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k YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 / 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE ITALIAN 
 
 A MEMBER OF THE ORDER OF MERCY, 
 
 MT. ST. JOSEPHS SEMINARY, 
 
 HARTFORD, CONN. 
 
 " The study of a Religious should be the life and maxims of Jesus Christ ; for if 
 ?he has not studied Jesus Christ, and formed her mind on His example, she is 
 nothing in His eyes, and wants all in wanting the Science of the Saints. 1 '— Mother 
 Catharine McCauley. * 
 
 NEW YORK : 
 P. J. KENEDY, 
 
 Excelsior Catholic Publishing House, 
 
 5 BARCLAY STREET. 
 
 1891. 
 
3X4G 5~5~ 
 
 .335" 
 
 IMPRBIATUK : 
 
 * MICHAEL AUGUSTINE, 
 
 Archbishop of New York. 
 
 January 21, 1891. 
 
 Copyright 1891. 
 
 BY 
 
 THE SISTERS OF MERCY, 
 Hartford, Conn. 
 
TO 
 MARY, OUR LADY OF MERCY, 
 
 UNDER THE TITLE OF QUEEN OF ALL SAINTS 
 
 THIS 
 
 TRANSLATION IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED 
 
 IN THE HOPE 
 
 THAT THROUGH HER ADVOCACY IT MAY 
 
 CONDUCE TO THE GROWTH OF SANCTITY 
 
 IN 
 NUMEROUS SOULS. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Translator's Preface, . . .* vii 
 
 January. Perfection, u 11 
 
 February. Humility, 44 
 
 March. Mortification, . . 87 
 
 April. Patience, 121 
 
 May. Meekness, 153 
 
 June. Obedience, 197 
 
 July. Simplicity, 223 
 
 August. Diligence, 253 
 
 September. Prayer, 280 
 
 October. Confidence, 306 
 
 November. Charity, 330 
 
 December. Union, , 367 
 
TRANSLATORS PREFACE. 
 
 In presenting this work for the first time in English dress, 
 the translator would take the opportunity of drawing the 
 attention of the devout American reader to one or two pe- 
 culiarities in its structure, which have already won for it 
 a wide recognition among readers of books of its class in 
 Europe. 
 
 In the first place, the allotment of separate months to in- 
 dividual virtues agrees well with a practice of self-examina- 
 tion much recommended by many spiritual writers, who 
 advise us to take different virtues in turn as the objects of 
 special effort. Nothing certainly could be better fitted to 
 assist us in the acquisition of a virtue, than these selec- 
 tions from the writings of the most eminent masters of 
 spiritual science, which portray its beauties, declare its neces- 
 sity, or explain its various degrees and the methods of its 
 attainment. 
 
 In the second place, the few words of exhortation or in- 
 struction, which open the reading for each day, are followed 
 by the best of all commentaries — that of action. A great 
 part of the book is composed of examples, which, while they 
 have the interest of anecdote, furnish at the same time the 
 strongest proofs of the possibility of carrying out in real 
 life, precepts and principles which might otherwise seem too 
 high and heavenly for our every-day existence. 
 
 In the hope then that these exotic flowers may flourish 
 and blossom in many an American garden, they are offered 
 to the lovers of spiritual excellence and beauty by 
 
 The Translator, 
 
A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 J A N U A R Y. 
 
 PEKFECTION. 
 
 Be ye perfect asyour Heavenly Father is perfect.— St. Matt., v : 48. 
 
 1. Consider all the past as nothing, and say, like David : Now I 
 begin to love my God. — St. Francis de Sales 
 
 It was in this manner that the Apostle St. Paul acted ; 
 though, after his conversion, he had become a vessel of 
 election, filled with the spirit of Jesus Christ, yet, to per- 
 severe and advance in the heavenly way, he made use of 
 this means, for he said in his Epistle to the Philippians : 
 " Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended. 
 But one thing I do : forgetting the things that are behind, 
 and stretching forth myself to those that are before, I press 
 towards the mark, to the prize of the supernal vocation of 
 God in Christ Jesus." 
 
 Thus, the glorious St. Anthony went on from day to day, 
 stimulating himself to virtue. St. Anastasius said of him, 
 that he always looked upon himself as a beginner, as if 
 every day were the first in which he was serving God, and 
 as if in the past he had done nothing good, and were but 
 just setting foot in the way of the Lord, and taking the first 
 
12 A YEAE WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 steps on the road to heaven. And this was the very last 
 admonition he left to his monks at his death : " My sons," he 
 said to them, " if you wish to advance in virtue and per- 
 fection, never give up the practice of considering each day 
 that you are then beginning, and of conducting yourselves 
 always as you did on the day you began." 
 
 Thus, also, we find that St. Gregory, St. Bernard, and 
 St. Charles acted and advised others to act. To render 
 clearer to all, the necessity and utility of this method, they 
 made use of two beautiful comparisons, saying, that we must 
 act in this like travellers, who do not regard the road they 
 have gone over, but, rather, what remains for them to tra- 
 verse, and this they keep always before their eyes, even to 
 their journey's end ; or, like merchants, eager for riches, who 
 make no account of what they have hitherto acquired, nor 
 of the fatigue they have borne, but put all their thought 
 and care upon new acquisitions, and upon daily multiply- 
 ing their possessions, as if in the past they had made no 
 profit at all. 
 
 2. We must begin with a strong and constant resolution to give 
 ourselves wholly to God, professing to Him, in a tender, loving 
 manner, from the bottom of our hearts, that we intend to be His 
 without any reserve, and then we must often go back and renew this 
 same resolution.— ££. Fr. de Sales. 
 
 One of the means for the acquisition of perfection, which 
 was chiefly inculcated and much practised by St, Philip Neri, 
 was a frequent renewal of good resolutions. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales made from time to time a spiritual 
 renovation, and always conceived in it new desires to serve 
 God better. 
 
 St. John Berchmans, at his very entrance into religion, 
 planted in his heart a strong resolution to become a Saint, 
 
JANUAEY. — PEEFECTION. 13 
 
 and then he not only remained constant in all the practices 
 and resolutions which he took up for this end, but he went 
 on daily gaining new vigor to his spiritual advantage. 
 
 When a holy Eeligious was giving the Exercises at 
 Torre di Specchi in Rome, a nun, called Sr. Marie Bona Ven- 
 tura, who was living a very relaxed life, did not wish to 
 be present. By many entreaties she was finally induced to 
 attend. The first meditation, on the end of man, enkindled 
 such fervor in her heart, that the Father had scarcely fin- 
 ished when she called him to her, and said : " Father, I 
 mean to be a Saint, and quickly." She then withdrew to 
 her cell, and, writing the same words on a scrap of paper, 
 fastened them to the foot of her crucifix. From this 
 moment, she applied herself with so much earnestness to the 
 practice of perfection, that a memoir of her was written at 
 her death, which occurred eleven months later. 
 
 3. The Lord chiefly desires of us that we should be completely- 
 perfect, that we may be wholly one with Him. Let us aim, there- 
 fore, at whatever we need to reach this. — St. Te 
 
 Father Peter Faber, a companion of St. Ignatius, and 
 highly esteemed by St. Francis de Sales, often dwelt on 
 the thought that God greatly desires our advancement. 
 And so he endeavored to grow constantly, and not to let a 
 day pass without some progress in virtue, so that he gradu- 
 ally rose to great perfection and a high reputation for sanc- 
 tity. 
 
 St. Pacomius and St. Anthony, by studying the virtues of 
 others, stimulated themselves to attain similar excellence. 
 
 The Venerable Sister Mary Yillani had the following 
 vision. On the Feast of St. Francis, for whom she had a 
 particular devotion, this Saint appeared to her and led her 
 to a lofty place, more beautiful than any she had ever seen. 
 
14 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 To reach it, one was obliged to ascend four very high terra- 
 ces, which signified, as the Saint revealed to her, the four 
 degrees of perfection. With great difficulty she ascended, 
 by his help, the first terrace, and he explained to her that 
 this Avas the first state of perfection, called purity of con- 
 science, which borders on angelic purity. In it the soul be- 
 comes like that of a little child, enjoys a pure and holy tran- 
 quility, never thinks evil of others, nor interests itself in 
 what does not belong to its own position. Thence he brought 
 her up to the second terrace, telling her that whoever had 
 arrived at purity of conscience, becomes capable of prayer 
 and of true love, which is the inseparable fruit of prayer. 
 Here he enumerated to her the properties of true love, which 
 is pure, simple, unselfish, and founded upon the truth of 
 God, who can give Himself only to souls already possessed 
 of purity. Then he raised her to the third terrace, that of 
 the cross and mortification, adding that from purity and 
 love the soul passes on to taking up the cross courageously 
 and to being itself crucified, and that to arrive at this state 
 one must acquire four cardinal virtues. These are, a true 
 mortification of all vices and of every earthly affection ; a 
 perfect poverty of spirit, which tramples under foot all tem- 
 poral goods ; a living death, by which the soul dies to it- 
 self and to all affections of sense, and lives in a total anni- 
 hilation and transformation into its crucified Lord, so as to 
 be able to say : " I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in 
 me. " The soul that has gained this state, seems to have 
 conquered the world, and bears sufferings and crosses as if 
 it could no longer feel them. The fourth terrace, he said, 
 typified the state of real and perfect union. 
 
 4. I hear nothing talked of but perfection, yet I see it practised 
 only by few. Every one forms his own ideal of it. Some place it 
 in simplicity of attire ; some, in austerity ; some, in almsgiving ; 
 
JANUARY. — PERFECTION. 15 
 
 some, in frequent reception of the Sacraments ; — this one, in prayer ; 
 that one, in passive contemplation ; and another, in the gifts called 
 gratuitous. But, by a general mistake, they take the effects for the 
 cause, and the means for the end. For my part, I know of no other 
 perfection than loving God with all the heart, and our neighbor as 
 ourselves. Whoever imagines any other kind of perfection, de- 
 ceives himself, for the whole accumulation of virtues without this, 
 is but a heap of stones. And if we do not immediately and perfectly 
 enjoy this treasure of holy love, the fault is in us. We are too slow 
 and ungenerous with God, and do not give ourselves up entirely to 
 Him, as the Saints did. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 Who does not see that the perfection of this Saint must 
 have been of a true and very sublime character, when his 
 love for God and his neighbor was so great and so pure ? 
 The same may be said also of St. Vincent de Paul and 
 many others. 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi was truly admirable in both 
 of these points. As we shall hereafter see, she was so much 
 inflamed with the love of God, that she could not bear the 
 excessive ardor of this divine fire, and was obliged to cool 
 her glowing bosom with linen cloths soaked in water ; and 
 she carried the love of her neighbor so far as to desire and 
 procure others' good in preference to her own. 
 
 5. All perfection is founded upon only two principles, by means 
 of which, with due attention to the daily actions suited to our state, 
 we shall certainly arrive at the summit and fulness of it. The first 
 principle is a very low esteem for all created things, but, above all, 
 for ourselves. This low esteem should show itself, in practice, by 
 renouncing ourselves and all creatures ; in our hearts, by a firm 
 resolution ; and in our lives, in such ways as may be suitable, espec- 
 ially, by manifesting contentment and cheerfulness when the Lord 
 takes from us any good. The second principle is a very high esteem 
 of God, which may be easily acquired by the light of faith, as He is 
 Omnipotent, the Supreme Good, and our End ; as also because He 
 has loved us so much, and is ever present with us, and guides us in 
 all things, both as to nature and grace, and, in particular, has called 
 
16 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 us and leads us by a special vocation to a lofty perfection. From 
 this esteem there must certainly arise in us a great submission of 
 will, and of every power and faculty, to His greater glory, without 
 any mingliug of our own interest, though it be ever so holy. At 
 the same time, there will be great conformity with the Divine will, 
 which will be the actual measure of all our designs, affections, and 
 works. In this manner, the soul arrives at union — not, indeed, at 
 the mystic union of raptures, elevations of the spirit, and vehement 
 affections ; but the solid, real, and practical union of a will thor- 
 oughly conformed to the Divine will, by the perfect love which 
 works out all things in God and for God without special lights. Of 
 this, all are capable ; and all, with certainty, though not without 
 crosses, can arrive at it. — Fr. Achille Gagliardi. 
 
 It was always the principal study of St. Vincent de 
 Paul to establish and perfect himself in these two princi- 
 ples. Therefore, as his profound humility made him believe 
 himself incapable of great things, he thought only of fulfill- 
 ing faithfully towards God the obligations of a true and 
 perfect Christian. And since he knew, by heavenly illu- 
 minations, that all Christian perfection depends upon a 
 good use of these two principles, he aimed at them alone, 
 and sought, above all, to penetrate them well and to fix them 
 in his soul, that they might serve as an unerring rule and 
 guide for all his actions. And the plan succeeded well. 
 For God, who exalts the humble, did not think it enough to 
 guide him by this means to that Christian perfection which 
 he had prescribed to himself, but willed to exalt him to a 
 sanctity equally solid and eminent, and which may truly 
 be called singular, as, in fact, there are certainly few per- 
 sons who without the help of extraordinary and mystic 
 lights, under the guidance only of the lights of ordinary 
 grace, have reached so lofty a sanctity as has this servant of 
 God. 
 
 6. Perfection consists in one thing alone, which is, doing the will 
 of God. For, according to our Lord's words, it suffices for,rjexfe.c- 
 
JANUARY. PERFECTION. 17 
 
 tion to deny self, to take up the cross aud to follow Him. Now, 
 who denies himself and takes up his cross and follows Christ better 
 than he who seeks not to do his own will, but always that of God ? 
 Behold, now, how little is needed to become a Saint ! Nothing more 
 than to acquire the habit of willing, on every occasion, what God 
 wills. —St. Vincent de Paul. 
 
 More than in anything else the Saint just quoted showed 
 the purity and solidity of his virtue, in always aiming to 
 follow and obey the will of God. This was the great prin- 
 ciple on which all his resolutions were founded, and by 
 which he faithfully and firmly carried them into practice, 
 trampling under foot his own interest, and preferring the 
 Divine will and the glory and service of God to anything 
 else, without exception. 
 
 The Lord said of David, that he was a man after His own 
 heart ; and the foundation for such high praise is given in 
 these words, " for in all things he will do My will." 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi was so much attached to 
 this practice that she often said that she would never de- 
 termine upon anything, however trivial, such as going from 
 one room to another, if she thought it not in conformity 
 with the Divine will, nor would she omit to do anything 
 she believed in conformity with it. And she added, that 
 if it came into her mind while she was in the midst of an 
 action, that such an act was contrary to the will of God, 
 she would abandon it on the instant, though to do so might 
 cost her life. 
 
 Taulerus relates of a certain holy and learned man, that 
 when his friends entreated him, on his death-bed, to leave 
 them some good precept, he said : The sum and substance 
 of all instruction is to take all that comes as from the hand 
 of God, and to wish for nothing different, but to do in all 
 things His divine will. 
 
18 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 The Venerable Seraphina of God Lad so great a love for 
 the Divine will that she often entreated her director to 
 manifest it to her, saying, " Counsel me, Father, as to what 
 I am to do, and do not let me do anything of myself, that 
 I may please the Divine Majesty. For to see God ever bo 
 little displeased, would be worse than the loss of a thousand 
 worlds." One day, there came to her so great a desire to 
 do nothing according to her own will, but only according 
 to that of God, that, with the consent of her director, she 
 made a vow to that effect. 
 
 7. A servant of God signifies one who has a great charity towards 
 hi- neighbor, and an inviolable resolution to follow in everything 
 the Divine will ; who bears with his own deficiencies, and patiently 
 supports the imperfections of others. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 The whole life of this Saint, as well as of St. Vincent de 
 Paul, was but a faithful and continual exercise of these vir- 
 tues, on the occasions which every day presented themselves. 
 In this way they both became great servants of God. 
 
 In the Lives of the Fathers of the West, it is told of St 
 Fintan, that he was daily visited by an angel, but that 
 once the visit was omitted for several days. When the 
 Saint had the happiness of seeing him again, he asked the 
 Angel why he had been so long deprived of his most sweet 
 companionship. kk Because," replied the Angel, " I had t< > be 
 present at the death of Motua, who was a great servant of 
 God, and better than yourself, for he did what you have 
 not done. This man never spoke a harsh word to any one 
 present, nor an unkind word of any one absent. He never 
 complained of heat or cold, nor of anything else, whatever 
 it might be, or however it might happen ; but always con- 
 formed himself to the will of God, in whose hands are all 
 things." 
 
JANUARY. — PERFECTION. 19 
 
 When St. Gertrude was, one day, mourning over a little 
 fault into which she was accustomed to fall at times, she 
 earnestly entreated the Lord to free her from it. But He 
 said to her, with great sweetness : " Would you wish that 
 I should be deprived of a great honor and you yourself of 
 a great reward ? Know that every time one perceives a 
 fault of his own and resolves to avoid it for the future, he 
 gains a great reward • and as often as he keeps himself 
 from falling into it again for My sake, he does Me as much 
 honor as a valiant soldier does his king, when he fights 
 manfully against his enemies and conquers them." 
 
 8. To be perfect in one's vocation, is nothing else than to perform 
 the duties and offices to which one is obliged, solely for the honor 
 and love of God, referring all to His glory. Whoever works in this 
 manner, may be called perfect in his state, a man according to the 
 heart and will of God.— St. F. de Sales. 
 
 In the Lives of the Holy Fathers, it is narrated of the Ab- 
 bot Paphnutius, who was highly celebrated for sanctity, 
 that, one day, he expressed a desire to know from the Lord 
 whether he had any merit in His eyes. He received the re- 
 ply that he had gained equal merit with a certain nobleman, 
 whose name was given. The Saint immediately visited this 
 gentleman, by whom he was kindly treated and hospitably 
 entertained. When the repast was over, the Abbot begged 
 of his host to tell him what was his manner of life. The 
 Baron excused himself by saying that he did not possess any 
 virtue, but after many entreaties, he said that he was very 
 careful to entertain pilgrims, and provide them with what- 
 ever might be necessary for their journey ; that he never de- 
 spised the poor, but helped them in their need as much as he 
 could ; that he had justice administered equitably, and 
 always gave honest decisions, never swerving from right 
 
20 A YEAK WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 thronghfear or favor ; that he never oppressed his subjects ; 
 that he allowed any one to become his tenant, and expected 
 from no one more than what was justly his due ; that no 
 one could complain of ever having received harm or damage 
 from his family or cattle ; that he had never offended or 
 slandered any one, but treated all with respect, helped all as 
 far as he w T as able, and endeavored to keep all in peace and 
 harmony. On hearing this, the holy Abbot was greatly edi- 
 fied, and understood that true perfection consisted not in 
 great deeds, but in fulfilling our duties. 
 
 In San Cesario in the province of Leccc, there lived in 
 the time of St. Joseph da Cupertino a nun who had a great 
 reputation for sanctity. One day, when the Saint hap- 
 pened to visit the house of the Marquis of that place, he 
 was asked his opinion of this report in regard to the nun. 
 He answered, " You have a real saint here among you, 
 who is not known ;" and he named a poor widow, of whom 
 not" a word had ever been said. The Marquis inquired as 
 to what were her good qualities, and found that she re- 
 mained always shut up in her poor little home, with some 
 of her daughters, and that they worked constantly to sup- 
 port themselves, and were never seen abroad but once a 
 day, which was very early in the morning, when they were 
 going to church to hear Mass. 
 
 * 9. Although in entering religion and taking care not to offend God, 
 we may appear to have done everything, ah! how ofteu certain worms 
 remain, which do not allow themselves to be perceived, until they 
 have gnawed away our virtues! Such worms are self-love, self- 
 esteem, harsh judgments of others, though in trifles, and a great want 
 of charity towards our neighbor. But if, indeed, by dragging on, we 
 satisfy our obligations, we do not do it with that perfection which 
 God would expect of us.— St. Teresa. 
 
 To one of these worms, self-esteem, Monseigneur de 
 
JANUARY. — PERFECTION. 21 
 
 Palafox attributed his own relaxation after his conversion 
 and his narrow escape from eternal ruin. " For," said he, 
 " though I was humble, had I, therefore, a right to believe 
 that I was truly humble ? and though I desired and in- 
 tended to be good, ought I, therefore, to presume that I 
 was truly good ? This hidden pride obliged the Divine 
 Goodness to overwhelm me, in order that I might see that 
 I was not good, but bad, weak, miserable, full of pride, 
 sensuality, and unfaithfulness, and a prodigal scorner of the 
 gifts of grace." 
 
 It is told in the Lives of the Fathers, that two of them 
 had received the gift of beholding mutually the grace which 
 was in the heart of the other. One of them, leaving his 
 cell early one Friday morning, found a monk who was 
 eating at the hour contrary to their custom. He judged 
 him to be in fault, and reproved him. When he returned 
 home, his companion did not see in him the usual sign of 
 grace, and asked him what he had done. But when the 
 other remembered nothing, he added, " Think whether you 
 may not have said some idle word." Then he remembered 
 his rash judgment, and related what had happened. 
 For this fault, they both fasted two whole weeks, at the end 
 of which the usual sign appeared in the brother who had 
 been culpable. 
 
 10. Observe that perfection is not acquired by sitting with our 
 arms folded, but it is necessary to work in earnest, in order to con- 
 quer ourselves and to bring ourselves to live, not according to our 
 inclinations and passions, but according to reason, our Rule, and 
 obedience. The thing is hard, it cannot be denie 4 d, but necessary. 
 With practice, however, it becomes easy and pleasing.— #£. F. de 
 Sales. 
 
 Plutarch relates of Lycurgus that he once took two pup- 
 pies of the same litter, and trained up one in the kitchen and 
 
22 A YEAR WITH THE SAIXTS. 
 
 the other to hunting. When they were grown (one day 
 when he was going to address the people), he took them 
 into the forum, where he threw down some fish-bones and 
 at the same time let loose a hare. The first immediately 
 began to gnaw the bones, w r hile the other set off in pursuit 
 of the hare. Then Lycurgus commanded silence, and, turn- 
 ing to the people, said : " Do you see this ? These two dogs 
 are of the same breed, yet they are not inclined to the same 
 thing, but each to that which he has been accustomed to. 
 So true is it that habit ends in overcoming even the most 
 violent inclinations of nature." 
 
 It is written of St. Ignatius Loyola, that through the con- 
 tinual struggle which he had made to mortify himself and 
 to bear contradictions patiently, he had arrived at such a 
 point as to appear to have no longer any inclination. The 
 same thing has also been noticed in many others. 
 
 11. All the science of the Saints is included in these two things : 
 To do, and to suffer. And whoever has done these two things best, 
 has made himself most saintly. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 Any one who reads the Lives of Sts. Ambrose, Basil, 
 Jerome, Chrysostom, Dominic, Vincent de Paul, and other 
 great Saints, will not be surprised that they became so re- 
 markable for holiness, when he sees the innumerable good 
 works which they wrought, and the great sufferings which 
 they endured. 
 
 We are told, in the Lives of the Fathers, that this was 
 the method chiefly employed by St. Dorotheas, to sanctify 
 his disciple Dositheus. This Saint kept the 1 atter constantly 
 occupied, especially in things opposed to his own wishes. If 
 he saw in his possession any article that was convenient and 
 well made, even though it might be necessary for his work, 
 he took it from him ; if Dositheus called his master's at- 
 
 
JANUARY. — PERFECTION. 23 
 
 tention to anything which he had done well, the Saint 
 sent him away without any answer ; and thus, in every 
 desire, the Saint sought to mortify his disciple, while the 
 latter, in the meantime, obeyed promptly in everything, 
 and bore all without reply. And thus, in the course of 
 only five years, he reached a very high perfection and 
 sanctity. 
 
