soul like 
 unto Him. Perfection is nothing but 
 the soul's faithful co-operation in this 
 labor of God. This work is silently 
 effected in our souls, where it thrives, 
 increases, and is consummated uncon- 
 sciously to ourselves. 
 
 Theology is full of conceptions and 
 expressions which explain the wonders 
 of this work effected in individual souls 
 according to their capacity. 
 
 We may know all the theory of this 
 work, admirably write and speak there- 
 on, and instruct and direct souls; but 
 if our knowledge be only theoretical, 
 then I say that in comparison with 
 souls which live and act by the order of 
 God and are guided by His divine will, 
 though ignorant of the theory of its 
 
Nature of Perfection. 43 
 
 operations or its different effects, and 
 unable to speak thereof, we are like a 
 sick physician compared to ordinary 
 persons in perfect health. 
 
 The order of God, His divine will, 
 received with simplicity by a faithful 
 soul, effects this divine work in her un- 
 consciously to herself, just as a remedy 
 submissively taken restores the health 
 of a sick man, although he have not, 
 and need not have, any knowledge of 
 medicine. 
 
 It is the fire which warms us, and not 
 the philosophical knowledge of the ele- 
 ment and its effects; so it is the order 
 of God, His divine will, and not the 
 curious speculation on its principles 
 and its methods, which produces the 
 sanctification of our souls. 
 
 If we thirst, we must drink; theoreti- 
 cal explanations will not quench our 
 thirst. Curiosity for knowledge only 
 makes us thirst still more. Therefore, 
 if we thirst for sanctification, curious 
 speculations only keep us farther from 
 it. We must abandon all theories and 
 drink in simplicity of all that the will 
 of God sends us of work and suffering. 
 
 That which comes to us each mo- 
 
44 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 ment by the order of God is best and 
 holiest and most divine for us. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Reading and other Exercises only sanctify 
 us in so far as they are the Channels of 
 the Divine Action. 
 
 All our science consists in recogniz- 
 ing God's will in regard to the present 
 moment. All reading pursued in any 
 other spirit than that of submission to 
 the order of God is injurious. The will 
 of God, the order of God, is the grace 
 which works in the depths of our hearts 
 by means of our readings and' by all 
 our other works. Without it our read- 
 ings are but shadows, vain appearances, 
 which, coming to us devoid of the vivi- 
 fying virtue of the order of God, serve 
 only to empty the heart by the very 
 plenitude they cause in the mind. 
 
 The virtue of this divine will flowing 
 into the soul of a simple, ignorant girl 
 by means of suffering or ordinary ac- 
 tions, effects in the depths of her heart 
 this mysterious work of the super- 
 natural Being; without filling her mind 
 
How far Reading Sanctifies us. 45 
 
 with any idea likely to awaken pride ; 
 while the proud man who studies 
 spiritual books only through curiosity, 
 and does not unite his reading to the 
 will of God, receives into his mind the 
 letter without the spirit, and becomes 
 colder and more hardened than ever. 
 
 The order of God, His divine will, is 
 the life of the soul under whatever ap- 
 pearances the soul receives it or applies 
 it to herself. 
 
 Whatever may be the relation of the 
 divine will to the mind, it nourishes 
 the soul, and unceasingly strengthens 
 her growth by giving her each moment 
 what is best for her. Nor is one thing 
 more efficacious than another in pro- 
 ducing these happy effects ; no, it is 
 simply the duty of the present moment 
 which comes to us by the order of God. 
 That which was best for us in the past 
 moment is no longer best for us, for it 
 is stripped of the will of God, which 
 has passed on to other things from 
 which it creates for us the duty of the 
 present moment ; and it is this duty, 
 under whatever appearance it is mani- 
 fested, which will now most perfectly 
 sanctify our souls. 
 
46 Holy Aba?idonment. 
 
 If the divine will make reading the 
 duty of the present moment, the read- 
 ing will effect His mysterious work in 
 the depths of the soul. If, in obedience 
 to the divine will, we leave the reading 
 for the duty of contemplation, this duty 
 will create the new man in the depths 
 of the heart, and reading would then be 
 injurious and useless. If the divine 
 will withdraw us from contemplation to 
 hear confessions or to other duties, and 
 that during a considerable time, these 
 duties form Jesus Christ in the depths 
 of the heart, and all the sweetness of 
 contemplation would only serve to 
 banish Him. 
 
 The order of God is the fulness of 
 all our moments. It flows under a 
 thousand different appearances which, 
 successively becoming our present duty, 
 form, increase, and complete the new 
 man in us, in all the fulness which the 
 divine wisdom has destined for us. 
 This mysterious growth of Jesus Christ 
 in us is the work produced by the or- 
 der of God ; it is the fruit of His grace 
 and of His divine will. 
 
 This fruit, as we have said, is germi- 
 nated, increased, and nourished by the 
 
How far Reading Sanctifies us. 47 
 
 succession of our present duties filled 
 with the virtue of this same divine will. 
 
 In fulfilling these duties we are 
 always sure of possessing the " better 
 part," for this holy will is itself the 
 better part. We have but to yield to 
 it, blindly abandon ourselves to it with 
 perfect confidence. It is infinitely holy, 
 infinitely wise, infinitely powerful, for 
 souls which unreservedly hope in it, 
 which love and seek but it alone, and 
 which believe with unfaltering faith 
 that what it assigns to each moment is 
 best without seeking elsewhere for 
 more or less, and without pausing to 
 consider the relation of material things 
 with the order of God, which is the 
 seeking of pure self-love. 
 
 The will of God is the essential, the 
 reality and virtue, of all things ; it is 
 that which adapts and renders them 
 suitable to the soul. 
 
 Without it all is emptiness, nothing- 
 ness, falsehood, the empty husk, the 
 letter without the spirit, vanity, death. 
 
 The will of God is the health, the 
 life, the salvation of soul and body, 
 whatever its manifestation or ways of 
 reaching us. 
 
48 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 Therefore we must not judge of the 
 virtue of things by the relations they 
 bear to mind or body, for these relations 
 are unimportant. It is the will of God 
 alone which gives to all things, what- 
 ever they may be, the power to form 
 Jesus Christ in the depth of our hearts. 
 We must frame no laws for this will 
 and place no limit to its action, for it 
 is all-powerful. 
 
 Whatever the ideas which fill the 
 mind, whatever the feelings which the 
 body experiences, were it for the mind 
 but distractions and trouble, for the 
 body but sickness and death, the divine 
 will nevertheless is ever for the pres- 
 ent moment the life of body and soul; 
 for both one and the other, whatever 
 their condition, are sustained by it 
 alone. Bread without it is poison; 
 and through it poison becomes a salu- 
 tary remedy. Without it, books but 
 confuse and trouble us ; with it, dark- 
 ness is turned into light. It is the 
 wisdom, the truth, of all things. In all 
 things it gives us God: and God is the 
 infinite Being who holds the place of 
 all things to the soul which possesses 
 Him. 
 
Usefulness of the Mind limited. 49 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The Mind and other Human Means are Use- 
 ful only in as far as they are the Instru- 
 ments of the Divine Action. 
 
 The mind with all its powers would 
 hold the first place among the instru- 
 ments of the divine will ; but it must, 
 like a dangerous slave, be reduced to 
 the last. 
 
 The simple of heart who know how 
 to use it can derive great profit there- 
 from; but it can also do much injury 
 when not kept in subjection. 
 
 When the soul sighs after created 
 means, the divine action whispers to 
 the heart that it sufficeth ; when she 
 would injudiciously reject them, the 
 divine action whispers that they are 
 instruments not to be taken or rejected 
 at will, but to be simply received from 
 Providence and adapted to the order of 
 God — the soul thus using all things as 
 though not using them, being deprived 
 of all things, yet wanting nothing. 
 
 The divine action, being limitless in 
 its fulness, can take possession of a soul 
 
50 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 only in as far as the soul is void of all 
 confidence in her own action ; for this 
 confidence and self-activity fill the 
 heart to the exclusion of the divine 
 action. It is an obstacle which, exist- 
 ing in the soul herself, is more likely to 
 arrest the divine action than exterior 
 obstacles, which Providence can change 
 at will into powerful aids ; for it can 
 work with all things, even those which 
 are in themselves useless. With the 
 divine will nothing is everything, and 
 without it everything is nothing. 
 
 Whatever the value in itself of medi- 
 tation, contemplation, vocal prayer, 
 interior silence, acts of the will whether 
 sensible, distinct, or less perceptible, 
 retreat, or active life, — better than all of 
 them is what God wills for the soul at 
 the present moment; and the soul 
 should regard everything else with per- 
 fect indifference, as being of no value 
 whatever. 
 
 Thus seeing God alone in all things, 
 she should take or leave them at His 
 pleasure in order to live in, hope in, 
 and be nourished by Him, and not by 
 the things which have force and virtue 
 only through Him. Under all circum- 
 
Usefulness of the Mind limited. 5 1 
 
 stances the soul should constantly say 
 with St. Paul, " Lord, what wouldst 
 Thou have me do ?" Not this more 
 than that, but simply Thy adorable 
 will ! The spirit loves one thing, the 
 flesh another; but, Lord, let Thy will be 
 mine. Contemplation, action, prayer 
 vocal or mental, affective or passive, 
 light or darkness, special or general 
 graces, — all these are nothing, Lord, for 
 in Thy will lies their sole virtue. Thy 
 will alone is the end of all my devotion, 
 and not these things, however elevated 
 orsublime in themselves; for the end of 
 divine grace is the perfection of the 
 heart, not of the mind. 
 
 The presence of God which sanctifies 
 our souls is that indwelling of the 
 Trinity which penetrates to the depths 
 of our hearts when they are submissive 
 to the divine will ; for the presence of 
 God which we enjoy through the exer- 
 cise of contemplation effects this in- 
 timate union in us only as do all other 
 things which come to us in the order 
 of God. It holds, however, the first 
 rank among them, for it is the most 
 excellent means of uniting one's self 
 
52 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 with God when He wills that we 
 should use it. 
 
 We may therefore justly esteem and 
 love contemplation and other pious 
 exercises, provided the foundation of 
 this esteem and love be wholly God, 
 who mercifully deigns through them 
 to communicate Himself to our souls. 
 
 We receive the prince himself when 
 we receive his suite. It would be 
 showing him little respect to neglect 
 his officers under pretext of possessing 
 him alone. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 There is no Enduring Peace but in Sub- 
 mission to the Divine Action. 
 
 The soul that is not united solely 
 to the will of God will find neither rest 
 nor sanctification in any self-chosen 
 means — not even in the most excellent 
 exercises of piety. If that which God 
 Himself chooses for you does not suffice, 
 what other hand can minister to your 
 desires ? If you turn from the food the 
 divine will itself has prepared for you, 
 what viands will not prove insipid to a 
 
Enduring Peace only in Submission. 53 
 
 taste so depraved ? A soul cannot be 
 truly nourished, strengthened, purified, 
 enriched, sanctified, except by the ful- 
 ness of the present moment. Then 
 what more would you have ? Since 
 you here find all good, why seek it else- 
 where ? Are you wiser than God ? 
 Since He ordains it should be thus, how 
 could you desire it should be otherwise ? 
 Can His wisdom and goodness err ? 
 Should you not from the moment He 
 ordains an event be utterly convinced 
 thatit is thebest that could happen ? Do 
 you think you will find peace in strug- 
 gling with the Almighty ? On the con- 
 trary, is it not this struggle too often 
 renewed, almost unconsciously, which 
 is the cause of all our disquiet. It is 
 but just that the soul which is not sat- 
 isfied with the divine fulness of the 
 present moment should be punished by 
 an inability to find contentment in any- 
 thing else. 
 
 If books, the example of the saints, 
 spiritual discourses, destroy the peace 
 of the soul, if they fill without satisfy 
 ing, it is a mark that we have not re- 
 ceived them in simple abandonment to 
 the divine action, but have taken them 
 
54 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 ourselves in a spirit of proprietorship. 
 Their fulness, therefore, bars the en- 
 trance of God to the soul, and we must 
 rid ourselves of it as an obstacle to 
 grace. But when the divine action 
 ordains the use of these means, the 
 soul receives them as it does everything 
 else — that is, in the order of God. She 
 accepts them as she finds them, in her 
 fidelity simply using them, never ap- 
 propriating them; and their moment 
 passed she abandons them to find her 
 contentment in what follows in the 
 order of Providence. In truth there is 
 nothing really beneficial for me but 
 that which comes to me in the order of 
 God. Nowhere can I find any means, 
 however good in itself, more efficacious 
 for my sanctification and more capable 
 of giving peace to my soul. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 The Perfection of Souls and the Excellence 
 of Different States are in Proportion to 
 their Conformity to the Order of God. 
 
 The order of God gives to all things 
 which concern the faithful soul a su- 
 
Perfection of Souls. 55 
 
 pernatural and divine value; all that it 
 exacts, all that it embraces, and all the 
 objects upon which it sheds its light 
 become holiness and perfection, for its 
 virtue is limitless: it makes all that it 
 touches divine. But in order to keep 
 ourselves in the path of perfection, 
 svvervir.g neither to the right nor the 
 left, the soul must follow no inspiration 
 which she assumes comes from God 
 without first assuring herself that it 
 does not interfere with the duties of 
 her state in life. These duties are the 
 most certain indications of the will of 
 God, and lothing should be preferred 
 to them; n fulfilling them there is 
 nothing to be feared, no exclusion or 
 discriminat on to be made; the moments 
 devoted to hem are the most precious 
 and salutarj for the soul from the fact 
 that she is sure of accomplishing the 
 good pleasu-e of God. All the perfec- 
 tion of the sants consists in their fidel- 
 ity to the oider of God; therefore we 
 must refuse rothing, seek nothing, but 
 accept all fron His hand, and nothing 
 without Him Books, wise counsels, 
 vocal prayers,interior affections, if they 
 come to us in the order of God, instruct, 
 
$6 Holy Aba?idonment. 
 
 guide, and unite the soul to Him. 
 Quietism errs when it disclaims these 
 means and all sensible appearances, tor 
 there are souls whom God wills shall 
 be always led in this way, and their 
 state and their attractions clearlv indi- 
 cate it. In vain we picture to ourselves 
 methods of abandonment whence all 
 action is excluded. When the order of 
 God causes us to act, our sanctification 
 lies in action. 
 
 Besides the duties of each oie's state, 
 God may further ask certain actions 
 which are not included in these duties, 
 though not contrary to there. Attrac- 
 tion and inspiration, then, indicate the 
 divine order; and the most perfect for 
 souls whom God leads in this way is 
 to add to things of precept, things in- 
 spired, but always with the precautions 
 which inspiration requires to prevent 
 its interfering with the duties of one's 
 state and the ordinary ev^its of Provi- 
 dence. 
 
 God makes saints as [He chooses. 
 They are formed by His divine action, 
 to which they are ever submissive, and 
 this submission is the truest abandon- 
 ment and the most perfe/t. 
 
Perfection of Souls. 5 7 
 
 Fidelity to the duties of one's state and 
 submission to the dispositions of Provi- 
 dence are common to all the saints. 
 They live hidden in obscurity, for the 
 world is so fatal to holiness that they 
 would avoid its quicksands; but not in 
 this does their sanctity consist, but 
 wholly in their entire submission to 
 the order of God. The more absolute 
 their submission the greater their sanc- 
 tity. We must not imagine that those 
 whose virtues God is pleased to bril- 
 liantly manifest by singular and extra- 
 ordinary works, by undoubted attrac- 
 tions and inspirations, are any less 
 faithful in the path of abandonment. 
 Once the order of God makes these 
 brilliant works a duty they fail in aban- 
 donment to Him and His will which 
 ceases to rule their every moment, and 
 their every moment ceases to be the 
 exponent of the will of God if they 
 content themselves with the duties of 
 their state and the ordinary events of 
 Providence. They must study and 
 measure their efforts according to the 
 standard of God's designs for them in 
 that path which their attractions indi- 
 cate to them. Fidelity to inspiration 
 
58 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 is for them a duty; and as there are 
 souls whose whole duty is marked by 
 an exterior law, and who must be 
 guided by it because God confines them 
 to it, so also there are others who, be- 
 sides their exterior duties, must be 
 further faithful to that interior law 
 which the Holy Spirit engraves upon 
 their hearts. 
 
 But who are the most perfect? Vain 
 and idle research ! Each one must fol- 
 low the path which is traced for him. 
 Perfection consists in absolute submis-' 
 sion to the order of God and carefully 
 availing ourselves of all that is most 
 perfect therein. It advances us little 
 to weigh the advantages of the different 
 states considered in themselves, since 
 it is neither in the quality nor quantity 
 of things enjoined that sanctity is to be 
 sought. If self-love be the principle of 
 our actions, or if we do not correct it 
 when we recognize its workings, we 
 will be always poor in the midst of an 
 abundance not provided by the order 
 of God. However, to decide in a mea- 
 sure the question, I think that sanctity 
 corresponds to the love one has for 
 God's good pleasure, and the greater 
 
Perfection of Souls. 59 
 
 one's love for this holy will and this 
 order, whatever the character of their 
 manifestations, the greater one's sancti- 
 ty. This is manifest in Jesus, Mary, 
 and Joseph, for in their private life 
 there is more of love than of grandeur, 
 and more of spirit than of matter; and 
 it is not written that these sacred per- 
 sons sought the holiest of things, but 
 holiness in all things. 
 
 We must therefore conclude that 
 there is no special way which can be 
 called the most perfect, but that the 
 most perfect in general is fidelity to the 
 order of God, whether in the accom- 
 plishment of exterior duties or in the 
 interior dispositions, each one accord- 
 ing to his state and calling. 
 
 I believe that if souls seriously aspir- 
 ing to perfection understood this, and 
 knew how direct is their path, they 
 would be spared much difficulty. I 
 say the same equally of souls living in 
 the world and of souls consecrated to 
 God. If the first knew the means of 
 merit afforded them by their ever- 
 recurring daily duties and the ordi- 
 nal actions of their state in life ; if 
 the second could persuade themselves 
 
60 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 that the foundation of sanctity lies in 
 those very things which they consider 
 unimportant and even foreign to them; 
 if both could understand that the crosses 
 sent by Providence which they constant- 
 ly find in their state in life lead them to 
 the highest perfection by a surer and 
 shorter path than do extraordinary 
 states or extraordinary works; and that 
 the true philosopher's stone is submis- 
 sion to the order of God, which changes 
 into pure gold all their occupations, all 
 their weariness, all their sufferings — 
 how happy they would be ! What con- 
 solation and what courage they would 
 gather from this thought, that to ac- 
 quire the friendship of God and all the 
 glory of heaven they have but to do 
 what they are doing, suffer what they 
 are suffering ; and that what they lose 
 and count as naught would suffice to 
 obtain them eminent sanctity. O my 
 God, that I might be the missionary of 
 Thy holy will, and teach the whole 
 world that there is nothing so easy, so 
 simple, so within the reach of all, as 
 sanctity! Would that I could make 
 them understand that just as the good 
 and bad thief had the same to do and 
 
Perfection of Souls. 6 1 
 
 suffer to obtain their salvation, so two 
 souls, one worldly and the other wholly 
 interior and spiritual, have nothing 
 more to do, one than the other; that she 
 who sanctifies herself acquires eternal 
 happiness by doing in submission to 
 the will of God what she who is lost 
 does through caprice; and that the lat- 
 ter is lost by suffering unwillingly and 
 impatiently what she who is saved en- 
 dures with resignation. The difference, 
 therefore, is only in the heart. 
 
