The paradise of the Christian soul/Chap. V. Method of aspiring to an intimate Union with God by inward Acts of Virtue.
CHAPTER V.
A METHOD OF ASPIRING TO AN INTIMATE UNION WITH GOD BY INWARD ACTS OF VIRTUE;
OR EXERCISES MOST PROPER FOR THE TRUE WORSHIP AND LOVE OF GOD, AND THE ATTAINMENT OF CHRISTIAN PERFECTION.
Taken from Blasius Palma, Canon Regular of St. Paul,
And published repeatedly in Italian with great approbation.
PREFACE.
The Christian who would not be wanting to his name and vocation, ought to strive continually for intimacy with God, who is his last end, and possible, his soul.
S. Dionysius the Areopagite is of opinion, that the shortest and easiest way to do this, is for the faithful soul continually to lift itself up to God by ardent aspirations and frequent acts of love, afthus to unite to him, as far as fection, and desire; as well as by panting for him, in the heart within, by speaking and conversing with him, and lastly, by longing to attach itself to him with a pure and inflamed heart.
This, according to the same Doctor, is that wonderful and hidden unitive wisdom which, without any previous meditation or search, raises up to God the heart of one who loves him; grows, by extending to him the affections, and exercises itself by short but frequent and ardent prayers and acts of virtue; so that we may say that the foundation of perfection, especially interior perfection, is contained in certain acts and motions of the mind towards God and our neighour, which we here lay down in form of prayers,
Whoever uses them, however, must beware of intending to make any vow or promise which would bind him with the force of a new precept, but only to use these acts by way of devotion and a free-will offering, with the assurance that the oftener and more carefully he does it, the greater advantage he will derive from it; and he may justly hope to disengage himself in a short time from all love of the world, and unite himself wholly to God, who alone is the chief and the true good.
Now, because every work derives its value and character from the end in view, that this may be done the better, we will, first of all, lay down a solemn form of protestation, by which the mind may be led to frame before God a right intention and exact direction of the will, until, despising all beside, it seeks only the glory and service of God.
I.
A Pure Intention;
on
PROTESTATION OF ACTING PURELY FOR GOD, WITHOUT ANY ADVANTAGE TO ONE’S SELF FROM THIS LOVE AND SERVICE.
All whatsoever you do, in word or in work, all things do ye in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ![1]
1. O most holy and undivided Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! I, thy wretched and unworthy creature, do, with a firm and constant purpose, throw myself this day entirely on thy most holy and just will; and I declare and protest, with my whole heart, that I desire to be wholly thine, by the renunciation of myself. Nor would I possess, or wish ever to possess, ought else but thee alone ; thee alone I wish to seek and to love sincerely, simply, and purely, without any advantage to myself.
And now I firmly propose both to serve and to love thy supreme majesty for the future, not in order to escape from pain, or imprisonment, or hell, nor to obtain of thee consolations, or happiness in the next life, or any thing else that is desirable in this, but that I may seek thee alone, above all things, wish for thee alone, and love thee alone. And surely thou, who art the true and only perfection of all things, alone art sufficient for me.
Therefore to thee alone I give and dedicate myself for ever, with so firm and inviolable a purpose, and with so sincere an affection, that I desire to love thee with my whole soul, and to serve thee with this intention, even were I to live for ever and ever. This, I repeat, is my purpose, my resolution, and the firm determination of my will.
2. If thou wilt give me comforts and consolations, I will bless thee; for thou wilt deal with me as a good and gracious God, such as thou wert, and art, and wilt be ever; and I return thee endless thanks; and this I do though thou wilt not give me them. Nay, if thou send me punishments, sorrows, and vexations, alike I bless thee, and return thee endless thanks.
3. In confirmation of this
resolve, I now call to witness the most Blessed Virgin
Mary, the Queen of heaven,
with all the saints and angels
that dwell in heaven; all of
whom I entreat to intercede
for me with thy divine majesty, that this my purpose
may grow to perfection, of
seeking thee only and purely
in all things, and nothing else
but thee.
I turn to thee, therefore, again, O my dearest Lord, and implore thee that thou wouldst vouchsafe to accept this my resolution, and give me strength to fulfil it, for without thee I can do nothing. And, confessing it to be so, again I fly to thee; I recommend and commit myself to thee entirely, and hide myself in the depths of thy mercy. Receive me, then, O my God; embrace me, O my hope; in all things, O most tender Father, change me and transform me into thyself.