 12. I wish I could persuade spiritual persons that the way of per- 
 fection does not consist in many devices, nor in much cogitation, 
 but in denying themselves completely, and yielding themselves to 
 suffer everything for love of Christ. And if there is failure in this 
 exercise, all other methods of walking in the spiritual way are merely 
 a beating about the bush, and profitless trifling, although a person 
 should have a very high contemplation and communication with 
 God. — St. John of the Cross. 
 
 Cassian wrote concerning the Abbot Paphnutius that the 
 road by which he arrived at such great sanctity, was that 
 of constantly mortifying himself ; and that in this manner 
 he extinguished in himself all vices, and perfected in him- 
 self all virtues. 
 
 Father Balthasar Alvarez practised continual mortifica- 
 tion and self-denial in all that nature desired, not only in 
 great things, but also in small ; and by this he arrived at 
 high perfection. 
 
 The Blessed Angela di Foligno, in an ecstasy, saw the Lord 
 bestowing marks of love upon some of His servants, but upon 
 one, more ; upon another, less. Desiring to understand the 
 cause of this difference, she advanced to inquire of our 
 Lord, who answered thus : " I invite all to Me, but all are 
 not willing to come, because the way is interlaced with 
 thorns. To all who come, I offer My bread to eat and My 
 cup to drink. But My food is not pleasing to sense, and 
 My cup is full of bitterness, so that all do not desire to satiate 
 
24 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 themselves with those labors which were My meat while I 
 was in the world. But those Avho are most constant in 
 bearing Me company, they certainly are My dearest and 
 most favored ones." When the Saint had heard this, she 
 was filled with so great a desire of suffering and denying 
 herself in all ways, that when many difficulties were after- 
 wards placed in her way by her Religious and by her own 
 family, she experienced in them as great comfort as a world- 
 ling could have found in any plan made for his pleasure 
 and advantage. 
 
 13. The greatest fault among those who have a good will, is that 
 they wish to be something they cannot be, and do not wish to be 
 what they necessarily must be. They conceive desires to do great 
 things, for which, perhaps, no opportunity may ever come to them, 
 and, meantime, neglect the small which the Lord puts into their hands. 
 There are a thousand little acts of virtue, such ns bearing with the 
 importunities and imperfections of our neighbors, not resenting an 
 unpleasant word or a trifling injury, restraining an emotion of 
 anger, mortifying some little affection, some ill-regulated desire to 
 speak or to listen, excusing an indiscretion, or yielding to another 
 in trifles. These are things to be done by all ; why not practise 
 them? The occasions for great gains come but rarely, but of little 
 gains many can be made each day ; and by mauagiug these little 
 gains with judgment, there are some who grow rich. Oh, how holy 
 and rich in merits we should make ourselves, if we but knew how 
 to profit by the opportunities which our vocation supplies to us ! 
 Yes, yes, let us apply ourselves to follow well the path which is 
 close before us, and to do well on the first opportunity, without oc- 
 cupying ourselves with thoughts of the last, and thus we shall make 
 good progress. — St. F. de Sales 
 
 St. Philip Neri, enkindled with a desire of martyrdom, 
 had resolved to go to preach the Faith in India. But 
 when God informed him, by revelation, that his India must 
 be in Rome, he employed himself there, and by leading a 
 life full of virtuous actions, he became a great Saint. 
 
JANUAKY. — PEEFECTION 25 
 
 St. John Berchmans, in only five years of religious life, 
 certainly reached a lofty perfection. Now, how did he 
 accomplish it ? By nothing except striving to be faithful 
 to do exactly all those things which he knew to be right and 
 possible for him, in the way of not neglecting any part of 
 perfection, which, with the aid of grace, he might be able to 
 acquire. 
 
 St. Gertrude, feeling very weak one day, decided to make 
 an effort to say Matins. When she had finished the First 
 Nocturn, another sick Sister came to ask her to say the Of- 
 fice with her ; and she immediately went back to the begin- 
 ing. That same morning she had a vision, in which she 
 saw her soul adorned with jewels of great value, and the 
 Lord said to her, that by the act of charity which she had 
 performed for His love, she had merited this ornament, in 
 which the jewels equalled in number the words she had re- 
 peated. 
 
 We read of a young Jesuit student, that, one morning in 
 vacation, when he was just starting for a walk with some 
 of his companions, he was requested by one of the Fathers 
 to wait half an hour and serve Mass, which he did. When 
 he had become more advanced in knowledge and age, he 
 ■went to preach the Faith among the Infidels, and there 
 was found worthy to obtain the glory of martyrdom. Then 
 it was revealed to him that so great a grace had been given 
 him by God in reward for the little mortification which he 
 accepted in serving Mass. 
 
 14. Our greatest fault is, that we wish to serve God in our way; 
 not in His way ; according to our will, not according to His will. 
 "When He wishes us to be sick, we wish to be well ; when he de- 
 sires us to serve Him by sufferings, we< desire to serve Him by 
 works ; when He wishes us to exercise charity, we wish to exercise 
 humility ; when He seeks from us resignation, we wish for devotion, 
 
26 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 a spirit of prayer, or some other virtue. And this is not because 
 the things we desire may be more pleasing to Him, but because they 
 aie more to our taste. This is certainly the greatest obstacle we can 
 raise to our own perfection, for it is beyond doubt that if we wish 
 to be Saints according to our own will, we shall never be so at all. 
 To be truly a Saint, it is necessary to be one according to the will of 
 God.— St. F. de Sales. 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi knew this most important 
 truth ; and, with the guidance of so clear a light, she knew 
 how to submit her will to that of God so perfectly, that 
 she was always contented with what came to her day by 
 day, nor did she ever desire anything extraordinary. She 
 was even accustomed to say that she would consider it a 
 marked defect to ask of the Lord any grace for herself or 
 others, with any greater importunity than simple pravers, 
 and that it was her joy and glory to do His will, not that 
 He should do hers. Even as to the sanctity and perfection 
 of her own soul, she wished that it might be not ac- 
 cording to her own desire, but to the will of God. And so, 
 Ave find among her writings this resolution : To offer my- 
 self to God, and to seek all that perfection and only that 
 perfection Avhich He is pleased that I should have, and in 
 the time and way that He shall wish, and not otherwise. 
 In conversation with an intimate friend, she once said : 
 The good which does not come to me by this way of the 
 Divine will, does not seem to me good. I would prefer 
 having no gift at all except that of leaving all my will and 
 all my desires in God, to having any gift through desire 
 and will. Yes, yes, in me sint, Deus, vota tua, et non vota 
 mea — Thy will, not mine, be done. The grace which she 
 asked most frequently and most earnestly of the Lord was 
 this, that He would make her remain till death entirely 
 subject and submissive to His divine will and pleasure ; 
 thus it is no wonder that she became so holy. 
 
JANUARY. — PERFECTION. 27 
 
 Even among the heathens, there are to be found those 
 who by the light of reason alone clearly understood this 
 truth. Plutarch disapproved of the common prayer of 
 the people, — May God give you all that good which you 
 desire. No, he says, we ought rather to say, May God 
 grant that you shall desire what He desires. And what 
 is more, Epictetus practised it ; for he said : " I am always 
 content with whatever comes to me day by day, for I know 
 that whatever happens, it all happens by the disposal of 
 God, and I am certain that what God wills is better than 
 what I can ever will." 
 
 15. Two mistakes I find common among spiritual persons. One 
 is that they ordinarily measure their devotion by the consolations and 
 satisfactions which they experience in the way of God, so that if 
 these happen to be wanting, they think they have lost all devotion. 
 No, this is no more than a sensible devotion. True and substantial 
 devotion does not consist in these things, but in having a will reso- 
 lute, active, ready, and constant not to offend God, and to perform 
 all that belongs to His service. The other mistake is. that if it ever 
 happens to them to do anything with repugnance and weariness, fhey 
 believe they have no merit in it. On the other hand, there is thenf&v 
 greater merit ; so that a single ounce of good done thus by a sheer 
 spiritual effort, amidst darkness and dulness, and without interest, 
 is worth more than a hundred pounds done with great facility and 
 sweetness, since the former requires a stronger and purer love. And 
 how great soever may be the aridities and repugnance of the sensible 
 part of our soul, we ought never to lose courage, but pursue our way 
 as travellers treat the barking of dogs.— St. F. de Sales 
 
 A pious matron desiring to know what class of souls 
 was most acceptable to the Lord, He gratified her wish by 
 the following vision. One morning she was hearing Mass, 
 when, after the Elevation, she saw Jesus in the form of a 
 most lovely child, who began to walk about the altar. 
 Thence he descended to a place where three devout nuns 
 were kneeling at its foot. He took one of them by the 
 
28 A YEAH WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 hand and gave her many caresses. Then approaching the 
 second, He raised her veil and gave her a slight blow on 
 the cheek, and left her as if in anger ; but soon returning, 
 and finding her in grief and affliction, He devoted Himself 
 to consoling her with a thousand endearments. Finally, 
 He came to the third, and, with an appearance of great 
 wrath, took her by the arm and drove her away from 
 the altar, loading her with blows, and even tearing the hair 
 from her head, while she bore all with great calmness, 
 humbling herself and blessing God. Then Jesus, turning 
 to the matron, said : " You must know that the firsl one is 
 weak in virtue, and very changeable; therefore, to confirm 
 her in the good way, 1 show my self altogether amiable and 
 kind; otherwise, she would leave it. The second is more 
 perfect, yet she needs to experience, from time to time, - >me 
 spiritual sweetness. But the third is so firm and constant 
 in my service, that whatever adversity may come to her, 
 she will not allow herself to be withdrawn from it, and she 
 is my best beloved." 
 
 St. Philip Xeri, in order to save his penitents from the 
 first of these mistakes, used to tell them, that in the spir- 
 itual life there arc three degrees. The first, which is called 
 animal, includes those who follow the sensible devotion, 
 which God usually gives to beginner-, in order that, drawn 
 by this delight as animal- are by sensible objects, they may 
 give themselves to the spiritual life. The second, which is 
 called the life of man, is led by those who without sensible 
 consolation fight for virtue against their own passions, 
 which is the true characteristic of man. The third is called 
 the angelic life. Those have arrived at it, who after long 
 struggles in subduing their own passions, receive from God 
 a life calm and tranquil, and, as it were, angelic even in 
 this world. And if any one perseveres in the second degree, 
 
JANUAKY. — PERFECTION. 29 
 
 God will not fail, in His own time, to raise him to the third. 
 
 16. We are not to regard great favors from God so much as vir- 
 tues, but consider who serves the Lord with the greatest mortifica- 
 tion, humility, and purity of conscience • for the latter without th- 
 former will be the more holy.— St. Teresa. 
 
 Were proofs of this truth wanting, the example of St. 
 Vincent de Paul would be sufficient to confirm it. Very 
 few extraordinary favors are recorded of him, yet he has 
 been, and is now, regarded by all as a man of rare sanctity. 
 
 Rufinus of Aquilia tells of St. Macarius, that at one time 
 he believed himself to have made much progress in virtue. 
 But one day, when at prayer, he heard a voice which said 
 to him, " Macarius, know that thou hast not attained 
 as much virtue as two women who live at such a place." 
 Macarius went instantly to find them, and perceived, upon 
 examination, that they possessed great merit, for they had 
 lived together for fifteen years, in the same house, in per- 
 .fect union and charity, without the slightest disagreement 
 in word or act occurring between them. The Saint was 
 amazed at this, and confessed that they were, in truth, better 
 and more perfect than he, although he had been gifted by. 
 the Divine Goodness with many extraordinary favors. 
 
 17. Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do ? Here is the true token 
 of a soul absolutely perfect, — when one has succeeded in leaving be- 
 hind his own will to such a degree as no longer to seek, to aim, or to 
 desire to do, what he would will, but only what God wills. — St. 
 Bernard. 
 
 These were the first words of the Apostle St. Paul as he 
 recognized the Lord : " Lord, what wilt Thou have me 
 to do ?" And they were uttered by him with so much 
 sincerity of affection, and with such submission of will, 
 that from that day forward he had no other desire and no 
 
30 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 other aim than to fulfil the Divine will in all and through 
 all. Nor in all the adversities, labors, sufferings, and tor- 
 ments, which he encountered, was there ever a thing suf- 
 ficient to diminish, or even in the least to shake, his constancy 
 and fidelity. 
 
 St. Jane Frances de Chantal had so great a desire to 
 know and follow the Divine will, that on merely hearing 
 those words, " Divine will," she felt all on fire, as if a torch 
 had been applied to her heart, and she remained in a kind 
 of torture until she knew how she was to understand 
 them. 
 
 The venerable Mother Seraphina di Dio testifies of her- 
 self that the Lord showed her plainly, by an interior illu- 
 mination, how good a thing it is to live without any will 
 of one's own, and to commit one's self entirely to His holy 
 will. " I remained," she says, " fully persuaded that on 
 account of His greatness and perfection it was the most 
 suitable thing for all His creatures to have no other will 
 than that of their most loving God ; and that when one 
 has reached this point, he belongs wholly to God. and en- 
 joys Paradise upon earth." 
 
 18. If you truly wish to matte spiritual profit, you must apply 
 yourself closely to that counsel of the Apostle, Attende tibi — Take 
 heed to thyself. This implies two things : The first, is not to become 
 entangled in others' affairs, or watchful as to their defects ; since he 
 has no little to do. who wishes to manage lite own affairs well and cor- 
 rect his own failures. The second, is to take our own perfection to 
 heart and attend to it incessantly, without regarding whether others at- 
 tend to theirs or not. For perfection is so purely individual a matter, 
 that, though men who belong to the same order, company, family, 
 or country, are here said to make one body ; yet, in the world above, 
 it is certain that each one will be separate by himself, and carry his 
 profits and losses to his own account. — Abbot Pastor. 
 
 A rare pattern of this was St. John Berchmans. From 
 
JANUARY. — PERFECTION. 3l 
 
 his first entrance into religion, it had been his fixed inten- 
 tion to become a Saint ; and, from the same time, he made 
 it his aim and his only important business, to watch over 
 himself; and to this, in fact, he gave his attention as long 
 as he lived. He did this with such application and such 
 unwearied earnestness, that he did not even have time to 
 think of others' occupations, or to notice their defects. And 
 thus, he never stopped to reflect why others said or did so 
 and so, or whether they did well or ill. Nor did he ever en- 
 list in the defence of one with the danger of offending an- 
 other, but let every one go his own way and manage his own 
 affairs for himself. As to the faults of others, he thought 
 of them so little, that even when they were committed in 
 his presence, he did not notice them ; and it was said of 
 him that he was not able to tell what errors the others com- 
 mitted. All his care was to correct his own defects and to 
 perform his own actions well ; and so, the pains he took to 
 keep his soul clear of every fault, were something extraor- 
 dinary. For, besides carefully making the daily examens 
 and a most rigorous retreat of one day in each month, he 
 often and urgently entreated his superiors and companions 
 to keep their eyes upon him, and inform him of anything 
 they might see amiss. And when counsel of that kind was 
 given him, he received it as a peculiar favor, and offered 
 special prayers for whoever gave it. But not content with 
 this, as he had an ardent desire to render himself as pleas- 
 ing as possible in the eyes of God, he employed every effort 
 to this end. Therefore, he devoted himself with admirable 
 diligence to the most exact observance of his Rules ; to 
 executing promptly and faithfully whatever was imposed 
 on him by obedience ; to performing well and with particu- 
 lar devotion the spiritual exercises as things which imme- 
 diately concern the honor of God and one's own profit, pay- 
 
32 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 ing most attention of all to his communions, to which he 
 al ways gave two hours ; and, finally, to practising all vir- 
 tues, especially charity towards the sick. Though he had 
 great fondness for study, he never allowed it to stand in the 
 way of his spiritual exercises, nor of charity or obedience ; 
 for his heart did not seek for what afforded most delight, 
 but most merit. And he did all these things without no- 
 ticing at all whether others did the same or failed in them, 
 because that one precept, attende tibi, ever remained planted 
 deeply in his heart. 
 
 Aliat harm does it cause the other Apostles now that the 
 unhappy Judas remains suffering in hell ? All the loss falls 
 upon Judas alone. And if Berchmans be higher in heaven 
 than so many others who were his companions in religion, 
 is not all the gain his ? 
 
 19. Do not let any occasion of gaining merit pass without taking 
 care to draw some spiritual profit from it ; as, for example, from 
 a sharp word which some one may say to you ; from an act of obe- 
 dience imposed against your will ; from an opportunity which may 
 occur to humble yourself, or to practise charity, sweetness, and pa- 
 tience. All these occasions are gain for you, and you should seek 
 to procure them ; and at the close of that day, when the greatest 
 number of them have come to you, you should go to rest most cheer- 
 ful and pleased, as the merchant does on the day when he has had 
 most chance for making money ; for on that day business has pros- 
 pered with him. — St. Ignatius Loyola. 
 
 It was one of the principal maxims which St. John Berch- 
 mans kept fixed in his mind, as we read in his Life, to 
 endeavor to gain merit in everything, and not to let any 
 occasion, however small, escape, if it could be profitable to 
 him. For this reason, he continually went in search of such 
 occasions, and when they came to him from others, he em- 
 braced them all with courage and heart-felt joy, without 
 ever remarking the want of discretion and virtue which 
 
JANUAHY. — PERFECTION 33 
 
 they betrayed in others, attending only to his own advance- 
 ment in humility. And so, from whatever he heard, or 
 saw, he was always wont to derive some good fruit for 
 himself; and in this way he attained to the condition of a 
 Saint, which was precisely what he desired. 
 
 When St. Matilda was visited by the Lord, accompanied 
 by many Saints, one of them said to her : " Oh, how blessed 
 are you who still live upon earth, on account of the great 
 me4t you can acquire !" If a man knew how much he could 
 merit in a day, at the moment he arose in the morning, his 
 heart would be filled with joy ; because the day had ap- 
 peared in which he could live to his Lord, and, by His 
 grace, increase so greatly His honor and glory and his own 
 merit. This would give him great confidence and strength 
 to do and suffer everything with extreme satisfaction. 
 
 We read of St. Francis Xavier that he was stung with 
 shame and self-reproach when he found that merchants had 
 gone to Japan with their merchandise, sooner than he him- 
 self with the treasures of the Gospel, to spread the Faith and 
 extend the kingdom of heaven. 
 
 20. Give yourself in earnest to the acquisition of virtue ; other- 
 wise, you will remain always a dwarf in it. Never believe that you 
 have acquired a virtue, if you have not made proof of it in resisting 
 its contrary vice, and unless you practise it faithfully on suitable oc- 
 casions, which, for this reason, ought never to be avoided, but rather 
 desired, sought, and embraced with eagerness.—^. Teresa. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul was not contented, as so many are, 
 with knowing and loving virtues, but he applied himself 
 continually to the practice of them. It was his maxim, 
 that labor and patience are the best means of acquiring and 
 planting them firmly in our hearts, and that virtues acquired 
 -without effort or difficulty can be easily lost, while those 
 :which have been beaten by the storms of temptation, and 
 
34 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 practised amid the difficulties and repugnances of nature, 
 sink their roots deep into the heart. And so, on such oc- 
 casions, instead of being sad, he appeared unusually cheer- 
 ful. When a certain person was lamenting a mischance 
 which had recently occurred, as likely to give bad opinion 
 of his community, and give rise to comments injurious to 
 himself, he replied, " This is good, for it will give us a 
 more favorable occasion to practise virtue." 
 
 By this same sentiment, St. Philip Xeri encouraged his 
 penitents not to grieve when they suffer temptations and 
 trials, telling them that when the Lord intends to confer on 
 any one some particular virtue, He is accustomed to permit 
 him t<> be first assailed by the contrary vice. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales illustrated the firmness of virtue in 
 this manner : " If," said he, " the world comes to attack 
 me, I will treat it as I would a viper : I will trample it 
 under foot, and obey none of its suggestions. If Satan arms 
 his powers, I will not fear them at all. I am stronger 
 than he. God is my Father, and lb' will have compas- 
 sion on me, and will light for me." Here is a fine example 
 of virtue and, of the way to exercise it. 
 
 21. Humility and charity are the two master-chords : one, the 
 lowest ; the other, the highest ; all the others are dependent on them. 
 Therefore, it is necessary, above all, to maintain ourselves in these 
 two virtues ; for, observe well that the preservation of the whole edi- 
 fice depends on the foundation and the roof. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 Although there never was or can be any Saint destitute 
 of these two most necessary virtues, yet there have been 
 some who, in our eyes at least, have seemed to excel 
 in their brightness. One of these was certainly St. Francis 
 di Paula. Through his great humility, he was not con- 
 tented with considering himself the least of all men, but he 
 
JANUARY. — PERFECTION. 35 
 
 also desired that this should be the mark distinguishing 
 his Order from all others ; and, as to charity, he was so 
 inflamed with love, that he sometimes lit candles by touch- 
 ing them with his finger, just as if he had applied to them 
 a burning torch. 
 
 22. The two feet upon which one walks to perfection are morti- 
 fication and the love of God. The latter is the right, the former the 
 left foo* 
 
 By the aid of these, St. Francis Assisi climbed to the 
 loftiest perfection. He led a life so austere and rigid, that 
 at the point of death he felt that he must ask pardon of his 
 body for having treated it so ill ; and his love of God was 
 so remarkable, that he gained not only for himself, but for 
 his Order as well, the noble title of Seraphic. 
 
 When St. Francis de Sales wished to lead any one to live 
 in a Christian manner, and renounce worldliness, he would 
 not speak of the exterior, — of the adornment of the hair, of 
 rich dress, and similar things ; but he spoke only to the 
 heart and of the heart ; for he knew that if this fortress is 
 captured, all else surrenders ; and that when the true love 
 of God comes to possess a heart, all that is not God seems 
 to it of no account. 
 
 St. Philip Neri adopted the same course with his peni- 
 tents. He was not accustomed to dwell very much upon 
 any vanities in dress, but he would overlook them as much as 
 possible for some time, that he might more easily arrive at 
 his object. When a lady once asked him whether it was 
 a sin to wear very high heels, his only answer was, " Take 
 care not to fall." A man also came frequently to see him, 
 wearing a collar with long stiff points. One day, he 
 touched him lightly on the neck, and said : " I would 
 oftener give you such marks of friendship if your collar 
 
36 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 did not hurt my hand." And with these reproofs alone 
 both corrected their faults. A clergyman of noble birth, 
 dressed in bright colors and with much display, came to 
 the Saint every day for a fortnight, to consult him in re- 
 gard to the affairs of his soul. During all this time he 
 said not a word to him in regard to his dress, but only took 
 pains to make him feel compunction for his sins. Finally, 
 becoming ashamed of his style of dress, he changed it of 
 his own accord, made a good general confession, and giv- 
 ing himself wholly into St. Philip's hands, became after- 
 wards one of his most intimate and familiar friends. 
 
 23. When one is going on really well, lie feels in himself a con- 
 tinual desire to advance ; and the more he grows in perfection, the 
 more this desire grows. Since his light is increasing every day, 
 it always seems to him that he has no virtue and is doing no good ; 
 or if, perhaps, he sees that he has and is doing some good, it yet 
 appears to him very imperfect, and he makes little account of it. 
 And so it comes to pass, that he alwa3 r s goes on lahoring for the ac- 
 quisition of virtue without ever being weary, — St. Lawrence Justin- 
 ian. 
 