 O dear souls who read this, let me 
 repeat to you: Sanctity willcost you no 
 more; do what you are doing; suffer 
 what you are suffering: it is only your 
 heart that need be changed. By the 
 heart we mean the will. This change, 
 then, consists in willing what comes to 
 us by the order of God. Yes, holiness 
 of heart is a simple fiat, a simple dis- 
 position of conformity to the will of 
 God. And what is easier? For who 
 could not love so adorable and merci- 
 ful a will ? Let us love it, then, and 
 through this love alone all within us 
 will become divine. 
 
62 Holy Abandonment, 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 t All the Riches of Grace are the Fruit of 
 Purity of Heart and Perfect Self-abandon- 
 ment. 
 
 He, therefore, who would abundantly 
 enjoy all good has but to purify his 
 heart, detach himself from creatures, 
 and completely abandon himself to the 
 will of God. In this purity of heart 
 and self-abandonment he will find all 
 things. 
 
 Let others, Lord, ask Thee all gifts, let 
 them multiply their petitions; I have 
 but one gift to ask, but one prayer to 
 make: Give me a pure heart. O blessed 
 pure of heart! In thy lively faith thou 
 beholdestGod within thee. Thou seest 
 Him in all things, and thou seest Him 
 at all times working within thee and 
 about thee. Thou art in all things His 
 subject and His instrument. He guides 
 thee in all things and leads thee to all 
 things. Frequently thou art unmind- 
 ful ; but He thinks for thee. He only 
 asks that thou desire all that comes to 
 thee or may come to thee by His divine 
 
The Riches of Grace. 63 
 
 order. He understands the preparation 
 of thy heart. In thy salutary blindness 
 thou seekest in vain to discover this 
 desire; but oh! it is clear to Him. How 
 great is thy simplicity ! Knowest thou 
 not that a well-disposed heart is no 
 other than a heart in which God dwells? 
 Beholding His own desires in this heart 
 He knows it will be ever submissive to 
 His order. He knows at the same time 
 that thou art ignorant what is best for 
 thee, therefore it is His care to provide 
 for thee. He cares not that thy designs 
 are thwarted. Thou wouldst go east: He 
 leads thee west. Thou art just upon the 
 rocks: He turns the helm and brings 
 thee safely into port. Though knowing 
 neither chart, nor route, nor winds, nor 
 tides, thy voyages are ever prosperous. 
 If pirates cross thy way an unexpected 
 breeze bears thee beyond their reach. 
 
 O good will ! O purity of heart ! 
 Well did Jesus know your value when 
 He placed ye among the beatitudes. 
 What greater happiness than to possess 
 God and be possessed by Him? O state 
 most blessed and full of charm ! In 
 it we sleep peacefully in the bosom of 
 Providence, sporting like a child with 
 
64 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 the divine wisdom, unheedful of our 
 course, which is ever onward; in spite 
 of shoals, and pirates, and continual 
 storms, we are borne on to a prosperous 
 end. 
 
 O purity of heart ! O good will ! Ye 
 are the sole foundation of all spiritual 
 states. To you are given, and through 
 you are made profitable, the gifts of 
 pure faith, pure hope, pure confidence, 
 and pure love. Upon your stem are 
 grafted the desert flowers — I mean those 
 graces which we rarely find blooming 
 but in utterly detached souls, of which 
 God takes possession as of an unin- 
 habited dwelling, and there abides to 
 the exclusion of all other things. You 
 are that bountiful source whence flow 
 all the streams which water the parterre 
 of the bridegroom and the garden of 
 the bride. Alas ! how truly mayest 
 thou say to all souls: Consider me well; 
 I am the mother of fair love — that love 
 which develops all that is best and takes 
 it to itself. It is I who give birth to 
 that sweet and salutary fear which in- 
 spires a horror of evil, and makes you 
 peacefully avoid it; I who ripen the 
 sublime knowledge of God's greatness 
 
The Riches of Gr-ace. 65 
 
 and reveal the value of the virtues 
 which honor Him. It is I, finally, who 
 inspire those ardent desires which, un- 
 ceasingly sustained by holy confidence, 
 stimulate you to practise virtue in the 
 expectation of that divine object, the 
 enjoyment of which will one day be- 
 come, even as it is now (though then 
 in a much more perfect degree), the 
 happiness of faithful souls. Well may- 
 est thou invite them all to enrich them- 
 selves from thy inexhaustible treasures, 
 for thou art the source of all spiritual 
 conditions and ways. From thee do 
 they draw all their beauty, attraction, 
 and charm. Those marvellous fruits 
 of grace and virtue which dazzle us on 
 all sides, and with which our devotion 
 is nourished, are thy harvests. Thine 
 is the land of abundance and honey ; 
 thy breasts distil milk, thy bosom 
 gives out the sweet odor of myrrh ; 
 through thy fingers flow in all its purity 
 the divine wine which usually must be 
 obtained by the labor of the wine-press. 
 Let us fly then, dear souls, and plunge 
 ourselves in that sea of love which in- 
 vites us. What await we ? Why do we 
 tarry ? Let us hasten to lose ourselves 
 
66 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 in God, in His very heart, that we may- 
 inebriate ourselves with the wine of 
 His charity; in this heart we shall find 
 the key to all heavenly treasures. Then 
 let us proceed on our way to heaven, 
 for there is no secret of perfection 
 which we may not penetrate : every 
 avenue is open to us, even to the garden, 
 the cellar, the vineyard of the Bride- 
 groom. If we would breathe the air 
 of the fields we have but to direct our 
 steps thither; in a word, we may come 
 and go at will armed with this key of 
 David, this key of knowledge, this key 
 of the abyss which contains the hidden 
 treasures of the divine wisdom. With 
 it we may also open the gates of the 
 mystic death and descend into its 
 sacred shades; we may go down into 
 the depths of the sea and into the den 
 of the lion. It is this divine key which 
 unlocks those dark dungeons into which 
 it thrusts souls, to withdraw them puri- 
 fied and sanctified; it introduces us 
 into those blissful abodes where light 
 and knowledge dwell, where the Bride- 
 groom takes His repose at midday, and 
 where He reveals to His faithful souls 
 the secrets of His love. O divine se- 
 
The Riches of Grace. 67 
 
 crets, which may not be revealed, and 
 which no mortal tongue can express ! 
 This key, dear souls, is love. All bless- 
 ings wait only for love to enrich us. 
 It gives sanctity and all its accom- 
 paniments ; its right hand and its 
 left are filled with it that it may 
 pour it in abundance from all sources 
 into hearts open to divine grace. O 
 divine seed of eternity ! who can suffi- 
 ciently praise thee ? But why seek to 
 praise thee ? It is better to possess 
 thee in silence than to praise thee by 
 feeble words. What am I saying? We 
 must praise thee, but only because thou 
 possessest us. For once thou possessest 
 the heart, whether we read or write, or 
 speak, or act, or are silent, it is all one 
 and the same. We assume nothing, we 
 refuse nothing; we are hermits, we are 
 apostles; we are ill, we are well, we are 
 simple, we are eloquent; in a word, we 
 are what God wills we should be. The 
 heart hears thy mandates, and, as thy 
 faithful echo, repeats them to the other 
 faculties. In this material and spiritual 
 combination which thou deignest to 
 regard as thy kingdom the heart gov- 
 erns under thy guidance; as it contains 
 
68 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 no desires uninspired by thee, all ob- 
 jects please it under whatever form 
 thou presentest them. Those which 
 nature or the Evil One would substitute 
 for thine only fill it with disgust and 
 horror. If sometimes thou permittest 
 the heart to be surprised, it is only that 
 it may become wiser and more humble; 
 but as soon as it recognizes its illusion 
 it returns to thee with more love, and 
 binds itself to Thee with greater fidel- 
 ity. 
 
1300k 0£C0ttO. 
 
 The Divine Action and the Manner in 
 which it unceasingly works the Sanc- 
 tification of Souls. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Divine Action is everywhere and al- 
 ways Present, though only Visible to the 
 Eye of Faith. 
 
 All creatures are living in the hand 
 of God; the senses perceive only the 
 action of the creature, but faith sees 
 the divine action in all things. Faith 
 realizes that Jesus Christ lives in all 
 things and works through all ages; that 
 the least moment and the smallest atom 
 contain a portion of this hidden life, 
 this mysterious action. The instru- 
 mentality of creatures is a veil which 
 covers the profound mysteries of the 
 divine action. The apparition of Jesus 
 to His Apostles after His resurrection 
 surprised them: He presented Himself 
 
70 Holy Aba?ido?i7nent. 
 
 to them under forms which disguised 
 Him, and as soon as He manifested 
 Himself He disappeared. This same 
 Jesus, who is ever living and laboring 
 for us, still surprises souls whose faith, 
 is not sufficiently lively to discern Him. 
 There is no moment when God is not 
 present with us under the appearance 
 of some obligation or some duty. All 
 that is effected within us, about us, and 
 through us involves and hides His di- 
 vine action: it is veritably present, 
 though in an invisible manner; there- 
 fore we do not discern it, and only 
 recognize its workings when it has 
 ceased to act. Could we pierce the 
 veil which obscures it, and were we 
 vigilant and attentive, God would un- 
 ceasingly reveal Himself to us, and we 
 would recognize His action in all that 
 befell us. At every event we would ex- 
 claim, Dominus est ! — It is the Lord ! and ■ 
 we should feel each circumstance of our 
 life an especial gift from Him. We 
 should regard creatures as feeble in- 
 struments in the hands of an all-power- 
 ful workman; we should easily recog- 
 nize that we lacked nothing, and that 
 God's watchful care supplied the needs 
 
The Divine Action Omnipresent 7 1 
 
 of every moment. Had we faith, we 
 should be grateful to all creatures; we 
 should cherish them, and in our hearts 
 thank them that in the hand of God 
 they have been so serviceable to us and 
 so favorable to the work of our perfec- 
 tion. 
 
 If we lived an uninterrupted life of 
 faith we should be in continual com- 
 munion with God, we should speak 
 with Him face to face. Just as the air 
 transmits our words and thoughts, so 
 would all that we are called to do and 
 suffer transmit to us the words and 
 thoughts of God; all that came to us 
 would be but the embodiment of His 
 word; it would be exteriorly manifested 
 in all things; we should find everything 
 holy and profitable. The glory of God 
 makes this the state of the blessed in 
 heaven, and faith would make it ours 
 on earth; there would be only the dif- 
 ference of means. 
 
 Faith is God's interpreter; without 
 its enlightenment we understand noth- 
 ing of the language of created things. 
 It is a writing in cipher, in which we 
 see naught but confusion; it is a burn- 
 ing bush, from the midst of which we 
 
72 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 little expect to hear God's voice. But 
 faith reveals to us as to Moses the fire 
 of divine charity burning in the midst 
 of the bush; it gives the ke3^ to the 
 ciphers, and discovers to us in the 
 midst of the confusion the wonders of 
 the divine wisdom. Faith gives to 
 the whole earth a heavenly aspect; 
 faith transports, enraptures the heart, 
 and raises it above the things of this 
 earth to converse with the blessed. 
 
 Faith is the light of time: it alone 
 grasps the truth without seeing it; it 
 touches what it does not feel; it sees 
 this world as though it existed not, be- 
 holding quite other things than those 
 which are visible. It is the key of the 
 treasure-house, the key of the abyss, the 
 key of the science of God. It is faith 
 which shows the falseness of all crea- 
 tures: through it God reveals and 
 manifests Himself in all things; by it 
 all things are made divine; it lifts the 
 veil from created things and reveals 
 the eternal truth. 
 
 All that our eyes behold is vanity and 
 falsehood; in God alone lies the truth 
 of all things. How far above our il- 
 lusions are the designs of God ! How 
 
The Divine Actio?i Omnipresent. 73 
 
 is it that though continually reminded 
 that all that passes in the world is but 
 a shadow, a figure, a mystery of faith, 
 we are guided by human feelings, by 
 the natural sense of things, which after 
 all is but an enigma? We foolishly 
 fall into snares instead of lifting our 
 eyes and rising to the principle, the 
 source, the origin of all ; where all 
 things bear other names and other 
 qualities; where all is supernatural, di- 
 vine, sanctifying ; where all is part of 
 the fulness of Jesus Christ; where every- 
 thing forms a stone of the heavenly 
 Jerusalem, where everything leads to 
 this marvellous edifice and enters 
 therein. We live by the things of sight 
 and hearing, neglecting that light of 
 faith which would safely guide us 
 through the labyrinth of shadows and 
 images through which we foolishly 
 wander. He, on the contrary, who walks 
 by faith seeks but God alone, and all 
 things from God; he lives in God; un- 
 heeding and rising above the figures of 
 sense. 
 
74 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The Divine Action is all the more Visible to 
 the Eye of Faith when hidden under Ap- 
 pearances most Repugnant to the Senses. 
 
 The soul enlightened by faith is far 
 from judging of created things, like 
 those who measure them by their senses, 
 and ignore the inestimable treasure 
 they contain. He who recognizes the 
 king in disguise treats him very differ- 
 ently from him who, judging by ap- 
 pearances alone, fails to recognize his 
 royalty. So the soul that sees the 
 will of God in the smallest things, and 
 in the most desolating and fatal events, 
 receives all with equal joy, exultation, 
 and respect. That which others fear 
 and fly from with horror she opens all 
 her doors to receive with honor. The 
 retinue is poor, the senses despise it; 
 but the heart, under these humble ap- 
 pearances, discerns and does homage 
 to the royal majesty; and the more this 
 majesty abases itself, coming secretly 
 with modest suite, the deeper is the 
 love it inspires in the heart. 
 
When Divine Action is most Visible. 75 
 
 I have no words with which to por- 
 tray the feelings of the heart when it 
 receives this divine will in the guise of 
 humiliation, poverty, annihilation. Ah! 
 how moved was the beautiful heart of 
 Mary at sight of that poverty of a God, 
 that annihilation which brought Him 
 to lodge in a manger, to repose on a 
 handful of straw a trembling, weeping 
 infant ! Ask the people of Bethlehem 
 what they think of this child: were 
 He in a palace with royal surroundings 
 they would do Him homage. But 
 ask Mary, Joseph, the Magi, the shep- 
 herds: they will tell you that in this 
 extreme poverty they find that which 
 manifests God to them more sublime 
 and adorable. By just that which the 
 senses lack is faith heightened, in- 
 creased, and nourished; the less there is 
 to human eyes, the more there is to the 
 soul. The faith which adores Jesus on 
 Thabor, which loves the will of God in 
 extraordinary events, is not that lively 
 faith which loves the will of God in 
 common events and adores Jesus on 
 the cross. For the perfection of faith 
 is seen only when visible and material 
 things contradict it and seek to destroy 
 
J 6 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 it. Through this war of the senses 
 faith comes out gloriously victorious. 
 
 It is not an ordinary but a grand 
 and extraordinary faith which finds 
 God equally adorable in the simplest 
 and commonest things as in the great- 
 est events of life. 
 
 To content ones' self with the present 
 moment is to love and adore the divine 
 will in all that comes to us to do or 
 suffer through the things which suc- 
 cessively form the duties of the pres- 
 ent moment. Souls thus disposed 
 adore God with redoubled ardor and 
 respect in the greatest humiliations; 
 nothing hides Him from the piercing 
 eye of their faith. The more vehe- 
 mently the senses exclaim, This is 
 not from God ! the closer do they press 
 this bundle of myrrh from the hand of 
 the Bridegroom; nothing disturbs them, 
 nothing repels them. 
 
 Mary sees the Apostles fly, but she 
 remains constant at the foot of the 
 cross; she recognizes her Son in that 
 face spat upon and bruised. These 
 disfiguring wounds only render Him 
 more adorable and worthy of love 
 in the eyes of this tender mother; and 
 
When Divine Action is most Visible. 77 
 
 the blasphemies poured forth against 
 Him only serve to increase her pro- 
 found veneration. In like manner, a 
 life of faith is but a continual pursuit 
 of God through all which disguises and 
 disfigures Him; through all which, so to 
 speak, destroys and annihilates Him. 
 It is truly a reproduction of the life of 
 Mary, who from the manger to Calvary 
 remained constant to a God whom the 
 world despised, persecuted, and aban- 
 doned. So faithful souls, despite a con- 
 tinual succession of deaths, veils, shad- 
 ows, semblances which disguise the will 
 of God, perseveringly pursue it, and 
 love it unto death on the cross. They 
 know that, unheeding all disguises, they 
 must follow this holy will; for, beyond 
 the heaviest shadows, beyond the dark- 
 est clouds, the divine Sun is shining to 
 enlighten, enflame, and vivify those 
 constant hearts who bless, praise, and 
 contemplate Him from all points of 
 this mysterious horizon. 
 
 Hasten, then, happy, faithful, untiring 
 souls; hasten to follow this dear Spouse 
 who with giant strides traverses the 
 heavens and from whom nothing can 
 be hidden. He passes over the small- 
 
7S Holy Abandonment. 
 
 est blade of grass as above the loftiest 
 cedars. The grains of sand are under 
 His feet no less than the mountains. 
 Wherever your foot may rest He has 
 passed, and you have only to follow 
 Him faithfully to find Him wherever 
 you go. 
 
 Oh, the ineffable peace that is ours 
 when faith has taught us thus to see 
 God through all creatures as through 
 a transparent veil ! Then darkness be- 
 comes light, and bitter turns to sweet. 
 Faith, manifesting-all things in their 
 true light, changes their deformity into 
 beauty, and their malice into virtue. 
 Faith is the mother of meekness, con- 
 fidence, and joy; she can feel naught 
 but tenderness and compassion for her 
 enemies who so abundantly enrich her 
 at their own expense. The more ma- 
 lignant the action of the creature, the 
 more profitable does God render it to 
 the soul. While the human instru- 
 ment seeks to injure us, the divine 
 Artisan in whose hand it lies makes use 
 of its very malice to remove what is 
 prejudicial to the soul. 
 
 The will of God has only consola- 
 tions, graces, treasures, for submissive 
 
Infinite Blessings offered us. 79 
 
 souls ; our confidence in it cannot be 
 too great, nor our abandonment there- 
 to be too absolute. It always wills and 
 effects that which contributes most to 
 our sanctification, provided meanwhile 
 we yield ourselves to its divine action. 
 Faith never doubts it; the more unbe- 
 lieving, rebellious, despondent, and 
 wavering the senses, the louder Faith 
 cries, " This is God ! All is well !" 
 
 There is nothing Faith does not pene- 
 trate and overcome; it passes beyond 
 all shadows and through the darkest 
 clouds to reach Truth; clasps it in a 
 firm embrace, and is never parted from 
 it. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 The Divine Action offers us at each Mo- 
 ment Infinite Blessings, which we receive 
 in proportion to our Faith and Love. 
 
 If we knew how to greet each mo- 
 ment as the manifestation of the divine 
 will, we would find in it all the heart 
 could desire. For what indeed is more 
 reasonable, more perfect, more divine 
 
So Holy Abandonment. 
 
 than the will of God ? Can its infinite 
 value be increased by the paltry differ- 
 ence of time, place, or circumstance? 
 Were you given the secret of finding it 
 at all times and in all places, you would 
 possess a gift most precious, most 
 worthy of your desires. What seek ye, 
 holy souls? Give free scope to your 
 longings; place no limit to youraspira- 
 tions; expand your heart to the meas- 
 ure of the infinite. I have that where- 
 with to satisfy it: there is no moment 
 in which I may not cause you to find 
 all you can desire. 
 