4. With this object and intention I resolve to practice myself in the following exercises and acts of virtue. And though I should sometimes fail to develop them sufficiently in word or in deed, yet in my heart I now intend and resolve to perform them always, at every moment, particularly at the hour of death, with all my strength and affection, and in the most perfect manner possible, and known by thee to be possible, to myself or to any other creature whatsoever. And now behold I offer thee them all, as much as if I were myself their first author; while, with all my heart, I pray thee, by thy infinite goodness and mercy, that thou wouldst vouchsafe to accept them. Amen.
II.
Act of Faith
Without faith it is impossible to please God[2]
Faith, as the foundation of the rest, holds the first place among the theological virtues, and is a habit of the understanding infused by God, by which the believer is enlightened to assent and adhere to those things which are revealed and proposed by God himself, through the Church.
1. O God, most faithful and true, first and everlasting Truth, with my whole soul I embrace this foundation of faith. And therefore, most humbly, prostrate on the ground, I adore and worship thee, in heaven and on earth. And I most firmly profess, in the best and most perfect manner I am able, that I now and ever both believe in my heart and confess with my mouth all that thou hast spoken, revealed, and proposed to be believed by thy holy Church, particularly those things which are contained in the Apostles' Creed. And I affirm them all to be most certain, so that nothing whatever of them can be called in question.
2. I therefore confess, and most firmly protest before thy divine majesty and the whole court of heaven, that I will live and die in the confession of this truth. Oh, how I wish that the whole world beside would know and confess thee with the firmest faith! Most deeply do I grieve that it does not believe, adore, and venerate thee as it ought.
3. I beseech thee, then, by the precious blood, the life and death of my Lord Jesus Christ, by the merits of his most holy mother, and by the intercession of thy holy apostles, disciples, martyrs, confessors, virgins, and all thy saints and elect, that thou wouldst increase in me and in all men that holy light of faith, and enkindle it in unbelievers, that all may know, confess, and adore thee the more, according to the desire of thy holy prophet, with whom I exclaim, Let the people confess to thee, O God, let all the people give praise to thee . Let all the earth adore thee, and sing to thee. Oh, praise the Lord, all ye nations; praise him, all ye people.
4. I also willingly offer thee, if need be, my life and my blood, to defend the truth and confession of this faith. And I would it might please thee, O most holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to give me the grace to undergo for it martyrdom. With thy grace I would not only most readily offer myself for all hard and difficult services, but would even esteem it the greatest favour to be permitted to endure much suffering for the love of thy truth. Hear me graciously, O my most loving God.
III.
Act of Hope and Confidence towards God.
Do not lose your confidence, which hath a great reward.[3]
Hope is a virtue infused into our minds by God, by which we ought certainly to expect eternal happiness, through the merits of Jesus Christ our Redeemer, together with our works preceded by the grace of Christ.
1. Bowed down and prostrate before thee, O my almighty God, I adore and worship thee, to whom nothing is
impossible or difficult; as it
has been most truly said, No
word is impossible with God.
By thy almighty power thou
hast promised to give me the
glory of heaven, and hast invited me to share it with thee,
and be like thee, O infinite
goodness! I hope, therefore,
and desire to obtain eternal
life from thee alone, by thy
help, and the good works
which, by thy special grace,
I determine to do.
2. O God, who art indeed almighty, behold, I most certainly know that, without thy mediation, I cannot possess the great happiness promised me; I know, too, that thou desirest and wishest to give it me, for this is why thou hast given thy Son to die for me.
3. I rejoice and congratulate myself my most sweet Jesus, my infinite goodness, that I can be made happy by thee only, and that there is no other name under heaven given to us whereby we may be saved. Not bliss itself would satisfy me, unless I had it through thee, because all my hope and confidence is fixed on thee, and in thee alone I would have it fixed and confirmed, most good and most sweet Jesus, the supreme and final joy of my heart.
And hence it is that the joy, consolation, and confidence that I feel are so great, that I seem to myself already to hold and possess the happiness I desire, since I know that thy only-begotten Son, through whom thou wilt give me so great a blessing, is my Redeemer, and my faithful Advocate in all my distress.