 St. Fulgentius was so enamored of perfection that what- 
 ever he did towards it, always seemed to him little, and he 
 was always desiring to do better. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul every day saw more of his own 
 faults, yet he continually applied anew all his zeal to 
 amend and perfect himself. 
 
 St. Ignatius constantly compared one day with another, 
 and the gain on one day with the gain on another. Thus, 
 he advanced daily, and entertained a constant desire of ad- 
 vancing still more, that he might reach the summit of per- 
 fection to which God called him. 
 
 St. James the Apostle received great praise because he 
 went on advancing daily in the divine service. 
 
 24. To be pleased at correction and reproofs, shows that one loves 
 
JANUARY. — PERFECTION. 37 
 
 the virtues which are contrary to those faults for which he is cor- 
 rected and reproved. And, therefore, it is a great sign of advance- 
 ment in perfection. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 When a monk once visited the Abbot Serapion, he sug- 
 gested that, first of all, they should pray together. But 
 the visitor refused, saying that he was a great sinner and 
 unworthy to wear the habit. A little while after, the Ab- 
 bot addressed him thus : " My brother, if you wish to 
 become perfect, remain at work in your cell and do not talk 
 much, for going about a great deal, is not desirable for 
 you." At these words, the monk was not a little perturbed. 
 When the Abbot perceived this, he added, " What is the 
 matter, brother ? A moment ago you said you were so 
 great a sinner that you were not worthy to live ; and now, 
 when I have shown you, in charity, what you need, are 
 you angry ? From this, it would seem that your humility 
 is not genuine. If you wish to be humble in truth, learn 
 to receive admonitions humbly." At this reproof, the 
 monk recollected himself, acknowledged his fault, and went 
 away greatly edified. 
 
 The Empress Leonora requested her confessor and those 
 ladies of her court with whom she was most intimate, that 
 when they observed anything in her that needed amend- 
 ment or improvement, to inform her of it with all pos- 
 sible freedom, as they would tell her the pleasantest news ; 
 and when they did it, she thanked them very cordially. 
 
 When St. Peter was reproved by St. Paul, he was not 
 angry, neither did he stand upon his dignity as Superior, 
 or look down upon the other for having been a persecutor 
 of the Church ; but received the advice in good part. 
 
 We read of St. Ambrose, that when any one informed him 
 of a fault, he thanked him as for a special favor ; and there 
 was a certain Cistercian who was especially pleased at an ad- 
 
38 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 monition, and used to say an Our Father for whoever 
 gave it. 
 
 St. John Berchmans always entertained a great de- 
 sire to have his faults told him in public, and to be reproved 
 for them ; and if this ever happened, he was much pleased. 
 With this intention, he used to write them on scraps of 
 paper, which he gave to the Superiors, that they might read 
 them and reprimand him for them. Not content with 
 this, he asked of the Superior that four of his companions 
 might keep their eyes on him and admonish him. One of 
 these testified that, having once drawn his attention to a 
 slight omission into which he had fallen, on account of being 
 occupied in another work of charity at the time, he thanked 
 him cordially for the warning, and said the beads for 
 him three times, promising that he would always do 
 the same whenever he would inform him of any defect. 
 
 25. The firmest assurance that we can have in this world of being 
 in the grace of God, does not consist at all in sentiments of love to 
 Him, but in complete and irrevocable abandonment of our whole 
 being into His hands, and in the firm resolution never to consent to 
 any sin either great or small. — St. F. de Sales 
 
 We read in old chronicles, of a young lady who was so 
 severely afflicted that she seemed to be suffering the pains of 
 hell. After remaining for a long time in this state, she, 
 one day, turned her whole heart to God, in this prayer : 
 " My sweetest Lord, only remember that I am a poor creat- 
 ure of Thine ! for the rest, do with me what pleases Thee, 
 now and through eternity ! I abandon myself into Thy 
 hands, and am ready to suffer these torments as long as it 
 shall please Thee." This act of resignation, which she 
 made from her heart, with all sincerity, was so pleasing to 
 God, that it was scarcely finished when He united her to 
 
JANUARY. PERFECTION. 39 
 
 Himself, and immersed her blissfully in the immense ocean 
 of His divinity. 
 
 St. Catherine of Genoa said : " I am no more my own ; 
 whether I live or die, I am my Savior's ; I have no longer 
 any possession or interest of my own. My God is all ; 
 my being consists in being wholly His. O world ! thou 
 art always the same, and, until now, I have been always 
 the same ; but, from this time forth, I will be such no 
 longer." 
 
 26. Let us learn from Jesus in the manger, to hold the things of 
 the world in such esteem as they deserve. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 The Ven. Beatrice of Nazareth saw, in a vision, the 
 whole system of the universe beneath her feet, and God 
 alone above her head, so that she was standing, as it were, 
 between God and the world — the world beneath, God above, 
 and she herself in the middle. By this, she understood 
 that the height of perfection is gained when one has over 
 his head only God, and all else under his feet, making no 
 more account of it than if it did not exist, placing all his 
 love and interest in God, and nothing else, not even him- 
 self, except in God. 
 
 St. Hedwig, Queen of Poland, after becoming a nun, 
 would never mention or listen to any worldly news, unless 
 it concerned the honor of God and the salvation of souls. 
 
 27. If j'ou wish for a method brief and compendious, one which 
 contains in itself all other methods, and is most efficacious in conquer- 
 ing all temptations and difficulties, and acquiring perfection, — this 
 is the exercise of the presence of God. — St. . 
 
 A priest who was an intimate friend of the same St. Basil, 
 suffered many severe temptations and many grievous threats 
 from Julian the Apostate, but always held his ground firmly 
 
40 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 against them. He himself assigned this reason for nis vic- 
 tory : " It was because/' he said, " in all that time, so far 
 as I remember, the Divine Presence never escaped my 
 mind." 
 
 Joseph, when solicited to evil, replied, " How shall I do 
 this under the eye of God ?" And Susanna said, " It is 
 better for me to fall into your hands without fault, than to 
 sin in the sight of God." 
 
 St. Ephrem being solicited to sin by a woman of evil life, 
 professed his readiness, provided the scene of their trans- 
 gression should be the public square. But when the woman 
 objected to this condition, on account of the shame it would 
 involve, " Then," replied the Saint, " you fear shame before 
 the eyes of men, and do you not fear it before the angels of 
 God ?" By this consideration, he brought about her con- 
 version. 
 
 When Tais learned that God beheld her in the commis- 
 sion of sin, she resisted a thousand temptations and became 
 a Saint. 
 
 28. To be able to advance much in perfection, it is necessary to 
 apply ourselves to one thing by itself, — to a single book of devotion, 
 to a single spiritual exercise, to a single aspiration, to a single virtue, 
 and so on. Not, indeed, that all other things ought to be quite re- 
 jected and passed by, but in such a way that this to which one is 
 applying himself, may usually be aimed at more in particular and as 
 the special object of the most frequent effort, so that if one chance 
 to turn to others, these may be like accessories. To do otherwise, by 
 passing from one exercise to another, is to imitate those who spoil 
 their appetite at a banquet by tasting a little of every delicacy. It 
 is perpetually seeking, and never attaining, the science of the Saints, 
 and so it results in losing that tranquillity of spirit in God, which is 
 the ' ' one thing needful " that Mary chose. We must, however, guard 
 ourselves here from one fault, into which many fall. It is that of 
 attaching ourselves too much to our own practices and spiritual 
 exercises. This, naturally, makes us feel dislike for all methods not 
 conformed to our own ; for each one thinks that he employs the 
 
JANUARY. — PERFECTION. 41 
 
 only suitable one, and considers as imperfect those who do not work 
 in the same way. Whoever has a good spirit, draws edification from 
 everything, and condemns nothing. — St. F. de Sales 
 
 Although the Saints profited by everything, yet, eacn of 
 them chose some practice of his own, in which he exercised 
 himself particularly. For example, the favorite author of 
 St. Francis de Sales was Scupoli, that of St. Dominic, Cas- 
 sian ; the most frequent ejaculation of St. Francis was, 
 " My God is my all !" that of St. Vincent de Paul, " In 
 the name of the Lord !" that of St. Bruno, " Oh, Good- 
 ness !" Some had the presence of God for their spiritual 
 exercise ; some, purity of intention ; some, resignation to 
 the Divine will ; and others, the renunciation of themselves. 
 The same was the case with regard to the virtues. One had 
 a greater love for one virtue ; another, for another. 
 Whence it happens that almost all excelled particularly in 
 some special virtue. 
 
 St. Catherine of Sienna, in regarding these various pref- 
 erences of good souls, disapproved of none of them, but 
 rather rejoiced that the Lord should be served in so many 
 and such different ways. 
 
 29. If you wish to arrive speedily at the summit of perfection, ani- 
 mate yourself to a true love of shame, insults, and calumny. — St. 
 Ignatius 
 
 As this Saint was meditating, one day, on the great ad- 
 vantages which spring from shame and insults, he con- 
 ceived a vehement desire to go through the public squares 
 of Rome loaded with rags and other rubbish ; and he was 
 restrained from carrying it into execution only by the fear 
 that he might not afterwards be as well able to promote 
 the glory of the Lord. 
 
 We read of St. Catherine of Bologna, that when sue met 
 
42 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 with any slight or insult, she rejoiced at it, and it only in- 
 creased her desire for more. By this, she advanced so much 
 in the love of God, that she would have been willing, as 
 she herself protested, to endure not only all the trials of 
 this world, but even the pains of hell, to obey His will. 
 
 St. Gregory relates of the Abbot Stephen, that he had 
 conceived so great a love for insults, calumnies, and vexa- 
 tions, that when he received any, he thought he had made 
 great profit, and returned affectionate thanks to whoever 
 gave them to him ; and by this he attained such reputation 
 for sanctity, that whoever did him any harm felt sure that 
 he had secured his friendship. 
 
 30. Place thyself under the discipline of a stern and austere man, 
 who will treat thee harshly and with rigor ; and then strive to drink 
 in all his reproofs and ill treatment as one would drink milk and 
 honey ; and I assure thee that in a little time thou wilt find thyself 
 on the pinnacle of perfection. — Abbot Moses. 
 
 It is related, in the Lives of the Fathers, that the Ab- 
 bot John diligently and affectionately served one of the old 
 Fathers, who was ill, for a period of twelve years. Though 
 this Father saw what severe and long fatigue the Abbot 
 was enduring, he never gave him one gentle or amiable 
 word, but always treated him with harshness. But when 
 he was dying, he called for the Abbot, and, taking him by 
 the hand, said to him three times, " Abide in God !" and 
 then he recommended him to the Fathers, saying, " This is 
 not a man, but an angel." 
 
 31. As it is most certain that the teaching of Christ cannot deceive, 
 if we would walk securely, we ought to attach ourselves to it with 
 the greatest confidence, and to profess openly that we live according 
 to it, and not to the maxims of the world, which are all deceitful. 
 This is the fundamental maxim of all Christian perfection.— &£. V. 
 de Paul. 
 
JANUARY. — PERFECTION. 43 
 
 This was, indeed, the ordinary chosen basis upon which 
 this Saint himself established his own life, and in which he 
 found all his confidence and peace. Whenever he felt that 
 he was supported by a holy maxim, he went on courageously, 
 passing over his own judgment and all human respect, or 
 fear that his conduct might meet with blame or opposition. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales was often blamed by his friends, 
 as they did not approve of his course in not sustaining his 
 dignity and defending himself more vigorously against the 
 attacks of the malevolent. He replied to them that mild- 
 ness ought to be the characteristic of bishops ; and so, al- 
 though the world and self-love has established maxims of 
 another kind, he did not wish to make use of them, be- 
 cause they were contrary to those of Jesus Christ, in con- 
 formity to which he had always gloried. 
 
FEBRUARY. 
 
 HUMILITY. 
 
 Whoever humbleth himself, shall be exalted. — Luke, xiv : 11 
 
 1. Humility is the foundation of all the virtues ; therefore, in a 
 soul where it does not exist, there can be no true virtue, but the 
 mere appearance only. In like manner, it is the most proper dis- 
 position for all celestial gifts. And, finally, it is so necessary to per- 
 fection, that of all the ways to reach it, the first is humility ; the 
 second, humility ; the third, humility. And if the question were 
 repeated a hundred times, I should always give the same answer. — 
 St. Augustine. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul perceived that all his advancement 
 and almost all the graces he had received, were due to this 
 virtue ; and for this reason he inculcated it so much, and 
 so greatly desired to introduce it into his Congregation. 
 
 St. Aloysius Gonzaga, who knew this truth well, took 
 no greater pains in acquiring any other virtue. For this 
 purpose, he recited every day a special prayer to the angels, 
 that they would aid him to walk in this royal road, which 
 they themselves had first trodden, that he might finally 
 succeed in gaining the position of one of those stars that 
 fell from heaven through pride. 
 
 A certain man, named Pascasius, said that for twenty 
 years he had never asked anything of God except humility, 
 and yet that he had but little of it. However, when no one 
 was able to expel a devil from a possessed person, Pas- 
 casius had scarcely entered the church before the devi] 
 cried out, " This man I fear," and immediately departed. 
 44 
 
FEBRUARY. — HUMILITY. 45 
 
 Fra Maffeo, a companion of St. Francis, once heard, in 
 a conference on humility, that a great servant of God was 
 very remarkable for this virtue, and that on account of it 
 God loaded him with spiritual gifts. He was thus inspired 
 with so great a love for it, that he made a now never to rest 
 until he -should perceive that he had acquired it. He re- 
 mained, then, shut up in his cell, asking of God true hu- 
 mility, with tears, fasting, mourning, and many prayers. 
 One day, he went out in the woods, and while he was sigh- 
 ing and asking this grace from God, with ejaculatory prayers, 
 he heard the Lord saying to him, " Fra MafFeo, what would 
 you give for humility ?" He answered, " I would give my 
 eyes !" " And I," replied the Lord, " desire that you should 
 have your eyes, and the grace you seek." Suddenly there 
 entered his heart a great joy, and at the same time he had 
 the lowest possible opinion of himself, so that he con- 
 sidered himself the least of all men. 
 
 2. Humility is the mother of many virtues. From it spring obe- 
 dience, holy fear, reverence, patience, modesty, mildness, and peace; 
 for, whoever is humble easily obeys all, fears to offend any, main- 
 tains peace with all, shows himself affable to all, is submissive to all, 
 does not offend or displease any, and does not feel the insults which 
 may be inflicted upon him. He lives happy and contented, and in 
 great peace. — St. Thomas of Villanova. 
 
 Here we see the reason why St. Francis, St. Dominic, 
 St. Vincent de Paul, and so many others, became remark- 
 able for all the virtues above mentioned. It is because 
 they were remarkable for humility. 
 
 St. Jane Frances de Chantal had conceived so much af- 
 fection for this virtue, that she watched over herself with 
 the greatest attention, in order that she might not allow 
 even the smallest occasion of practising it to escape. And 
 she once said to St. Francis de Sales, " My dearest Father, 
 
46 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 I beg you, for the love of God, help me to humble my- 
 self." 
 
 3. Whoever is not very humble, can never draw profit from con- 
 templation, in which any little atom of insufficient humility, though 
 it may seem nothing, works the greatest harm. — St. Teresa. 
 
 One day, the Blessed Virgin prayed her most holy Son 
 that He would bestow some spiritual gifts upon St. Bridget. 
 But He gave her this reply : " Whoever seeks lofty things 
 ought first to be exercised in the lowly, by the paths of hu- 
 mility." Because the blessed Clara of Montefalco experi- 
 enced a vain pleasure in some things she had done, the 
 Lord withdrew from her, for fifteen years, His lights and 
 celestial consolations, which she could not regain during 
 all that time, though she begged for them earnestly, with 
 tears, prayers, and the use of the discipline. 
 
 4. Humility is necessary not only for the acquisition of virtues, 
 but even for salvation. For the gate of heaven, as Christ Himself 
 testifies, is so narrow that it admits only little ones. — St. Bernard 
 
 The Pharisee was separated by his condition in lire irom 
 the rest of the people, as this sect formed a kind of Relig- 
 ious Order, in which they prayed, fasted, and performed 
 many other good works ; but he was, notwithstanding, re- 
 proved by God. Why, then, was this ? For no other 
 reason than that he was wanting in humility ; for he felt 
 much satisfaction in his good works, and gloried in them 
 as if they were the result of bis own virtue. 
 
 William, Bishop of Lyons, tells, in his Chronicles, of a 
 monk who often violated the prescribed silence, but upon 
 being admonished spiritually by his Abbot, he amended, 
 and became so recollected and so devout, that he was wor- 
 thy to receive from God many revelations. Now, it hap- 
 
FEBBUABY.— HUMILITY. 47 
 
 pened that the Father Abbot was sent for by a hermit, 
 who, having reached the close of a virtuous life, desired to 
 receive from him the last sacraments. The Abbot went, 
 and took with him the silent monk. On the road, a rob- 
 ber, hearing the little bell, accompanied the Blessed Sacra- 
 ment as far as the cell of the dying man ; but he stopped 
 outside, considering himself unworthy to enter the abode 
 of a saint. After the hermit had confessed and received 
 Communion with humility, the robber kept repeating at 
 the door, " Oh, Father, if I were but like you, oh, how 
 happy should I be !" The hermit hearing this, said in his 
 heart, with presumption and complacency, " You are right 
 to desire this ; who can doubt it ?" and immediately ex- 
 pired. Then the good Religious began to weep, and with- 
 drew from the Abbot. The robber followed them, with 
 tears and hatred for his sins, and the full purpose of con- 
 fessing and doing penance for them, as soon as they should 
 arrive at the monastery. But he was not able to reach it, 
 for on the way he fell unexpectedly to the ground and died. 
 At this accident, the Religious became joyous again and 
 laughed ; and when the Abbot asked him why he had been 
 sad at the death of the hermit, and joyful at that of the rob- 
 ber, he replied : " Because the former is lost, in punish- 
 ment for his presumption, and the latter saved, on account 
 of his strong resolution to do fitting penance for his sins ; 
 and the sorrow he felt for them was so great that it has 
 cancelled even all their penalty." 
 
 5. The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil, is humility. 
 For, as he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does he 
 know how to defend himself from it. — St. Vincent de Paul. 
 
 When Macarius was returning, one day, to his cell, he 
 met the devil, who, with a scythe in his hand, tried to cut 
 
48 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 him in pieces. But he could not do it, because, as soon as 
 he came near, he lo.^t his strength. Then, full of rage, he 
 said, " Great misery do I suffer from thee, O Macarius ; 
 for, though I wish so much to hurt thee, I am not able. It 
 is strange ! I do all that thou doest, and even more ; thou 
 dost fast sometimes, and I never eat ; thou sleepest little, 
 and I never close my eyes ; thou art chaste, and so am I. 
 In one thing only thou surpassest me." " And what is that 
 one thing ?" inquired Macarius. "It is thy great humility," 
 replied the demon. Saying this, he disappeared, and was 
 seen no more. 
 
 The devil once appeared to a monk in the form of the 
 Archangel Gabriel, and said that he was sent to him by 
 God. The monk replied, " See that thou be not sent by 
 another !" And the devil immediately disappeared. 
 
 When an old priest was exorcising a possessed person, 
 the demon said that he would never come out, if he did not 
 first tell him what the goats and what the lambs were like. 
 The good priest quickly answered : " The goats are all those 
 who are like me. What the lambs may resemble, God 
 knows." At these words, the devil cried out : " Through 
 your humility I can no longer remain here," and imme- 
 diately departed. 
 
 6. Persons who keep themselves low in their own estimation, and 
 love to be considered of little account and despised by others, please 
 God in the highest degree ; and, therefore, He willingly lowers Him- 
 self to them, pours upon them the treasures of His graces, reveals to 
 them His secrets, invites and draws them sweetly to Himself. Thus, 
 the more one lowers and abases himself before men, the more he 
 rises and becomes great in the sight of God, and the more clearly he 
 will, one day, behold the Divine Essence. — A. Kempis. 
 
 St. Gertrude, one day, hearing the little bell ring for Com- 
 munion, and not feeling as well prepared as she desired, 
 
FEBRUARY. — HUMILITY. 49 
 
 said to the Lord : " I see that Thou art even now coming 
 to me ; but why hast Thou not first adorned my heart 
 with some ornaments of devotion, with which I might 
 be more suitably prepared to come and meet Thee ?" But 
 the Lord answered : "Know that sometimes I am more 
 pleased with the virtue of humility than with exterior de- 
 votion." 
 
 A Religious, not being able to understand a passage of 
 Holy Scripture, fasted for seven weeks, and not understand- 
 ing it then, resolved to go to another monk and inquire 
 about it. But scarcely had he gone out of his cell, when 
 there appeared to him an angel sent expressly from God, 
 who said to him : " Thy fast has not rendered thee pleas- 
 ing to God, but rather this humiliation of thine ;" and then 
 he solved for him the doubt. 
 
 After Tais was converted, she held herself always so low 
 in her own eyes, on account of her past evil life, that she 
 did not dare to utter the holy name of God even in invok- 
 ing Him, but only said, " My Creator, have mercy on me !" 
 And by this humility she arrived at such a sublime degree 
 of perfection, that when Paul the Simple saw a most beauti- 
 ful place in Paradise, which he supposed to be intended for 
 St. Anthony, he was informed that it would be occupied by 
 Tais within a fortnight. 
 
 St. Bona venture said : " I know a thing to do, which 
 will please the Lord. I will consider myself as refuse, I 
 will become intolerable to myself. And when I find my- 
 self shamed, degraded, trampled upon, and loaded with in- 
 sults by others, I will rejoice and exult, because of myself I 
 cannot abase or detest myself as much as I ought. I will 
 call in help from all creatures, desiring to be confounded 
 and punished by them all, because I have despised their 
 Creator. This shall be my dearest treasure — to solicit 
 
50 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 suits and slights upon myself, to love above all others those 
 who will help me in this, and to abhor all the consolation 
 and honors of the present life. If I do this, I believe it 
 certain that the treasury of Divine Mercy will open above 
 me, miserable and unworthy as I am." 
 
 St. Francis of Assisi considered himself not only a mere 
 nothing, the greatest sinner in the world, and deserving of 
 hell, but unworthy even that God should give him a thought. 
 One day, while he was speaking in this manner to one 
 of his companions, the latter saw, in spirit, that there was 
 prepared for him in heaven a seat among the Seraphim. 
 
 7. One day of humble self-knowledge is a greater grace from the 
 Lord, although it may have cost us many afflictions and trials, than 
 many days of prayer. — St. Teresa. 
 
 St. Gertrude, once reflecting upon the beaefits she had re- 
 ceived from God, blushed for herself, and became so odious 
 in her own eyes, that she seemed un worthy to remain in the 
 sight of God, and she would gladly have found some nook, 
 where she might conceal from man, if not from God, the 
 odor of corruption with which she felt herself tainted. At 
 this, Christ humbled Himself to her with so much goodness, 
 that the whole celestial court stood amazed. 
 