 The present moment is always filled 
 with infinite treasures: it contains more 
 than you are capable of receiving. 
 Faith is the measure of these blessings: 
 in proportion to your faith will you 
 receive. By love also are they meas- 
 ured: the more your heart loves the 
 more it desires, and the more it desires 
 the more it receives. The will of God 
 is constantly before you as an unfathom- 
 able sea, which the heart cannot ex- 
 haust: only in proportion as the heart 
 is expanded by faith, confidence, and 
 love can it receive of its fulness. All 
 created things could not fill your heart, 
 
Infinite Blessings offered us. 8 1 
 
 for its capacity is greater than anything 
 which is not God. 
 
 The mountains which affright the eye 
 are but atoms to the heart. The divine 
 will is an abyss, of which the present 
 moment is the entrance; plunge fear- 
 lessly therein and you will find it more 
 boundless than your desires. Offer no 
 homage to creatures; adore not phan- 
 toms: they can give you nothing, they 
 : can take nothing from you. The will of 
 God alone shall be your fulness, and it 
 shall leave no void in your soul. Adore 
 it; go direct to it, penetrating all appear- 
 ances, casting aside all impediments. 
 The spoliation, the destruction, the death 
 of the senses is the reign of faith. The 
 senses adore creatures; faith adores the 
 divine will. Wrest from the senses 
 their idols, they will weep like discon- 
 solate children; but faith will triumph, 
 for nothing can take from her the will 
 of God. When all the senses are 
 famished, affrighted, despoiled, then 
 does the will of God nourish, enrich, 
 and fortify faith, which smiles at these 
 apparent losses, as the commander of 
 an impregnable fortress smiles at the 
 futile attacks of an enemy. 
 
82 Holy Abandon?ne?it. 
 
 When the will of God reveals itself 
 to a soul manifesting a desire to wholly 
 possess her, if the soul freely give her- 
 self in return she experiences most 
 powerful assistance in all difficulties; 
 she then tastes by experience the hap- 
 piness of that coming of the Lord, and 
 her enjoyment is in proportion to the 
 degree in which she learned to practise 
 that self abandonment which must 
 bring her at all moments face to face 
 with this ever adorable will. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 God reveals Himself to us as Mysteriously, 
 as Adorably, and with as much Reality in 
 the most Ordinary Events as in the great 
 Events of History and the Holy Script- 
 ures. 
 
 The written word of God is full of 
 mystery; His word expressed in the 
 events of the world is no less so. These 
 two books are truly sealed; the letter 
 of both killeth. 
 
 God is the centre of faith which is an 
 abyss from whose depths shadows rise 
 which encompass all that comes forth 
 
God Revealed even in Ordinary Events. 83 
 
 from it. God is incomprehensible; so 
 also are His works, which require our 
 faith. All these words, all these works, 
 are but obscure rays, so to speak, of a sun 
 still more obscure. In vain do we strive 
 to gaze upon this sun and its rays with 
 the eyes of our body; the eyes of the 
 soul itself, through which we behold 
 God and His works, are no less closed. 
 Obscurity here takes the place of light; 
 knowledge is ignorance, and we see 
 though not seeing. Holy Scripture is 
 the mysterious language of a still more 
 mysterious God. The events of the 
 world are the mysterious utterances of 
 this same hidden and inscrutable God. 
 They are drops of the ocean, but an 
 ocean of shadows. Every rivulet, every 
 drop of the stream, bears the impress of 
 its origin. The fall of the angels, the 
 fall of man, the wickedness and idolatry 
 of men before and after the deluge, in 
 the time of the Patriarchs who knew the 
 history of creation, with its recent pres- 
 ervation, and related it to their chil- 
 dren, — these are the truly mysterious 
 words of Holy Scripture. A handful 
 of men preserved from idolatry amid 
 the general corruption of the whole 
 
84 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 world until the coming of the Messias, 
 evil always dominant, always powerful; 
 the little band of the defenders of the 
 faith always ill-treated, always perse- 
 cuted; the persecution of Christ; the 
 plagues of the Apocalypse — in these 
 behold the words of God. It is what 
 He has revealed. It is what He has 
 dictated. And the effects of these ter- 
 rible mysteries, which endure till the 
 end of time, are still the living words 
 of God by which we learn His wisdom, 
 goodness, and power. All the events 
 in the history of the world show forth 
 these attributes and glorify Him there- 
 in. We must believe it blindly, for, 
 alas ! we cannot see. 
 
 What does God teach us by Turks, 
 heretics, and all the enemies of His 
 Church? They preach forcibly. They 
 all show forth His infinite perfections. 
 So do Pharao and all the impious hosts 
 who followed him and will still follow 
 him; though truly, to the evidence of 
 our senses, the end of all these is most 
 contrary to the divine glory. W r e must 
 close our corporal eyes and cease to 
 reason if we would read the divine 
 mvsteries in all this. 
 
God Revealed even in Ordinary Events. 85 
 
 Thou speakest, Lord, to all mankind 
 by general events. All revolutions are 
 but the tides of Thy Providence, which 
 excite storms and tempests in the 
 minds of the curious. Thou speakest 
 to each one in particular by the events 
 of his every moment. But instead of 
 respecting the mystery and obscurity 
 of Thy words, and hearing Thy voice in 
 all the occurrences of life, they only see 
 therein chance, the acts, the caprice of 
 men; they find fault in everything; 
 they would add to, diminish, reform — in 
 fact, they indulge in liberties with these 
 living words of God, while they would 
 consider it a sacrilege to alter a comma 
 of the Holy Scriptures. The Scriptures 
 they revere: they are the word of God, 
 they tell you; they are true and holy. 
 Though they may comprehend them 
 little, their veneration for them is no 
 less great, and they justly give honor 
 and glory to God for the depth of His 
 wisdom. 
 
 But, dear souls, have you no respect 
 for the words God addresses you each 
 moment, — words which are not con- 
 veyed to you by means of ink and 
 paper, but by what you have to do and 
 
86 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 suffer from moment to moment, — do 
 these words merit nothing from you ? 
 Why do you not revere the truth and 
 will of God in all things? There is 
 nothing which fully satisfies you; you 
 criticise and cavil at all that happens. 
 Do you not see that you try to measure 
 by the senses and reason that which 
 can be measured by faith alone? And 
 that while reading the word of God in 
 the Holy Scriptures with the eyes of 
 faith, y<-u gravely err when you read 
 this same word with other eyes in His 
 works ? 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The Divine Action continues in our Hearts 
 the Revelation begun in Holy Scripture; 
 but the Characters in which it is written 
 will be Visible only at the Last Day. 
 
 " Jesus Christ," says the Apostle, " is 
 the same yesterday, to-day, and for- 
 ever." From the beginning of the 
 world He was, as God, the principle of 
 the life of just souls. From the first 
 moment of His incarnation His hu- 
 manity shared this prerogative of His 
 
Revelation and the Divine Action. 87 
 
 divinity. Throughout our whole lives 
 He is working within us. The time of 
 this world is but a day, and this day is 
 full of Him. Jesus Christ lived, and 
 He still lives. He began in Himself, 
 and He continues in His saints, a life 
 which will never end. O life of Jesus, 
 which embraces and exceeds all ages! 
 Life which unceasingly worketh new 
 wonders! If the world is incapable of 
 embracing all that could have been 
 written of the actual life of Jesus, of all 
 that He said and did upon earth; if the 
 Gospel gives us only a few traits of it; 
 if so little is known even of that first 
 hidden yetfruitful hourof Bethlehem, — - 
 how many gospels must needs be writ- 
 ten to relate all the moments of that 
 mystic life of Jesus Christ which mul- 
 tiplies wonders infinitely, multiplies 
 them eternally! — for all times, properly 
 speaking, are but the history of the di- 
 vine action. 
 
 The Holy Spirit has marked in infal- 
 lible and incontestable characters cer- 
 tain moments of this vast duration, and 
 gathered in the Scriptures some drops 
 of this boundless ocean. We see therein 
 the secret and hidden ways by which 
 
8S Holy Abandonment, 
 
 He has manifested Jesus Christ to the 
 world. We can follow the channels and 
 veins which, amid the confusion of the 
 children of men, distinguish this First- 
 born. The Old Testament is but a 
 small portion of the innumerable and 
 inscrutable ways of this divine work; it 
 only contains what is necessary to reach 
 Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit held the 
 rest hidden in the treasures of His wis- 
 dom. And from out this vast sea of the 
 divine action but a thread of water ap- 
 pears which readies Jesus, loses itself in 
 the Apostles, and is swallowed up in the 
 Apocalypse. So that by our faith alone 
 can we learn the history of this divine 
 action which consists in the life which 
 Jesus Christ leads, and will lead in just 
 souls until the end of time. 
 
 To the manifestation of God's truth 
 by word succeeded the manifestation of 
 His charity by action. The Holy Spirit 
 continues the work of the Saviour. 
 While He assists the Church in preach- 
 ing the gospel of Christ, He Himself at 
 the same time writes His own gospel in 
 our hearts. Each moment, each act, of 
 the Saints is the gospel of the Holy 
 Spirit. Holy souls are the paper; their 
 
Revelatio?i ond the Divi?ie Action. 89 
 
 sufferings, their actions, are the ink. 
 The Holy Spirit by the pen of His ac- 
 tion writes a living gospel; but we can 
 only read it on the last day, when it 
 will be drawn from the press of this 
 life and published. 
 
 Oh, the glorious history, the beauti- 
 ful book, which the Holy Spirit is now 
 writing! It is in press, holy souls; and 
 not a day passes in which type is not 
 set, ink applied, and sheets of it printed. 
 But we are in the night of faith: the 
 paper is blacker than the ink; the char- 
 acters are confused; it is the language 
 of another w T orld; we understand it 
 not; we shall only read its gospel in 
 heaven. Oh, if we could but see this 
 life of God in all creatures, in all 
 things, and learn to regard them, not in 
 themselves, but as the instruments of 
 His will! If we could see how the di- 
 vine action impels them hither and 
 thither, unites them, disperses them, 
 opposes them, and leads them by con- 
 trary ways to the same end, we should 
 recognize that all things have their pur- 
 pose, their reason, their proportion, 
 their relations in this divine work. 
 But how shall we read this book with 
 
90 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 its hidden, innumerable, contradictory, 
 and obscure characters? If the com- 
 binations of twenty-seven letters are in- 
 comprehensible to us and suffice to 
 form an unlimited number of different 
 volumes, each admirable of its kind, 
 who can express what God does in His 
 universe ? Who can read and compre- 
 hend a book so vast, in which there is 
 not a letter which has not its own sig- 
 nificance and does not contain in its 
 littleness profound mysteries? Mys- 
 teries are neither seen nor felt; they are 
 the subjects of faith. Faith judges 
 their worth and truth only by their 
 source, for they are so obscure in them- 
 selves that all their external appear- 
 ances only serve to conceal them, and 
 mislead those who judge by reason 
 alone. 
 
 Teach me, O divine Spirit, to read in 
 this book of life! I would become Thy 
 disciple, and like a little child believe 
 what I cannot see. It sufficeth that my 
 Master speaks. He tells me this, He 
 proclaims that; His words are arranged 
 in one form. He interprets them in an- 
 other: that sufficeth me; I receive all 
 as He presents it; I see not the reason 
 
Revelation a?id the Divine Action. 91 
 
 thereof, but I know He is the infallible 
 Truth. His words, His actions, are 
 truth. He wills that these letters should 
 form a word; such a number, another. 
 They are but three, but six; yet no 
 more are required, and less would mar 
 the sense. He alone who knows all 
 thought can combine the characters to 
 express it. Everything is significant; 
 everything has a perfect meaning. 
 This line purposely ends here; there is 
 not a comma lacking therein, nor one 
 useless point. I believe it now; but on 
 that glorious day, when so many mys- 
 teries will be revealed me, I will see 
 what I now only confusedly compre- 
 hend; and that which appears so ob- 
 scure, so perplexing, so contradictory 
 to reason, so vague, so visionary, will 
 enrapture and delight me to all eter- 
 nity with the beauty, the order, the 
 meaning, the wisdom, and the incon- 
 ceivable marvels I shall discover therein. 
 
92 Holy Abando?nnent. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Divine Love is communicated to us through 
 the Veil of Creatures, as Jesus communi- 
 cates Himself to us through the Veil of 
 the Eucharistic Species. 
 
 What sublime truths are hidden 
 even from Christians who believe them- 
 selves most enlightened! How many 
 are there who realize that every cross, 
 every action, every attraction in the 
 order of God gives Him to us in a man- 
 ner which cannot be better explained 
 than by comparison with the august 
 mystery of the Eucharist! Yet what is 
 more certain? Does not reason, as well 
 as faith, reveal to us the real presence 
 of divine love in all creatures, in all the 
 events of life, as infallibly as the word 
 of Christ and His Church reveal to us 
 the presence of the sacred Body of the 
 Saviour under the Eucharistic species? 
 Do we not know that the divine love 
 seeks to communicate itself to us 
 through all creatures and through all 
 events? — that it has effected, ordered, or 
 permitted all our surroundings, all that 
 befalls us, only in view of this union 
 which is the sole end of all God's de- 
 
How Divine Love is Communicated. 93 
 
 signs? — that for this end He makes 
 use of the worst as well as the best 
 creatures, of the most grievous as well 
 as the most pleasing events? — and that 
 our union with Him is even the more 
 meritorious that the means which serve 
 to make the union closer are of a nature 
 repugnant to us ? But if all this be 
 true, why should not each moment be 
 a form of communion in which we re- 
 ceive divine love; and why should not 
 this communion of every moment be as 
 profitable to our souls as that in which 
 we receive the Body and Blood of the 
 Son of God ? This latter, it is true, 
 possesses sacramental grace, which the 
 other does not; but, on the other hand, 
 how much more frequently may not 
 this first form of communion be re- 
 peated, and how greatly may its merit 
 be increased, by the perfection of the 
 dispositions with which it is accom- 
 plished! Therefore how true it is that 
 the holiest life is mysterious in its sim- 
 plicity and apparent lowliness! O 
 heavenly banquet! O never-ending 
 feast! A God always given, and al- 
 ways received; not in sublime splendor 
 or glorious light, but in utter infirmity, 
 
94 Holy Abandonment 
 
 weakness, and nothingness! That which 
 the natural man condemns, and human 
 reason rejects, God chooses, and makes 
 thereof mysteries, sacraments of love, 
 'giving Himself to souls through that 
 which would seem to injure them most, 
 and in proportion to their faith which 
 iinds Him in all things. 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 The Divine Action, the Will of God, is as 
 unworthily treated and disregarded in its 
 Daily Manifestation by many Christians 
 as was Jesus in the Flesh by the Jews. 
 
 What infidelity we find in the world ! 
 How unworthily men think of God ! 
 They criticise His divine action as they 
 would not dare to criticise the work of 
 the humblest artisan. They would 
 force Him to act within the narrow 
 limits of their weak reason and follow 
 its rules. They pretend to reform all 
 things. They unceasingly complain 
 and murmur. 
 
 They are shocked at the treatment 
 Jesus received at the hands of the Jews. 
 Ah ! Divine Love ! Adorable Will ! 
 Infallible Action ! How do they look 
 
Divine Action Unworthily Treated. 95 
 
 upon Thee? Can the divine will err? 
 Can* anything it sends be amiss? But 
 I have this to do ; I need such a thing ; 
 I have been deprived of the necessary 
 means ; that man thwarts me in such 
 good works ; is not this most unrea- 
 sonable ? — this sickness overtakes me 
 when I absolutely need my health. No, 
 dear souls, the will of God is all that is 
 absolutely necessary to you, therefore 
 you do not need what He withholds 
 from you — you lack nothing. If you 
 could read aright these things which 
 you call accidents, disappointments, 
 misfortunes, contradictions, which you 
 find unreasonable, untimely, you would 
 blush with confusion ; you would re- 
 gard your murmurs as blasphemies : 
 but you do not reflect that all these 
 things are simply the will of God. 
 This adorable will is blasphemed by 
 His dear children who fail to recog- 
 nize it. 
 
 When Thou wert upon earth, O 
 my Jesus ! the Jews treated Thee as a 
 sorcerer, called Thee a Samaritan ; 
 and now that Thou livest in all ages, 
 how do we regard Thy adorable will 
 forever worthy of praise and blessing ? 
 
g6 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 Has there been a moment from the 
 creation to this present one in which we 
 Kve, and will there be one to the last 
 day, in which the holy Name of God 
 is not worthy of praise ? — that Name 
 which fills all time, and all the events 
 of time ; that Name which renders all 
 things salutary ! 
 
 What ! Can that which is called the 
 will of God work me harm ? Shall I 
 fear, shall I fly from the will of God ? 
 Ah ! where shall I go to find some- 
 thing more profitable if I fear the di- 
 action and resist the effect of the 
 divine will ? 
 
 How faithfully we should listen to 
 the words which are each moment 
 uttered in the depths of our hearts ! 
 If our senses, our reason, hear not, 
 penetrate not the truth and wisdom 
 of these words, is it not because of 
 their incapacity to divine eternal 
 truths ? Should I be surprised that a 
 mystery disconcerts reason? God 
 speaks ; it is a mystery ; therefore it is 
 death to the senses and reason, for it is 
 the nature of mysteries to immolate 
 to themselves sense and reason. 
 Through faith mystery becomes the 
 
The Revelation of the Present Mo)nent. 97 
 
 life of the heart, to all else it is contra- 
 diction. The divine action killeth 
 while it quickeneth; the more we feel 
 death the firmer our faith that it will 
 give life; the more obscure the mys- 
 tery, the more light it contains. Hence 
 it is that the simple soul finds nothing- 
 more divine than that which is least so 
 externally. The life of faith wholly 
 consists in this constant struggle 
 against the senses. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The Revelation of the Present Moment is 
 the more Profitable that it is addressed 
 Directly to us. 
 
 We are only truly instructed by the 
 words which God pronounces expressly 
 for us. It is neither by books nor curi- 
 ous research that we become learned in 
 the science of God : these means of 
 themselves give us but a vain knowl- 
 edge, which only serves to confuse us 
 and inflate us with pride. 
 
 That which really instructs us is all 
 that comes to us by the order of God 
 from one moment to another : this is 
 the knowledge of experience, which 
 
98 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 Christ Himself was pleased to acquire 
 before teaching. It was indeed the 
 only knowledge in which, according to 
 the words of the Gospel, He could grow; 
 for as God there was no degree of 
 speculative knowledge which He did 
 not possess. But if this knowledge 
 was needful to the Incarnate Word 
 Himself, it is absolutely necessary for 
 us if we would speak to the hearts of 
 those whom God sends to us. 
 
 We only know perfectly that which 
 we have learned by experience through 
 suffering and action. This is the 
 school of the Holy Spirit, who utters the 
 words of life to the heart ; and all that 
 we say to others should come from this 
 source. Whatsoever we read, whatso- 
 ever we see, becomes divine science only 
 ^through the fecundity, the virtue, the 
 light, which the possession of this expe- 
 rience gives. Without this science all 
 our learning is like unleavened dough, 
 lacking the salt and seasoning of ex- 
 perience; the mind is filled with crude, 
 unfledged ideas ; and we are like the 
 dreamer who, knowing all the highways 
 of the world, misses the path to his own 
 home. 
 
The Revelation of the Present Moment. 99 
 
 Therefore we have only to listen to 
 God's voice from moment to moment if 
 we would learn the science of the saints, 
 which is all practice and experience. 
 
 Heed not what is said to others ; 
 listen only to what is uttered for you 
 and to you : you will find therein suf- 
 ficient to exercise your faith, for this 
 hidden language of God by its very 
 obscurity exercises, purifies, and in- 
 creases your faith. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The Revelation of the Present Moment is an 
 Inexhaustible Source of Sanctity. 
 