4. And, therefore, O almighty Father, with my whole heart I most firmly hope to obtain from thy infinite bounty all things whatever that are necessary for my salvation: first, pardon of all my sins, however great and enormous; secondly, strength to overcome all the difficulties that meet me in this life; and lastly, grace to attain to the perpetual enjoyment of thy most happy presence.
And though heaven and earth and all creatures should conspire against me, and though I were even now standing at the gates of hell, yet I would always hope and trust in thee, O most gracious Father, and say with the prophet, In thee, O Lord, have I hoped, I shall not he confounded for ever. I have put my trust in the Lord, and shall not be weakened. Amen.
IV.
Act of Love towards God and our Neighbour.
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart.[4]
So great is the dignity and excellence of the love of God, that all the blessed, and all things that are, or can be created, can do nothing that is more noble than to love God. Now an act of love is, to wish well to the object beloved, to rejoice in the good which it has, and lastly, to wish it to have what it has not.
i. Most gracious God and
most sweet Lord! desiring
to exercise this most excellent act, I supremely rejoice,
delight in thee, and praise
thee for thy infinite perfections and attributes, because
thou only art who art, the
supreme infinite good; and
because thou art a God unsearchable and immeasurable,
whom no creature can comprehend or adequately know,
2. I praise thee for thy almighty power, glory, dominion, and empire over us and over all things, and because they proceed from thyself. Truly, O Lord, if by an impossibility I could possess any thing which thou hast not, I would most willingly yield the whole of it entirely to thee. Nay, I would not, if I were able, be God, that thou mightst be alone, and mightst have no equal.
3. I wish and desire also, from the bottom of my heart, all the creatures which are in heaven, earth, and sea, and whatever has or can have existence any where, to acknowledge that they have received their whole being from thee, and to render thee honour and service. I desire them all to be drawn by thy infinite goodness, and the excellence of thy majesty, to praise, magnify, and love thee only, because thou alone art most worthy of all praise.
Moreover, it fills me with the greatest joy to know that whatsoever thy creatures endeavour to offer through love of thee, all falls infinitely short of thy dignity and greatness.
4. And since thou art of thyself worthy of infinite love, with my whole heart I desire to love thee with the same perfection that all the blessed have ever loved thee, love thee now, and will love thee ever. And with the same affection of heart I offer to thee that fervour and flower of charity, with which thou lovest, hast loved, and wilt love thyself for ever.
5. I am immeasurably glad, and give thee endless thanks, for supplying my duty, and that of all thy creatures, by thy love of thyself. And I offer thee this very love of thyself in thanksgiving for all the glory, honour, and happiness which thou enjoyest: together with all that glory, honour, and praise, which all the blessed spirits, and all the just of this world, offer thee with one consent. And, in return, I desire, in and for thyself, thy being, thy glory, and every good that thou hast.
6. I would wish thee also, whom I most tenderly love, to be well assured of my determination to love thee with so firm and constant a will, that although thou shouldst never grant me any thing that is good, either in this world or the next; nay, though thou shouldst visit me with every affliction in this life and consign me to eternal punishment in the next, — I would love thee nevertheless, and serve thee from the very bottom of my heart; and, by the help of thy grace, would not cease or slacken in loving thee for a moment. And I most humbly entreat of thee to vouchsafe to confirm and accept my love.
7. And because thou desirest me, most gracious Lord, to love my neighbour also, I thank thee for giving me so delightful a precept; and I therefore force my will to love him to the utmost of my power. I desire to love him; and I pray thee to give him every blessing that may make him happier, and more acceptable to thee. And I pray especially for N.N., for whom my rebellious will entertains some aversion.
Forgive them, I entreat thee, all their sins; and grant that they may lay hold on the necessary means for attaining everlasting life; and if thou knowest it to be expedient for me to be without some gift of thine which thou grantest to them, behold, O Lord my God, I refuse it not. I am exceedingly glad for the love which thou displayest towards them, and for the perfection with which thou adornest them; and for this I return thee the greatest thanks.