 The venerable Mother Seraphina di Dio received, one 
 day, a spiritual light, by means of which (as she states in her 
 account of it to her director) she perceived clearly that God, 
 being by His nature luminous truth, can behold in Him- 
 self only that which He really is, that is, infinite perfection, 
 in which He rejoices and delights. Therefore, when He 
 wishes to unite a soul to Himself, He communicates to it 
 a light of truth, by which it sees, without error or deception, 
 its own nature ; that is, that by itself it has never done 
 any good, neither is it able to do any ; that in itself it has 
 
FEBKTTAKY. — HUMILITY. 51 
 
 only inclination to evil, and what good it has, is altogether 
 from God. And such a person has no need of much con- 
 sideration and analysis, because, with such a light of truth, 
 all appears so clear, that to think otherwise, would be mere 
 darkness and deceit. But though the soul, in this clear light, 
 appears ugly, deformed, and odious in its own eyes, yet, in 
 the eyes of God, it seems beautiful and very pleasing, be- 
 cause it becomes like His own most true and luminous 
 nature. It happened that this same servant of God, after 
 leading an innocent and most perfect life, came at one time 
 to know her imperfections with such clearness that they 
 seemed to her to become very grave and frightful sins, so 
 that she experienced great bitterness of spirit, and could ob- 
 tain no peace ; when she was reproved for any failure, she 
 was not at all disturbed, but said in her heart : " What you 
 see, is nothing. Oh, if you saw all, how you would abhor 
 me ! " But the Lord consoled her, by telling her, interiorly, 
 that her past imperfections seemed to her so unusually great, 
 because her soul was in a state of clear light, but that these 
 deformities were no longer in existence, as He had already 
 cancelled them by His blood. 
 
 8. Hold thyself as vile ; rejoice to be so held by others ; never ex- 
 alt thyself by reason of the gifts of God,— and tbou shalt be perfectly 
 humble. — St. Bonaventure . 
 
 A soul of precisely this type, was St. Mary Magdalen di 
 Pazzi. It is recorded of her that she was so vile in her 
 own eyes, that she constantly looked upon herself as the 
 lowest of creatures, and the most disgraceful and abomin- 
 able thing upon earth. Being, one day, called to the grate 
 by the Duchess of Bracciano, she said, with great feeling, 
 " If my lady Duchess knew that Sister Mary Magdalen is 
 the abomination of this convent, she would not think of 
 
52 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 naming her, much less of sending for her." In the same 
 light in which she looked upon herself, she desired also to 
 be viewed by others ; and when she was treated contempt- 
 uously, or in any way humiliated, she rejoiced so much that 
 in reward for the great gladness with which she received 
 humiliations, she was often rapt in ecstasy after them. For 
 this reason, she could not bear to see that she was honored 
 and esteemed, and that others had a good opinion of her ; 
 and to prevent this, she would often accuse herself in pub- 
 lic and in private of her smallest defects, even with exaggera- 
 tion. And so, with things which were not really faults, 
 she mentioned them in such a way as to make them seem 
 grave faults. For example, in cutting up a pineapple, one 
 day, she ate two morsels that fell from it. Therefore, she 
 accused herself of gluttony, and of eating outside of the re- 
 fectory, contrary to the Constitution. She took, besides, 
 all possible pains to conceal from others her virtues and 
 holy works, and when she could not do this, she would try 
 to depreciate them, by showing that they were full of de- 
 fects ; in this way she would make the most perfect actions 
 seem worthy of reproof, or, at least, merely natural, and 
 springing from her own inclination. And as she could 
 neither prevent nor conceal the ecstasies which were 
 granted to her, it displeased her exceedingly to be looked 
 at, or listened to, while they lasted, even to such a degree 
 that she once complained to the Lord, saving : " O my 
 Jesus ! how is it that Thou hast conferred upon me so much 
 that is known only to Thee and myself, and now Thou 
 wilt have me reveal it ? Hast Thou not promised me that 
 as Thou wast hidden, so should I also be ?" Once when 
 her confessor ordered her to report to her companions what 
 happened to her in these ecstasies, she w T ept bitterly, as she 
 did also in making the relation, so that, finally, she went so 
 
FEBRUARY. — HUMILITY. 53 
 
 far as to entreat the Lord to make her no more communi- 
 cations of the kind.. She was so far from drawing any 
 complacency or self-esteem from this source, that, as if she 
 had committed a fault, she would humble herself after these 
 favors, even to the last novice or lay-sister, and set herself 
 to perform the daily exercises with them, and converse 
 with them with so much humility and charity, that it was 
 an admirable thing to see and hear her, first holding com- 
 munion with the Divine Majesty with such loftiness of 
 ideas, and then, immediately after, to behold her so humble, 
 dependent, and submissive to her neighbors. 
 
 9. Humility, which Christ recommended to us both by word and 
 example, ought to include three conditions. First, we are to con- 
 sider ourselves, in all sincerity, worthy of the contempt of men ; sec- 
 ondly, to be glad that others should see what is imperfect in us and 
 what might cause them to despise us ; thirdly, when the Lord works 
 any good in us or by our means, to conceal it, if possible, at the sight 
 of our baseness, and if this cannot be done, to ascribe it to the 
 Divine Mercy, and to the merits of others. Whoever shall attain to 
 this humility, happy is he 1 and to him who shall not attain it, 
 griefs will never be wanting.— ££. V. de Paul 
 
 The first condition was certainly to be found in the 
 heart of St. Clare, who used to say to her companions : 
 " Oh, Sisters, if you knew me well, you would abhor and 
 avoid me, like one stricken with the plague, because I am 
 not what you believe me, but a wicked woman." The ven- 
 erable Sister Maria Crucifixa, who considered herself the 
 vilest creature upon earth, often spoke thus of herself to 
 her companions, and with feelings of such sincere and per- 
 fect humiliation as excited her to a high degree of com- 
 punction. This even led her to ask leave to retire to a 
 convent of Penitents, which she said was a fitting place 
 for her, as she ought to live the life of a penitent. St. 
 Francis Borgia, too, was so deeply grounded in a low opin- 
 
54 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 ion of himself, that he wondered how the people could 
 salute, and not rather stone him, as he passed through the 
 streets. 
 
 The second condition was also possessed, in a high degree, 
 by St. Clare. She revealed the greatest faults of her life 
 to all her confessors, intending that they should conceive a 
 bad opinion of her ; but when she found this plan failed, she 
 changed her confessors often, in the hope of finding one who 
 would consider her the wretched creature that she really 
 believed herself to be. St. Catherine of Bologna, likewise, not 
 only told all her sins to her confessors, but even intentionally 
 dropped the paper on which they were written, that she 
 might be despised by all. St. John of the Cross, too, when 
 he went to Granada, where he was sent as Provincial Vicar, 
 happened to meet there a brother of his, who w r as so poor 
 that he lived by alms. When he saw him with his cloak 
 all torn, he was as much pleased as another would have 
 been to see his brother in a rich dress ; and when the Grand 
 Duke came to visit him, he brought him forward, saying that 
 was his brother, who was working in the monastery. The 
 third condition was possessed, in the highest degree, by St. 
 Mary Magdalen di Pazzi, who, when asked or commanded 
 by her Superior to make the sign of the cross over the sick, 
 or to offer a prayer for any one in need, always called another 
 to join her in this action or prayer, so that when the favor 
 came, it might be attributed not to her, but to the virtue of 
 the other, as she always attributed it herself. The same 
 may be said of an Abbess named Sara, of whom it is related, 
 in the Lives of the Fathers, that she had been assailed by 
 a demon for thirteen years, but was finally liberated by her 
 fervent prayers. Then the demon said to her, " Thou hast 
 conquered me, Sara !" But she replied, " It is not I who 
 have conquered thee, but truly it is my Lord Jesus Christ." 
 
FEBRUARY. — HUMILITY. 55 
 
 Mon seigneur de Palafox showed that he possessed in 
 a singular degree this beautiful quality of attributing 
 to God all the good he did. For he looked upon his 
 good actions not as his own choice, but as pure effects of 
 grace ; and so, instead of believing, as people in general do, 
 that he acquired by them merit before God, he believed that 
 his obligations to God were increased by doing them. 
 And as he thought, so he spoke ; for he was accustomed to 
 confess himself to be under the greatest obligations to God, 
 because He had bestowed upon him great peace of mind, 
 constant repentance for his sins, great patience and con- 
 solation in vexations and labors, great love and respect for 
 the poor and for his persecutors, and had taken from him 
 all attachment to riches, honors, convenience, and his own 
 judgment, and had also given him the grace to perform with 
 fervor penances, the visitation of the sick, and many prac- 
 tices of devotion, as well as strength and talent to make 
 wise and useful regulations, to build many churches, and 
 to accomplish every one of his actions purely and solely for 
 the honor and service of His Divine Majesty. And what is 
 certainly most to be admired is, that he derived only con- 
 fusion and fear from so many, good and holy works, which 
 ordinarily produce, even in excellent persons, a certain good 
 opinion and esteem of themselves, and make them believe 
 themselves deserving of praise from men and reward from 
 God. He looked upon them, on the contrary, as special 
 graces granted to him by the Divine Goodness, for which he 
 must, one day, give a strict account, and he thought that 
 on the last day, in presence of all the world, they would be 
 so many points of accusation against him, because be ftad 
 not corresponded to so many divine favors by a better and 
 more perfect life. 
 
 The humility of St. Vincent de Paul was accompanied 
 
56 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 by all three of these conditions. He had so low an opin- 
 ion of himself that he considered himself a great sinner, 
 a cause of scandal, and unworthy to remain even in his 
 own Congregation. Wherefore, he often spoke of himself 
 as a hardened sinner, an abominable sinner, unworthy to live, 
 and standing in the utmost need of the mercy of God on ac- 
 count of the abominations of his life. One day, prostrate 
 before his missionaries, he said, with great feeling : " If you 
 could see my miseries, you would drive me from the house, 
 to which I am a loss, a burden, and a scandal. I am surely 
 unworthy to remain in the Congregation, on account of the 
 scandal that I give." Because he truly felt thus, he de- 
 sired that others, too, should feel so ; and, therefore, he was 
 pleased to have his imperfections visible to all, and he even 
 manifested them openly on occasions, to the end that he 
 might be despised and lightly regarded by all. For this 
 reason, he often said that he was the son of a swineherd, a 
 poor grammar-student, and no scholar. For the same 
 cause, he acknowledged as his nephew, before all in the 
 house, and even before some noble visitors, a poor young 
 man who had come to ask his aid. And as he felt at first 
 some unwillingness to acknowledge him when he heard 
 of his arrival, he often accused himself of this to his com- 
 panions as a great fault, exaggerating, too, the pride that 
 caused it. He could not bear to hear himself praised, or 
 see himself held in high esteem ; and so, when a poor 
 woman told him, in presence of some persons of rank, 
 that she had been a servant of his mother, hoping to induce 
 him to give her alms, the Saint, to whom such flattery was 
 unpleasant, answered quickly : " My poor woman, you are 
 mistaken. My m< >ther never kept a servant, but she was a 
 servant herself, and afterwards, the wife of a poor peasant." 
 For this cause, too, he was never heard to speak of the ex- 
 
HUMILITY. — FEBRUARY. 57 
 
 cellent works which he had carried on, nor of the wonder- 
 ful circumstances in which he had been placed. A remarka- 
 ble proof of this is, that though innumerable occasions offered 
 themselves to speak of his slavery in Tunis, especially in the 
 exhortations which he addressed to his Congregation and 
 others, to move them to aid the poor slaves in Barbary, he 
 never let fall a word concerning himself, nor about what he 
 had said or done to convert his master, and escape with 
 him from the hands of the Infidels, nor as to anything else 
 that happened to him in that country. 
 
 This is a rare case, on account of the pleasure which 
 every one naturally feels in narrating the perils, the dan- 
 gers and difficulties from which he has happily escaped, 
 especially when his success reveals some virtue, and gives 
 occasion for praise. But when necessity, or the good of 
 others, sometimes constrained him to tell something which 
 he had done for the glory of God, if anything had gone ill, 
 he attributed to himself whatever might cause humiliation, 
 though he had given no occasion for it ; but if all went well, 
 he told of it in very humble terms, setting all to the ac- 
 count of the zeal and labor of others, and suppressing, so 
 far as he could, those circumstances which would bring 
 praise to himself; and he always ascribed even the slightest 
 good that he did to God, as its primary and only cause. For 
 example, he never said, " I did this ; I said this ; I thought 
 of this ;" but rather, " God inspired me with this thought ; 
 put into my mouth these words ; gave me strength to do 
 this ;" and so on. The humility of St. Francis de Sales was, 
 says St. Jane Frances de Chantal, humility of heart. For 
 it was his maxim, that the love of our abjection ought to be 
 with us at every step ; and, therefore, he strove to conceal the 
 gifts of grace as much as he could, and endeavored to ap- 
 pear of less account than he really was, so that he was often 
 
58 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 slow and late in giving his opinion upon subjects with which 
 he was well acquainted. 
 
 10. We ought always to consider others as our superiors, and to 
 yield to them, even though they be our inferiors, by offering them 
 every kind of respect and service. Oh, what a beautiful thing it 
 would be, if it should please God to confirm us well in such a prac- 
 tice.— St. V. de Paul. 
 
 This was precisely the practice of this Saint. H e made 
 great account of all, and considered all better than him- 
 self, more prudent, more perfect, more capable, and more 
 fit for any employment, and therefore he felt no difficulty 
 in yielding his own opinion to any one. We read of a 
 good nun, named Sister Rachel Pastore, who had formed 
 such an humble opinion of herself, that she regarded all per- 
 sons, without exception, as her superiors, and w T ith this sen- 
 ntiment deeply fixed in her heart, she abased and hum- 
 bled herself in the presence of all. 
 
 11. Our Lord says that whoever wishes to become greatest of all, 
 must make himself least of all. This is a truth that all Christians 
 believe ; how happens it, then, that so few practise it? — St. V. de 
 Paul. 
 
 The same Saint was one of these few. As he had always 
 but a low opinion of himself, and had taken so much pains 
 to lower himself beneath all, God continually exalted him, 
 by the many great works which He entrusted to him, by 
 the high regard in which he was generally held, and by 
 the abundant benedictions which God bestow r ed on all his 
 actions. 
 
 St. Paula, by the testimony of St. Jerome, excelled so 
 much in self-abasement, that if a stranger attracted by her 
 fame had come to visit her, he would never have recog- 
 nized her, but would rather have supposed her to be one 
 
FEBKUARY. — HUMILITY. 59 
 
 of the least of her own servants. And when she was sur- 
 rounded by bands of young maidens, — in dress, speech, and 
 manner, she al ways seemed the humblest of them all. 
 
 12. Do not believe that thou hast made any advance in perfection, 
 unless thou considerest thyself the worst of all, and desirest that all 
 should be preferred to thee ; for it is the mark of those who are 
 great in the eyes of God, to be small in their own eyes ; and the 
 more glorious they are in the sight of God, the more vile they ap- 
 pear in their own sight. — St. Teresa. 
 
 One day, when St. Anthony was praying, lie heard a 
 voice saying, " Anthony, thou hast not reached the perfec- 
 tion of a man named Coriarius, who lives in Alexandria/' 
 The Saint went immediately to find him, and inquired 
 about his life. Coriarius answered : " I do not know that I 
 have ever done anything good, and so, when I rise in the 
 morning, I say in my heart that all the people in this city 
 will be saved by their good works, and I alone shall be 
 lost for my sins ; and I say the same thing in the evening, 
 in all sincerity, before going to rest." " No ! no ! no !" re- 
 plied St. Anthony, " thou hast secured heaven for thyself by 
 thy wise practice ; but I have unwisely failed to attain this 
 excellence of thine." 
 
 In the Lives of the Fathers, a certain monk is mentioned, 
 who, in giving an account of his interior to the Abbot Sisois, 
 said that he kept continually before his mind the thought of 
 God. The Abbot answered : " That is nothing great. The 
 great thing would be that you should see yourself below 
 every creature." 
 
 One of the chief men of Alexandria having been received 
 into a monastery, the Abbot judged, from his appearance 
 and other signs, that he was a hard man, haughty, and inflat- 
 ed with worldly pride. Wishing to lead him by the safe road 
 
60 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 of humility, he placed hiru in the porter's lodge, with in- 
 structions to throw himself at the feet of all who passed in 
 or out, and to beg them to pray to God for him, because he 
 was a great sinner. He obeyed with exactness, and per- 
 severed in this exercise for seven years, acquiring thereby 
 great humility. The Abbot then thought it time to give 
 him the habit, and admit him to the society of the other 
 members of the Order. But when he heard of this, he im- 
 plored and entreated to be left as he was for the short time, 
 which, as he said, remained to him of life. His request was 
 granted, and he proved to be a true prophet, foi', after ten 
 days he died, in great peace and confidence in regard to his 
 salvation. This is related by St. John Climacus, who says 
 that he had spoken with this man, and when he inquired 
 how he occupied himself iu all that time when he w r as re- 
 maining at the gate, he replied : " My constant exercise was 
 to consider myself unworthy to stay in the monastery, and 
 to enjoy the sight and company of the Fathers, or even to 
 raise my eyes to look at thera." 
 
 We read of the venerable Maria Seraphina di Dio that 
 she seemed to have no eyes except to see and exaggerate her 
 own defects, and to admire the virtues of others. So, when 
 she saw others performing any good action, she would say, 
 with feeling : " How happy they are ! All, except me, attend 
 to the service of God !" When she saw any going to the 
 confessors, she thought they w r ould only have to hear and 
 speak of God, while she reproached herself that she went 
 solely to tell her errors and sins. If she ever saw any one 
 commit a fault, she always found means to excuse or palli- 
 ate it, and thus, she was able, in spite of the sins of others, 
 to retain the opinion which she held of herself as being the 
 worst of all. 
 
 13. When one is very remarkable for virtue, and truly great before 
 
FEBRUARY. — HUMILITY. 61 
 
 God, and favored and esteemed by Him, yet, with all this, remains lit- 
 tle and vile in his own eyes, — here is that humility so grateful to God 
 and so rare among men, which was found most perfect in the Blessed 
 Virgin, who, on hearing herself chosen to be the mother of God, 
 acknowledged herself to be a servant and handmaiden. — St. Bernard. 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi was an admirable example 
 of this. Though she had arrived at high perfection and 
 sanctity, and saw herself enriched by God with extraordi- 
 nary graces and favors, even to the power of working mira- 
 cles, yet, with all this, she had so low an esteem and so poor an 
 opinion of herself as to astonish those who knew her. Nor 
 was this a matter of pure imagination or of mere words, but 
 true and sincere, and was clearly shown by an ecstasy, in 
 which the Lord showed her the strength and virtue He in- 
 tended to communicate to her against the fierce temptations 
 she had endured from the devil, and she broke forth with 
 these words : " What confusion for me ! that upon the lowest 
 and vilest creature upon earth, as I am, Thou designest to 
 bestow the immensity of the treasures of Thy liberality and 
 mercy !" 
 
 It was the same with St. Vincent de Paul. Though his 
 virtues were known to all, in spite of the contrivances that 
 he used to conceal them, yet, to him alone they remained 
 unknown ; because, by putting his own baseness continually 
 before his eyes, he cut off the view of them ; so that, al- 
 though he was rich and abounding in virtues and celestial 
 gifts, he always esteemed himself poor, needy, and desti- 
 tute of all spiritual good. Thence came the title that he 
 usually gave himsel f, — " This poor wretch." 
 
 When St. Teresa reflected upon the favors she received 
 from God in such great abundance, she humbled herself 
 the more on account of them, saying that the Lord sus- 
 tained her extreme weakness in this way, and that these 
 
62 A YEAR WITH THE SAIXTS. 
 
 supports proved how great was her tendency to fall, as a 
 house is shown to be tottering, by the props set up to hold 
 it 
 
 14. Vain self-complacency and the desire of making a show of 
 being spoken of, of having our conduct praised, and of hearing it said 
 that we succeed well and are doing wonders,— this is an evil which 
 makes us forget God, which infects our holiest actions, and is, 
 of all vices, the most injurious to progress in the spiritual life. I 
 do not understand how any one can believe and hold it as a truth of 
 faith, that he who exalts himself shall be abased, if he desires to pass 
 for a man of worth, a person of prudence, foresight, and ability. — 
 St. V. de Paul, 
 
 The widely-known Franciscan, Brother Justin, entered 
 the Order of St. Francis, after refusing great favors and 
 most honorable offices, which the King of Hungary offered 
 him. He then advanced so far in religion, that he had 
 frequent ecstasies. One day, while dining at the table 
 in the monastery, he was raised in the air, and carried over 
 the heads of the Religious, to pray before a picture of the 
 Virgin, wmich was painted high on the wall. On account of 
 this wonder, Pope Eugenius IV sent for him and embraced 
 him, not allowing him to kiss his feet ; then, seating him 
 by his side, he had a long conversation with him, and gave 
 him many presents and indulgences. This favor made 
 him vain, and St. John Capestran meeting him on his re- 
 turn, said : " Alas ! thou didst go forth an angel, and thou 
 art come back a demon !" In fact, increasing every day 
 in insolence, he killed a monk with a knife. After a term 
 of imprisonment, he escaped into the kingdom of Naples, 
 where he committed many crimes, and finally died in 
 prison. 
 
 A holy monk once passed a night in a convent of nuns, 
 where there was a boy continually tormented by a devil. 
 
FEBRUARY. — HUMILITY. 63 
 
 Through all that night the child remained undisturbed, and 
 so, in the morning, the monk was requested to take him home 
 to his monastery, and keep him until the cure was com- 
 plete. He did this, and then, as nothing more happened 
 to the boy, he said to the other monks, with some compla- 
 cency : " The devil made light of those nuns in tormenting 
 this boy ; but since he has come into this monastery of God's 
 servants, he has do longer dared to approach him." No 
 sooner had he said this than the boy, in the presence of 
 them all, began to suffer as he had previously, and the 
 monk bewailed his error. 
 
 Another monk once boasted, in presence of his abbot, 
 St. Pacomius, that he had made two mats in one day, when 
 the Saint reproved him, and ordered him to carry the two 
 mats on his shoulders before the other monks, and ask the 
 pardon and prayers of all, because he had valued these 
 two mats more than the kingdom of heaven. He also com- 
 manded him to remain five months in his cell without ever 
 allowing himself to be seen, and to make two mats a day 
 for all that time. 
 
 From his earliest years, St. Thomas of Aquin was always 
 opposed to receiving praise, and he never uttered a word 
 which might lead to it. Therefore, he never felt any tempta- 
 tion to vanity or self-complacency, as he himself testified to 
 Brother Reginald, saying he rendered thanks to God that 
 he had never been tempted by pride. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul made this resolution to close the 
 path against self-complacency : " When I am performing 
 some public action, and may complete it with honor, I will 
 perform it indeed, but I will omit those details which might 
 give it lustre or attract notice to myself. Of two thoughts 
 which come into my mind, I will manifest the lower, to 
 humble myself, and I will keep back the higher, to make 
 
64 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 in my heart a sacrifice of it to God ; for it is at times expedi- 
 ent to do a thing less well outwardly, rather than to be 
 pleased with ourselves for having done it well, and to be 
 applauded and esteemed for it ; and it is a truth of the Gospel 
 that nothing pleases the Lord so much as humility of heart 
 and simplicity of word and deed. It is here that His spirit 
 resides, and it is in vain to seek it elsewhere." This resolu- 
 tion he observed carefully. One day, when travelling with 
 three of his priests, he told them, by way of diversion, an 
 adventure which had once happened to him. But in the 
 midst of his story he stopped short, striking his breast, and 
 saying that he was a wretch, full of pride, and always talk- 
 ing of himself. When he reached home, prostrating him- 
 self before them, he asked pardon for the scandal he had 
 given them by talking about himself. 
 