 O all ye who thirst ! know that you 
 have not far to seek for the fountain 
 •of living waters; it springs close to you 
 in the present moment. Hasten then 
 to approach it. Why with the source 
 so near do you weary yourselves run- 
 ning after shallow streams, which only 
 excite your thirst and give you to 
 drink in small measure ? The source 
 alone can satisfy you ; it is inexhaustible. 
 If you would think, write, and live like 
 the Prophets, Apostles, and Saints, 
 
ioo Holy Abandonment. 
 
 abandon yourself, like them, to divine 
 inspiration. 
 
 O Love too little known ! Men think 
 Thy marvels are o'er, and that we have 
 but to copy Thy ancient works and 
 quote Thy former teachings ! And 
 they see not that Thy inexhaustible 
 action is an infinite source of new 
 thoughts, new sufferings, new works, 
 new Patriarchs, new Prophets, new 
 Apostles, new Saints, who have no need 
 to copy the life or writings one of the 
 other, but only to live in perpetual self- 
 abandonment to Thy secret operations. 
 We are wont to quote the " first ages 
 of the Church ! — the times of the 
 saints !" But is not all time the effects 
 of the divine action, the workings of the 
 divine will, which absorbs all moments, 
 fills them, sanctifies them, supernatur- 
 alizes them ? Has there ever been a 
 method of self-abandonment to the 
 divine will which is not now practi- 
 cable ? From the earliest ages had the 
 saints other secrets of holiness than 
 that of becoming from moment to 
 moment what the divine action would 
 make them ? And will not this action 
 even to the end of time continue to 
 
Manifestations of the Present Moment. 101 
 
 pour its grace upon those who aban- 
 don themselves to it without reserve ? 
 
 Yes, adorable, eternal Love ! Love 
 eternally fruitful and always marvel- 
 lous ! Will of my God, Thou art my 
 book, my doctrine, my science ; in Thee 
 are my thoughts, my words, my deeds, 
 my crosses. Not by consultingThy other 
 works can I become what Thou wouldst 
 make me, but only by receiving Thee 
 through all things in that one royal 
 way of self-abandonment to Thy will — 
 that ancient way, that way of my 
 fathers. I will think, speak, and be en- 
 lightened like them ; following in this 
 way, I will imitate them, quote them, 
 copy them, in all things. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The Present Moment is the Manifestation 
 of the Name of God and the Coming of His 
 Kingdom. 
 
 The present moment is like an am- 
 bassador which declares the will of 
 God. The heart must ever answer 
 fiat, and the soul will go steadily on by 
 means of all things to her centre and 
 
102 Holy Abandonment 
 
 her term — never pausing in her course, 
 spreading her sails to all winds ; all 
 ways, all methods equally further her 
 progress towards the great, the infi- 
 nite. All things afford her equal means 
 of sanctification. The one only essen- 
 tial the soul finds in the present mo- 
 ment. It is no longer either prayer or 
 silence, retirement or conversation, 
 reading or writing, reflections or cessa- 
 tion of thought, avoidance or seeking 
 of spiritualities, abundance or priva- 
 tion, illness or health, life or death, but 
 simply what comes to her each moment 
 by the order of God. In this consists 
 that privation, abnegation, renounce- 
 ment of created things, whether real or 
 in will, in order that a soul may be 
 nothing of herself or for herself, but live 
 wholly by the order of God, and at His 
 good pleasure content herself with the 
 duty of the present moment, as though" 
 it were the one thing in the world. 
 
 If whatsoever comes to a soul thus 
 self-abandoned is her one essential, we 
 see clearly that she lacks nothing, and 
 therefore should never complain ; that 
 if she murmur she lacks faith, and lives 
 by reason and the senses alone, which, 
 
Manifestations of the Present Moment. 103 
 
 failing to recognize this sufficiency of 
 grace, are ever discontented. 
 
 To bless the name of God according 
 to the expression of the Scriptures is 
 to love Him, adore Him, and recognize 
 His holiness in all things. In fact, all 
 things like words proceed from the 
 mouth of God. The events of each 
 moment are divine thoughts expressed 
 by created objects ; thus all things 
 which intimate His will to us are so 
 many names, so many words, by which 
 He manifests His desires. This will 
 is one in itself ; it bears but one incom- 
 prehensible, ineffable name ; but it is 
 multiplied infinitely in its effects, and 
 assumes their names. To sanctify the 
 name of God is to study, adore, and 
 love the ineffable Being whom this 
 name represents. It is also to study, 
 adore, and love His blessed will at all 
 times, in all its effects ; regarding all 
 things as so many veils, shadows, 
 names of this eternally holy will. It is 
 holy in all its works, holy in all its 
 words, holy in all its forms of manifes- 
 tation, holy in all the names it bears. 
 
 It was thus Job blessed the name of 
 God. The holy man blessed his ter- 
 
104 Holy Aba?idon)nent. 
 
 rible desolation which expressed the 
 will of God: he called it not ruin, but a 
 name of the Lord ; and blessing it he 
 declared that this divine will expressed 
 by the most terrible afflictions was ever 
 holy, whatever form, whatever name it 
 bore. David also blessed it at all times 
 and in all places. Therefore it is by 
 this continual manifestation, this reve- 
 lation of the will of God in all things 
 that His kingdom is within us that 
 His will is done upon earth as it is in 
 heaven, that He gives us our daily 
 bread. 
 
 Abandonment to the divine will con- 
 tains the substance of that incompar- 
 able prayer which Christ Himself has 
 taught us We repeat it vocally many 
 times a day according to the order of 
 God and His holy Church ; but we 
 utter it in the depth of our hearts each 
 moment that we lovingly receive or 
 suffer whatever is ordained by this 
 adorable will. What the lips need 
 words and time to express, the heart 
 effectively utters with each pulsation , 
 and thus simple souls unceasingly bless 
 Him in the depth of their hearts. They 
 sigh nevertheless over their inability to 
 
Manifestations of the Present Moment. 105 
 
 praise Him as they desire : so true it 
 is that God gives His graces and favors 
 to such souls by the very means which 
 seem to deprive them of these bless- 
 ings. This is the secret of the divine 
 wisdom — to impoverish the senses while 
 it enriches the heart, and to fill the 
 heart in proportion to the aching void 
 in the senses. 
 
 Let us learn then to recognize in the 
 event of each moment the imprint of 
 the will of God, of His adorable name. 
 This name is infinitely holy. It is but 
 just therefore to bless it and receive it 
 as a form of sacrament which by its own 
 virtue sanctifies the souls in which it 
 finds no obstacle to its grace. Can we 
 do other than infinitely esteem that 
 which bears this august name ? It is a 
 divine manna which falls from heaven 
 to continually strengthen us in grace. 
 It is a kingdom of holiness which is es- 
 tablished in the soul. It is the bread 
 of angels which is given upon earth as 
 it is in heaven. No moment can be 
 unimportant since they all contain 
 treasures of grace, angelic food. 
 
 Yes, Lord, let Thy kingdom come to 
 my heart to sanctify it, to nourish it, to 
 
106 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 purify it, to render it victorious over 
 my enemies. Precious moment ! how 
 insignificant thou art to the eyes of the 
 world, but how grand to the eyes en- 
 lightened by faith ! And can I call that 
 little which is great in the eyes of my 
 Father who reigns in heaven? All that 
 comes thence is most excellent. All 
 that descends therefrom bears the im- 
 press of its origin. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 The Divine Will imparts the Highest Sanc- 
 tity to Souls ; they have but to abandon 
 Themselves to its Divine Action. 
 
 It is only because they know not 
 how to proiit by the divine action that 
 so many Christians spend their lives 
 anxiously seeking hither and thither a 
 multitude of means of sanctification; 
 these are profitable when the divine 
 will ordains them, but become in- 
 jurious the moment they prevent one 
 from simply uniting himself with the 
 will of God. These multiplied means 
 cannot give what we will find in the 
 will of God — that principle of all life, 
 which is ever present with us, and 
 
Sanctification by the Divine Will. 107* 
 
 which imparts to its every instrument 
 an original and incomparable action. 
 
 Jesus has sent us a master whom we 
 do not heed. He speaks to all hearts, and 
 to each one he utters the word of life, 
 the incomparable word ; but we hear 
 it not. We would know what he says 
 to others, and we hearken not to what 
 is said to us. We do not sufficiently 
 regard things in the supernatural light 
 which the divine action gives them. 
 We must always receive and worthily 
 meet the divine action with an open 
 heart, full confidence and generosity; 
 for to those who thus receive it it can 
 work no ill. This illimitable action, 
 which from the beginning to the end of 
 all ages is ever the same in itself, flows 
 on through all moments, and gives it- 
 self in its immensity and its virtue to 
 the simple soul which adores it, loves 
 it, and solely rejoices in it. You would 
 be enraptured, you say, to find an oc- 
 casion of sacrificing your life for God; 
 such heroism enchants you. To lose 
 all, to die forsaken and alone, to sacri- 
 fice one's self for others — such are the 
 glorious deeds which enchant you. 
 
 But let me, O Lord, render glory, all 
 
10S Holy Abandonment. 
 
 glory, to Thy divine action! In it I 
 find the happiness of the martyrs, au- 
 sterities and sacrifice of self for others. 
 This action, this will, sufficeth me. 
 Whatever life or death it ordains for 
 me I am content. It pleases me in it- 
 self far more than all its instruments 
 and its effects, since it permeates all 
 things, renders them divine, and trans- 
 forms them into itself. It maketh 
 heaven for me everywhere; all my 
 moments are purely filled with the di- 
 vine action; and living or dying, it is 
 my sole contentment. 
 
 Yes, my Beloved, I will cease to pre- 
 scribe Thee hours or methods; Thou 
 shalt be ever welcome. O divine action, 
 Thou seemest to have revealed me Thy 
 immensity. I will but walk henceforth 
 in the bosom of Thy infinity. The tide 
 of Thy power flows to-day as it flowed 
 yesterday. Thy foundation is the bed 
 of the torrent whence graces unceas- 
 ingly flow; Thou holdest the waters 
 thereof in Thy hand, and movest them 
 at will. No longer will I seek Thee 
 within the narrow limits of a book, the 
 life of a saint, a sublime thought. No: 
 these are but drops of that great ocean 
 
Sanctification by the Divine Will. 109 
 
 which embraces all creatures. The 
 divine action inundates them fill. They 
 are but atoms which sink into this 
 abyss. No longer will I seek this ac- 
 tion in spiritual intercourse. No more 
 will I beg my bread from door to door. 
 I will depend upon no creature. 
 
 Yes, Lord, I would live to Thy honor 
 as the worthy child of a true Father, in- 
 finitely good, wise, and powerful. I 
 would live as I believe, and since the 
 divine action labors incessantly and by 
 means of all things for my sanctification, 
 I would draw my life from this great 
 and boundless reservoir, ever present, 
 and ever practically available. Is there 
 a creature whose action equals that of 
 God ? And since this uncreated hand di- 
 rects all that comes to me, shall I go in 
 search of aid from creatures who are im- 
 potent, ignorant, and indifferent to me? 
 I was dying of thirst; I ran from foun- 
 tain to fountain, from stream to stream; 
 and behold at hand was a source which 
 caused a deluge; water surrounded me 
 on all sides ! Yes, everything becomes 
 bread to nourish me, water to cleanse 
 me, fire to purify me, a chisel to give 
 me celestial form. Everything is an 
 
no Holy Abandonment. 
 
 instrument of grace for my necessities; 
 that which I sought in other things 
 seeks me incessantly and gives itself to 
 me by means of all creatures. 
 
 O Love ! will men never see that Thou 
 meetest them at every step, while they 
 seek Thee hither and thither, where Thou 
 art not ? When in the open country, 
 what folly not to breathe its pure air; 
 to pause and study my steps when the 
 path is smooth before me; to thirst 
 when the flood encompasses me; to 
 hunger for God when I may find Him, 
 relish Him, and receive His will through 
 all things f 
 
 Seek you, dear souls, the secret of 
 union with God ? There is none other 
 than to avail yourselves of all that He 
 sends you. All things may further this 
 union; all things perfect it, save sin, 
 and that which is contrary to your 
 duty. You have but to accept all that 
 He sends and let it do its work in you. 
 
 Everything is a banner to guide you, 
 a stay to uphold you, an easy and safe 
 vehicle to bear you on. 
 
 Everything is the hand of God. 
 Everything is earth, air, and water to 
 the soul. God's action is more uni- 
 
Sa?ictification by the Divine Will. 1 1 1 
 
 versally present than the elements. 
 His grace penetrates you through all 
 your senses provided you but use them 
 according to His order; for you must 
 guard and close them to all that is 
 not His will. There is not an atom 
 which, entering your frame, may not 
 cause this divine action to penetrate to 
 the very marrow of your bones. It is 
 the source and origin of all things. 
 The vital fluid which flows in your 
 veins moves only by order of the divine 
 will; all the variations of your system, 
 strength or weakness, languor or vigor, 
 life or death, are but the instruments 
 with which the divine action effects 
 your sanctification. Under its influence 
 all physical conditions become opera- 
 tions of grace. All your thoughts, all 
 your emotions, whatever their apparent 
 source, proceed from this invisible hand, 
 No created mind or heart can teach you 
 what this divine action will do in you; 
 you will learn it by successive experi- 
 ence. Your life unceasingly flows into 
 this incomprehensible abyss, where we 
 have but to love and accept as best that 
 which the present moment brings, with 
 perfect confidence in this divine action 
 
ii2 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 which of itself can only work you 
 good. 
 
 Yes, my Beloved, all souls might at- 
 tain supernatural, admirable, incon- 
 ceivably sublime states if they would 
 but submit themselves to Thy divine 
 action ! Yes, if they would but yield to 
 this divine hand the would attain emi- 
 nent sanctity. All could reach it, since 
 it is offered to all. You have but to 
 open your heart and it will enter of it- 
 self: for there is no soul which does not 
 possess in Thee, my God, its infinitely 
 perfect model; no soul in which Thy 
 divine action labors not unceasingly to 
 render it like unto Thy image. If they 
 were faithful they would all live, act, 
 speak divinely; they need only copy 
 one another; the divine action would 
 signalize each one of them through the 
 most ordinary things. 
 
 How, O my God ! can I cause Thy 
 creatures to relish what I advance ? 
 Must I, possessing a treasure capable of 
 enriching all, see souls perish in their 
 poverty ? Must I see them die like 
 desert plants when I point out to them 
 the source of living waters ? Come, 
 simple souls, who have no feeling of 
 
Sanctification by the Divine Will. 1 1 3 
 
 devotion whatever, no talent, not even 
 the first elements of instruction, — you 
 who understand nothing of spiritual 
 terms, who are filled with admiration 
 and astonishment by the eloquence of 
 the learned, — come and I will teach you 
 the secret of excelling these brilliant 
 intellects; and I will make perfection so 
 attainable that you will find it within 
 you, about you, around you, at every 
 step. I will unite you to God, and He 
 will hold you by the hand from the 
 moment you begin to practise what I 
 tell you. Come, not to learn the chart 
 of this spiritual country, but to possess 
 it, and to walk at ease therein without 
 fear of going astray. Come, not to 
 study the theory of divine grace, nor 
 to learn what it has effected in all ages 
 and is still effecting, but to be simply 
 the subjects of its operations. You 
 have no need to learn and ingenuously 
 repeat the words addressed to others: 
 divine grace shall utter to you alone all 
 that you require. 
 
1 14 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 The Divine Action alone can sanctify us, for 
 it forms us after the Divine Model of our 
 Perfection. 
 
 The divine action executes in time 
 the designs of the eternal Wisdom in 
 regard to all things. God alone can 
 make known to each soul the design 
 which it is destined to realize. Though 
 you read the will of God in regard to 
 others, this knowledge cannot direct you 
 in anything. In the Word, in God 
 Himself, is the design after which you 
 should be formed, and after which you 
 are modelled by the divine action. In 
 the Word the divine action finds that 
 to which every soul may be conformed. 
 Holy Scripture contains a portion of 
 this design, and the work of the Holy 
 Spirit in souls completes it after the 
 model which the Word presents. Is it 
 not evident that the only secret for re- 
 ceiving the impress of this eternal de- 
 sign is to be passively submissive in 
 His hands, and that no intellectual 
 effort or speculation will help us to at- 
 tain it? Is it not manifest that skill, in- 
 
The Divine Action alone can Sanctify. 115 
 
 telligence, or subtlety of mind will not 
 effect this work, but passive self-aban- 
 donment to the divine will, yielding 
 ourselves like metal to the mould, like 
 canvas to the brush, or like stone to the 
 sculptor? It is clear that a knowledge 
 of the divine mysteries which the will 
 of God effects in all ages is not what 
 renders us conformable to the design 
 which the Word has conceived for us. 
 No: it is the impress of the divine Hand; 
 and this imprint is not graven in the 
 mind through the medium of thought, 
 but upon the will through its submis- 
 sion to the will of God. 
 
 The wisdom of the simple soul con- 
 sists in contentment with what is suit- 
 able to her, in confining herself to the 
 sphere of her duties, and in never going 
 beyond its boundary. She is not cu- 
 rious to know the secrets of the divine 
 economy: she is content with God's 
 will in her regard, never striving to de- 
 cipher its hidden meaning by conjec- 
 ture or comparison, desiring to know no 
 more than each moment reveals, listen- 
 ing to the voice of the Word when it 
 speaks in the depth of her heart, never 
 asking what the Spouse of her soul 
 
n6 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 utters to others, contenting herself with 
 what she receives in the depth of her 
 soul; so that from moment to moment 
 all things, however insignificant or 
 whatever their nature, sanctify her un- 
 consciously to herself. Thus the Be- 
 loved speaks to His spouse by the pal- 
 pable effects of His action, which the 
 spouse does not curiously study, but 
 accepts with loving gratitude. There- 
 fore the spirituality of this soul is 
 simple, most solid, and interwoven with 
 her whole being. Neither tumultuous 
 thoughts nor words influence her con- 
 duct; for these, when not the instru- 
 ments of divine grace, only inflate the 
 mind. Many there are who assign an 
 important part to intellect in piety, yet 
 it is of little account therein, and not 
 unfrequently prejudicial. We must 
 make use of that only which Godsends 
 us to do and suffer. Yet many of us 
 leave this divine essential to occupy 
 our minds with the historic wonders of 
 the divine work, instead of increasing 
 these wonders by our fidelity. 
 
 The marvels of this work which 
 gratify the curiosity of our readings 
 serve only to disgust us with the ap- 
 
The Divine Action alone can Sanctify. 117 
 
 parently unimportant events through 
 which, if we despise them not, the di- 
 vine love effects great things in us. 
 Foolish creatures that we are ! We 
 admire, we bless, this divine action in 
 its written history; but when it would 
 continue to write its gospel in our 
 hearts, we hold the paper in continual 
 unrest, and we impede its action by 
 our curiosity to know what it effects in 
 us and what it effects elsewhere. 
 
 Pardon, divine Love, for I am writing 
 my own defects, and I have not yet 
 learned what it is to abandon myself 
 to Thy hand. I have not yet yielded 
 myself to the mould. I have walked 
 through Thy divine studios, I have ad- 
 mired all Thy works, but I have not 
 yet learned the needful self-abandon- 
 ment to receive the marks of Thy pen- 
 cil. At last I have found Thee, my dear 
 Master, my Teacher, my Father, my 
 dear Love! I will be Thy disciple; I 
 will learn in no other school but Thine. 
 I return like the prodigal hungering for 
 Thy bread. I abandon the ideas which 
 only serve to gratify my curiosity. I 
 will no longer seek after masters or 
 books; no, I will use these means only 
 
1 1 8 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 as Thy divine will ordains them, and 
 then not for my gratification, but to 
 obey Thee by accepting all that Thou 
 sendest me. I would confine myself 
 solely to the duty of the present moment 
 in order to prove my love, fulfil my ob- ' 
 ligations, and leave thee free to do with 
 me what Thou wilt. 
 