8. And if, by thy permission, it should happen to me
to be annoyed and offended
by any one, I entreat thee notwithstanding, beforehand, to
give him pardon for his fault,
and life eternal. And this I
do, because thou lovest him;
and I desire in all things to
be conformed to thee, that
I may never wish any thing
but what thou thyself wishest, my Lord and my God.
Amen.
v.
Act of Adoration to the Most Holy Trinity
Thou shalt adore the Lord thy God.[5]
The worship of Latria, which is paid to God alone, is an internal and, at the same time, an external act, by which a rational creature honours God by humbling himself, with the intention of adoring him and confessing him to be God. O God of immeasurable majesty and greatness, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!
x. With all the submission and humility I am capable of, in the presence of thy divine majesty, O my God, I acknowledge myself thy creature, and the work of thy hands, dependent on thee for every, thing. I acknowledge thee to be the absolute - Lord of all, most worthy to be esteemed and honoured as such by all. Prostrate on the ground, with the deepest and most heartfelt submission, I adore thee, out of the depths of my own nothingness, with the adoration of Latria. Without limit I submit myself to so great a majesty, and I render it all the reverence and honour I am able.
2. I am also content, most content, to be nothing, and capable of nothing, unless it come from thee. And indeed I would neither be, nor be able to do, any thing except in dependence on thee.
3. I therefore invite and invoke the most holy Virgin, the blessed spirits, and all the court of heaven, nay, all creatures whatsoever, to acknowledge, reverence, and adore, with me, so great a majesty; and in company with them, I now confess and adore thee. Moreover, in this act of mine I offer to thee all other adorations and acts of worship which have been hitherto, or ought to have been made to thee. Thus collected and bound up together, I offer and dedicate them all to thee.
4. Lastly, O my God, I consecrate all things whatsoever to thee, who art the absolute Lord of all. And, in particular, I offer and devote to thee each of my thoughts, words, and works, both interior and exterior. One thing only I implore of thee, that thy beloved will may be most perfectly fulfilled in me, by which thou hast created me, and called me to serve thee. Amen.
VI.
Act of Praise and Gratulation
Praise the Lord, all ye nations.[6]
The praise that is given to God consists, as we learn from Holy Scripture, in every act of virtue, whether of the heart or lips, or manifested outwardly in deed, which is done to display the excellence of the divine power . And gratulation is an act of joy felt at the good of another, which he has already obtained, and has in possession.
1. By the help of thy grace, then, O Lord, I now desire to call forth these acts; and to excite my heart by saying, from my inmost soul: My most glorious God and Lord, with joy of heart I declare, proclaim, publish, and make known to the whole world, as far as I know and am able, thy inestimable greatness, excellence, and magnificence; that thou art with out end or limit, unchangeable, and everlasting; most powerful, most wise, most good, most holy, and of infinite perfection; the Creator of heaven and earth, the first beginning and last end of all things; and that by thy supreme providence thou rulest and governest all things. For all this I rejoice, and give thee praise.
2. And therefore, with great joy, and with my whole heart, I praise, extol, magnify, and worship thee. Oh, that I could praise thee without ceasing; always, and in all places, as much as all creatures, and all who have ever been, are, or shall be ever, extol, magnify, and honour thee; or ever have, or shall be able to honour thee.
3. Nay, further, I desire to offer thee, at the same time, all those praises which could have been, are, or shall be offered thee by the blessed Virgin, by the most sacred humanity of Christ, and which innumerable worlds, and an infinity of creatures, as well visible as invisible, which thy omnipotent hand can create, are able to bring to thee. And I desire to render thee such praises and such honours as thou knowest us to be able to render thee, and are thy due.
But since I fail in the power to do this, I wish at least to bring thee all those honours and praises which thy grace enables me to offer thee, with all the force of the love with which thou lovest thyself: to which I now add, be it what it may, my small additional meed of praise.
4. I congratulate thee, O my God, I rejoice, and am glad with thee, because thou art so great and glorious, that there is no creature in heaven or in earth whose powers are sufficient to praise and magnify thee worthily. But meantime I rejoice, O Lord of all praise, that thou thyself abundantly suppliest all that is wanting to their praises.
VII.
Act of Thanksgiving
In all things give thanks.[7]
Thanksgiving is the open acknowledgment of a benefit received, directed to the benefactor, as a mark of requital.