 15. What is it, O my God, that we expect to gain by appear- 
 ing well before creatures, and by pleasing them ? What does it mat- 
 ter to us if we are blamed by them, and considered worthless, 
 provided we are great and faultless before Thee ? Ah, we never come 
 fully to an understanding of this truth, and so we never succeed in 
 standing upon the summit of perfection ! The Saints had no greater 
 pleasure than to live unknown and abject in the hearts of all. — St. 
 Bernard. 
 
 A holy bishop, in order to live unknown, left his diocese, 
 and putting on a poor dress, went secretly to Jerusalem, 
 where he worked as a laborer. There a nobleman saw 
 him several times sleeping on the ground, with a column 
 of fire rising from his body even to the heavens. Wonder- 
 ing at this, he asked him privately who he was. He an- 
 swered he was a poor man who lived by his work, and had no 
 other means of support. The count, not satisfied with this, 
 urged him to reveal the whole truth, and the bishop, after 
 exacting a promise of secrecy during his life-time, told him 
 
FEBRUARY.— HUMILITY. 65 
 
 who lie was, and how he had left his country to escape from 
 renown and esteem, as he held it to be unworthy of a Chris- 
 tian, who ought always to have in mind the insults and re- 
 proaches heaped upon his Lord, to enjoy the honor and 
 reverence of men. 
 
 St. Nicholas of Bari twice threw money secretly, by night, 
 into the house of a gentleman of ruined fortune, that he 
 might be able to give dowries to his daughters, without 
 which they could not be married. On a third visit for 
 the same purpose, he was discovered, and hastily fled. 
 
 The Abbot Pitirus, a man celebrated for sanctity, desired 
 to know whether there was in the world any soul more per- 
 fect than his own, that he might be able to learn from such 
 a one how to serve God better. Then an angel appeared 
 to him, and said : " Go to a certain convent in the Thebaid. 
 Four hundred and ninety nuns dwell there, among them 
 one called Isidora, who wears a diadem upon her head. 
 Know that she is very far more perfect than thyself." 
 Isidora was a good young girl, who had set her heart upon 
 abasing herself for Christ's sake as much as she could. So 
 she wore a rag twisted around her head, went bare- 
 foot, remained always alone, except when she was obliged 
 to be present at the common exercises ; she did not eat 
 with the others, but collected for her own food the scraps 
 they had left ; and for drink she used the water in which 
 the dishes had been washed : so that all the rest looked on 
 her with so much aversion, that no one could have been in- 
 duced ever to eat with her. She was, in fact, the jest and 
 scorn of all, and by all insulted, ill-treated, and looked upon 
 as a fool. She, however, never spoke ill of any, harmed no 
 one, never murmured nor complained of any ill-treatment 
 she received. Pitirus then arrived at the convent, and, 
 after requesting the Abbess to send all the nuns to the grate^ 
 
66 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 he could discover upon none of thern the sign given by the 
 Angel, so that he confidently asserted that they were not 
 all there. " Indeed," they answered, " no one is absent, 
 except a fool, who always stays shut up in the kitchen." 
 " AVell, send for her," lie replied. But she, who had 
 known interiorly what was to happen, had hidden her- 
 self that she might escape all connection with the mat- 
 ter. Being found after a long search, and earnestly en- 
 treated by her Superior, she, at last, came. Pitirus recog- 
 nized her as soon as he beheld her, and instantly falling at 
 her feet, recommended himself to her prayers. Astonished 
 at such an action, the nuns said to him, " Father, you are 
 mistaken ; this is a fool." " You are the fools," replied the 
 Abbot. " Know that she is holier than myself or you !" 
 Then they all threw themselves at her feet, confessed their 
 error, and asked pardon for the wrong they had done her. 
 But she could not bear to receive so much honor, so that 
 she fled from the house a few days after, and was never 
 again seen. 
 
 The Empress Leonora, having discovered that her con- 
 fessor, in response to many requests, had written out some of 
 her heroic and virtuous actions, that they might be pub- 
 lished after her death, went many times to visit him in his 
 last illness. On one of these occasions, she came from his 
 room with a bundle of manuscripts, and when she reached 
 the court-yard where a fire was burning, she threw them 
 into it. It was commonly believed that these were the 
 papers relating to herself, which she had obtained from him 
 by many entreaties, for, after his death no such record was 
 found among his writings, though it was known to have ex- 
 isted. But in another matter she did not succeed so well, 
 though she made every effort. When very near death, she 
 remembered a certain chest in which she kept the treasure of 
 
FEBRUARY. — HUMILITY. 67 
 
 her instruments of penance. She had not previously been 
 able to take them out herself, and now she could do nothing, 
 as her speech had failed. And so, in great distress, she made 
 signs to her confessor, pointing to the spot, and urging him 
 to take out and carry away what was there. But the Lord, 
 who exalts the humble, did not permit these signs to be 
 fully understood, until after her death, when this hidden 
 treasure was revealed. All were moved to tears as they 
 drew out garments stained with blood, scourges — some, blood- 
 stained ; others, frayed and worn with long use ; — many 
 little chains with sharp points, and shirts woven of horse- 
 hair, — all instruments with which she had macerated her in- 
 nocent flesh. 
 
 16. When you see any ODe who desires esteem and honors and 
 avoids contempt, and who, when contradicted or neglected, shows 
 resentment and takes it ill, — you may be sure that such a one, though 
 he were to perform miracles, is very far from perfection, for all his 
 virtue is without foundation. — St. Thomas Aquinas. 
 
 That the Angelic Doctor held this belief truly before 
 God, is certain, for his conduct proves it. Not only did 
 he not desire honors and applause but he abhorred them, 
 and avoided them as far as he could. He was offered the 
 Archbishopric of Naples by Clement IV, at a time when 
 his family, being out of favor with the Emperor, had fallen 
 into great poverty. He was, therefore, earnestly entreated 
 by them, as well as by others, to accept it. However, he not 
 only refused it but obtained from the same Pope a promise 
 that no dignity should ever be offered him for the future. 
 Besides, he entreated his Superiors not to compel him to 
 take the degree of Doctor, as he greatly preferred being 
 learned to being called so ; and if he finally took it, it 
 was purely from obedience, But instead of avoiding con- 
 tempt, he always accepted it with a tranquil soul and a 
 
68 A YEAE WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 serene countenance. "When he was a student, lie did not 
 disdain to receive as monitor a fellow-student, who, find- 
 ing that he talked but little, attributed it to ignorance and 
 want of talent, and called him " the dumb ox." But 
 he was soon undeceived, when he saw that he had so much 
 talent that he could easily serve not only as a monitor but 
 even as a master to himself. One day, when the Saint was 
 reading aloud in the refectory at dinner, he was corrected for 
 mispronouncing a word, and though he knew that he 
 had pronounced it properly, he, nevertheless, repeated it in 
 the way he was told. Being afterwards asked by his com- 
 panions why he bad done so, " Because," lie replied, " it 
 matters little whether we pronounce a syllable long or short, 
 but it matters very much to be humble and obedient." 
 
 Saint Clare once said : " If I should see myself honored 
 by all the world, it would not arouse in me the slightest van- 
 ity ; and if I should see myself contemned and despised by 
 all the world, I should not feel the least perturbation." 
 
 St. Philip Xeri never seemed grieved or displeased at any 
 insult or contempt he might receive. This was a trait so 
 visible and so well known among his associates, that they 
 used to say, " Anything can be said to Father Philip, for 
 nothing ever troubles him." When it was, one day, reported 
 to him that some people had called him an old simpleton, 
 he laughed and was much pleased at it. 
 
 St. Anthony, hearing a monk very much praised, treated 
 him contemptuously ; and when he saw that he took this ill, 
 he said : " This man is like a palace, rich and elegant with- 
 out, but within, plundered by robbers." 
 
 17. I am despised and derided, and I resent it ; just so do peacocks 
 and apes. I am despised and derided, aud I rejoice at it ; thus did 
 the Apostle. This is the deepest grade of humility, to be pleased 
 with humiliation and abjection, as vain minds are pleased with great 
 
FEBKUARY. — HUMILITY. 69 
 
 honors ; and to find paiu in marks of honor and esteem, as they find 
 it in contempt and affronts. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 St. Dominic remained more willingly in the diocese of 
 Carcassone than in that of Toulouse, where he had converted 
 so many heretics. On being asked his reason, he replied 
 that in the latter he received many honors, but in the former 
 only injuries and insults. 
 
 St. Felix the Capuchin experienced great affliction in see- 
 ing himself honored and esteemed ; and he was often heard 
 to say that he would have been glad to be frightfully de- 
 formed, that all might abhor him. He repeated many times 
 that it would have been more agreeable to him to have been 
 dragged and scourged through the streets of Rome, than to 
 have been reverenced by the people. 
 
 St. Constantius, when he had taken minor orders, served 
 in a church near Ancona, where he lived so much apart 
 from the world, that he had a wide-spread reputation for 
 sanctity, and people came from different countries to see 
 him. Among others, came a peasant, and inquired for him. 
 The Saint was standing upon a ladder, trimming the lamps ; 
 but as he was of a small and delicate figure, the peasant, 
 on looking at him, was sorry that he had made the jour- 
 ney, as it seemed to him, for nothing, and ridiculing him 
 in his heart, said to himself, but aloud : " I supposed 
 this would be a great man ; but for anything that I can 
 see, he has not even the shape of a man." Constantius, 
 hearing this, instantly left the lamp, and coming down with 
 great haste and gladness, ran up to the rustic and embraced 
 him, saying, " You, alone, out of so many, have your eyes 
 open and have been able to recognize me as I am." 
 
 The venerable Sister Maria Crucifixa disliked nothing 
 so much as to hear herself praised, so that when she found 
 others had a good opinion of her, she could not refrain from 
 
70 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 weeping. She was most unwilling that her supernatural 
 favors should come to the knowledge of others. Therefore, 
 when she had ecstasies, the nuns all left her at the first 
 sign of returning to herself, to avoid wounding her feel- 
 ings. Only her own sister remained with her, who gave 
 her to understand that she looked upon these trances only as 
 fainting-fits, caused by weakness, for which she pitied her 
 and offered her remedies. But all this was not enough ; so 
 great was her abhorrence of self-esteem, that she believed 
 the love of God to be inseparable from the plausible con- 
 ceit of being considered a saint. She, therefore, went so 
 far as to make this prayer : " O Lord ! I wish to obey Thee ; 
 I wish, at Thy touch, to spring up towards heaven ; but 
 Thy way harbors a horrible monster, human esteem, which 
 is for me an insufferable danger; for no one can love 
 Thee without gaining high reputation. I would wish 
 to walk always in Thy way, and this alone is bitter to me, 
 nor do I find any obstacles interposed by hell but this. 
 So I remain here waiting until Thou shalt either slay this 
 monster, or change my path." 
 
 18. I pray you, do not make much account of certain trifles which 
 some call wrongs and grievances ; for we seem to manufacture these 
 things out of straws, like children, with our points of honor. A 
 truly humble person never believes that he can be wronged in any- 
 thing. Truly, we ought to be ashamed to resent whatever is said or 
 done against us ; for it is the greatest shame in the world to see that 
 our Creator bears so many insults from His creatures, and that we 
 resent even a little word that is contradictory. Let contemplative 
 souls, in particular, take notice, that if they do not find themselves 
 quite resolved to pardon any injury or affront which may be in- 
 flicted upon them, they cannot trust much to their prayer. For the 
 soul which God truly unites to Himself by so lofty a method of prayer, 
 feels none of these things, and no longer cares whether she is es- 
 teemed or not, or whether she is spoken well of or ill ; nay rather 
 honors and repose give her more oain than dishonor and trials. — St. 
 Teresa. 
 
FEBRUARY. — HUMILITY. 71 
 
 If St. Francis de Sales saw that his friends showed dis- 
 pleasure at the malignity of those who spoke ill of him, he 
 would say to them : " Have I ever given you authority to 
 show resentment in my place ? Let them talk ! This is a 
 cross of words, a tribulation of wind, the memory of which 
 dies out with the blaze ! He must be very delicate, that 
 cannot bear the buzzing of a fly. Would it be well for us 
 to pretend to be blameless ? Who knows if these people do 
 not see my faults better than I myself do, and if they are 
 not the ones who truly love me ? Often we call a thing evil- 
 speaking, because it is not to our taste. What injury is it 
 if one has a bad opinion of us, since we ought to have the 
 same of ourselves ? " 
 
 The venerable Maria Crucifixa showed extreme pleasure 
 when she saw herself little regarded or esteemed. There- 
 fore the nuns, to accommodate themselves to her disposition, 
 usually treated her with disrespect, and made little account 
 of her, calling her awkward, stupid, and ignorant. So, 
 when they wished to lead her into spiritual conversation, 
 by which their fervor was greatly increased, they said to 
 her : " Come now, Sister Maria Crucifixa, bring out some 
 of your blunders ; let us hear your nonsense." Then believ- 
 ing that she was truly to serve as the butt of their jesting, 
 she would readily begin to speak. But it was still necessary 
 that they should appear to disregard whit she was saying, 
 by seeming inattentive, and whispering together now and 
 then while she was speaking ; otherwise, she would stop. 
 And, for the same reason, they could none of them recom- 
 mend themselves to her prayers, because this seemed to her 
 a proof that they considered her fit to intercede for them with 
 God. So, in order to obtain her prayers, they would tell 
 her that she was known to be such a miserable creature, that 
 the others were obliged to recommend her to God, and there- 
 
72 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 fore, not to be ungrateful, she ought to do as much for them. 
 
 19. Whoever is humble, on being humiliated, humbles himself the 
 more ; ou being rejected, rejoices iu the disgrace ; on being placed 
 in low and mean occupations, acknowledges himself to be more hon 
 01 ed than he deserves, and performs them willingly ; and only abhors 
 and avoids exalted and honorable offices.— St. J. F. de Chantal. 
 
 A young knight, in a transport of boyish rage, once told 
 St. Vincent de Paul that he was an old fool. Thereupon, 
 the Saint instantly threw himself at his feet, and asked par- 
 don for the occasion he had perhaps given him to use such 
 word.-. A Jansenist, who had tried to instil his false doc- 
 trines into the same Saint, at last grew angry at his failure, 
 and loaded him with abuse, saying, among other things, 
 that he was an ignorant fellow, and he was astonished that 
 his Congregation could endure him as Superior General. 
 To which he replied : " I am still more astonished at it 
 myself, for I am more ignorant than you can possibly im- 
 agine." 
 
 Some monks who had heard of the great fame of the 
 Abbot Agatho, resolved to test his virtue. Accordingly, 
 they went to him and said that many were disedificd by 
 him, because he was proud, sensual, given to complaint, and, 
 moreover, covered his own defects by laying them to others. 
 He replied that he, ind ed, had all these vices, and, pros- 
 trate at their feet, he entreated them to recommend him to 
 God, and obtain for him the pardon of so many sins. They 
 departed with great astonishment and edification. 
 
 When the Abbot Moses was ordained priest, his bishop 
 ordered the clergy to drive him contemptuously away 
 when he should approach the altar, and to listen to what he 
 would say. They did so, saying to him, " Go away, wicked 
 heathen !" But he humbly withdrew, saying to himself: 
 u This is suitable for thee, wicked wretch, who, though un- 
 
FEBRUARY. — HUMILITY. 73 
 
 worthy to be called a man, hast presumed to dwell among 
 men !" 
 
 On account of the singularity of her life, St. Rose of Lima 
 was often reproached and abused by her mother and broth- 
 ers. But so great was her humility that she always thought 
 she deserved worse treatment, and therefore never even ex- 
 cused herself, but rather amplified and added to what she 
 had done, that they might not seem to be wrong in punish- 
 ing her ; and all this afforded her the greatest happiness. 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi willingly occupied herself 
 in laborious tasks ; and the lower and meaner they were, with 
 the more pleasure and readiness did she accomplish them. 
 The same thing was done by St. Aloysius Gonzaga 
 
 What efforts were made by many great men, especially 
 in the ecclesiastical state, to avoid being raised to lofty 
 positions ! St. Philip Benizi, hearing that the cardinals, 
 immediately after the death of the Pope, wished to elect 
 him as his successor, concealed himself on a mountain until 
 the election of another had taken place. 
 
 St. Gregory the Great, after being elected Supreme Pon- 
 tiff, escaped by stealth, and hid himself in a grotto. After 
 being discovered there, by means of a column of fire, which 
 appeared above the cave, he was forced to accept the dignity ; 
 but he still entreated the Emperor Maurice, though without 
 success, not to confirm his election. St. Ambrose, being 
 miraculously chosen Bishop of Milan by the mouth of an 
 infant too young to speak, fled from his house by night, 
 and even did many things to make the people believe him a 
 man of evil life. 
 
 St. John Chrysostom, to avoid being made a bishop, fled 
 into the solitude of the deserts • and St. Amonius the 
 hermit, to escape being made a priest, went so far as to cut 
 off one of his ears. 
 
74 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 20. Missionaries should rejoice to be considered poor in talent, 
 birth, and virtue, the dregs and offscouring of the world. They 
 should be glad whenever there arises any opportunity for abjection 
 and contempt, even though it be not for themselves alone, but also 
 extending to the Congregation. And by this test they will be able 
 to know what progress they are making in humility. — St. V. de 
 Paul 
 
 This Saint, who knew well the great value of humilia- 
 tions, was so fond of them that a worthy ecclesiastic, who 
 knew him thoroughly, said that he had never been ac- 
 quainted with any man in the world, who was so ambitious 
 to rise and to be esteemed and honored, as this humble ser- 
 vant of God was desirous to lower and abase himself, and to 
 receive humiliation, confusion, and contempt, so that he 
 seemed to have chosen them as his treasure even in this life. 
 For this cause, he used every effort to take advantage of all 
 occasions of the kind that might offer themselves, and from 
 everything lie derived motives for humiliation. And with 
 the same earnestness that he sought it for himself, he desired 
 it also for his Congregation, which he was eager to have 
 despised and held in low estimation. And whenever this 
 happened, he rejoiced not a little. St. Jane Frances de Chan- 
 tal once undertook an affair of much importance, and then 
 instantly abandoned it, on considering that success would 
 reflect great credit upon herself. To those who wondered 
 how she had been able to wind up and dispose of so impor- 
 tant a matter so readily, she answered : " As soon as the 
 splendor of the Sovereign's majesty revealed itself to my 
 eyes, I was so dazzled and blinded that I could no longer 
 see anything. Ah !" she repeated many times, " the splen- 
 dor of the daughters of the Visitation is to be without, 
 splendor, and all their glory lies in ^humility and abjec- 
 
 t£ail.' ; 
 
FEBRUARY. — HUMILITY. 75 
 
 21. To bear abasement and reproach, is the touch-stone of humility, 
 and, at the same time, of true virtue. For in this, one becomes con- 
 formed to Jesus Christ, who is the true model of all solid virtues. — 
 St. F. de Sales. 
 
 The blessed Seraphino, a Capuchin lay-brother, being 
 gate-keeper, was accustomed to pass much time in prayer 
 in a little chapel in the garden, opposite to the gate. One 
 day, the Father Guardian, passing that way with a visiting 
 Father, said to his companion, " Would you like to see a 
 saint ?" Then approaching the chapel, he reproved Sera- 
 phino severely, saying : " What are you doing here, hypo- 
 crite ? The Lord teaches us to pray in a room with closed 
 doors, and do you pray in public to be seen ? Get up, ras- 
 cal, and be ashamed of deceiving poor strangers in such a 
 way !" Delighted with these reproofs, Brother Seraphino 
 kissed the ground, and then went away with a countenance 
 as full of satisfaction as if he had just heard some news 
 which was much to his pleasure or advantage. Another 
 day, he was asked by a companion for a needle and a lit- 
 tle thread. He replied that he had a needle but no thread ; 
 when the other said angrily : " It is plain that you are a 
 fool, and were never good for anything ! What can the Or- 
 der do with such an incapable man as you are ? Go away, 
 for I cannot bear to look at you I" Then, without any an- 
 ger or discomposure, he turned away from the monk who 
 had reproached him, and after a little while came back with 
 his usual serenity of countenance, to the great edification 
 of his fellow-Religious. 
 
 In the Lives of the Fathers, we read that St. Amonius 
 had arrived at such great perfection, that he was as insen- 
 sible to insults as a stone ; and no matter how many were in- 
 flicted upon him, he never considered that any injury had 
 been done him. In the same Lives, it is related that the Abbot 
 
76 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 John, one day, told his disciples the story of a youth, who, 
 for having grievously insulted his master, was condemned to 
 remain for three years in menial employment, and to receive 
 all the insults that might be inflicted upon him, without 
 ever avenging himself at al 1 . Returning to his master after 
 this time had expired, he was told that for the next three 
 years he must reward whoever did him an injury. Having 
 faithfully done this, he was sent to Athens to study phi- 
 losophy. He entered the school of an old master who was 
 accustomed to ill-treat all his scholars at their entrance. He 
 did the same in this case; but the new-comer only 
 laughed, and on being asked the reason of h ; s conduct, he 
 answered : " How can I help laughing, when I have so long 
 paid for ill-usage, and now I find it without paying any- 
 thing?" "My children," added the holy Abbot, when 
 he had finished his story, " submission to injuries is the 
 road bv which our Fathers have passed to go to the Lord ; 
 and difficult as it appears at first, you see that by habit it 
 becomes not only easy, but even pleasant." 
 
 22. He who is truly humble, must desire iu truth to be despised, 
 mocked, persecuted, aud blamed, although wrongfully. If he 
 wishes to imitate Christ, how can he do it better than in this way ? 
 Oh, how wise will he, one day, be seen to be, who rejoiced in being 
 accounted vile and even afool ! for such was Wisdom itself esteemed. 
 — St. Teresa. 
 
 Cassian narrates of the Abbot Paphnutius that, being 
 Superior of a monastery, and much revered and esteemed 
 by his monks, on account of his venerable age and admira- 
 ble life, he disliked so much honor, and preferring to see 
 himself humiliated, forgotten, and despised, he left the 
 monastery secretly, by night, in the dress of a secular. He 
 then went to the monastery of St. Pacomius, which was at a 
 great distance from his own, and remained many days at the 
 
FEBRUARY. — HUMILITY. 77 
 
 gate, humbly asking for the habit. He prostrated himself be- 
 fore the monks, who scornfully reproached him with having 
 spent his life in the enjoyment of the world, and then com- 
 ing at last to serve God, urged by necessity, because he had 
 no means of living. Finally, moved by his urgent entrea- 
 ties, they gave him the habit, with the charge of the garden, 
 assigning to him another monk as his superior, to whom 
 he was to look for everything. Now, not content with 
 performing his duties with great exactness and humility, 
 he, consequently, took pains to do all that the rest avoided, 
 — all the lowest and most disagreeable tasks in the house, 
 — and would often rise secretly in the night, and do many 
 things that the others were to perform, so that, in the morn- 
 ing, they would wonder, not knowing how their work came 
 to be done. He continued to live in this manner for three 
 years, much pleased with the good opportunity he had to 
 labor and be despised, which was the thing he had so 
 greatly desired. Meanwhile, his monks, feeling grievously 
 the loss of such a Father, had gone out in different bands 
 to seek him ; they finally found him as he was ma- 
 nuring the ground, and threw themselves at his feet. The 
 bystanders were amazed, but still more so when they heard 
 that this was Paphnutius, whose name was so celebrated 
 among them ; and they immediately asked his pardon. The 
 holy old man wept at his misfortune in having been dis- 
 covered through the envy of the demon, and at having lost 
 the treasure which he had seemed to find. Even by force 
 he was carried back to his monastery, where he was re- 
 ceived with indescribable gladness, and watched and guarded 
 with the utmost diligence, that he might not again escape. 
 