Self -abandoned Souls Guided by God. 119 
 
 Book &hiro. 
 
 The Paternal Care with which God sur- 
 rounds Souls wholly abandoned to Him. 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 God Himself guides Souls who wholly 
 abandon themselves to Him. 
 
 Sacrificate sacrificium justifies, et sperate 
 in Domino: Sacrifice, saith the prophet, a 
 sacrifice of justice and hoy in the Lord. 
 That is to say that the grand and solid 
 foundation of the spiritual life is to give 
 one's self to God to be the subject of 
 His good pleasure in all things, inte- 
 riorly as well as exteriorly, and to so ut- 
 terly forget self that we regard it as a 
 thing sold and delivered, to which we 
 have no longer any right; so that our 
 joy consists wholly in the good pleasure 
 of God, and His honor and glory are 
 our sole contentment. 
 
 This foundation laid, the soul has but 
 to pass her life rejoicing that God is 
 God, abandoning herself so completely 
 
120 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 to His good pleasure that she is equally 
 content to do one thing as another, ac- 
 cording as this good pleasure directs, 
 never even pausing to reflect upon the 
 disposition which is made of her by the 
 will of God. 
 
 Self-abandonment! this, then, is the 
 grand duty which remains to be ful- 
 filled after one has faithfully acquitted 
 himself of all the obligations of his 
 state. The perfection with which this 
 grand duty is accomplished is the meas- 
 ure of one's sanctity. 
 
 A holy soul is a soul who, with the 
 aid of grace, freely abandons herself to 
 the divine will. All that follows this 
 pure self-abandonment is the work of 
 God and not of man. God asks noth- 
 ing more of this soul than to blindly 
 receive all that He sends, in a spirit of 
 submission and universal indifference 
 to the instruments of His will; the rest 
 He determines and chooses according 
 to His designs for the soul as an archi- 
 tect arranges and selects his materials 
 according to the edifice he would con- 
 struct. 
 
 In all things, therefore, we must love 
 God and His order; we must love it as 
 
Self -abandoned Souls Guided by God. 121 
 
 it is presented to us without desiring 
 more. It is for God, not for us, to de- 
 termine the objects of our submission, 
 and what He sends is best for the soul. 
 What a grand epitome of spirituality is 
 this maxim of pure and absolute self- 
 abandonment to the will of God! Self- 
 abandonment, that continual forgetful- 
 ness of self which leaves the soul free 
 to eternally love and obey God, untrou- 
 bled by those fears, reflections, regrets, 
 and anxieties which the care of one's 
 own perfection and salvation gives ! 
 Since God offers to take upon Himself 
 the care of our affairs, let us once for 
 all abandon them to His infinite wis- 
 dom, that we may never more be occu- 
 pied with aught but Him and His in- 
 terests. 
 
 Arise, then, my soul; let us walk with 
 uplifted head above all that is passing 
 about us and within us, ever content 
 with God — content with what He does 
 with us, and with what He gives us to do. 
 Let us beware of imprudently falling a 
 prey to those numerous disquieting re- 
 flections which, like so many tangled 
 labyrinths, entrap the mind into useless, 
 endless wanderings. Let us avoid this 
 
122 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 snare of self-love by springing over 
 it, and not by following its interminable 
 windings. 
 
 Onward, my soul, through weariness, 
 sickness, dryness, infirmities of temper, 
 weakness of mind, snares of the devil 
 and of men, their suspicions, jealousies, 
 evil thoughts, and prejudices! Let us 
 soar like the eagle above all these clouds, 
 our eyes fixed upon the Sun of Justice, 
 and its rays which are our obligations. 
 Doubtless we may feel these trials; it 
 does not depend upon us to be insensi- 
 ble to them. But let us remember that 
 our life is not a life of sentiment. Let 
 us live in this superior part of the soul 
 where God and His will work out for 
 us an ever uniform, equable, immutable 
 eternity. In this wholly spiritual dwell- 
 ing where the Uncreated, the Ineffable, 
 the Infinite holds the soul immeasur- 
 ably separated from all shadows and 
 created atoms, reigns perpetual calm, 
 even though the senses be the prey of 
 tempests. We have learned to rise 
 above the senses; their restlessness, 
 their disquiet, their comings and goings, 
 and their hundred transformations dis- 
 turb us no more than the clouds which 
 
Self -abandoned Souls Guided by God. 123 
 
 darken the sky for a moment and dis- 
 appear. We know that in the region of 
 the senses all things are like the wind, 
 without sequence or order, in continual 
 vicissitude. God's will forms the eter- 
 nal charm of the heart in the state of 
 faith, just as in the state of glory it 
 shall constitute its true happiness; and 
 this glorious state of the heart will in- 
 fluence the whole material being at 
 present a prey to terrors and tempta- 
 tions. Under these appearances, how- 
 ever terrible they may be, the action of 
 God, giving to the material being a 
 facility wholly divine, will cause it to 
 shine like the sun; for the faculties of 
 the sensitive soul and those of the body 
 are prepared here below like gold, iron, 
 flax, and stone. And like these differ- 
 ent substances they will attain the 
 purity and splendor of their form only 
 after they have passed through many 
 processes and suffered loss and de- 
 struction. All that we endure here 
 below at the hand of God is intended 
 as a preparation for our future state. 
 
 The faithful soul who knows the 
 secret of God's ways dwells in perfect 
 peace; and all that transpires within 
 
124 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 her, so far from alarming, only reas- 
 sures her. Intimately convinced that 
 it is God who guides her, she accepts 
 everything as a grace, and lives wholly 
 forgetful of self, the object upon which 
 God labors, that she may think only of 
 the work committed to her care. Her 
 love unceasingly animates the courage 
 which enables her to faithfully and 
 carefully fulfil her obligations. 
 
 Except the sins of a self-abandoned 
 soul, which are light, and even con- 
 verted to her good by the divine will, 
 there is nothing distinctly manifest in her 
 but the action of grace. And this action 
 is distinctly manifest in all those pain- 
 ful or consoling impressions by means 
 of which the divine will unceasingly 
 works the soul's good. I use the term 
 "distinctly manifest," for of all that 
 transpires within the soul, these im- 
 pressions are what it best distinguishes. 
 To find God under all these appear- 
 ances is the great art of faith; to make 
 everything a means of uniting one's self 
 with God is the exercise of faith. 
 
Self -abandoned Souls Guided by God. 125 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The more God seems to withdraw Light 
 from the Soul abandoned to His Direction, 
 the more Safely He guides Her. 
 
 It is particularly in souls wholly 
 abandoned to God that the words of 
 St. John are accomplished: You have 
 no need that any man teach you; but as Mis 
 unction teacheth you of all things. To 
 know what God asks of them, they have 
 but to consult this unction, to sound the 
 heart, to heed its voice; it interprets the 
 will of God according to their present 
 needs. For the divine action disguised 
 reveals its designs, not by thoughts, but 
 by intuition. It manifests them to the 
 soul either by necessity, leaving it but 
 the one present course to choose, or by 
 a first impulse, a sort of supernatural 
 transport which impels to action with- 
 out reflection, or, finally, by a certain at- 
 traction or repulsion which, while leav- 
 ing the soul perfect liberty, no less at- 
 tracts it to or withdraws it from ob- 
 jects. 
 
 Were we to judge by appearances, it 
 would seem most unwise to thus pur- 
 
126 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 sue a course so uncertain; a course of 
 conduct in which, according to ordinary 
 rules, we find nothing stable, uniform, 
 or regular. It is nevertheless at bottom 
 the highest state of virtue, and one 
 which usually is only attained after 
 long exercise therein. The virtue of 
 this state is virtue in all its purity; in 
 fact, it is perfection. The soul is like a 
 musician who to long practice unites 
 great knowledge of music; he is so full 
 of his art that, without any effort, all 
 that he does therein is perfection; and 
 if his compositions be examined, they 
 will be found in perfect conformity with 
 prescribed rules. One is convinced that 
 he will never succeed better than when 
 he acts without restraint, untrammelled 
 by rules which fetter genius when too 
 scrupulously followed; and his im- 
 promptus, like so many masterpieces, 
 are the admiration of connoisseurs. 
 
 Thus the soul, after long exercise in 
 the science and practice of perfection 
 under the empire of reason and the 
 methods with which she aids grace, in- 
 sensibly forms a habit of acting in all 
 things by divine instinct. Such a soul 
 seems to intuitively accept as best the 
 
Self-abandoned Souls Guided by God. 127 
 
 first duty that presents itself, without 
 resorting to the reasoning which she 
 formerly found necessary. 
 
 She has only to act according to cir- 
 cumstances, unable to do anything but 
 abandon herself to that grace which 
 can never mislead her. The work of a 
 soul in this state of simplicity is nothing 
 less than marvellous to eyes and minds 
 divinely enlightened. Without rule, 
 yet exactness itself; without measure, 
 yet nothing better proportioned; with- 
 out reflection, yet nothing more pro- 
 found; without ingenuity, yet nothing 
 better managed; without effort, yet 
 nothing more effiacious; without fore- 
 thought, yet nothing better fitted to 
 unforeseen events. 
 
 The divine action frequently gives by 
 means of spiritual reading knowledge 
 which the authors never possessed. 
 God makes use of the words and actions 
 of others to inspire hidden truths. If 
 He wills to enlighten us by such means, 
 it is the part of the self-abandoned soul 
 to accept them; and all means which 
 become the instrument of the divine 
 will possess an efficacy far surpassing 
 their natural and apparent virtue. 
 
128 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 A life of self-abandonment is char- 
 acterized by mystery; it is a life which 
 receives from God extraordinary mi- 
 raculous gifts through commonplace, 
 fortuitous events, chance encounters, 
 where nothing is visible to human eyes 
 but the ordinary workings of men's 
 minds and the natural course of the 
 elements. Thus the simplest sermons, 
 the most commonplace conversations, 
 the least elevating books, become to 
 these souls by virtue of the will of God 
 sources of intelligence and wisdom. 
 Therefore they carefully gather the 
 crumbs of wisdom which the worldly- 
 wise trample under foot. Everything 
 is precious to them, everything enriches 
 them; so that, while supremely indif- 
 ferent to all things, they neglect or 
 despise nothing, drawing profit from 
 all. 
 
 When we behold God in all things, 
 and use them by His order, it is not 
 using creatures, but enjoying the divine 
 action which transmits its gifts though 
 these different channels. They are not 
 of themselves sanctifying, but only as 
 instruments of the divine action which 
 can and frequently does communicate 
 
Afflictions but Loving A?-tiJices. 129 
 
 its graces to simple souls by means ap- 
 parently contrary to the end proposed. 
 Yes, divine grace can enlighten with 
 clay as with the most subtle material, 
 and its instrument is always efficacious. 
 All things are alike to it. Faith never 
 feels any need; she complains not of 
 the lack of means apparently necessary 
 to her advancement, for the divine 
 Workman for whom she labors supplies 
 all deficiencies by His will. This holy 
 will is the whole virtue of all creatures. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 The Afflictions with which God visits the 
 Soul are but Loving Artifices at which she 
 will One Day rejoice. 
 
 Souls who walk in light sing canticles 
 of joy; those who walk amid shadows 
 sing anthems of woe. Let one and 
 the other sing to the end the portion 
 and anthem God assigns them. We 
 must add nothing to what He has com- 
 pleted. There must flow every drop of 
 this gall of divine bitterness with which 
 He wills to inebriate them. Behold 
 Jeremias and Ezechiel: their's was the 
 language of sighs and lamentations, 
 
130 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 and their only consolation was in the 
 continuation of their lament. He who 
 would have dried their tears would 
 have deprived us of the most beautiful 
 portions of the Holy Scriptures. The 
 spirit that afflicts is the only one which 
 can console. The streams of sorrow and 
 consolation flow from the same source. 
 When God astonishes a soul she must 
 needs tremble; when He menaces,, she 
 cannot but fear. We have but to leave 
 the divine operation to its own develop- 
 ment; it bears within itself the remedy 
 as well as the trial. Weep, dear souls; 
 tremble, suffer disquiet and anguish; 
 make no effort to escape these divine 
 terrors, these heavenly lamentations. 
 Receive into the depth of your being 
 the waters of that sea of bitterness 
 , which inundated the soul of Christ. 
 Continue to sow in tears at the will of 
 divine grace, and insensibly by the same 
 will their source shall be dried. The 
 clouds will dissolve, the sun will shed its 
 light, the springtime will strew your 
 path with flowers, and your self-aban- 
 donment will manifest to you the whole 
 extent of the admirable variety of the 
 divine action. 
 
Afflictions bid Loving Artifices. 131 
 
 Truly, man disquiets himself in vain' 
 All that passes within him is like a 
 dream. One shadow follows and ef- 
 faces another, just as the fancies of 
 sleep succeed one another, some troub- 
 ling, others delighting, the mind. Man 
 is the sport of these imaginations which 
 consume one another, and the grand 
 awakening will show the equal empti- 
 ness of them all. It will dissipate all 
 illusions, and he will no longer heed the 
 perils or fortunes of this dream called 
 life. 
 
 Lord, can it not be said that Thy 
 children sleep in Thy bosom during all 
 the night of faith, while at Thy pleasure 
 Thou fillest their souls with an infinite 
 number and infinite variety of experi- 
 ences which are in reality but holy and 
 mysterious reveries ? In this obscure 
 night of the soul they are filled with 
 veritable and awful terrors, with an- 
 guish and weariness which on the glori- 
 ous day Thou wilt change into true and 
 solid joys. 
 
 At their awakening, holy souls, re- 
 stored to a clearer vision and fuller 
 consciousness, will never weary admir- 
 ing the skill, the art, the invention, the 
 
132 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 loving artifices of the Bridegroom. 
 They will comprehend how impenetra- 
 ble are His ways, how surpassing com- 
 prehension are His devices, how be- 
 yond discovery His disguises, how im- 
 possible consolation when He willed 
 that they should mourn. On the day 
 of this awakening the Jeremias and the 
 Davids will see that that which wrought 
 their bitterest pain was subject of re- 
 joicing to God and the angels. Wake 
 not the spouse, worldly-wise, industri- 
 ous minds filled with self-activity; leave 
 her to sigh and tremblingly seek for the 
 Bridegroom. True, He eludes her, and 
 disguises Himself; she sleeps, and her 
 griefs are but as the phantoms which 
 come with night and sleep. But disturb 
 her not; let the Bridegroom work upon 
 this cherished soul and depict in her 
 what He alone can paint or express. 
 Leave Him to develop the result of this 
 state. He will awake her when it is 
 time. Joseph causes Benjamin to weep; 
 servants of Joseph, reveal not his secret 
 to this cherished brother ! The artifice 
 of Joseph is beyond the penetration 
 of Benjamin. He and his poor brothers 
 are plunged in grief; they see naught in 
 
 
God Generous to Self -abandoned Souls. 133 
 
 the loving artifice of Joseph but irreme- 
 diable suffering. Enlighten them not: 
 He will remedy all; He will reveal 
 himself to them, and they will admire 
 the wisdom of Him who out of so much 
 woe and desolation wrought the truest 
 joy they have ever known. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The more God seems to take from a Soul 
 wholly abandoned to Him, the more Gen- 
 erous He is to her. 
 
 But let us go on in the study of the 
 divine action and its loving artifices. 
 What the divine action seems to take 
 from a good will it gives in disguise, so 
 to speak. It never leaves a good will 
 in need. For example, if we relieved 
 the necessities of a friend with gener- 
 ous gifts, allowing him to know they 
 came from us, but later, in his interest 
 making a feint of withholding our 
 gifts while continuing to secretly as- 
 sist him, the friend, not suspecting 
 the ruse or comprehending the kindly 
 artifice, is grieved and hurt. Bitter 
 reflections and unkind thoughts of his 
 benefactor torment him. But when the 
 
134 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 loving ruse is revealed to him, imagine 
 the joy, the confusion, the love, the 
 shame, the gratitude, which overwhelm 
 him ! And are not his zeal and love 
 for his benefactor greater henceforth ? 
 And has not the trial only strengthened 
 his love and made it proof against any 
 similar misunderstandings in the fu- 
 ture ? 
 
 The application is simple. The more 
 we seem to lose with God, the more we 
 really gain ; the more He deprives us of 
 natural aid, the more He gives us of 
 supernatural. We loved Him a little 
 for His gifts, but these being no longer 
 visible we come to love Him for Him- 
 self. It is by the apparent withdrawal 
 of these sensible gifts and favors that 
 He prepares us for Himself, the great- 
 est of all gifts. The souls once wholly 
 submissive to the divine action should 
 always interpret all things fuvorably — ' 
 yes, were it the loss of the most excellent 
 of directors, were it the distrust which 
 they feel in spite of themselves for those 
 who too readily offer to fill his place; 
 for usually the guides who of them- 
 selves seek the direction of souls merit 
 a little distrust. Those who are truly 
 
God Generous to Self -abandoned Souls. 135 
 
 animated by the Spirit of God are not 
 ordinarily so impetuous or self-confi- 
 dent : they are sought, they do not offer 
 themselves, and never cease to distrust 
 themselves. 
 
 Let the soul that has wholly given 
 herself to God walk fearlessly through 
 all these trials, letting none of them de- 
 prive her of her liberty. Provided she 
 be faithful to the divine action, this all- 
 powerful action will work wonders in 
 her despite all obstacles. God and the 
 soul are engaged in the same work, the 
 success of which, though depending en- 
 tirely on the action of the divine Work- 
 man, may nevertheless be compromised 
 by the infidelity of the soul. 
 
 When it is well with the soul, all goes 
 well; for that which is of God — that is, 
 His part and action— are, so to speak, 
 the rebound of the soul's fidelity. It is 
 the right side of the work which, like 
 those famous tapestries, are done stitch 
 by stitch on the wrong side. The work- 
 man engaged thereon sees but his needle 
 and the canvas, every little hole of 
 which is successively filled, forming a 
 beautiful design which is only visible 
 however,when every detail is completed, 
 
136 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 and the right side is held up to view, 
 but during the process of the work all 
 its beauty and its marvels were unseen. 
 And thus it is with the self-abandon- 
 ed soul : it sees only God and its duty. 
 The fulfilment of the duty of each mo- 
 ment is but the addition of an imper- 
 ceptible point, and yet it is by means of 
 these apparent trifles that God effects 
 His wonders. We are given a present- 
 ment of these wonders at times here 
 below, but we shall only understand 
 them in the light of eternity. How full 
 of wisdom and goodness are the ways of 
 God! He has made all that is great, ele- 
 vating and ennobling so completely the 
 work of His grace and action, leaving 
 to the soul what is easy and simple to 
 be accomplished with the aid of grace, 
 that there is no one who cannot attain 
 eminent sanctity by the loving fulfil- 
 ment of obscure and humble duties. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 The less Capable the Faithful Soul is of de- 
 fending Herself, the more Powerfully does 
 God defend Her. 
 
 The supreme and infallible work of 
 the divine action is always opportunely 
 
God Defends the Faithful Soul. 137 
 
 applied to the simple soul, and she in 
 all things wisely corresponds to its in- 
 timate direction. She accepts all that 
 comes to her, all that transpires, all 
 that she feels — all, all save sin; some- 
 times consciously, sometimes uncon- 
 sciously, being impelled, not by any 
 reason, but by an indistinct impulse, to 
 speak, to act, or not to act. 
 