1. O my most bountiful God, I now acknowledge thee to be most almighty, most merciful, the source of all 1 good. And I confess that, from the moment of my conception to the present day, I have received from thee innumerable benefits, and most extraordinary gifts; my creation, redemption, vocation, the gift of the Holy Ghost, preservation, with infinite others, produced by or contained in them, of which I am most unworthy. Most especially I thank thee for this benefit, N. N. For this and for all others, I now return thee infinite thanks, with all my heart and strength, in proportion to the infinitude of thy love and goodness, which have prompted thee to give me them.
2. Acknowledging, then, my infinite obligations to thee, O infinite goodness, and being ignorant and incapable of returning thee the thanks I ought, and would desire, I call upon Jesus Christ, the blessed Virgin, and all creatures, both seen and unseen, to return thee thanks in my behalf. And I now offer thee, for myself, all the thanks, of every kind, which they themselves render thee, in whatever way, or have rendered, or will render thee ever. And I return thee thanks in union with them, with the same love, gratitude, and thanksgiving as theirs.
3. This I do, not as if those blessings were mine, but because they are thine. For I am ready and prepared to be deprived of them as often as it pleases thee to require them of me again. And I pray thee to take them from me, as often as thou judgest it to be conducive to thy greater glory.
4. I return thanks also to thy divine majesty, because thou art who art, and for all the good thou possessest. In thanksgiving and gratitude besides for all the gifts and blessings given, or to be given, to me and to all other thy creatures, that are, or have been, or shall be; especially for those which thou hast hitherto most bountifully bestowed upon holy angels and men, on the most blessed Virgin, on the most sacred humanity of thy Son our Lord, in the manner and form which pleases thee best, — I offer thee, O my God, thyself, who art the fulness and perfection of all things.
5. And not content with this, from this moment I give, deliver, and dedicate myself to thee, in token of gratitude; with the desire and wish to serve thee faithfully, and to love thee eternally with all my heart; most humbly praying that thou wouldst vouchsafe to accept this poor offering, whatever its value, unworthy as it is of thy majesty, and already thine by a
thousand titles. Amen. VIII.
Act of Oblation
Offer to the Lord the sacrifice of sanctification.[8]
1. O most honoured Lord, my God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! I confess myself entirely thine, as well because thou hast created me, as be* cause thou hast redeemed me; not to speak of innumerable other blessings bestowed on me, for which, though I offered myself to thee a thousand times every hour, I should remain a debtor to thee notwithstanding to an infinite amount. Such as I am, then, to the best of my ability, I freely consecrate, offer, and give myself wholly to thee, to be a perfect holocaust both of soul and body, with all that I have, or ever am able to acquire.
This I wish to do in the manner thou desirest, and is most becoming for me to offer and consecrate myself to thee. And I therefore most willingly and freely submit myself for ever to thy most holy precepts and commandments.
And because I am now entirely thine, I beseech thee so to take possession of me, that I may never again become my own; but that every wish, word, and deed of mine may henceforth be nothing else than what thy most holy and just will would have me wish, say, and do: and that what is not my wish, word, and deed, may, in the same way, be what is not thy wish, word, and deed. And that I may do only when, how, and as much as pleases thee, whatever thou, most honoured Lord, art pleased that I should do, and not otherwise.
2. I offer thee, besides, all the riches and spiritual graces, as well of all the things thou hast created, as of those which thou holdest still in the treasures of thy almighty power; so that, if all were mine, I would most willingly yield them to thee, or at least employ them only for thy love and honour.
3. I offer to thee all the spiritual graces, the thoughts, the words, and good works, which all men who are, have been, or ever shall be in this world, have done, are doing, or shall do; nay, all the thoughts, words, and good works which could belong to the infinite number of men which thy almighty power could create. So that, for thy love, if I were able, I would do the same as they, as perfectly as thou knowest to be possible, and in the way most pleasing to thy majesty. 4. I offer to thee also all the pains, sorrows, martyrdoms, and all the penal sufferings of mind and body which all men have, do, or shall suffer, in this world, in purgatory, or in hell, to satisfy thy justice and increase thy" glory; with all things which thou knowest to be possible for each and all to endure, not in this world only, but in a hundred thousand, or an infinite number of worlds, purgatories, and hells. So that, if it so pleased thee, I would, with the assistance of thy grace, willingly suffer them all for thy love, and my own and my neighbour’s salvation.