 23. If we should well consider all that is human and imperfect 
 in us, we should find but too much cause to humiliate ourselves be- 
 fore God and men, even before our inferiors.— St. V. de Paul. 
 
78 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 A holy woman, once having asked light of the Lord 
 that she might know herself well, saw so much ugliness 
 and so many miseries in her own heart, that, not being able 
 to bear the sight, she prayed to God to relieve her from 
 such distress ; for she said if it had lasted longer she would 
 have sunk under it. 
 
 The venerable Mother Seraphinadi Dio once had a very 
 clear supernatural illumination, which made her see her 
 soul full of so many and such abominable faults, that it 
 seemed like a receptacle of all that was foul ; and she judged 
 it must be even worse in reality ; for she said, " if I had 
 more light, I should see more." " It has often come into 
 my mind," she added, " to retire to some cave, when I think 
 how little I exercise myself in virtue; as to humility, 
 in particular, I seem to myself a Lucifer. Religion is 
 beautiful for those who practise virtue, but not for me, who 
 cultivate only vices." Therefore, when she received in- 
 sults and contempt, she was never disturbed, nor com- 
 plained, but said : " They speak well ; they do well ; that 
 suits me well." Nor was any adversity or trial in her 
 whole life ever sufficient to make her change her sen- 
 timents. 
 
 24. In my opinion, we shall never acquire true humility unless we 
 raise our eyes to behold God. Looking upon His greatness, the soul 
 sees better her own litileuess ; beholding His purity, she is the more 
 aware of her own unclean ness ; considering His patience, she feels 
 how far she is from being patient ; in tine, turniug her glance upon 
 the divine perfections, she discovers in herself so many imperfections 
 that she would gladly close her eyes to them. — Si. Teresa. 
 
 This was, in truth, one of the principal fountains from 
 which St. Vincent de Paul drew that humble opinion which 
 he had of himself, as well as his great desire for humilia- 
 tions. That is to say, he derived them from the pro- 
 
FEBKUAKY. — HUMILITY. 79 
 
 found knowledge which he had of the infinite perfections of 
 God, and of the extreme weakness and misery of creatures ; 
 so that he thought it a manifest injustice not to humiliate 
 himself al ways and in all things. In a conference, one day, 
 with his priests, he spoke thus : "In truth, if each of us 
 will give his attention to knowing himself well before God, 
 he will find it to be the most just and reasonable thing to 
 despise and humble himself. For, if we seriously consider 
 the natural and continual inclination we have to evil, our 
 natural incapacity for good, and the experience we all have 
 had that even when we think we have succeeded well in 
 something and that our plans are wise, the matter often 
 turns out quite different from our anticipations, and God 
 permits us to be considered wanting in judgment ; and that, 
 finally, in all we think, say, or do, both in substance and 
 circumstances, we are always filled and encompassed with 
 motives for humiliation and confusion, — how shall we not 
 consider ourselves worthy to be repulsed and despised in re- 
 flecting upon such things, and in seeing ourselves so far 
 from the holiness and sublime perfections of God, and from 
 the marvellous operations of His grace, and from the life 
 of Christ our Lord ?" 
 
 25. One who wishes to become truly holy ought not, except in a 
 few unusual cases, to excuse himself, although that for which he is 
 blamed be not true. Jesus Christ acted thus. He heard Himself 
 charged with evil which He had not done, but said not a word to 
 free Himself from the disgrace. — St. Philip Neri. 
 
 The Empress Leonora was treated by her mother always 
 with harshness, and without any appearance of affection. 
 For the smallest things that were observed by no one else, 
 her mother reproved her sharply at every turn, and fre- 
 quently struck her. The good child remained always in 
 silence, with her eyes cast down, uttering not a word in her 
 
80 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 defence, still less complaining or weeping. Often when the 
 tempest had passed, she would kneel and kiss her mother's 
 feet, asking her pardon and promising amendment. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paid never justified h mself against the 
 complaints ami calumnies brought against him and his Con- 
 gregation, whatever trouble or loss they might cause. Once 
 when he had used his influence to prevent a bishopric from 
 being conferred on one of his subjects, whom he considered 
 unworthy of it, the disappointed candidate invented an 
 enormous calumny against him, which came to the ears of 
 the Queen. One day, meeting the Saint, she told him laugh- 
 ingly that he had been accused of such and such a t hing. I le 
 calmly replied, " Madam, I am a great sinner." When her 
 Majesty said that he ought to assert his innocence, he an- 
 swered, " Quite as much was s lid against Christ our Lord, 
 and He never justified Himself." It happened that, one 
 time, in a public hall, a nobleman said that the missionary 
 zeal of St. Vincent's followers had greatly cooled. When 
 the Saint heard this, he would not say a word in defence, 
 though he could easily have proved the contrary of the as- 
 sertion, for in that year and the preceding more missions 
 had been given than ever before. To one who urged him 
 to take notice of the affair, by telling him that this gentle- 
 man, though not knowing the truth, was continuing to 
 speak evil of the Congregation, he answered, " We will let 
 him talk. For my part, I will never justify myself except 
 by my works." It chanced, one day, that a prelate, having 
 sammoned the Saint to an assembly where many persons of 
 rank were present, reproved him publicly for a thing for 
 which he was not at all to blame. But he, without a word 
 of complaint or excuse, immediately knelt and asked par- 
 don, to the great admiration of those present, to whom his 
 innocence was known. One of them, a man of much piety 
 
FEBRUARY. HUMILITY. 81 
 
 and learning, after the assembly was over, and the Saint 
 was gone, said that he was a man of extraordinary virtue and 
 of a supernatural and divine spirit. 
 
 The venerable Mother Seraphina never excused herself, 
 even to her confessors, though they might blame her 
 wrongfully ; nor did she explain how matters really stood, 
 unless obliged by obedience. Once, in particular, when she 
 was sharply reproved by her director, though the thing 
 laid to her charge was not true, she replied only : " You 
 are right." Afterwards, he commanded her to tell him 
 the truth, and on hearing it he was sorry for his wrongful 
 accusations. 
 
 26. Sometimes a soul rises more towards perfection by not excus- 
 ing herself than by ten sermons. Since by this means one begins 
 to acquire freedom, and indifference as to what good or evil may be 
 said. Nay more ; by a habit of not replying, one arrives at such a 
 point that when he hears anything said of himself, it does not seem 
 as if it related to him, but rather like an affair belonging to some one 
 else. — St. Teresa. 
 
 Father Alvarez, the confessor of St. Teresa, having been 
 falsely accused of a grave fault in a provincial assembly, 
 and seriously reproved for.it in public, said nothing, either 
 in public or private, in his own defence. Afterwards, God 
 rewarded this heroic silence with extraordinary favors. 
 
 Among the ancient monks, there was one named Eulo- 
 gius, very humble and patient. Wherefore, the lax and neg- 
 ligent threw all their faults upon him ; and he, being cor- 
 rected and reproved for them, humbly accepted, without any 
 denial or excuse, the penances which were given for them, 
 and performed them with great patience. The older 
 Fathers, seeing him every day under reprehension, were 
 displeased with him, and told the Abbot that he ought to 
 apply some remedy, for they could not bear this state of 
 
82 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 things any longer. The Abbot took time, and, in prayer, 
 entreated the Lord to enlighten him, and teach him what 
 he ought to do with this brother. Then God reyealed to 
 him his innocence and great sanctity. Being extremely as- 
 tonished at this, he called together all the monks, and said 
 to them : " Belieye me, I would prefer the faults of Eulo- 
 gius with his patience and humility, to all the good works 
 and virtues of many others who murmur against him, and 
 think they are doing well themselves. And that you may 
 see how great is the virtue of our companion, let each of 
 you bring here the mat on which he sleeps." AVhen all the 
 mats were brought, he had a good fire lit and threw them 
 all into it. Every one was instantly burned except that of 
 Brother Eulogius, which remained. Then, prostrate upon 
 the ground, they all asked pardon of God, and conceived 
 the highest opinion of their brother. But he was grieved 
 at being discovered, and the next night fled to the desert, 
 where he would be unknown ; for he knew very well 
 that no one can be honored in this world and in the next. 
 
 27. Here is one of the best means to acquire humility,— fix well 
 in mind this maxim : One is as much as he is in the sight of God, 
 and no more. — A Kemjris. 
 
 St. Francis made a beginning of sanctity by trampling 
 under foot human respect ; for he had thoroughly penetrated 
 the truth of this holy maxim which he often revolved in 
 his mind. 
 
 In this solid maxim, St. Francis de Sales was equally 
 well founded and established. Therefore, he had his own 
 reputation very little at heart, and did not care at all how 
 others might feel in regard to him. In conversation, he 
 once said : " Oh that it were God's pleasure that my inno- 
 cence should never be recognized even in the day of uni- 
 
FEBRUARY. — HUMILITY. 83 
 
 versal judgment, but that it should remain always hidden 
 and eternally concealed in the secret recesses of the eternal 
 wisdom !" And again : " If the grace of God had caused 
 me to perform any work of righteousness, or had wrought 
 any good by my means, I should be content that in the day 
 of judgment, when the secrets of hearts are manifested, 
 God alone should know of my righteousness ; and my un- 
 righteousness, on the contrary, should be seen by every 
 creature." 
 
 28. All those who have truly wished to arrive at the possession of 
 humility, have applied themselves with all their power to the prac- 
 tice of humiliations, because they know that this is the quickest and 
 shortest road thereto. — St. Bernard. 
 
 The blessed Alessandro Sauli, Bishop of Aleria, a man 
 of learning, and esteemed in his Order, willingly occupied 
 himself, even when he was Superior, in humble employ- 
 ments, such as sweeping the house, washing the dishes, 
 drawing water, bringing wood to the kitchen, working in 
 the garden, serving the old and the sick, carrying heavy 
 burdens on his back, taking charge of the door, ringing 
 the bells, or helping the sacristan. When, on account of 
 preaching or other spiritual works, he was at any time pre- 
 vented from performing these daily exercises, he was accus- 
 tomed to supply the omission by doing double work on the 
 next day. 
 
 St. Camillus de Lelli was also remarkable in this way. 
 When he was Superior General of his Order, he was often 
 seen serving in the refectory, washing dishes in the kitchen, 
 carrying the cross, and sometimes even the coffin, at funerals, 
 and going about Rome with a wallet on his shoulders, beg- 
 ging bread ; though he was blamed for it by some great 
 nobles and cardinals who were his friends and happened 
 to meet him in the streets in this guise. 
 
84 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 The venerable Mother Seraphina often employed her- 
 self in humble tasks ; she was also seen many times rubbing 
 her face with an old shoe. 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi, of her own accord, adopted 
 practices that might bring her into contempt ; such as 
 having her eyes bandaged, her hands tied behind her back, 
 being trampled upon, struck, or rudely addressed. 
 
 We read of St. PoKcronius that he wore a wretched 
 habit, ate poor and very scanty food, and passed almost 
 all night in prayer, with an oak log on his shoulders, so 
 heavy that Theodoret, the author of his life, who had 
 seen the log, found, by experiment, that he could scarcely lift 
 it from the ground with both hands. 
 
 St. Rose of Lima, besides occupying herself as a servant 
 in the lowest offices every day, invented a strange method 
 of lowering herself still more. Having in the house a 
 woman-servant of harsh temper and exceedingly coarse 
 nature, she induced her, by urgent entreaties, to maltreat her 
 both in words and acts. Retiring with her into a lonely 
 part of the house, and throwing herself upon the floor, the 
 Saint would cause this person to spit in her face, trample her 
 under foot, strike her with her fist, ki<k and beat her, as 
 teamsters sometimes d<» a horse ; nor would she rise to her 
 feet until she had obtained as much of this treatment as 
 she desired. 
 
 St. John Climacus tells of a monk who had a great love 
 for humility, that he devised this plan to overcome the 
 thoughts of pride with which the devil inspired him. He 
 wrote upon the wall of his cell these memorable words : Per- 
 fect charity. Loftiest contemplation. Total mortification. 
 Unalterable sweetness. Unconquerable patience. Angelic 
 chastity. Profoundest humility. Filial confidence. 
 Promptest diligence. Utter resignation. So, when the devil 
 
FEBRUARY. HUMILITY. 85 
 
 began to urge him to pride, he answered within himself, 
 " Let us try the test." Then approaching the wall, he read 
 these headings : " Perfect charity. Charity, yes, but how 
 perfect, if I speak evil of others ? Profoundest humility. 
 This I have not; it is quite enough if I claim the 
 profound. Angelic chastity. How can this be mine, when 
 I allow admittance to unchaste thoughts ? Loftiest con- 
 templation. No, I have many distractions. Total mor- 
 tification. No, for I seek my own gratification. Unal- 
 terable sweetness. No, for at the least vexation I lose my 
 self-control." And so with all the rest. In this way he 
 banished the temptation to vanity. 
 
 29. Humility, to be true, must be always accompanied by charity ; 
 that is, loving, seeking, and accepting humiliations to please God, 
 and to become more like Jesus Christ ; to do otherwise, would be to 
 practise it in the manner of the heathen. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 It cannot be said that St. Vincent de Paul was wanting 
 in true humility. However much he did to conceal, abase, 
 humiliate, and render himself despicable in the eyes of 
 the world, allowing no opportunity for humbling himself 
 to pass without accepting it with all willingness and 
 joy, he yet did it all because it expressed the sentiments 
 of his own heart in regard to himself and his nothingness, 
 as well as to act out and imitate the humiliations of 
 the Son of God, who, as he said one day in a conference, 
 being the brightness of His Father's glory and the image 
 of H is substance, not content with having led a life which 
 might be called a continual humiliation, willed even after 
 his death to remain before our eyes in a state of extreme 
 ignominy, when He hung upon the cross. Thus the 
 humility of this servant of God was from his heart, and so 
 sincere that it couid be read on his brow, in his eyes, and 
 in his whole exterior. 
 
8Q L YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 St. Jerome relates of St. Paula that when she heard it 
 said that she had become a fool through too much spiritual 
 fervor, and that it would be well if a hole were made in her 
 head to give air to her brain, she answered modestly, in 
 the words of the Apostle, " Nos stultl propter Christum" — 
 We are fools for Christ's sake. She added also that the same 
 thing had happened to Jesus Christ, win n His relations 
 wished to confine him as a madman. St. Jerome also says 
 that when she received insults, contempt, or ignominy, 
 she never allowed the slightest word of resentment to escape 
 from her lips, but was accustomed in such cases to repeat to 
 herself the words of the psalm : Ego autem quasi surdus 
 non audiebam, et quasi mutus, non aperiens os suum — But 
 I as a deaf man, heard not. and as a dumb man, who opens 
 not his mouth. 
 
 
MARCH. 
 
 MORTIFICATION. 
 
 Whoe'def will come after Me, let Mm deny himself. — Matt., xvi : £4. 
 
 1. The first step to be taken by one who wishes to follow Christ, 
 is, according to our Lord's own words, that of renouncing himself, 
 that is, his own senses, his own passions, his own will, his own judg- 
 ment, and all the movements of nature, making to God a sacrifice of 
 all these things, and of all their acts, which are surely sacrifices 
 very acceptable to the Lord. And we must never grow weary of 
 this ; for if any one, having, so to speak, one foot already in heaven, 
 should abandon this exercise, when the time should come for him to 
 put the other there, he would run much risk of being lost.— St. V. 
 de Paul. 
 
 The same Saint made himself such a proficient in this vir-^ 
 tue that it might be called the weapon most frequently and 
 constantly handled by him through his whole life until his 
 last breath ; and by this he succeeded in gaining absolute 
 dominion over all the movements of his inferior nature. 
 Therefore, he kept his own passions so completely subject to 
 reason, that he could scarcely be known to have any. 
 
 St. John Climacus says that the ancient Fathers, even 
 those who were most perfect, exercised themselves in many 
 kinds of mortification and contempt. For they said jthat 
 if they should give up training themselves because men 
 thought them already consummate in virtue, they would 
 ■come, in time, to abandon and lose that modesty and pa- 
 tience which they possessed ; just as a field, though rich and 
 fertile, if it be no longer cultivated, becomes unsightly^and 
 ends in producing only thorns and thistles. 
 
 m 
 
88 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 2. The measure of our advancement in the spiritual life should be 
 taken from the progress we make in the virtue of mortification ; for 
 it should be held as certain that the greater violence we shall do our- 
 selves in mortification, the greater advance we shall make in perfec- 
 tion.—^. Jerome. 
 
 When St. Francis Borgia heard it said that any one was 
 a saint, he used to answer, " He is, if he is mortified." 
 In this way he himself became so great a saint ; for he 
 exercised himself in mortification to such a degree, that only 
 that day seemed to him truly wretched in which he had not 
 Undergone some mortification, either bodily or spiritually. 
 
 When a young monk once asked an aged saint why, 
 among so many who aim at perfection, so few are found 
 perfect, he replied, " Because in order to be perfect it is 
 necessary to die wholly to one's own inclinations, and there 
 are few who arrive at this." 
 
 3. It should be our principal business, to conquer ourselves, and, 
 from day to day, to go on increasing in strength and perfection. 
 Above all, however, it is necessary for us to strive to conquer our 
 little temptations, such as fits of auger, suspicions, jealousies, envy, 
 deceitfulness, vanity, attachments, and evil thoughts. For in this 
 way we shall acquire strength to subdue greater ones. — St. F. de 
 Sales. 
 
 A certain physiognomist, looking at Socrates, pro- 
 nounced him to be inclined to dishonesty, gluttony, drunk- 
 enness, and many other vices. His disciples, being angry 
 at this, wished to lay violent hands on the man who had 
 spoken so ill of their master. But Socrates said : " Be calm, 
 for he has told the truth. I should have been just such 
 a man as he describes, if I had not given myself to mor- 
 tification." 
 
 When an old monk was asked how he could bear the 
 noise of some shepherd boys near him, he answered : " I 
 
MAECH. — MORTIFICATION. 89 
 
 was at first inclined to say something to them ; but I thought 
 better of it, and said to myself, ( If I cannot endure so little 
 as this, how shall I endure greater trials, when they come 
 to me ? " 
 
 St. Francis Xavier acted in the same way on occasion, 
 and said that we must not deceive ourselves ; for whoever 
 does not conquer himself in trifles, will not be able to do so 
 in greater matters. 
 
 4. He who allows himself to be ruled or guided by the lower and 
 animal part of his nature, deserves to be called a beast rather than a 
 mau. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 Philip, Count of Nemours, after leading a very bad life, 
 experienced on his death-bed wonderful contrition, so that 
 he begged his confessor to have his body carried to the 
 public square and left there, saying, " I have lived like a 
 dog, and like a dog I ought to die." 
 
 5. Whoever makes little account of exterior mortifications, alleg- 
 ing that the iuterior are more perfect, shows clearly that he is not 
 mortified at all, either exteriorly or interiorly. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 This Saint was always an enemy to his body, treating it 
 with much austerity, — chastising it with hair-cloth, iron 
 chains, and leather belts armed with sharp points. Every 
 morning on rising, he took a severe discipline — a practice 
 which he had begun before founding the Congregation, and 
 which he never omitted on account of the hardships of 
 journeys, or in his convalescence from any illness ; but, on 
 the contrary, he took additional ones on special occasions. 
 All his life he slept upon a simple straw bed, and always 
 rose at the usual hour for the Community, though he was 
 generally the last of all to retire to rest, and though he often 
 could not sleep more than two hours out of the night, on ac- 
 
90 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 count of his infirmities. From this it frequently happened 
 that he was much tormented daring the day by drowsiness, 
 which he would drive away by remaining on his feet or in 
 some uncomfortable posture, or by inflicting on himself some 
 annoyance. Besides, he willingly bore great cold in winter, 
 and great heat in summer, with other inconveniences; 
 in a word, he embraced, or rather sought, all the sufferings 
 he could, and was very careful never to allow any oppor- 
 tunity for mortifying himself to escape. 
 
 A holy woman, being compelled by her husband to go 
 to a ball, put dry mustard on her shoulders, which, in 
 dancing, caused her such intense pain that she fainted sev- 
 eral times, and had to be carried from the ball-room. 
 
 St. Edmund, Archbishop of Canterbury, wore for thirty 
 successive years a band of hair-cloth next to his skin, and 
 always slept on the floor without pillow or coverlet. St. 
 Louis, King of France, constantly chastised his body with 
 fasts and hair-cloth. St. Casimir, son of the King of Po- 
 land, did the same, and also slept on the bare ground. St. 
 Margaret, Queen of Scotland, as well as St. Cajetan, often 
 used the discipline during whole nights. 
 
 Finally, there can be found among the Confessors no 
 saint, either man or woman, who did not have great love 
 for exterior mortifications, and who did not practise them 
 as much as possible. 
 
 Mortification of tbe appetite is the A, B, C of spiritual life. 
 Whoever cannot control himself in this, will hardly be able to con- 
 quer temptations more difficult to subdue. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 This Saint had, by long habit, so mortified his sense of 
 taste that he never gave a sign of being pleased with any- 
 thing, but took indifferently all that was given him, howr 
 ever insipid or ill-cooked it might be ; and so little did 
 
MAKCH. — MORTIFICATION. 91 
 
 he regard what he was eating, that when a couple of raw 
 eggs were once set before him by mistake, he ate them 
 without taking the least notice. He always seemed to go 
 to the table unwillingly, and only from necessity, eating 
 always with great moderation, and with a view solely to 
 the glory of God ; nor did he ever leave the table without 
 having mortified himself in something, either as to quan- 
 tity or quality. For many years, too, lie kept a bitter 
 powder to mix with his food ; and he usually ate so little 
 that he frequently fainted from weakness. 
 
 The Empress Leonora was remarkable for this virtue. 
 Her usual dinner was of herbs, pulse, and other food of 
 the poor, always the same both in kind and quantity. She 
 had four dishes at dinner, ;md three at supper, frequently 
 setting aside some of them for no reason except that they 
 pleased her. And if these dishes came to the table covered 
 with pastry or other delicacies used by the rich, they al- 
 ways went back whole and untouched. When she was at 
 the Emperor's table or at formal banquets, she spent the 
 time in cutting into the smallest bits whatever was placed 
 before her ; then when another course was brought, she sent 
 away the first without having tasted it, and went on as be- 
 fore. When she ate apples baked in the ashes, she never 
 peeled them, but ate them with whatever ashes were upon 
 them. On Fridays she lived on bread and water alone, in 
 memory of the Redeemer's passion. She bore the most 
 parching thirst on the hottest summer days, without per- 
 mitting even a sip of water to pass her burning lips. 
 
 St. Elizabeth, Queen of Portugal, fasted on bread and 
 water about half the year. 
 
 St. Francis Xavier waged a constant and lasting war 
 against his appetite, so that he never took food or drink for 
 pleasure, but from pure necessity ; nor did he ever take as 
 much as he desired, even of bread. 
 
92 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 St. Edmund of Canterbury never ate either meat or fish, 
 but only bread and other common food, and suffered so 
 much from thirst that his lips chapped. 
 
