If thou wouldst make spiritual progress, let three devotions be especially dear to thee: devotion to the Passion of Jesus Christ, to the Most Holy Sacrament, and to the ever-blessed Virgin. In mental prayer, make again and again acts of contrition, of love to God, and oblation of yourself. The Venerable Father Charles Caraffa, founder of the Pious Oratories, said that one fervent act of the love of God made thus in the morning was sufficient to maintain the soul in fervor throughout the whole day.
Then, besides the more specific acts of devotion, such as confession, communion, recitation of the divine office, etc., whenever thou art engaged in external occupations, as in study, in labor, or in any other employment that may be proper to thy condition, never forget, when setting about it, to make an offering of it to God, praying for His assistance to enable thee to perform it in a perfect manner; and do not omit to retire frequently into the cell of thy heart, in order to unite thyself with God, according to the practice of St. Catherine of Siena. In short, whatever thou doest, do it with and for God. In going out of thy room or house, and on returning again, always commend thyself to the Divine Mother, by saying a Hail Mary. When sitting down to meals, make an offering to God of the disgusts or gratifications thou mayest find in what thou eatest and drinkest; and, on rising from table, return thanks to Him, and say: Lord, how great is Thy goodness to one who has offended Thee so much! In the course of the day be careful to make thy spiritual reading, to visit the Most Holy Sacrament and the most holy Mary; and in the evening to say the Rosary, and to make an examination of conscience, together with the Christian acts of faith, hope, charity, contrition, resolutions of amendment, and of receiving the holy sacraments during life and at the