5. But chiefly I offer thee the precious blood and infinite merits of my Lord Jesus Christ, with the merits of the blessed Virgin, and all the saints, and, together with them, all that has been already mentioned; as well as all my thoughts, words, deeds, desires, occupations, and actions of this day, and of my whole life.
Lastly, I desire to make this oblation with all the burning affection of heart which thou knowest to be possible; and, as often as I draw my breath, to be entirely thine, and dedicated to thee for ever. Amen.
IX.
Act of Resignation towards God.
Casting all your care upon him, for he hath care of you.[9]
1. My most loving Lord, I
renounce in all things every
affection of my heart, to resign myself entirely to thee,
and that with the greatest
desire which thou knowest to
be possible. And as much as
I am able, I desire most perfectly to make over my will
to thy divine will, in which
alone, and in nothing else, I
wish to have pleasure and
repose.
I pray thee, therefore, to dispose of me, and all that I have, in the manner and to the extent that thou pleasest, and judgest to tend most to thy greater glory.
Thus, then, with entire resignation to thee, I offer myself as prepared to receive from thy most powerful hand whatever happens to me in this life, whether of prosperity or adversity.
2. If, then, thou wilt have me live, I thankfully accept life; if thou wilt nave me die, I refuse not death. If thou wilt have me well, I accept health; if ill, sickness; if rich, riches; if poor, poverty; if honourable, I am pleased with honour: if dishonoured, I do not shun disgrace. Wilt thou have me enjoy consolation? — my will is the same. Desolation? — it alarms me not. If thou wilt have me be in favour with men, I will it too; if thou wilt have me be hated, I will pray for my enemies, and in my persecutions I will praise thee.
3. Therefore, I would not have eyes, but to see thee; nor ears, but to hear thee; nor a tongue, but to speak to thee; nor a heart, but to love thee; nor memory, but for the recollection of thy sweetness; nor understanding, but to acknowledge thy majesty; nor hands, but to serve thee; nor feet, but to obey thee; nor a body, but for a victim; nor life, but for a sacrifice to thee.
4. In sum, I desire so to be thine, without any reserve, as to despoil myself; to put away all that belongs to me; and to give, resign, and make over to thy most holy will, all my thoughts, words, and deeds, both interior and exterior; with all that I do or may possess, and which thou, of thy grace, hast vouchsafed to bestow on me. For I have already given thee my will; and I now give it thee irrevocably, and for ever.
Nor do I wish to desire, or not to desire, anything but as, when, and as much as thou desirest it or not; so that thy will may be my first and last desire, happiness, and consolation, at all times and in all circumstances. Assist me, therefore, O most loving Lord, with thy most holy grace (without which I know that I can do nothing), that all things may tend to thy honour and glory, and that thy most holy will may be most perfectly fulfilled. Amen.
X.
Act of Delight in God.
Delight in the Lord, and he will give thee the requests of thy heart.[10]
True joy is the delight produced by the things that belong to God. For in God, and in his excellence, lie the true grounds of all joy.
1. Oh, how great cause
have I, O most sweet Lord,
to rejoice and be glad! For
thou art the God who is of
infinite power, wisdom, goodness, beauty, mercy, justice,
faithfulness, and innumerable
other attributes which belong
to thee as the beginning and end of all good. Yet, when
thou wert such and so great,
thou hast vouchsafed so to exalt our human nature, by uniting it to thyself, that it may
truly be said, that God is man,
and man is God; God by nature, man by condescension
and grace. Besides this, thou
hast also further promised
me eternal happiness and
bliss; and confirmed it by
innumerable evidences and
signs, both in the Old and
New Testament. Oh, the
condescension, the boundless
goodness of God and our
Lord!
2. I therefore earnestly wish and desire, O my Lord, that, for the future, all the happiness of my soul, by the help of thy grace, may be in and from thee alone, and from the things that are thine, and which attract me to thee. Well was it said of thee, My God and my all.
Thou only art the goodness, the treasure, the paradise of the rational creature, in this world and in the next.