 Frequently the occasion and the rea- 
 son which determine her course are 
 merely of the natural order ; the sim- 
 ple soul sees no mystery therein, but 
 pure chance, necessity, conventional- 
 ity; it is nothing in her eyes or those 
 of others: and yet the divine action, 
 which is the wisdom, the counsel, the 
 knowledge of its friends, causes these 
 simple things to work their good. It 
 appropriates them and turns them so 
 energetically against the schemes of the 
 faithful soul's enemies, that it is impos- 
 sible for them to injure her. 
 
 The divine action frees the soul from 
 the petty anxious schemes so necessary 
 to human prudence. Such precautions 
 are suitable for Herod and the Phari- 
 sees: but the Magi have but to follow 
 their star in peace ; the Babe has but 
 
138 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 to rest in His Mother's arms ; His ene- 
 mies advance His cause more than they 
 injure it ; the more they seek to thwart 
 and overwhelm it, the more peacefully 
 and freely He advances. He will not 
 court or temporize with them to turn . 
 their attacks from Him ; their jeal- 
 ousies, their distrust, their persecutions, 
 are necessary to Him. Thus lived Jesus 
 in Judea; and He still lives after this 
 manner in simple souls, where He is 
 generous, gentle, free, peaceful; fearing 
 and needing no creature, but beholding 
 them all in the hands of His Father; 
 eager to turn them to His service, some 
 through their criminal passions, others 
 through their good actions, others 
 through their obedience and submis- 
 sion. 
 
 The divine action marvellously ad- 
 justs all these things : there is neither 
 too little nor too much; no more good 
 and evil than needful. 
 
 The order of God sends each moment 
 the appropriate instrument for its work; 
 and the simple soul enlightened by 
 faith finds all things good, desiring 
 neither more nor less than she possess- 
 es. At all times she blesses the di- 
 
God Defends the Faithful Soul. 139 
 
 vine Hand which so carefully supplies 
 her needs and frees her from obstacles; 
 she receives friends and foes with equal 
 sweetness, for it is the way of Jesus to 
 treat the whole world as a divine in- 
 strument. We want for none, and yet 
 we have need of all ; the divine action 
 renders all necessary, and we must re- 
 ceive all from it, accepting each thing 
 according to its nature and quality, and 
 corresponding thereto with sweetness 
 and humility, treating the simple with 
 simplicity, the ungentle with gentle- 
 ness, after the teaching of St. Paul and 
 the more beautiful practice of the di- 
 vine Master. 
 
 Divine grace alone can imprint that 
 supernatural character which adapts it- 
 self so marvellously to each individual 
 nature. It is not learned from books ; 
 it is a true spirit of prophecy, and the 
 effect of intimate revelation ; it is the 
 teaching of the Holy Spirit. To con- 
 ceive it one must have attained the 
 highest degree of self-abandonment and 
 the most perfect detachment from all 
 plans and interests, however holy they 
 may be. We must keep before our eyes 
 the one important thing in this world, 
 
140 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 viz., the passive abandonment to the 
 divine action which is required of us in 
 order to devote ourselves to the duties 
 of our state, leaving the Holy Spirit to 
 operate interiorly, indifferent as to what 
 He operates upon, even happy not to 
 know it. Then, then we are safe ; for 
 all the events of the world can only 
 work the good of souls perfectly sub- 
 missive to the divine will of God. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The Soul abandoned to the Will of God, so 
 far from resisting her Enemies, finds in 
 them Useful Auxiliaries. 
 I fear my own action and that of my 
 friends more than I do my enemies. 
 There is no prudence equal to that of 
 offering no resistance to one's enemies 
 but that of simple abandonment to the 
 will of God; nothing which so fully 
 insures our peace; it is rowing with 
 the tide, sailing with a wind which 
 swiftly brings us into port. There is 
 nothing better than simplicity with 
 which to meet the prudence of this 
 world; it skilfully, though unconsci- 
 ously, evades its snares without even 
 thinking of them. 
 
The Soul's Ejiemies Useful Atixiliaries. 141 
 
 Dealing with a simple soul is, in a 
 measure, dealing with God. Who can 
 cope with the Almighty, whose ways 
 are inscrutable ? God espouses the 
 cause of the simple soul; she has no 
 need to study the intrigues of her ene- 
 mies, to meet their activity with equal 
 alertness, watching all their move- 
 ments: her Spouse relieves her of all 
 this; she confides all to Him, and then 
 rests on His breast in peace and se- 
 curity. The divine action inspires her 
 with measures so just that they who 
 sought to surprise her are themselves 
 surprised. She benefits by all their 
 efforts, and rises by the very means 
 with which they sought to abase her. 
 All contradictions turn to her good; 
 and by leaving her enemies to work 
 their will she draws so great and con- 
 tinual profit from them that all she need 
 fear is that she may interfere in a work 
 in which God wills to be the chief 
 actor, using her enemies as His instru- 
 ments, and in which the soul has no 
 other part than to peacefully watch 
 the working of the divine will and fol- 
 low its guidance with simplicity. 
 
 The supernatural prudence of the 
 
142 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 divine Spirit, the principle of these at- 
 tractions, unerringly seizes the end 
 and intimate relations of each event, 
 and, all unknown to the soul, so dis- 
 poses them for her spiritual welfare 
 that all which opposes itself thereto 
 must inevitably be destroyed. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The Soul who abandons Herself to God 
 has no Need to justify Herself by Words 
 or Actions : the Divine Action justifies 
 Her. 
 
 The broad, solid, firm rock upon 
 which the faithful soul stands sheltered 
 from tides and storms is the order of 
 the divine will, which is ever present 
 with us, veiled under crosses or the 
 most ordinary duties. Behind these 
 shadows is hidden God's Hand, which 
 sustains and upholds those who aban- 
 don themselves to Him. 
 
 The moment the soul is firmly estab- 
 lished in this perfect self-abandonment 
 she is henceforth safe from the contra- 
 diction of tongues, for she ceases to have 
 anything to do or say in her own de- 
 fence. Since the work is God's, from 
 
Faithful Souls need no Justification. 143 
 
 no other source must its justification 
 be sought. Its consequences and 
 effects will sufficiently justify it. We 
 have but to leave it to its own develop- 
 ment. Dies diei eructat verbum. 
 
 When we are no longer guided by 
 our own ideas we need not defend our- 
 selves by words. Our words can only 
 represent our ideas, and where an ab- 
 sence of ideas is admitted no words 
 are needed. Of what avail are they ? 
 To give a reason for what we do ? But 
 we know not this reason; it is hidden 
 in the principle which animates our 
 actions, and which impresses us only in 
 a most ineffable manner. 
 
 We must therefore leave to the re- 
 sults of our actions the task of justify- 
 ing their principle. All is metely sus- 
 tained in this divine procession; every- 
 thing therein has a firm and solid 
 basis, and the reason for that which 
 precedes is manifest in the result 
 which follows. It is no longer a life 
 of thought, imagination, multiplied 
 words: these no longer occupy, nourish, 
 or sustain the soul. She no longer 
 knows where she walks, or where her 
 path may lie in the future; she ceases 
 
144 Holy Abandonment 
 
 to incite herself with reflections to bear 
 the toils and fatigues of the route; her 
 strength lies in an intimate conviction 
 of her own weakness. A way is opened 
 to her feet; she enters and walks un- 
 hesitatingly therein with pure, straight- 
 forward, simple faith; she follows the 
 straight path of the commandments, 
 leaning upon God Himself, whom she 
 finds at every turn of the way; and this 
 God, the sole object of her life, will 
 take her justification upon Himself, 
 and so manifest His presence that she 
 will be avenged of her detractors. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 God gives Life to the Soul abandoned to 
 Him by Means which apparently lead only 
 to Death. 
 
 There is a time when God wills to be 
 the life of the soul and work out her per- 
 fection Himself in a hidden and secret 
 manner: then all her own ideas, lights, 
 efforts, researches, reasonings, become 
 a source of illusion. And when the 
 soul, after many sad experiences, is fi- 
 nally taught the uselessness of her self- 
 
God gives the Soul Life through Death, 145 
 
 activity, she finds that God has hidden 
 and obstructed all other channels of 
 life that she may live in Him alone. 
 Then, convinced of her nothingness, and 
 that her self-activity is prejudicial to her, 
 she abandons herself completely to 
 God and relies only upon Him. God 
 then becomes a source of life to the 
 soul, not by means of thoughts, reve- 
 lations, reflections (these are now be- 
 come a source of illusion), but effec- 
 tively by the reality of His grace hidden 
 under the strangest appearances. The 
 divine operation being invisible to the 
 soul, she receives its virtue, its sub- 
 stance, under circumstances which she 
 feels will prove her ruin. There is no 
 remedy for this obscurity; we must re- 
 main buried therein; for here, in this 
 night of faith, God gives Himself to 
 us, and with Himself all things. Hence- 
 forth the soul is but a blind subject; or 
 rather she may be likened to a sick man 
 who, ignorant of the virtue of his reme- 
 dies, and feeling only their bitterness, 
 frequently imagines they must lead to 
 death; the exhaustion and crisis which 
 follow them seem to justify his fears: 
 nevertheless, under this semblance of 
 
146 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 death he receives health, and he con- 
 tinues to accept the remedies at the 
 word of the physician. 
 
 Thus souls abandoned to God's will 
 take no heed of their infirmities, ex- 
 cept those of a nature sufficiently evi- 
 dent and grave to require care and 
 treatment. The languor and impo- 
 tence of faithful souls are but illusions 
 and semblances which they must cour- 
 ageously face. God sends and permits 
 them to exercise their faith and self- 
 abandonment, and in these virtues lies 
 the soul's true remedy. She must go 
 on generously, utterly ignoring her in- 
 firmities, accepting all that comes to 
 her to do or suffer in the order of God, 
 never hesitating to treat her- body as 
 w T e do those beasts of burden only 
 destined to spend their lives going 
 hither and thither at our will. This 
 treatment is more efficacious than all 
 that delicate care which only weakens 
 the vigor of the mind. This strength 
 of purpose has an indescribable virtue 
 and power to sustain a feeble body; and 
 a year of this noble and generous life is 
 worth a century of selfish fears and 
 care. 
 
God gives the Soul Life through Death. 147 
 
 We must endeavor to habitually 
 maintain an air of childlike gentleness 
 and good-will. Ah ! what can we fear 
 from this divine fortune ? Guided, sus- 
 tained, and protected by the Providence 
 of God, the whole exterior conduct of 
 His children should be nothing less 
 than heroic. The alarming objects 
 which oppose their progress are naught 
 in themselves: they are only sent to em- 
 bellish their lives by still more glorious 
 actions. They entangle them in em- 
 barrassments of every kind, whence 
 human prudence can see no issue, and, 
 feeling its weakness, stops short, con- 
 founded. Then does the divine for- 
 tune gloriously manifest what it is for 
 souls who wholly trust therein. It ex- 
 tricates them more marvellously than 
 the writers of fiction with unrestrained 
 imagination in the leisure and privacy of 
 their study unraveled the intrigues and 
 perils of their imaginary heroes, bring- 
 ing them invariably to a happy end. 
 More admirably still does it guide them 
 safely through the perils of death, the 
 snares of demons, the terrors of temp- 
 tation, the fears of hell. It elevates these 
 souls to heaven, and they are all the real 
 
148 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 subject of those mystic histories more 
 beautiful and curious than any ever in- 
 vented by the crude imagination of man. 
 
 Then onward, my soul, through per- 
 ils and fears, guided, directed, and sus- 1 
 tained by the invisible, all-powerful, 
 unerring Hand of divine Providence. 
 Let us go on fearlessly in joy and peace 
 to the end, turning obstacles into vic- 
 tories, remembering that it was to 
 struggle and conquer that we enrolled 
 ourselves under His banner. Exivit 
 vincens ut vinceret, and every step under 
 His guidance is a victory. The book 
 of souls lies open before the Holy Spirit, 
 and their history is still written, for 
 holy souls will furnish material for its 
 pages to the end of the world. This 
 history is but the relation of God's op- 
 erations and designs upon man, and it 
 depends upon ourselves whether we 
 shall appear in its pages and continue 
 its narration by uniting our sufferings 
 and actions to His divine will. 
 
 No; let nothing we have to do or suf- 
 fer alarm us : it can cause us no loss ; 
 it is only sent us that we may furnish 
 material for that holy history, which is 
 increasing day by day. 
 
Love All-in-all to the Self -abandoned. 149 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Love holds the Place of All Things to Souls 
 who walk in the Way of Abandonment. 
 
 God, while He despoils a soul who 
 wholly abandons herself to Him, gives 
 her something which takes the place of 
 all things — of light, of strength, of life, 
 of wisdom. This gift is His love. Di- 
 vine love is like a supernatural instinct 
 in these souls. 
 
 Everything in nature has that which 
 is suited to its kind ; each flower has 
 its peculiar charm, each animal its in- 
 stinct, and each creature its perfection. 
 And so it is in the different states of 
 grace; each has its special grace, and 
 this is a recompense to every one 
 whose good will brings him in harmony 
 with the state in which Providence has 
 placed him. 
 
 A soul becomes subject to the divine 
 action the moment a good will is formed 
 in her heart; and this action influences 
 her according to the degree of her self- 
 abandonment. The art of self-aban- 
 donment is simply the art of loving, 
 divine love grants all things to the 
 
150 Holy Abandofiment. 
 
 soul who refuses Him nothing. And 
 as God's love inspires the desires of a 
 soul who lives for him, He can never 
 refuse them; therefore, cannot love de- 
 sire what it pleases ? 
 
 The divine action only considers the 
 good will of a soul; the capacity or in- 
 capacity of the other faculties neither 
 attract nor repel it. If it find a soul 
 good, pure, upright, simple, submis- 
 sive, it is all it requires; it takes posses- 
 sion of this soul and of all her faculties, 
 and so disposes all things for her good 
 that she finds means of sanctification 
 in everything. That which would give 
 death to others, should it enter this 
 soul will be harmless, for the antidote 
 of her good will will arrest the effect of 
 the poison. If she stray to the brink of 
 the abyss, the divine action will with- 
 hold her from its depths, or if she fall 
 it will rescue her. And indeed the 
 faults of these souls are but faults of 
 frailty and little perceptible ; God's 
 love knows how to turn them to her 
 advantage, and by secret and ineffable 
 ways teaches her what she should say 
 and do according to the circumstances 
 in which she is placed. 
 
Love All-in-all to the Self -abandoned. 151 
 
 Such souls receive as it were rays of di- 
 vine intelligence: Intellectus bonus omni- 
 bus facientibus eum. For this divine in- 
 telligence accompanies them in all their 
 wanderings, and rescues them from the 
 snares into which their simplicity leads 
 them. Have they committed them- 
 selves by some mistaken measure ? 
 Providence disposes a happy event 
 which releases them. Vainly are in- 
 trigues multiplied against them; Provi- 
 dence overcomes all the efforts of their 
 enemies, and so confounds and be- 
 wilders them that they fall into their 
 own snares. Do they seek to surprise 
 the soul ? Providence, by means of 
 some apparently unimportant action 
 which she unconsciously performs, res- 
 cues her from the embarrassments into 
 which she has been led by her own up- 
 rightness and the malice of her ene- 
 mies. 
 
 Oh, the exquisite wisdom of this 
 good will ! What prudence in its sim- 
 plicity, what ingenuity in its innocence, 
 what frankness in its mysteries, what 
 mystery in its candor ! 
 
 Behold the young Tobias: he is a 
 mere youth; but Raphael walks at his 
 
152 Holy Abandorunent. 
 
 side, and with such a guide he walks in 
 safety, he feels no want, nothing af- 
 frights him. Even the monsters he 
 encounters furnish him food and heal- 
 ing; the very creature which springs to 
 devour him becomes his nourishment. 
 He is only occupied with nuptials and 
 festivities, for such is his present duty 
 in the order of Providence; not that he 
 is without other cares, but they are 
 abandoned to that divine intelligence 
 charged to assist him in all things ; and 
 the result of his affairs is better than 
 he could have made it, for everything 
 succeeds and is crowned with pros- 
 perity. Yet the mother bitterly grieves, 
 while the father is full of faith ; but 
 the child so sorely lamented joyfully ' 
 returns to become the happiness of his 
 family. 
 
 Then for those souls who wholly 
 abandon themselves to it, divine love 
 is the source of all good ; and an ear- 
 nest desire is all that is necessary to 
 obtain this inestimable blessing. 
 
 Yes, dear souls, God asks but your 
 heart ; if you seek you will find this 
 treasure, this kingdom where God 
 alone reigns. 
 
Love All-in-all to the Self-abandoned. 153 
 
 If your heart be wholly devoted to 
 God, within it you will find the treas- 
 ure, the kingdom itself, which is the 
 object of your desires. The moment 
 we desire God and His will, that mo- 
 ment we enjoy them, and our enjoy- 
 ment corresponds to the ardor of our 
 desires. The earnest desire to love 
 God is loving Him. Because we love 
 Him we desire to be the instruments of 
 His action, that His love may freely 
 operate in us and through us. 
 
 The work of the divine action is not 
 in proportion to the capacity of a simple 
 holy soul, but to her purity of intention; 
 nor does it correspond to the means 
 she adopts, the projects she forms, the 
 counsel she follows. The soul may err 
 in all these, and this not rarely hap- 
 pens; but with a good will and pure 
 intention she can never be misled. When 
 God sees this good disposition He 
 overlooks all the rest, and accepts as 
 done what the soul would assuredly do 
 if circumstances seconded her good 
 will. 
 
 Therefore a good will has nothing to 
 fear ; if it falter, it can but fall under 
 that all-powerful Hand which guides 
 
154 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 and sustains it in all its wanderings. 
 It is this divine Hand which draws it 
 towards the goal when it has wandered 
 therefrom, which restores it to the path 
 whence its feet have strayed ; it is the 
 soul's refuge in the difficulties into 
 which the efforts of her blind faculties 
 lead her ; and the soul learns to despise 
 these, efforts to wholly abandon herself 
 to the infallible guidance of this divine 
 Hand. Even the errors of these good 
 souls lead them to self-abandonment; 
 and never will a good will find itself 
 unaided, for it is a dogma of faith that 
 all things work the good of such souls. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The Faithful Soul finds in Submission to 
 the Will of God more Force and Strength 
 than the Proudest of those who resist 
 Him. 
 
 What avail the most sublime intelli- 
 gence and divine revelations if we love 
 not the will of God ? It was through 
 these that Lucifer perished. The work 
 of the divine action which God revealed 
 to him in the mystery of the Incarna- 
 tion excited only his envy. A simple 
 
What Souls gain by Submissio?i to God, 155 
 
 soul, on the contrary, enlightened by 
 faith alone, never wearies admiring, 
 praising, and loving the order of God, 
 recognizing it not only in holy things, 
 but even amid the greatest confusion 
 and disorder of events. A simple soul 
 is more enlightened with a ray of pure 
 faith than was Lucifer by His sublime 
 revelations. 
 
 The science of a soul faithful to her 
 obligations, peacefully submissive to 
 the secret inspirations of grace, humble 
 and gentle with all, is worth more than 
 the profound wisdom which penetrates 
 mysteries. 
 
 If we would learn to see but the will 
 of God in the pride and cruelty of 
 creatures, we would always meet them 
 with gentleness and respect. What- 
 ever the consequences of their dis- 
 orders, they can never mar the divine 
 order. We must only see in creatures 
 the will of God, whose instruments 
 they are, and whose grace they com- 
 municate to us when we receive them 
 with meekness and humility. We have 
 not to concern ourselves for their 
 course, but keep steadily on in our 
 own; and thus, with gentle firmness, we 
 
156 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 will triumph over all obstacles, were 
 they firmly rooted as cedars and irre- 
 sistible as rocks. 
 