 The blessed Enrico Susone drank nothing for six suc- 
 cessive months ; and in order to feel thirst more acutely, 
 he ate salt food, and then going to a stream, he bent his 
 head down close to its surface, yet without allowing his 
 lips to touch it. 
 
 The blessed Joanna of St. Damien practised such great 
 austerities in regard to food, that she was entreated by the 
 other nuns to moderate them. But she answered : " I am 
 sorry that I cannot feed this body of mine on straw. I 
 know how much harm liberty does to it, and I thank God, 
 who has given me this knowledge." 
 
 When St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi was seriously ill, ex- 
 tremely weak, and suffering from nausea, if she happened 
 to think of any kind of food which would please her, she 
 considered it a fault to ask for it or allude to it, and care- 
 fully abstained from doing so. 
 
 The blessed Jacopone, having, one day, a desire for meat, 
 bought a piece, lie hung it up in his room, and kept it 
 until it was spoiled ; then he had it cooked and ate it with 
 unspeakable disgust. 
 
 By a long and constant habit of abstinence and mortifica- 
 tion, St. An- lm became unable to perceive the taste of food. 
 It was the same with St. Bernard, who for that reason 
 drank oil one day instead of wine, without perceiving it at 
 all, and he reached such a point that going to the table 
 seemed to him a kind of torture. 
 
 St. Teresa said that she experienced a similar difficulty 
 in eating ; and St. Isidore suffered from it so excessively 
 that he could not go to the table without tears, and the com- 
 mand of his Superior was needed to force him to take some 
 nourishment. 
 
MARCH. — MORTIFICATION. 93 
 
 t. One of the things that keep us at a distance from perfection 
 is, without doubt, our tongue. For when one has gone so far as to 
 commit no faults in speaking, the Holy Spirit Himself assures us 
 that he is perfect. And since the worst way of speaking is to speak 
 too much, speak little and well, little and gently, little and simply, 
 little and charitably, little and amiably. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 St. Ignatius Loyola governed his tongue so well that nis 
 speech was simple, grave, considerate, and brief. 
 
 St. John Berchmans was a man of few words, and so 
 considerate in his speech that there was never heard from 
 his mouth an idle word, one contrary to rule, one that was 
 neither necessary, useful, nor directed to any good purpose. 
 Being once asked, by a brother novice, how he managed 
 never to commit a fault in speaking, he replied thus : " I 
 never say anything without first considering it, and recom- 
 mending it to God, that I may say nothing which can dis- 
 please Him." Besides, he was never observed to violate 
 silence, and when asked how he could keep this rule so 
 perfectly, he answered : " This is the way I do : I salute 
 humbly all those I meet; if any one asks any service of 
 me, I show the greatest readiness to render it ; if any one 
 asks me a question, I listen, and answer briefly; and I 
 avoid saying a single superfluous word." 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul made himself so completely master 
 of his tongue, that useless or superfluous words were rarely 
 heard from his mouth, and never a single one inconsiderate, 
 contrary to charity, or such as might savor of vanity, 
 flattery, or ostentation. It often happened that after open- 
 ing his mouth to say something unusual that came into 
 his mind, he closed it suddenly, stifling the words, and ap- 
 parently reflecting in his own heart, and considering before 
 God whether it was expedient to say them. He then contin- 
 ued to speak, not according to Ids inclination, for he had 
 none, but as he felt sure would be most pleasing to God. 
 
94 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 When anything was told him which he already knew, he 
 listened with attention, giving no sign of having heard it 
 before. He did this to mortify self-love, which always 
 makes us desire to prove that we know as much as others. 
 When insult, reproach, or wrong of any kind, was inflicted 
 upon him, he never opened his iips to complain, to justify 
 himseif, or to repel the injury ; but he recollected himself, 
 and placed all his strength in silence and patience, blessing 
 in his heart those who had ill-treated him, and praying for 
 them. When he found himsel f overwhelmed with excessive 
 work, he did not complain, but his ordinary words were : 
 " Blessed be God ! we must accept willingly all that He 
 deigns to send us." 
 
 St. Aloysius Gonzaga, when about to converse witli any 
 one, fervently repeated this prayer : Pone Domine, cus- 
 todiam ori meo, &c. — Set a watch, O Lord, before my lips, 
 &c. 
 
 A certain virgin once observed silence from the Festival 
 of the Holy Gross, in September, until Christmas, with such 
 rigor that in all that time she did not speak one word. 
 This mortification was so pleasing to God, that it was re- 
 vealed to a holy soul, that as a reward for it, she should 
 never pass through purgatory. 
 
 Among the lofty eulogiums that St. Jerome bestows upon 
 his pupil St. Paula, is this, that she was as cautious in 
 speaking as she was ready to listen. 
 
 8. It is a common doctrine of the Saints that one of the principal 
 means of leading a good and exemplary life is modesty and custody 
 of the eyes. For, as there is nothing so adapted to preserve devo- 
 tion in a soul, and to cause compunction and edification in others, 
 as this modesty, so there is nothing which so much exposes a per- 
 son to relaxation and scandals as its opposite. — Rodriguez. 
 
 In his life of St. Bernard, Surius relates that when Pope 
 
MAECH. — MORTIFICATION 95 
 
 Innocent III went with his Cardinals to visit Clair vaux, 
 the Saint, with all his monks, came out to meet him, but 
 with such a modest and composed exterior as moved to 
 compunction the Cardinals and the Pope himself; for they 
 were astonished that on such a festival, and such an unu- 
 sual and solemn occasion of rejoicing, they all kept their 
 eyes cast down and fastened upon the ground without 
 turning them in any direction, and that while all were gaz- 
 ing at them, they looked at no one. He also tells of St. 
 Bernard, that he practised custody of the eyes to such a 
 degree that after a year's novitiate he did not know how 
 the ceiling of his cell was made, whether it was arched or 
 flat; that he always believed there was one window in the 
 church, while there were three ; that he walked, one day, 
 with his companions on the shore of a lake, without know- 
 ing it was there, sc that when they were speaking of the 
 lake in the evening, he asked where they had seen it 
 
 It is narrated of St. Bernardine of Sienna that his mod- 
 esty was so great that his mere presence acted as a restraint 
 upon his companions ; so that if one only said, " Bernar- 
 dine is coming," they would check themselves immediately. 
 Surius also tells, in his Life of St. Lucian the Martyr, 
 that the heathens were converted and became Christians by 
 merely looking upon him, on account of his composure and 
 modesty. 
 
 The blessed Clara di Montefalco never raised her eyes to 
 the face of any one with whom she was speaking. When 
 she was asked by a monk the reason of this, she answered : 
 " As we speak only with the tongue, what need is there of 
 looking in the face of the person we are talking with ?" 
 
 St. John Berchmans was greatly to be admired for 
 mortification of the eyes. He would never turn to look at 
 anything, however new and unexpected it might be, and 
 
96 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 even a noise behind him would never cause him to turn, nat- 
 ural as it is to do so. Happening to be present, one day, at 
 a college exhibition, he took a seat on a bench, and remained 
 motionless, without ever raising his eyes, and with so 
 much recollection that a nobleman who occupied the next 
 seat was amazed, and said, " This Father must be a saint." 
 There are, on the other hand, innumerable instances of 
 those who have become relaxed and a cause of scandal 
 through want of custody of the eyes. It will be enough 
 to cite the example of David, who, by a simple unguarded 
 glance, prompted by curiosity, was suddenly changed from 
 a great saint into a great sinner, the scandal of his whole 
 kingdom. 
 
 9. Believe me that the mortification of the senses in seeing, hearing, 
 and speaking, is worth much more than wearing chains or hair-cloth. 
 -St. F. de Sales. 
 
 It is known of St. Catherine of Sienna that while her 
 family were celebrating the Carnival in their house, she was 
 not willing to join them, protesting that as she had no other 
 love, so she had no other pleasure, but in her Jesus. He 
 then appeared to her in company with the Blessed Virgin 
 and other Saints, and espoused her with so much clearness 
 and certainty, that the Dominicans, by Apostolic Indul- 
 gence, celebrate a festival in commemoration of it on the 
 last day of the Carnival. 
 
 A very devout penitent of his once confessed to St. 
 Francis Xavier, that she had looked upon a man with 
 more tenderness than was suitable. The Saint closed what 
 he had to say to her with these words : " You are unworthy 
 to have God look upon you, since for the sake of looking 
 upon a man, you do not regard the risk of losing God." 
 This was enough, for, during the rest of her life, she never 
 again turned her eyes towards any man. 
 
MARCH. MORTIFICATION. 97 
 
 The Empress Leonora almost always kept her eyes clown, 
 and raised them only when she was welcomed by monks or 
 nuns to their houses ; she returned their salutations cour- 
 teously, with a cheerful countenance and a kind smile. 
 When present at the theatre, to which she was obliged to go, 
 she rarely glanced at the splendid gathering of the nobility, 
 or at the superb scenes which succeeded each other, with 
 views of gardens, forests, and palaces, in perspective. She 
 spent all this time with her mind in heaven, contemplating 
 the delights of paradise, and reciting psalms, which, to 
 avoid notice, she had bound in the same style as the books 
 of the plays, so that she seemed to every one very attentive 
 to the play, while she was, in reality, enjoying a very dif- 
 ferent sight. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul practised continual mortification of 
 the senses, depriving them even of lawful gratifications, and 
 often inflicting on them voluntary sufferings. When he 
 was travelling, instead of allowing his eyes to wander over 
 the country, he usually kept them on his crucifix. When 
 walking in the city, he went with eves cast down or closed, 
 that he might see God alone. Visiting the palaces of the 
 nobility, he did not look at the tapestry or other beautiful 
 objects, but remained with downcast glance and full of rec- 
 ollection. He practised the same thing in the churches, 
 never raising his eyes except to behold the Blessed Sacra- 
 ment, not to look at the decorations, however beautiful they 
 might be. He was never seen to gather flowers in the 
 gardens, or take up anything that was pleasing to the sense 
 of smell ; on the contrary, he greatly enjoyed remaining in 
 places where there was an unpleasant odor, such as hospitals 
 and the houses of the sick poor. His tongue he employed 
 only in praise of God and virtue, in opposing vice and in 
 consoling, instructing, and edifying his neighbor. His ears 
 
98 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 he opened only to discourse which tended to good, for it 
 gave him pain to hear news and worldly talk, and he ma le 
 every effort to avoid listening to what would delight the 
 hearing without profit to the soul. 
 
 When a penitent who was somewhat reckless in his 
 speech, asked his director for a hair-shirt, to mortify the 
 flesh, " My son," said the priest, laving his finger upon 
 his lips, " the best hair-shirt is to watch carefully all that 
 comes out at this door." 
 
 St. Aloysius Gonzaga was admirable for mortification of 
 the eyes, for it is narrated in his Life, that he never looked 
 any woman in the face. After he had served the Empress 
 as page for two years, a report was spread that she was com- 
 ing into Italy, where he happened to be, and some congratu- 
 lated him on the prospect of seeing his mistress again. 
 But he replied : " I shall not recognize her except by her 
 voice, for I do not know her face." His rare mortification 
 was well rewarded by God even in his life, for he was never 
 attacked by temptations of the flesh. 
 
 10. There are some so much inclined to mortify themselves, that 
 they take care to find in everything some means of mortification. 
 What a beautiful practice is this, and of how much advantage ! — 
 
 Rodriguez. 
 
 Sister Joanna Maria of the Trinity, a Disealced Carme- 
 lite, had this excellent cu-tom of seeking and finding morti- 
 fication in everything. And so she always selected what was 
 most insipid in food ; poorest in clothing and shelter ; most 
 laborious in work ; most unpleasant in matters of inclina- 
 tion. In a word, she always chose what was most incon- 
 venient and disagreeable for herself, seeking in all things 
 only the pleasure, honor, and glory of God. 
 
 St. Francis Borgia also made much use of the same 
 practice, He wore pebbles in his shoes ; slept little at 
 
MAECH. — MOETIFICATION 99 
 
 night ; when walking in the sun in summer, he remained 
 out as long as possible ; he swallowed medicine slowly, 
 and chewed pills, that he might keep them longer in his 
 mouth. 
 
 11. Upon interior mortification depends the right adjustment of 
 our whole exterior,— its arrangement with most perfection, with 
 most sweetness and peace. — St. Teresa. 
 
 St. Philip Neri, when any one asked him what he should 
 do to become a saint, used to put his hand to his forehead, 
 saying, " Give me those four fingers, and I will make you 
 a saint,-" meaning that all sanctity depends on denying 
 one's own will and one's own judgment. And to a penitent 
 who often asked permission to take the discipline, he once 
 gave this answer : " How are the shoulders to blame, if the 
 head is hard ?" 
 
 12. Our profit does not depend so much upon mortifying ourselves, 
 as upon knowing how to mortify ourselves ; that is, upon knowing 
 how to choose the best mortifications, which are those most re- 
 pugnant to our natural inclinations. Some are inclined to disci- 
 plines and fasts, and though they be difficult tilings, they embrace 
 them with fervor, and practise them gladly and easily, on account 
 of this leaning which they have towards them. But then they 
 will be so sensitive in regard to reputation and honor, that the least 
 ridicule, disapproval, or slight, is sufficient to throw them into a state 
 of impatience and perturbation, and to give rise to such complaints 
 as show an equal want of peace and reason. These are the morti- 
 fications which they ought to embrace with the greatest readiness, if 
 they wish to make progress. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 The venerable Monseigneur de Palafox understood this 
 doctrine well, for he said that the reason why he had 
 never advanced in virtue, was that he had never taken 
 special pains to avoid all that was most conformed to his 
 inclinations. Whoever, then, perceives in himself any 
 
100 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 disposition to contradict, for example, or to rely on his 
 own judgment, and is not very attentive to combat, and 
 to keep at a distance from all that can entice or subject him 
 to it, will not only fail to go forward, but will go backward, 
 and perhaps so far backward as to arrive at his own 
 ruin. 
 
 A Religious, who was a priest, having been chosen as 
 assistant to the cook, experienced the greatest repugnance 
 and temptations in regard to this charge. To conquer 
 himself, he made a vow before a crucifix to remain in this 
 office all his life, if the Superiors should be willing. 
 Through this and similar victories he arrived at such per- 
 fection, as to be able to say that he believed no work could 
 be offered to him, however repugnant to the senses, that 
 he could not do, by the help of God,- with perfect ease. 
 
 13. The mortifications which come to us from God, or from men 
 by His permission, are always worth more than those which are the 
 children of our own will ; for it must be considered a general rule, 
 that the less our taste and choice intervene in our actions, the more 
 they will have of goodness, solidity, devotion, the pleasure of God, 
 and our own profit.— St. F. de Sales. 
 
 Adolphus, Count of Alsace, having entered the Order of 
 St. Francis, was one day collecting alms in the form of 
 milk, when he met his sons, and felt ashamed of his oc- 
 cupation. Then instantly recollecting himself, he emptied 
 the can of milk upon his head, saying, " Unhappy one ! 
 thou art ashamed of the poverty of Jesus Christ ! Let them 
 see now what thou art carrying !" After that, he suffered 
 no more from any similar temptation. 
 
 It is narrated in the Lives of the Fathers, that an old 
 solitary, who had heard the virtue of a certain youthful 
 monk greatly praised, resolved to test it. For this pur- 
 pose he went to the monk's cell, and entering the garden, 
 
MAECH. — MORTIFICATION. 101 
 
 which he found well cultivated and in excellent order, he 
 began, as if in sport, to break down with his staff all the 
 herbs and p ] ants which were there, not leaving any un- 
 touched. Afterwards, according to the custom of the 
 monks, they began to recite psalms together, and when 
 this was ended, the youth, with a cheerful and modest air, 
 asked the old man if he would like to have him prepare 
 such of the herbs as were left for his repast. Astonished 
 at such an invitation, he, for answer, threw his arms around 
 his neck, exclaiming : " Now I see, my son, that you are 
 truly dead to your inclinations, as was told me !" 
 
 14. The more one mortifies his natural inclinations, the more he 
 becomes capable of receiving the divine inspirations, and the more he 
 gains in virtue. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 The celebrated Father Laynez, one of the companions of 
 St. Ignatius, by means of this practice arrived at great 
 purity of mind and imperturbable tranquillity of soul. 
 
 St. Philip Neri m ;de great use of this practice, both with 
 his penitents and for himself. One example out of many 
 will suffice. A nobleman of high rank had a dog, named 
 Capri ccio, of which he was very fond. One morning, an at- 
 tendant of his brought the dog with him to the lodging of 
 St. Philip, who, on seeing him, caressed him a little. 
 Upon this, the dog took such a fancy to him, that be 
 could not in any way be persuaded to leave him. He was 
 again and again sent back to his master, who had him 
 kindly treated and kept tied up for a while ; but im- 
 mediately on being released, he would go back to the Saint's 
 rooms, so that, finally, they were obliged to let him remain 
 there. St. Philip afterwards made much use of this dog 
 for his own mortification, and that of his spiritual children. 
 Sometimes, he made them wash and comb him ; sometimes, 
 
102 A YEAE WITH THE SAINTS 
 
 carry him in their arras, or lead him by a chain through 
 the streets of Rome ; and lie himself would walk with them. 
 These and similar mortifications lasted for a space of 
 fifteen years 
 
 15. The greater part of Christians usually practise incision instead 
 of circumcision. They will make a cut indeed iu a diseased part ; 
 but as for employiug the knife of circumcision, to lake away what- 
 ever is superfluous from the heart, few go so far.— St. F. de Sales. 
 
 The example of the venerable Sister Franceses, Farnese 
 confirms this truth. Immediately alter her profession, she 
 began to yield to relaxation, into which she fell so far that 
 she eared for nothing except vain ornaments in dress, flirt- 
 ing, remaining all day at the grate, and, finally, covering 
 the walls of her cell with hangings and mirrors. She was 
 many times warned, corrected, and sharply reproved, by 
 her Superior, her confessor, and, above all, by a nun who 
 was her aunt. She felt and understood the force of 
 these admonitions and reproofs, and often formed good 
 resolutions ; she even put them in practice, by taking off 
 her vain ornaments, abandoning the grate, and breaking 
 and throwing from the windows her mirrors and tapestry ; 
 but a little while after, she went back again to all these 
 things, and became as she was before. These miserable 
 alternations lasted for a long time, and might have contin- 
 ued for her wdiole life, as the reforms which she made were 
 nothing more than incisions. But, happily, the Divine 
 Mercy was pleased to stir her heart by a strong inspiration, 
 so that, unable to resist the reproaches of her own conscience, 
 she had courage to make a true circumcision, by leav- 
 ing not only ail vain amusements, but also by forming for 
 herself a rule more rigorous than her own, and so well 
 planned that it made her foundress of a new order, in which 
 s.ie spent the rest of her life in an exemplary manner, and 
 
MARCH. — MORTIFICATION. 103 
 
 died in the odor of sanctity, as is sufficiently proved by the 
 fact that her body remained unchanged for many years. 
 
 Somewhat different was the career of St. Paula, who, as 
 St. Jerome relates, even from her earliest years, undertook 
 to practise a true circumcision of the heart, and with in- 
 creasing age applied herself to it more and more, cutting 
 off and retrenching on all sides whatever seemed superflu- 
 ous or beyond what was suited to her state. So, while her 
 husband was living, she led a life so well regulated and 
 dutiful that she was an example to all the matrons of 
 Rome, and no one ever dared to charge her with the slight- 
 est error. But when she was freed from the restraints of 
 the world, after God took away her husband, she began 
 a most austere life, and never wavered in it until death. 
 She no longer slept upon a mattress, but upon the bare 
 ground, covered only with hair-cloth. Indeed, she slept 
 but little ; for she passed almost the whole night in prayer 
 and tears. She chastised her body with rigorous fasts and 
 very severe disciplines, without stint or mercy. In confess- 
 ing her slightest faults, she shed so many tears that any one 
 who did not know her, might have supposed her guilty of 
 the gravest offences ; and when she was entreated not to 
 weep so much, that she might preserve her sight for read- 
 ing ; and not to practise so many austerities and penances, 
 that she might not wholly lose her health, — " No," she re- 
 plied, " with all reason should this face be disfigured, which 
 I have so often beautified with washes contrary to the pre- 
 cept of the Lord this body ought, indeed, to be afflicted, 
 which has enjoyed so many delights ; long laughter ought 
 to be compensated for by continual weeping ; rich and deli- 
 cate garments ought to be changed into hair-cloth : for I, 
 who have taken so much pains to please the world, now 
 desire to please God." Thus she spoke and acted, in repa- 
 
104 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 ration for the disorders of her past life, which, neverthe- 
 less, had been most circumspect and modest. 
 
 16. Whoever wishes to make progress iu perfection, should use par- 
 ticular diligence in not allowiug himself to be led away by his pas- 
 sions, which destroy with one hand the spiritual edifice which is 
 rising by the labors of the other. But to succeed well in this, resist- 
 ance should be begun while the passions are yet weak ; for after 
 they are thoroughly rooted and grown up, there is scarcely any 
 remedy. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 St. Dorotlieus tells us of an old monk, who, walking with 
 one of his disciples in a grove of cypresses, commanded him 
 to pull some of them up, pointing out to him, first, one 
 which was but just beginning to sprout from the ground ; 
 after that, another, which had grown into a sapling ; and 
 finally, one that was a full-grown tree. The disciple s f, t 
 himself to the work', and tore up the first with one hand and 
 with all possible ease ; the second also with one hand, but 
 with some difficulty ; to pull up the third he was obliged 
 to try several times, with both hands and all his strength. 
 But when lie arrived at the £>urth, he encountered the real 
 difficulty, and though he tried again and again, with all his 
 force, and in every way that his ingenuity could suggest, 
 lie was not able to stir it in the least from the spot. Then 
 the aged Saint said : " Xo v, my son, it is the same as this 
 with our passions. While they are still small, with a little 
 vigilance and mortification one can easily repress and disable 
 them ; but, if we let them take root in our souls, there is no 
 human force sufficient to conquer them ; it requires the om- 
 nipotent hand of God. Therefore, my son, if you wish to 
 acquire virtue, watch the first irregular movements of your 
 sotd, and study to repress them promptly, by contrary acts, 
 at their very birth. Upon this, everything depends." 
 
 17. The ignorance of some is greatly to be pitied, who load them- 
 
MARCH. — MORTIFICATION. 105 
 
 selves with unwise penances and other unsuitable exercises of their de- 
 vising, putting all their confidence in them, and expecting to become 
 saints by their means. If they would put half of this labor upon 
 mortifying their appetites and passions, they would gain more in a 
 month than by all their other exercises in many years. — St. John of 
 the Gross. 
 
 We read of St. Ignatius that by means of continual 
 mortification he had arrived at such a point that he seemed 
 to be a man without passions ; and if it was sometimes de- 
 sirable to bring them into action, they appeared like so 
 many modest slaves, who dared not move of themselves, 
 nor farther than reason, their absolute mistress, ordered 
 them to go. 
 
 A Genoese lady, on account of the desire she had to 
 listen to the contract for her marriage made by her father, 
 left the world, and became a nun and a saint. 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi impressed this, above all 
 things, upon the minds of the novices, when she was their 
 mistress. And so, when she saw one too much inclined to 
 pray, she sent her to sleep or to perform some active labor. 
 Upon another who was inclined to exterior works, she im- 
 posed prayer or some other interior work. To whoever 
 washed for many penances and mortifications, she gave one 
 Pater and Ave. To whoever felt repugnance for them, 
 she prescribed severe mortifications and humiliations. 
 Among other instances, she made one of the novices throw 
 into the fire a little book of spiritual exercises, which she 
 had written with her own hand, and to which she showed 
 attachment. And thus, the Saint constantly accustomed 
 her novices to subject their inclinations, and, at the same 
 time, their judgment and their will. 
 