3. But this world, and all that belongs to it, I utterly loathe and abhor. It is as painful to me to see, to hear, and to think of, as the filthiest sewer, a putrid corpse, or a dunghill. For I count all things, in comparison of thee, as dung; I detest them as a plague.
4. I desire, too, to taste thy sweetness only, and to feel joy and pleasure only from what is thine; but to reject, hate, and abhor all worldly things, and whatever turns my heart away from thee. Help me to do this of thy goodness, O Lord, that, by joyfully and perfectly serving thee in this life, I may see and enjoy thee for ever with the blessed in the next. Amen.
XI.
Zeal for the Honor of God and the Salvation of Souls
The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.[11]
1. My most jealous God, who givest not thy glory to another, and alone hast created all the souls that exist; and wouldst, therefore, among thy other names, be called a jealous Lord, and a jealous God; I am grieved and exceedingly tormented in behalf of all those who, in their actions, have left thee, the only true and right end of their existence, the highest and only good; who seek and love more than thee the frail and transitory things of this world; and, by sinning continually, deliver themselves into the power of their most cruel enemy, the devil; a thing which I cannot think or speak of without great sorrow and pain.
2. For this cause, O my God, I, a sinner most vile and worthless in thy sight, offer up, for the glory of thy name, and for the salvation of the whole world, the merits of all the elect who have been, are, and ever shall be, to the end of the world. And if, for thy love and honour, I alone could support all the pains, all the torments, which all thy servants have suffered; if, by such endurance, 1 could but effect that none should ever again offend thee, then, with my whole heart, I would pray and implore thee to give me this grace. Nay, more, for thy love, if thou art so pleased, I entirely renounce all my merits and good works, if it so happen that I have any in thy sight. And if I have ever done anything really acceptable to thee, I offer that also to thee, the eternal Father, in union with the merits of thy Son, for the conversion of the whole world; that so thou mayest be honoured equally by all, as well on earth as in heaven.
And if all the stripes which are due to others for their sins could be laid upon me, in order that they might be spared, and might profit by the merit of this my punishment, I would ask even this of thee. And if it is good to do so, I now humbly pray thee, in return for this my service, whatever it may be worth, to bestow upon all the grace of serving thee most perfectly; and of so loving thee, that none may ever offend thee more; but that all may ever praise and bless thee no less than all the saints and angels do in heaven.
3. So highly do I prize thy honour and glory, that I would choose rather to remain for ever in hell, and to suffer every torment, than that thou shouldst be deprived of thy honour, even for a single moment. For to thee all honour is due; but to me, all pain, trouble, and disgrace. And that thou mayest not be defrauded of thy due honour, let me, I beseech thee, be subjected to every trouble, misery, and insult.
And if this is not enough for thy honour, let all the ms of soul and body befall me, except sin; and let them be such, and so great, as thou knowest are to be found either in hell, or on this earth, or in purgatory; and, if possible, even greater and heavier than these. But meanwhile, O my love, forget me not; but give me grace and fortitude to endure them, as I am cheerfully prepared, for
the sake of thy love and honour, to accept them. XII.
Act of Fear of God
Blessed are all they that fear the Lord.
Right fear is a certain anxiety of heart which restrains a man from an unlawful use of his members, exterior senses, and interior affections, in order that the soul may not, either wholly or in part, be so separated from God, or seek pleasure in any creature, as to cool the fervour of the spirit.
I. When I consider thy
boundless majesty and greatness, O fearful and terrible
Lord, before whom tremble
all the spirits of heaven, earth,
and hell, I sink down, utterly
confused at my monstrous unworthiness, into the depths
of my own nothingness, fearing exceedingly to offend thee,
and to be separated from thy
divine grace, which has happened to many others, because they walked not uprightly in thy sight.
2. Therefore when I think only that I may offend thee by venial and mortal sins, I shudder and tremble in every limb, mostly because I confess myself to be utterly weak and helpless, and able to do nothing at all without thy special grace.
3. I confess, too, O Lord, that this fear, notwithstanding, is very useful and necessary for me; and I therefore earnestly beg it of thee, and entreat thee to increase it in me, and imprint it on my soul, while I say with the Psalmist, “Pierce thou my flesh with thy fear, for I am afraid of thy judgments.”