 What can resist the force of a meek, 
 humble, faithful soul?. If we would 
 vanquish all our adversaries, we have 
 but to use the weapons God has placed 
 in our hands. He has given them for 
 our defence, and there is nothing to be 
 feared in using them. We must not be 
 cowardly but generous, as becomes 
 souls chosen to do God's work. God's 
 workings are sublime and marvellous; 
 and never can human action, warring 
 upon God, resist one who is united to 
 the divine will by the practice of meek- 
 ness and humility. 
 
 What was Lucifer? A beautiful 
 spirit, more enlightened than all the 
 others; but a beautiful spirit rebellious 
 against God and His will. 
 
 The mystery of evil is but the con- 
 tinuation of this rebellion in every 
 variety of form. Lucifer, as far as lies 
 in his power, would subvert all that 
 God has done and ordained. Wher- 
 ever he penetrates, God's work is 
 marred. The greater one's learning, 
 science, understanding, the greater his 
 
What Sotds gain by Submission to God. 157 
 
 danger if he possess not that founda- 
 tion of piety which consists in sub- 
 mission to the will of God. It is a 
 disciplined, submissive heart which 
 unites us to the divine action; without 
 it all our goodness is but natural virtue, 
 and ordinarily in opposition to the 
 order of God. This all-powerful 
 Workman only recognizes the humble 
 as His instruments, and condemns the 
 rebellious proud to serve in spite of 
 themselves as the slaves of divine 
 justice. 
 
 When I see a soul whose first object 
 is God and submission to His will, 
 however much she may be lacking in 
 other things, I say, Here is a soul with 
 great talents for serving God. The 
 Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph appear 
 to have been after this model. Other 
 gifts without this alarm me ; I fear to 
 see the action of Lucifer repeated. I 
 am on my guard, and intrench myself 
 in my simplicity to resist the dazzling 
 splendor of those gifts, of themselves 
 so perishable and fragile. 
 
158 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 The Soul abandoned to God learns to rec- 
 ognize His Will even in the Proud who 
 resist Him. All Creatures, whether Good 
 or Evil, reveal Him to her. 
 
 The will of God is the whole life of • 
 the simple soul. She respects this will 
 even in the evil actions by which the 
 proud seek to abase her. The proud 
 despise 'a soul in whose eyes they are 
 nothing; for she sees only God in them 
 and all their actions. Frequently they 
 mistake her humble demeanor for awe 
 of themselves, when it is only a mark 
 of her loving fear of God and His will 
 which is present to her in the proud. 
 
 No, poor foolish creatures, the simple 
 soul fears ye not. Rather, she com- 
 passionates you. It is to God she speaks 
 when she seems to address you; it is 
 with Him she treats; she regards you 
 only as His slaves, or rather as shadows 
 which veil Him. Therefore, the more 
 overbearing you are, the more humble 
 she becomes; and when you think to 
 entrap her you find youselves the 
 dupes. Your diplomacy, your violence, 
 
Recognition of the Divine Will. 159 
 
 are to her, but favors of Providence, 
 Yes, the proud are still an enigma 
 which the simple soul enlightened by 
 faith clearly reads. 
 
 This recognition of the divine will in 
 all that transpires each moment within 
 us and about us is the true science of 
 the spiritual life; it is a continual 
 revelation of truth; it is a communica- 
 tion with God incessantly renewed; it 
 is the enjoyment of the Bridegroom, 
 not covertly, secretly, in the " clefts of 
 the rock," in the "vineyard," but 
 openly, publicly, without fear of creat- 
 ures. It is a depth of peace, joy, love, 
 and contentment with God, whom we 
 see, or rather behold, through -faith, 
 living and working the perfection of 
 each event. It is the eternal paradise, 
 now tasted, it is true, only in things in- 
 complete and veiled in obscurity; but 
 the Spirit of God disposes all the 
 events of this life by the fruitful omni- 
 presence of His action, and on the last 
 day He will say, Let there be light (Fiat 
 lux) ; and then shall be revealed the 
 treasures of that abyss of peace and 
 contentment with God which each ac- 
 tion, each cross, conceals. 
 
160 Holy Abandonment. 
 
 When God thus gives Himself to a 
 soul, all that is ordinary becomes extra- 
 ordinary; therefore it is that nothing 
 appears of the great work which is 
 going on in the soul; the way itself is so 
 marvellous that it needs not the embel- 
 lishment of marvels which belong not 
 to it. It is a miracle, a revelation, a 
 continuous enjoyment of God, inter- 
 rupted only by little faults; but in itself 
 it is characterized by the absence of 
 anything sensible or marvellous, while 
 it renders marvellous all ordinary and 
 sensible things. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 God assures to Faithful Souls a Glorious 
 Victory over the Powers of Earth and 
 Hell. 
 
 If the divine action is veiled here be- 
 low by an exterior of weakness, it is 
 that the merit of faithful souls may be 
 increased; but its triumph is no less 
 sure. The history of the world is sim- 
 ply the history of the struggle main- 
 tained from the beginning by the pow- 
 ers of the world and hell with souls 
 
The Victory assured to Faithful Souls. 161 
 
 humbly submissive to the divine action. 
 In the conflict all the advantage seems 
 to be on the side of the proud; yet hu- 
 mility is always victorious. 
 
 This world is represented to us under 
 the form of a statue of gold, brass, iron, 
 and clay. This mystery of iniquity 
 which was shown in a dream to Nebu- 
 chadnezzar is but the confused assem- 
 blage of all the acts, interior and exte- 
 rior, of the children of darkness. These 
 are again represented by the beast com- 
 ing up out of the abyss from the begin- 
 ning of all ages, to make war upon the 
 interior and spiritual man; and this war 
 still continues. The monsters succeed 
 one another ; the abyss swallows them 
 and vomits them forth again, while un- 
 ceasingly emitting new and strange 
 vapors. The combat begun in heaven 
 between Lucifer and St. Michael still 
 wages. The heart of that proud and 
 envious spirit has become an inexhaust- 
 ible abyss of every kind of evil; and his 
 only aim since the creation of the world 
 has been to ever raise up among men 
 new workers of iniquity to replace those 
 swallowed up in the abyss. Lucifer is 
 the chieftain of those who refuse obedi- 
 
162 Holy Aba?idonment. 
 
 ence to the Almighty ; this mystery of 
 iniquity is but the inversion of the or- 
 der of God. It is the order, or rather 
 the disorder, of Satan. This disorder is 
 a mystery, for beneath a fair exterior it 
 hides irremediable infinite evils. All the 
 wicked who have declared war against 
 God, from Cain to those who now lay 
 waste the earth, have been seemingly 
 great and powerful princes, famous in 
 the world and worshipped of men. But 
 their apparent splendor is a portion of 
 the mystery; they are but the beasts 
 which, one after another, rise from the 
 abyss to subvert the order of God. But 
 this order, which is another mystery, 
 resists them with men truly powerful 
 and great, who give the death-blow to 
 these monsters ; and even as hell vom- 
 its forth new monsters, heaven raises 
 up new heroes to battle with them. An- 
 cient history, sacred and profane, is but 
 the record of this war. The will of God 
 always triumphs. His followers share 
 His victories and reap a happy eternity. 
 But iniquity can never protect its fol- 
 lowers, and the deserters from God's 
 cause reap death, eternal death. 
 
 The wicked ever believe themselves 
 
The Victory assured to Faithful Souls. 163 
 
 invincible; but oh, my God, who shall 
 resist Thee ! Were the powers of earth 
 and hell ranged against one single soul, 
 she would have naught to fear in aban- 
 doning herself to the will of God. That 
 apparent might and irresistible power 
 of iniquity, that head of gold, that body 
 of silver, brass, and iron, is but a phan- 
 tom of glittering dust. A pebble over- 
 throws it and makes it the sport of the 
 winds. 
 
 How admirable is the work of the 
 Holy Spirit throughout all ages ! The 
 revolutions which irresistibly carry men 
 along with them, the brilliant heroes 
 heralded with so much pomp, who shine 
 like stars above the rest of mankind, 
 the marvels of the age, are all but as 
 the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, which 
 at his awakening fled with all its ter- 
 rors. 
 
 All these things are only sent to ex- 
 ercise the courage of the children of 
 God; and when their virtue is proved 
 and confirmed, He permits them to 
 overcome these monsters, and contin- 
 ues to send new warriors into the field. 
 So that this life is a continual war- 
 fare which exercises the courage of the 
 
164 Holy Abandonment, 
 
 saints on earth, and causes joy in heaven 
 and confusion in hell. 
 
 Thus all opposition to the will, the 
 order of God, serves but to render it 
 more adorable. The servers of ini- 
 quity are the slaves of justice, and from 
 the ruins of Babylon the divine action 
 builds the heavenly Jerusalem. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 Our readers will be grateful to us for 
 adding to Father Caussade's treatise a 
 few methods which facilitate the prac- 
 tice of abandonment. To recommend 
 these methods it suffices to say that their 
 authors are St. Francis de Sales, Saint 
 Jane Frances de Chantal, Bossuet, and 
 Father Surin. 
 
 A very easy Means of acquiring Peace of 
 Heart. 
 By Father Surin, S. J. 
 It seems to me that the multiplicity 
 of methods we employ to acquire and 
 practise virtue is one of the obstacles 
 to our being solidly established therein. 
 Not that I counsel being so irrevocably 
 bound to one method that we are not 
 ready to change when God's attraction 
 changes. But, after all, this attraction 
 at bottom never changes, and only pre- 
 sents itself under a more spiritual form. 
 Thev who will be faithful to the follow- 
 
1 66 Appendix. 
 
 ing rules will have no difficulty in prac- 
 tising the virtues appropriate to the cir- 
 cumstances, the time, and the place in 
 which they find themselves, and in rel- 
 ishing in the exercise of these virtues 
 the peace and holy liberty of the chil- 
 dren of God. 
 
 ist. Let us be fully convinced that 
 we have but one thing to do: to possess 
 each moment the fulness of our mind, 
 without permitting the reasonable will 
 to uselessly recall the past or excite 
 vain anxieties concerning the future. 
 
 True abandonment, which makes God 
 look upon us with love, consists in leav- 
 ing the past to His ever merciful justice, 
 and in confiding the future to His fath- 
 erly Providence. The remembrance of 
 our past infidelities should humble but 
 not trouble us, though we were con- 
 vinced that they are much more serious 
 than they appear. 
 
 In regard to the future, let us place 
 no trust whatever in our strength and 
 the sentiments of devotion we may ex- 
 perience; let us place all our trust in 
 Jesus alone, however contrary sensible 
 impressions may be. Relying on this 
 foundation, it is no presumption to feel 
 
Easy Way to acquire Peace of Heart. 167 
 
 ourselves stronger than earth and hell ; 
 and the greater this confidence, the more 
 it honors Jesus Christ, and the more 
 it disposes His goodness to succor us 
 in all our needs. 
 
 2d. We shall sanctify the present mo- 
 ment by renewing as frequently as we 
 shall feel it needful the act of recollec- 
 tion which we must have made the first 
 time with all the fervor of which we 
 are capable; but this recollection should 
 be very peaceful and dwell in the depths 
 of the soul more than in the sensible 
 part. 
 
 3d. We can remain faithful to this 
 recollection only on condition that we 
 frequently examine the interior and ex- 
 terior condition of our soul. As soon 
 as we discover in her any irregu- 
 larity, however small, or in any degree 
 displeasing to God, we should proceed 
 to restore order with a heart as tran- 
 quil as if we had never failed, without 
 disquieting ourselves with reflections 
 springing from self-love, vexation at 
 the fault committed, or from a pretext 
 of livelier contrition. 4These sentiments 
 can only retard our progress in virtue; 
 for, while the soul amuses itself caress- 
 
1 68 Appendix. 
 
 ing its chagrin and probing its past 
 faults, this useless introspection para- 
 lyzes its action and disposes it to new 
 falls. A peaceful regret for time ill 
 employed, united with an earnest en- 
 deavor to make better use of the present 
 moment, is the true character of love of 
 God. 
 
 4th. The quickest means of attaining 
 peace of heart is love of our own ab- 
 jection and miseries, voluntary offence 
 against God, however, excepted. This 
 love of one's personal abjection derives 
 profit from everything, even from falls, 
 which should never discourage us. 
 
 A soul that loves her own abjection 
 laughs at discouragement and combats 
 it with all her strength. Content to be 
 of herself but impotence and misery, 
 she rejoices that Jesus Christ possesses 
 the fulness of all perfection, and that 
 she cannot do without Him an instant. 
 She would not, were it in her power, 
 will to have any strength of herself, for 
 her radical impotence for all good and 
 her unceasing need of Jesus Christ set 
 forth His divine attributes to greater 
 advantage. This is the sole contentment 
 of a soul that seeks only the glory of 
 God. 
 
Easy Way to acquire Peace of Heart. 169 
 
 In this peaceful, humble way we 
 advance in purity of divine love, and in 
 the extermination of our bad habits 
 more rapidly in a week than we would 
 in a year of unquiet vigilance. Very 
 little experience of God's way will con- 
 vince us of this. For self-love is the 
 motive and end of those who yield 
 to disquiet, while those who pro- 
 ceed with the calmness of which we 
 have spoken rely on Jesus Christ. Now, 
 it is most evident that seeking only 
 God's interest always gives strength, 
 and that egotism, even spiritual ego- 
 tism, being a disorder, is weakening. 
 
 5th. The perfection of order is to be 
 found in the complete fusion of our in- 
 terests with those of God. Therefore 
 he who remains faithful to this sweet 
 habit is not astonished to see himself 
 assailed by every form of temptation; 
 he bears the weary burden of them as 
 the natural fruit of his misery, main- 
 tains in the depth of his heart a re- 
 signed acquiescence, and courageously 
 drags this weary chain of his past 
 without permitting himself to be trou- 
 bled or cast down by the memory of 
 his iniquities. When this thought as- 
 
170 Appendix. 
 
 sails him, he loses no time examining 
 whence it came, nor how long it has 
 lasted, for such an examination would 
 be in itself a new distraction, more 
 voluntary and injurious than the first; 
 he is satisfied with humbling himself 
 at sight of this infidelity, which, wholly 
 involuntary as it is, proves, neverthe- 
 less, that his heart is not wholly fixed 
 upon God. Disquietude in this case 
 being a mark of self-love, we must re- 
 turn to God and seek peace in love of 
 our own abjection. 
 
 6th. We must follow the same rule 
 in our relations with our neighbor, and: 
 cause him to feel the truth of these 
 words of our Saviour: " My yoke is 
 sweet, and My burden light." No one 
 who takes this yoke upon himself can 
 fail to realize these words, for they are 
 the utterance of eternal Truth. The 
 practice of which we have just spoken 
 will inevitably cause us to taste its 
 sweetness. 
 
 7th. When this feeling of disquiet has 
 passed, and peace of mind is restored, 
 it is well then to recall our past faults 
 in order to humble and reprove our- 
 selves. There is no one who should 
 
Easy Way to acquire Peace of Heart. 171 
 
 not feel the need of doing this, so great 
 is the depth of our pride and self-love 
 which never die, and never cease alas ! 
 to produce new fruits. If we neglect 
 this very important point, the founda- 
 tion of our virtues will inevitably lose 
 its solidity. When, on the contrary, we 
 persevere in this habit, we always con- 
 ceive a greater esteem for our neighbor; 
 unfavorable appearances no longer lead 
 us to judge rashly, and we only con- 
 demn ourselves, for, recognizing our 
 nothingness and sinfulness, we place 
 ourselves under the feet of all. 
 
 8th. In considering our past faults, 
 we must first see how we could have 
 avoided falling ; then with a tranquil 
 heart lay before Jesus our misery and 
 the will to be faithful to Him which He 
 gives us; finally, we must not vainly 
 amuse ourselves with estimating the 
 difficulty or the facility we experience 
 in doing good. We must not go to 
 God circuitously, but unceasingly rouse 
 ourselves to that pure and generous 
 disinterestedness which will lead us 
 directly to His most lovingand adorable 
 Majesty. 
 
172 Appendix. 
 
 II. 
 
 On Perfect Abandonment. 
 
 By Bossuet. 
 
 When we are truly abandoned to 
 God's will, we are ready for all that 
 may come to us: we suppose the worst 
 that can be supposed, and we cast our- 
 selves blindly on the bosom of God. 
 We forget ourselves, we lose ourselves: 
 and this entire forgetfulness of self is 
 the most perfect penance we can per- 
 form; for all conversion consists only 
 in truly renouncing and forgetting our- 
 selves, to be occupied with God and 
 filled with Him. This forgetfulness of 
 self is the martyrdom of self-love; it is 
 its death, and an annihilation which 
 leaves it without resources: then the 
 heart dilates and is enlarged. We are 
 relieved by casting from us the danger- 
 ous weight of self which formerly over- 
 whelmed us. We look upon God as a 
 good Father who leads us, as it were, 
 by the hand in the present moment: 
 and all our rest is in humble and firm 
 confidence in His fatherly goodness. 
 
 If anything is capable of making a 
 heart free and unrestrained, it is per- 
 
Prayer of Faith, 173 
 
 feet abandonment to God and His holy 
 will: this abandonment fills the heart 
 with a divine peace more abundant 
 than the fullest and vastest floods. If 
 anything can render a mind serene, 
 dissipate the keenest anxieties, soften 
 the bitterest pains, it is assuredly this 
 perfect simplicity and liberty of a 
 heart wholly abandoned to the hands 
 of God. The unction of abandonment 
 gives a certain vigor to all the actions, 
 and spreads the joy of the Holy Spirit 
 even over the countenance and words. 
 I will place all my strength, therefore, 
 in this perfect abandonment to God's 
 hands, through Jesus Christ, and He 
 will be my conclusion in all things in 
 virtue of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 
 
 III. 
 
 A Short and Easy Method of making the 
 Prayer of Faith, and of the Simple Pres- 
 ence of God. 
 
 By Bossuet. 
 
 1st. We must accustom ourselves to 
 nourish our soul with a simple and 
 loving thought of God, and of Jesus 
 Christ, our Lord; and to this end we 
 must gently separate her from all dis- 
 
174 Appendix. 
 
 course, reasoning, and a multitude of y 
 affections, to keep her in simplicity, re- 
 spect, and attention, and thus bring her 
 nearer and nearer to God, her sole and 
 sovereign good, her first principle, and 
 her last end. 
 
 2d. The perfection of this life con- 
 sists in union with our Sovereign Good; 
 and the greater the simplicity, the more 
 perfect the union. It is for this reason 
 that those who would be perfect are 
 interiorly solicited by grace to become 
 simple, that they may finally be capa- 
 ble of enjoying the one thing necessary — 
 that is, eternal unity. Then let us fre- 
 quently say, in the depth of our hearts: 
 O unum necessarium^ unum volo, unum 
 qncero, unum ?fiihi est necessarium, Deus 
 mens et omnia. (Oh, one thing necessary! 
 Thee alone do I wish, do I seek, do I 
 desire! Thou art all that I need, O my 
 God and my all!) 
 
 3d. Meditation is very good in its 
 time, and very useful at the beginning 
 •of the spiritual life; but we must not 
 stop at it, as the soul by her fidelity to 
 mortification, and recollection, usually 
 receives a purer and more intimate 
 form of prayer which may be called 
 
Prayer of Faith. 175 
 
 the prayer of " simplicity." It consists 
 in a simple and loving attention, or 
 contemplation of some divine object, 
 either of God in Himself or some of 
 His perfections, or of Jesus Christ or 
 some of His mysteries, or some other 
 of the Christian truths. Then the soul, 
 abandoning all reasoning, falls into a 
 sweet contemplation which keeps her 
 tranquil, attentive, and susceptible of 
 the operations and the divine impres- 
 sions which the Holy Spirit communi- 
 cates to her: she does little,and receives 
 much; her labor is sweet, and yet most 
 fruitful; and as she approaches nearer to 
 the source of all light, all grace, all 
 virtue, she also receives more. 
 
 4th. The practice of this prayer 
 should begin at our awakening by an 
 act of faith in the presence of God, 
 who is everywhere, and in Jesus Christ, 
 whose eyes never leave us though we 
 were buried in the centre of the earth. 
 This act is made sensibly, in the usual 
 manner; for example, by saying in- 
 teriorly, "I believe that my God is 
 present;" or by a simple thought of 
 faith in God present with us, which is 
 a purer and more spiritual act. 
 
176 Appendix. 
 
 5th. Then we must not endeavor to 
 multiply, or produce several other acts 
 or various dispositions, but remain sim- 
 ply attentive to this presence of God, 
 exposed to this divine radiance, thus 
 continuing this devout attention or 
 exposition as long as God gives us the 
 grace of it, without being eager to 
 make other acts than those with which 
 we are inspired, since this prayer is a 
 prayer with God alone, and a union 
 which eminently contains all the other 
 special dispositions; and which disposes 
 the soul to passiveness; that is to say, 
 God becomes sole master of her interior, 
 and there effects more special work. 
 The less the creature labors in this 
 state, the more powerfully God acts in 
 her; and since the operation of God is 
 a repose, the soul, in this prayer, be- 
 comes in a manner like Him, and re- 
 ceives, also, marvellous effects; and as 1 
 the rays of the sun cause the plants to 
 grow and blossom and bear fruit, so 
 the attentive soul, exposed in tran- 
 quillity to the rays of the divine Sun of 
 justice, more effectually imbibes the 
 divine influences which enrich her with 
 all virtues. 
 
Prayer of Faith. 177 
 
 6th. The continuation of this atten- 
 tion in faith will serve her as thanks- 
 giving for all the graces received during 
 the night, and throughout her life, as 
 an offering of herself and all her ac- 
 tions, as a direction of her intention, 
 etc. 
 
 7th. The soul may fear to lose much 
 by the omission of other acts, but ex- 
 perience will teach her, on the contrary, 
 that she gains a great deal; for the 
 greater her knowledge of God, the 
 greater also will be the purity of her 
 love, of her intentions, the greater will 
 be her detestation of sin, and the 
 greater and more continual her re- 
 collection, mortification, and humility. 
 
 8th. This will not prevent her from 
 making other interior or .exterior acts 
 of virtue when she feels herself impelled 
 thereto by grace; but the fundamental 
 and usual state of her interior should - 
 be that union with God which will keep 
 her abandoned to His hands and deliv- 
 ered up to His love, to quietly accom- 
 plish all His will. 
 
 9th. The time of meditation being 
 come, we must begin it with great re- 
 spect by a simple recollection of God, 
 
178 Appendix. 
 
 invoking His Spirit, and uniting our- 
 selves intimately with Jesus Christ; 
 then continue it in this same way. It 
 will be the same with vocal prayers, 
 office, and the Holy Sacrifice, whether we 
 celebrate it or assist at it. Even the 
 examination of conscience should be 
 made after no other method: this same 
 light which keeps our attention upon 
 God will cause us to discover our 
 slightest imperfections, and deeply de- 
 plore and regret them. We should go 
 to table with the same spirit of simpli- 
 city which will keep us more occupied 
 with God than with the repast, and 
 leave us free to give better attention to 
 what is being read. This practice binds 
 us to nothing but to keep our soul de- 
 tached from all imperfection, and at- 
 tached only to God and intimately 
 united with Him, in which consists all 
 our welfare. 
 
 10th. We should take our recreation 
 in the same disposition, to give the 
 body and mind relaxation without per- 
 mittingourselves the dissipation of curi- 
 ous news, immoderate laughter, nor any 
 indiscreet word, etc.; always keeping 
 ourselves pure and free interiorly with- 
 
Praye?- of Faith. 179 
 
 out disturbing others, frequently unit- 
 ing ourselves to God by a simple and 
 loving thought of Him; remembering 
 that we are in His presence,and that He 
 does not wish us to be separated at any 
 moment from Him and His holy will. 
 The most ordinary rule of this state of 
 simplicity and the sovereign disposition 
 of the soul is to do the will of God in 
 all things. Regarding all as coming 
 from God and going from all to God, 
 is what sustains and fortifies the soul in 
 all its occupations and in all that 
 comes to it, and maintains us in the 
 possession of simplicity. Then let us 
 always follow the will of God, after the 
 example of Jesus Christ, and united to 
 Him as our Head. This is an excellent 
 means of making progress in this man- 
 ner of prayer, in order to attain through 
 it to the most solid virtue and the most 
 perfect sanctity. 
 
 nth. We should console ourselves in 
 the same manner, and preserve this sim- 
 ple and intimate union with God in all 
 our actions — in the parlor, in the cell, at 
 table, at recreation. Let us add, that 
 in all our intercourse we should en- 
 deavor to edify our neighbor, by taking 
 
180 Appendix. 
 
 advantage of every occasion to lead 
 one another to piety, the love of God, 
 the practice of good works, in order that 
 we may diffuse the good odor of Jesus 
 Christ. If any ?nan speak, says St. Peter, 
 let him speak as the words of God, and 
 as if God Himself spoke through him. 
 To do this, it suffices to follow the in- 
 spiration of the Holy Spirit: He will 
 inspire you as to that which is simply 
 and unaffectedly suitable at all times. 
 
 Finally, we will finish the day by ani- 
 mating with the sentiment of this holy 
 presence our examen, evening prayer, 
 and preparations for rest; and we will 
 go to sleep with this loving attention, 
 interspersing our rest, when we awake 
 during the night, with a few fervent 
 words, full of unction, like so many 
 transports, or cries of the heart to God. 
 As for example: My God, be all things 
 to me ! I desire only Thee for time and 
 eternity; Lord, who is like unto Thee? 
 My Lord and my God; my God, and 
 nothing more! 
 
 1 2th. It must be remarked that this 
 true simplicity makes us live in a state 
 of continual death to self and of perfect 
 detachment, by causing us to go with 
 
Prayer of Faith. 1 8 1 
 
 the utmost directness to God without 
 stopping at any creature. But this grace 
 of simplicity is not obtained by specu- 
 lation, but by great purity of heart, and 
 true mortification and contempt of self. 
 He who avoids suffering, humiliations, 
 and refuses to die to self, will never have 
 any part in it. This is why there are 
 so few who advance herein; for few in- 
 deed are willing to leave themselves, 
 and they endure in consequence im- 
 mense losses, and deprive themselves of 
 incomprehensible blessings. O happy 
 souls who spare nothing to belong 
 wholly to God! Happy religious who 
 faithfully follow all the observances of 
 their institute! Through this fidelity 
 they die continually to self, to their 
 own judgment, to their own will, to 
 their inclinations and natural repug- 
 nances, and are thus admirably though 
 unconsciously disposed for this excel- 
 lent method of prayer. There is noth- 
 ing more hidden than the life of a relig- 
 ious who follows in all things the obser- 
 vances and ordinary exercises of his or 
 her community, giving no exterior man- 
 ifestation of anything extraordinary: it 
 is a life which is a complete and con- 
 
iSz Appendix. 
 
 tinual death; through it the kingdom of 
 God is established in us, and all other 
 things are liberally given us. 
 
 13th. We should not neglect the read- 
 ing of spiritual books; but we should 
 read with simplicity, and in a spirit of 
 prayer, and not through curious re- 
 search. We read in a spirit of prayer 
 when we permit the lights and senti- 
 ments revealed to us through the read- 
 ing to be imprinted on our souls, and 
 when this impression is made by the 
 presence of God rather than by our in- 
 dustry. 
 
 14th. We must be armed, moreover, 
 with two or three maxims: first, that 
 a devout person without prayer is a 
 body without a soul; second, that there 
 can be no true and solid prayer with- 
 out mortification, without recollection, 
 without humility; third, that we need 
 perseverance, never to be disheartened 
 by the difficulties to be encountered in 
 this exercise. 
 
 15th. It must be borne in mind that 
 one of the greatest secrets of the 
 spiritual life is that the Holy Spirit 
 guides us therein, not only by lights, 
 sweetness, consolations, and attrac- 
 
Prayer of Faith. 183 
 
 tions, but also by obscurities, darkness, 
 insensibility, contradictions, anguish, 
 revolts of the passions, and inclina- 
 tions. I say, moreover, that this cruci- 
 fied way is necessary; that it is good; 
 that it is the surest, and that it leads us 
 much more rapidly to perfection. An 
 enlightened soul dearly appreciates the 
 guidance of God, which permits her to 
 be tried by creatures and overwhelmed 
 with temptations and neglect; and she 
 fully understands that these things are 
 favors rather than misfortunes, prefer- 
 ring to die on the cross on Calvary than 
 live in sweetness on Thabor. Experi- 
 ence will teach her in time the truth of 
 these beautiful words: Et nox illuminatio 
 mea in deliciis meis ; et mea nox obscurum 
 non habetj sed omnia in luce dares cunt.'" 
 The soul, after her purification in the 
 Purgatory of suffering through which 
 she must necessarily pass, will enjoy 
 light, rest, and joy through intimate 
 union with God, who will make this 
 world, exile as it is, a paradise for her. 
 The best prayer is that in which we 
 
 " And night shall be my light in my pleasures, 
 and my night knoweth no darkness, but all things 
 shine in light. 
 
1S4 Appendix. 
 
 most freely abandon ourselves to the 
 sentiments and dispositions which God 
 gives the soul, and in which we study 
 with most simplicity, humility, and 
 fidelity to conform ourselves to His 
 will and to the example of Jesus Christ. 
 Great God, who by a series of mar- 
 vellous and special circumstances didst 
 provide from all eternity for the com- 
 position of this little work, permit not 
 that certain minds, some of which are 
 to be found among scholars and others 
 among spiritual persons, ever be ac- 
 cused before Thy dread tribunal of 
 having contributed in any way to close 
 Thee the entrance to innumerable 
 hearts, because Thou didst will to enter 
 them in a manner the very simplicity 
 of which shocked them, and by a way 
 which, opened as it was by the saints 
 since the first ages of the Church, was 
 not yet, perhaps, sufficiently known to 
 them: grant rather that all of us be- 
 coming as little children, as our Lord 
 commands, we may enter upon this 
 way, in order to teach it more safely 
 and efficaciously to others. Amen. 
 
Lovi?ig Union of our Will with God's. 185 
 
 IV. 
 
 Exercise of Loving Union of our Will with 
 that of God. 
 
 By St. Francis de Sales. 
 
 1st Point. Kneeling in deepest hu- 
 mility before the ineffable majesty of 
 God, adore His sovereign goodness 
 which from all eternity called you by 
 your name, and resolved to save you, as 
 He assures you in these words of the 
 Prophet: "I have loved thee with an 
 everlasting love; therefore have I drawn 
 thee, taking pity on thee;" and destined 
 for you, among other means, this pres- 
 ent day, which you can employ in 
 works of salvation and life. 
 
 2d Point. With this thought so full 
 of truth, unite* your will to that of your 
 heavenly Father, so good and so mer- 
 ciful, in the following or similar words, 
 from the depth of your heart: O sweet 
 will of God, be ever accomplished! O 
 eternal designs of the divine will, I 
 adore Thee; I consecrate and dedicate 
 my will to Thee; to ever will what 
 Thou hast willed from all eternity. 
 May I accomplish to-day, and always, 
 and in all things Thy divine will, O my 
 
1 86 Appendix, 
 
 loving Creator! Yes, heavenly Father, 
 according to Thy good pleasure from 
 all eternity, and forever! Amen! O 
 infinite Goodness, may it be as Thou 
 hast willed! O eternal Will, live and 
 reign in my will, now and forever! 
 
 3d Point. Invoke again the divine 
 assistance thus: O God, come to my 
 aid; let Thy strengthening hand con- 
 firm my poor, weak courage! Behold, 
 
 my Saviour, this poor, miserable 
 heart has conceived, through Thy good- 
 ness, several holy affections; but alas! 
 it is too weak and wretched to execute 
 the good it desires. I beg the inter- 
 cession of the Blessed Virgin, of my 
 good angel, and of all the heavenly 
 court. May their assistance be given 
 me according to Thy good pleasure. 
 
 4th Point. Make, then, in this way a 
 strong and loving union of your will 
 with that of God; and in the midst of 
 the temporal and spiritual actions of 
 the day frequently renew this union 
 which you have established in the 
 morning, by simply casting an interior 
 glance upon the divine Goodness, say- 
 ing by way of acquiescence: "Yes, Lord, 
 
 1 wish it ; yes, my Father, yes; always 
 
Loving Union of our Will with God's. 187 
 
 yes!" You can also, if you wish, make 
 the sign of the cross, or kiss the cross 
 of your rosary, your medal, or some 
 pious picture; for all this will signify 
 that you remit yourself to the Provi- 
 dence of God, that you adore it, that 
 you love it with all your heart, that 
 you unite your will irrevocably to that 
 supreme will. 
 
 5th. But these whisperings of the 
 heart, these interior words, should be 
 uttered peacefully and firmly; they 
 should be distilled, so to speak, softly 
 and lovingly in the depths of the mind; 
 and as we whisper in the ear of a friend 
 a word which we desire should pene- 
 trate his heart alone, thus these whis- 
 perings will penetrate deeper and more 
 efficaciously than these transports, 
 these ejaculatory prayers, and these 
 outbursts. Experience will prove this to 
 you, provided you are humble and 
 simple. 
 
 May God and His holy Mother be 
 praised ! 
 
1 88 Appendix. 
 
 V. 
 
 Act of Abandonment. 
 
 By St. Jane Frances de Chantal. 
 
 O sovereign goodness of the sover- 
 eign Providence of my God! I abandon 
 myself forever to Thy arms. Whether 
 gentle or severe, lead me henceforth 
 whither Thou wilt; I will not regard 
 the way through which Thou wilt 
 have me pass, but keep my eyes fixed 
 upon Thee, my God, who guidest me. 
 My soul finds no rest without the arms 
 and the bosom of this heavenly Provi- 
 dence, my true Mother, my strength 
 and my rampart. Therefore I resolve 
 with Thy divine assistance, O my Savi- 
 our, to follow Thy desires and Thy or- 
 dinances, without regarding or exam- 
 ining why Thou dost this rather than 
 that; but I will blindly follow Thee ac- 
 cording to Thy divine will, without 
 seeking my own inclinations. 
 
 Hence I am determined to leave all 
 to Thee, taking no part therein save by 
 keeping myself in peace in Thy arms, 
 desiring nothing except as Thou in- 
 citest me to desire, to will, to wish. I 
 offer Thee this desire, O my God, be- 
 
Act of Abandonment. 189 
 
 seeching Thee to bless it; I undertake 
 all it includes, relying on Thy goodness, 
 liberality, and mercy, with entire con- 
 fidence in Thee, distrust of myself, and 
 knowledge of my infinite misery and 
 infirmity. 
 
 Another Act of Abandonment. 
 
 By Bossuet. 
 
 My God, who art goodness itself, I 
 adore this infinite goodness; I unite 
 myself to it, and I rely upon it, even more 
 than upon its effects. I find no good 
 in me, no good work done with the fidel- 
 ity and perfection Thou desirest, nor 
 anything which can make me pleasing 
 to Thee; hence I place no trust in my- 
 self or in my works, but in Thee alone, 
 O infinite goodness, who in one mo- 
 ment canst effect in me all that is need- 
 ful to make me pleasing to Thee ! In 
 this belief I live; and while I live, to 
 my last sigh, I remit my heart, my body, 
 my mind, my soul, and my will into 
 Thy divine hands. 
 
 O Jesus, only Son of the living God, 
 who earnest into the world to redeem 
 my sinful soul, I abandon it to Thee ! I 
 
190 Appendix. 
 
 place Thy precious blood, Thy holy 
 death and passion, and Thy adorable 
 wounds, and particularly that of Thy 
 Sacred Heart, between Thy divine jus- 
 • tice and my sins; and thus I live in the 
 faith and hope I have in Thee, O Son 
 of God, who hast loved me and given 
 Thyself for me. Amen. 
 
 Another Act of Abandonment. 
 
 By Venerable Father Pignatelii. 
 
 O my God, I know not what must 
 come to me to-day; but I am certain 
 that nothing can happen me which 
 Thou hast not foreseen, decreed, and 
 ordained from all eternity: that is suffi- 
 cient for me. I adore Thy impenetra- 
 ble and eternal designs, to which I 
 submit with all my heart; I desire, I 
 accept them all, and I unite my sacri- 
 fice to that of Jesus Christ, my divine 
 Saviour; I ask in His name, and 
 through His infinite merits, patience in 
 my trials, and perfect and entire sub- 
 mission to all that comes to me by Thy 
 good pleasure. Amen. 
 
$n JStt xrt (SuttHit^nt^ h isir* 
 
 By Rev. Claude De La Colombiere, S.J. 
 
 My God, I believe so firmly that Thou watch- 
 est over all who hope in Thee, and that we can 
 want for nothing when we rely upon Thee in all 
 things, that I am resolved for the future to have 
 no anxieties, and to cast all my cares upon Thee. 
 " In peace in the self -same I will sleep and I will 
 rest ; for Thou, Lord, singularly hast settled me 
 in hope." 
 
 Men may deprive me of worldly goods and of 
 honors; sickness may take from me my strength 
 and the means of serving Thee; I may even lose 
 Thy grace by sin: but my trust shall never leave 
 me; I will preserve it to the last moment of my 
 life, and the powers of hell shall seek in vain to 
 wrest it from me. " In peace in the self -same I 
 will sleep and I will rest." 
 
 Let others seek happiness in their wealth, in 
 their talents; let them trust to the purity of their 
 lives, the severity of their mortifications, to the 
 number of their good works, the fervor of their 
 prayers; as for me, O my God, in my very con- 
 fidence lies all my hope. "For Thou, Lord, 
 singularly hast settled me in hope." This confi- 
 dence can never be vain. "No one has hoped in 
 the Lord and has been confounded." 
 
 I am assured, therefore, of my eternal happi- 
 ness, for I firmly hope for it, and all my hope is 
 in Thee. "In Thee, Lord, have I hoped; let 
 me never be confounded" 
 
192 An Act of Confide?ice in God. 
 
 I know, alas ! I know but too well that I am 
 weak and unstable; I know the power of temp- 
 tation against the strongest virtue. I have seen 
 stars fall from heaven, and pillars of the firma- 
 ment totter; but these things alarm me not. 
 While I hope in Thee I am sheltered from all 
 misfortune, and I am sure that my trust shall 
 endure, for I rely upon Thee to sustain this 
 unfailing hope. Finally, I know that my confi- 
 dence cannot exceed Thy bounty, and that I 
 shall never receive less than I have hoped for 
 from Thee. Therefore I hope that Thou wilt 
 sustain me against my evil inclinations; that 
 Thou wilt protect me against the most furious 
 assaults of the evil one, and that Thou wilt 
 cause my weakness to triumph over my most 
 powerful enemies. I hope that Thou wilt never 
 cease to love me, and that I shall love Thee 
 unceasingly. 
 
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