 18. The principal thing upon which we have to turn our attention, 
 that we may mortify it, and eradicate it from our hearts, is the pre- 
 
106 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 dominant passion; that is, the affection, inclination, vice, or bad 
 habit, which reigns most in us, which makes us its captive, which 
 brings us into greatest danger, and most frequently causes us to fall 
 into grave transgressions. When the king is taken, the battle is won. 
 And until we do this, we shall make no great advance in perfec- 
 tion. — Rodriguez. 
 
 An event of the kind upon which Rodriguez founds his 
 comparison, occurred, as Holy Scripture narrates, in the 
 war between the King of Syria and the King of Israel. 
 The latter commanded all his captains to attack no one in the 
 hostile army except the king himself, wisely judging that 
 if the king should be conquered, the whole army would 
 be overcome. This happened in fact, for when King 
 Achab was struck down, the battle ended. 
 
 St. Ignatius once had a novice of a fiery disposition, 
 to whom he often said : " My son, conquer this tempera- 
 ment of yours, and you will have in heaven a more re- 
 splendent crown than many who are gentle by nature." 
 One day, the Father in charge accused this young man to 
 him as intractable. " Not so," answered the Saint ; " for 
 I believe he has made more improvement in a few months, 
 than such a one, who is naturally gentle, in a year." The 
 same Saint was himself of a bilious-sanguine temperament. 
 But he took his predominant passion so steadily in hand, 
 and so conquered and changed himself by the grar-e of 
 God, that he was considered by all, even by physicians, to 
 be phlegmatic. 
 
 ^ St, Francis de Sales confessed that the dominant pas- 
 sions he had most difficulty in subduing, were love and 
 anger ; and that he had conquered the former by stratagem, 
 the latter by open force ; that is, he had conquered love 
 by diverting his mind, and proposing to himself another 
 object of love j for he said that as the human soul cannot 
 exist without some love, the whole secret lies in giving to 
 
MARCH. — MORTIFICATION. 107 
 
 it only what is good, pure, and holy. Anger, on the other 
 hand, he had subdued by attacking it in front, and never 
 yielding to it at all. Whence it happened that though he 
 was naturally passionate, he was thought to be of a gentle 
 temper. 
 
 19. Every time that one sees himself urged on, with vehemence 
 of affection, to any particular work, even though it be holy and im- 
 portant, he ought to put it off to another occasion, and not take it up 
 again until his heart has recovered perfect tranquillity and indif- 
 ference. This should be done to prevent self-love from sullying the 
 purity of our intention.— $£. V. de Paul. 
 
 The Saint who gives this advice, practised it faithfully 
 himself. One day, a business proposition was made to him, 
 that was very important for his Congregation. When he 
 was urged by some of them to give his consent to it immedi- 
 ately, he answered : " I do not think we ought to pay atten- 
 tion to this matter at present, that we may blunt the natu- 
 ral inclination, which leads us to pursue promptly what is 
 to our own advantage, and also that we may practise holy 
 indifference, and give time to God to manifest His will 
 to us, while we continue offering our prayers to recommend 
 the affair to Him." Another time, when some one impor- 
 tuned him about a similar matter, his reply was this : " I 
 desire always to keep up the practice of not deciding or 
 undertaking anything while I find myself agitated by the 
 hope and desire of something great." Still another incident 
 is even more admirable. As he saw, by experience, the 
 great utility of missions, he embraced them with much fervor 
 and earnestness. But when he perceived that his thoughts 
 and ardent desires were gradually taking away the peace of 
 heart he had hitherto enjoyed, he began to suspect that 
 nature might have some part in them ; therefore, he 
 esteemed it necessary to interrupt this exercise for some time. 
 The better to understand the movements of his heart, he re- 
 
108 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 tired for a few days of spiritual retreat, and perceiving in 
 this that his great gladness and exce.-sive solicitude were, 
 in part, caused by self-love, he asked pardon of God \\ ith 
 many tears, praying Him to change his heart and purify it 
 from every inordinate affection to the greater glory of His 
 divine majesty. Afterwards, he found himself quite free 
 from al 1 anxiety and superfluous care, nor had he any other 
 object than the Divine love ; so that he was able to thank 
 God that for thirty years he was not conscious of having 
 done anything deliberately that was not directed to His 
 greater glory. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales once stopped in the course of a jour- 
 ney to visit St. Jane Frances de Chantal, who had been 
 eagerly expecting him, that she might confer with him about 
 her own spiritual interests. She was the more desirous of 
 doing this, because she had enjoyed no such opportunity for 
 three years and a half, on account of the numerous occupa- 
 tions in which he was engaged. When they met, the holy 
 prelate snid : " AVe have a few hours free, Mother ; which 
 of us two shall be the first to speak ?" " Myself," she 
 answered, with some haste, " for certainly my soul greatly 
 needs to pass under your eye." At this, the Saint, wishing 
 to correct the anxiety she showed about speaking to him, 
 with serious but gentle gravity rejoined : " Do you then 
 still nourish desires. Mother ? Have you yet a choice? I 
 expected to find everything angelic. We will then put off 
 speaking of you until we meet next, and for the present 
 talk about the affairs of our Congregation." The good and 
 holy Mother, without a word of objection, laid aside all that 
 related to herself, though she was holding in her hands a 
 list of things she had wished to speak of; and for four 
 successive hours they discussed the interests of the Insti- 
 tute, and then parted. 
 
MARCH. — MORTIFICATION. 109 
 
 St. Dorotheus, being sick and hearing raw eggs recom- 
 mended as a remedy, after some time told his master of it, 
 bat, at the same time, he asked him not to give them to 
 him, because the thought of them was a distraction to him. 
 
 20. Do not weary thyself in vain ; for thou wilt never succeed in 
 possessing true spiritual sweetness and salisfaction, unless thou first 
 deny all thy desires.— ££. John of the Cross. 
 
 The Abbot Ellem, as we read in the Lives of the Fathers, 
 saw a honey -comb hanging from a rock, and some fruit that 
 had fallen from a tree ; but he abstained from them. He 
 then fell into a sleep, from which he was wakened by an 
 angel, when he found himself by the side of a fountain, 
 surrounded by the freshest herbs, some of which he ate, 
 and declared that he had never before tasted so great a 
 delicacy. 
 
 Eriberto Rosveido relates of St. Macarius of Alexandria, 
 that, to overcome drowsiness, which annoyed him greatly, 
 he never entered his cell for twenty consecutive days and 
 nights ; and when he was compelled by necessity to take 
 some sleep, he took it with his head resting against a wall. 
 He also says that being grievously assailed by sensual temp- 
 tations, he remained for six months in a swamp, with his 
 naked body exposed to the stings of the gnats, which in 
 that region are as large as wasps ; and when he came out 
 he was so covered with swellings and sores that he looked 
 like a leper. The Saint also once said of himself that he 
 never took what he desired either of bread or water, but al- 
 ways took bread by weight, and water by measure ; and that 
 by mortifying his appetites in this manner, he merited so 
 many graces from God, and advanced so much in the love 
 and knowledge of Him, that he was wont to pass whole days 
 and nights uninterruptedly in the sweetest contemplation. 
 
110 A YEAR WITH THE SALSTS. 
 
 21. Some pursue their own taste and satisfaction in spiritual things 
 in preference to the way of perfection, which consists in denying their 
 own wishes and tastes for the love of God. If such persons perform 
 some exercise through obedience, even though it suit their inclina- 
 tion, they soon lose the wish for it, and all devotion in it, because 
 their only pleasure is in doing what their own will directs, which 
 ordinarily would be better left undone. The Saints did not act thus. 
 — St. John of the Cross. 
 
 The blessed Seraphino, a Capuchin lay-brother, said to a 
 friend that he would be glad to be in the house of Loretto 
 or at Rome, that he might serve as many Masses as possi- 
 ble. When it was suggested that he might ask this favor 
 of the Superiors, who would have readily granted it, he re- 
 plied : " Oh, not that ! Any holy desire would be profaned 
 by one's own will, and every good intention ought to be 
 subject to obedience, the only true directress of all holy 
 thoughts." 
 
 St. Felix the Capuchin never did anything without the 
 consent and express wish of his Superiors, though his em- 
 ployment of seeking alms would give occasion for some 
 liberty. And when these Superiors, being well acquainted 
 with his integrity and virtue, were accustomed to leave 
 everything at his free disposal, he, instead of being pleased 
 at this, found it rather a cause of sorrow and bitterness, as 
 he saw that it hindered that entire subjection and depend- 
 ence, which he desired so much, and constrained him to do 
 his own will, which lie abhorred extremely. 
 
 22. If we do not pay great attention to mortifying our own will, 
 there are many things that can take from us that holy liberty of 
 spirit, which we seek in order to be able to mount freely towards 
 our Creator, without being always weighed down with earth and 
 lead. Besides, in a soul that belongs to itself, and is attached to its 
 own will, there can never be solid virtue.— ££. Teresa 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi said, one day, that she 
 
MAECH. — MOETIFICATION. Ill 
 
 asked nothing of the Lord except that He would take her 
 own will from her ; for she knew that through the viva- 
 city of her disposition, she did not advance so much as she 
 desired in those virtues which render a soul most pleasing 
 to the Lord. After saying this, she raised her eyes to 
 heaven, and fell into an ecstasy, in which she was shown 
 by God how much harm is done to souls, especially those 
 of Religious, when they are guided by their own will, which 
 they once consecrated to God by vow. In the course of the 
 ecstasy, she took her Superior by the hand, and led her 
 to the oratory, where she knelt and prayed the Virgin to en- 
 lighten her Superior also, that she might take pains to de- 
 spoil her of her will ; and after prostrating herself three 
 times upon the ground, she recovered from her trance. She 
 was so much in earnest in this matter, that she once said she 
 did not remember ever to have tried, either secretly or 
 openly, to incline the will of her Superior to her own. 
 
 23. Make it your constant effort to mortify and trample under 
 foot your own will, to such a degree as not to satisfy it in anything, 
 if it be possible. Be careful, therefore, to desire and rejoice that it 
 may be often crossed ; and when you see any one oppose it either in 
 temporal or spiritual things, follow his will rather than your own, 
 if only his be good, even though your own be better. For, contend- 
 ing with another, by lessening your humility, tranquillity, and peace, 
 will always inflict upon you a loss greater than the advantage 
 brought by any exercise of virtue performed through your own will, 
 in opposition to another's. — St. Vincent Ferrer. 
 
 St. Catherine of Genoa practised this. She loved to sub- 
 mit her preference to that of others, in all things ; and if a 
 wish to pursue any course arose in her own mind, it was 
 sufficient to make her avoid it. 
 
 When Father Thomas Sanchez would go to his Supe- 
 riors to make a request, he used first to ask God, if it might 
 
112 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 be according to His pleasure, to move their hearts to refuse 
 it. 
 
 24. Thou oughtest not to let a day pass iu which thou hast not 
 trampled upon thy will ; and if such a thing should happen, consider 
 that on that day thou hasi not been a Religious. — St. John Climacus. 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi was extremely fund of not 
 doing her own will, and made a study of it. s<> that she re- 
 garded that day as utterly lost in which she had not in 
 some manner broken and denied it. 
 
 25. Do you know what is the highest degree of abnegation of 
 one's own will ? It consists in allowing ourselves to be employed 
 iu such things as others choose, without ever making any resistance. 
 — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 When St. Basil was visiting the monasteries of his dio- 
 cese, he asked an abbot if he had no monk who showed 
 more than the rest that he belonged to the number of the 
 predestinate. The Abbot presented to him one who was 
 very simple. The Saint ordered him to bring some water, 
 and when he had quickly brought it, told him to sit down 
 and wash his feet, which he did immediately, without show- 
 ing the slightest reluctance. The following day, as he was 
 going into the sacristy, he bade him approach the altar, as 
 he wished to ordain him priest ; and he received the priest- 
 hood without any resistance. From these things, the Saint 
 considered him dead to his own will and his own judgment, 
 and therefore worthy to be held as one of the predestinate. 
 A little while after, some strangers entered his cell by night, 
 took him, and led him unresistingly into their country, and 
 there phut him up in a wretched hut, where he remained 
 quietly, without a word to any one. But a few days after, 
 some men from another region took him out, still without 
 a word on his part, and carried him away to the place from 
 
MARCH. — MORTIFICATION. 113 
 
 which they came, and there lie stayed contentedly, as one 
 dead to the world. 
 
 26. The greatest gift one can receive from God in this world is 
 wisdom, power and will to conquer himself, by denying self-will. 
 — St. Francis of Assvsi. 
 
 The Abbot Pastor had the highest opinion of this exer- 
 cise, and used to say that our own will is an iron wall that 
 disunites and separates us from God. 
 
 St. Colette, of the Order of St. Francis, often said that 
 she thought it a greater mortification to deny one's own judg- 
 ment and will than to aband' n all the riches in the world, 
 and therefore she practised it to the utmost of her ability. 
 
 St. Bernard also entertained the same sentiments, and 
 said that all evils spring from a single root, which is self- 
 will. 
 
 27. Take heed not to foster thy own judgment, for, without doubt, 
 it will inebriate thee ; as there is no difference between an intoxi- 
 cated man and one full of his own opinion, and one is no more capa- 
 ble of reasoning than the other. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 The blessed Alexander Sauli, a Corsican bishop, always 
 asked others' advice in the affairs of his diocese, not trust- 
 ing to his own opinion. He considered himself ignorant 
 and totally unfit for the duties of his office, though he had 
 been a famous professor of theology and director of St. 
 Charles, and had even been called the ideal of bishops. 
 
 St. Francis di Paula, though endowed with the gift of 
 prophecy, in doubtful cases always took counsel, even in 
 the smallest matters, and with his own subjects. 
 
 28. Every one has opinions of his own, nor is this opposed to vir- 
 tue. It is only the love and attachment we have to our own opin- 
 ions, and the high value we set on them, which is infinitely contrary 
 
114 A YEAH WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 to our perfection. This is the last thing to be abandoned, and the 
 cause why so few are perfect.— St. F. de Sales. 
 
 This Saint succeeded in abandoning this last thing, so 
 that he was once able to write to a friend, that he had no 
 such attachment to his own opinion as to wish any one ill 
 who did not follow it, and that he did not claim that his 
 sentiments should serve as a rule to any one. 
 
 The venerable Father John Leonardi, founder of the 
 Regular Clerics of the Mother of God, although he was 
 gifted with the highest degree of prudence, and had brought 
 to a successful issue many affairs of great note, nevertheless 
 depended so much upon the advice of his subjects, nay 
 even of t-»e young and inexperienced among them, that he 
 never decided on a lything of importance without first hear- 
 ing their oi>!ni n and gaining their approval. Often he 
 even followed th ir judgment in preference to his own. 
 
 Father Snare::, though he possessed much talent and 
 learning, often gave his books even to his pupils to be 
 revised ; and if one of them disapproved of anything, he 
 altered it with great readiness. St. Vincent Ferrer also had 
 so little regard for his own opinion that he gave his writ- 
 ings to his companions to be reviewed, even though they 
 were inferior to him in learning ; and he did this not only 
 when he was a student, but afterwards when a lecturer. 
 
 29. The true and only remedy for this evil, is to make little ac- 
 count of what suggests itself to our mind. When asked for our opin 
 ion, let us give it frankly, but with indifference as to whether or 
 not it be accepted and approved, and let us be careful to follow the 
 judgment of others rather than our own, whenever it can be law- 
 fully done.— St. F. de Sales. 
 
 It is narrated in the Lives of the Fathers that when the 
 Abbot John, who was very celebrated for holiness, was 
 about to die, his disciples begged him to leave them some 
 
MAECH. — MORTIFICATION. 115 
 
 good advice for acquiring perfection. He replied to them ,• 
 *' This I can tell you : I have labored not according to my 
 own judgment, but according to the judgment of others ; 
 nor have I ever commanded another to do anything, with- 
 out having first done it mysel f." 
 
 St. Jane Frances de Chantal had a mind at once lofty, 
 and quick to reach the point at which it aimed. But for 
 all this, when she was asked for advice in important affairs, 
 she never trusted wholly to the knowledge she had ac- 
 quired by long experience, but besides having recourse to 
 God in prayer, she wished to consult with her spiritual 
 fathers and with persons acquainted with those affairs. She 
 would then express her own sentiments in this way, — " This 
 is my opinion, but take in addition the advice of some 
 one wiser and more judicious." 
 
 St. Vincent Ferrer, in matters relating to the direction 
 and government of that Order of which he was the head, as 
 a general thing, followed the wishes and opinions of his 
 companions rather than his own. 
 
 30. As to be holy is nothing else than to will what God wills, so 
 to be wise is nothing else than to judge of things as God judges of 
 them. Now, who knows whether thy sentiments be always in con- 
 formity with those of God ? How many times hast thou discovered 
 thyself to be deceived in thy judgments and decisions ? — St. V. de 
 Paul. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul excelled in this mortification of his 
 own judgment. He was gifted with so much foresight that 
 he was considered one of the most prudent men of his time ; 
 yet he always distrusted himself, and in all his affairs had 
 recourse not only to God, but also to men. He would ask 
 their opinion, and follow it rather than his own, as far as 
 justice and charity permitted, even though they had but 
 little talent, or were his inferiors. When he was asked for 
 

 116 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 advice, after raising his mind for' a moment to God. he 
 gave it, not settling things arbitrarily, but explaining his 
 views with modesty, and leaving the person to decide for 
 himself. His way of speaking was : " It seems that it 
 might be done so." " There would be this reason, which 
 seems to lead to such a conclusion." And if he was urged 
 to decide absolutely, he would say : " It scrms to me that 
 it would be well or expedient to do such a thing, — to act 
 in such a way." Besides, he always preferred, and himself 
 suggested, that the opinion of others also should be asked, 
 and was pleased to have it followed rather than his own ; 
 not because he did not usually know best, on account of his 
 long experience and the great light he received from God, 
 but purely from love of submission and mortification, and 
 because of his great love of humility, which made him es- 
 teem every one better than himself. At a meeting of the 
 Ladies of Charity, an institution established by him, to 
 promote several pious objects, a matron present observed 
 this trait. She informed the servant of God of it very 
 gracefully, at the end of the conference, expressing to him 
 her surprise that he would not support his views, which 
 deserved to be preferred to all the others. " May it never 
 be," he answered, " that my poor, weak judgment should 
 prevail over that of others ! I shall always rejoice to have 
 God work what He will without me, a wretched sinner." 
 He was so fully persuaded that resolutions taken with 
 mature consideration and the advice of others were pleas- 
 ing to the Lord, that he rejected as a temptation anything 
 opposed to them which came into his mind. He was ac- 
 customed to say that when an affair had been recommended 
 to God and consulted upon with others, we ought to be 
 firm in what we undertake, and believe that God will not 
 impute it to us for a fault, as we can offer this legitimate 
 
MAECH. — MORTIFICATION. 117 
 
 excuse : " O Lord, I recommended the affair to Thee, and 
 took the advice of others, which was all that could be done 
 to know Thy will." 
 
 31 The life of our flesh, is the delight of sensuality ; its death is 
 to take from it all sensible delight. The life-of our judgment and our 
 will is to dispose of ourselves and what is ours, according to our own 
 views and wishes ; their death, then, is to submit ourselves in all 
 things to the judgment and will of others. The lifr of the desire for 
 esteem and respect, is to be well thought of by every one ; its death, 
 therefore, is to hide ourselves so as not to be known, by means of 
 continual acts of humility and self-abasement. Until one succeeds 
 in dying in this manner, he will never be a servant of God, nor will 
 God ever perfectly live in him. — St. M. M. di Pazzi. 
 
 With great frankness this beautiful soul expre-sed to 
 others so lofty a sentiment, because she knew that it was 
 precisely in this way that, to her infinite profit, she had at- 
 tained to the death of her own flesh, her own judgment and 
 will, and her own human respect ; — of her own flesh, which 
 she never ceased to treat with the greatest harshness and 
 rigor ; of her own judgment and will, which she always 
 strove to keep subject to, and dependent upon, others ; of her 
 human respect, by abhorring and avoiding constantly every 
 occasion of being honored and esteemed. 
 
 Another great example of this was the glorious St. Philip 
 Neri, who chastised his body severely with hair-cloth and 
 the discipline. While quite young, he lived for years al- 
 most entirely upon bread and water. When he became a 
 priest, he added to this spare diet only a little wine, some 
 herbs or fruit, or perhaps an egg. He rarely took any 
 other dairy products, or fish, or meat, or soup, except on 
 account of illnes-, or when at table with strangers. As to 
 his own judgment and will, he showed all possible earnest- 
 ness in banishing all that could feed either, and in tramp- 
 
118 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 ling upon both to the extent of his power. But he ren- 
 dered himself especially admirable in combating and an- 
 nihilating that regard for human esteem, which is so dan- 
 gerous an enemy to corrupt humanity, and from which even 
 the holiest souls are not exempt. To subdue this common 
 adversary, he made it his object to be considered by all a 
 vile and abject creature, and took care, on every occasion, to 
 give cause for such an idea of him With this intention, 
 he would do things that, botli at home and abroad, appeared 
 like folly. 
 
 Many examples oi this are recorded, oi which we will 
 mention a few. Once he began to jump and dance in front 
 of a church, where there was a great concourse of people 
 mi account of a festival held there, and one in the crowd 
 was heard to say: " Look at that old fool !" Again, meet- 
 ing a water-carrier in a busy street, he asked leave to drink 
 from one of his casks ; and when it was granted, he put his 
 mouth to the opening and drank with much apparent satis- 
 faction, while the carrier wondered that a man of his po- 
 sition should drink in that way in the presence of so many 
 people. Another time, he drank in the same manner from 
 the flask of St. Felix the Capuchin, in view of many. 
 Being invited, one day, to dinner by Cardinal Alexandrino, 
 he took with him one of his penitents, whom he told to 
 bring him a handful of beans ready cooked, concealed un- 
 der his mantle. When all were seated at the table, he had 
 them brought out, for the s ike of appearing ill-bred. But 
 the Cardinal, who knew his virtues, instead of taking the 
 matter ill and despising him, asked for some himself, and 
 so did all the guests. Cardinal Gesualdo, who loved him 
 tenderly, thought a coat of martin- fur would be useful to 
 him, on account of his advanced age and constant attend- 
 ance in the confessional. He gave him one, exacting, at 
 
MARCH. — MORTIFICATION. 119 
 
 the same time, a promise that he would wear it. The 
 Saint kept the promise, but made use of the occasion to 
 cause himself to be laughed at, by wearing it all the time 
 in public for a month, walking with a dignified air, and 
 stopping now and then to look at it. For the same pur- 
 pose, he went many times through Kome, accompanied by 
 his penitents, carrying an immense bunch of flowers. 
 Once when he had had his beard shaved only on one side, 
 he came out in public, leaping and rejoicing, as if it were 
 a great victory. 
 
 At home he was continually doing such things. He 
 often wore a pair of white slippers, with a little cap on his 
 head, and a red vest, which came down to his knees, over 
 his long cassock. In this costume he received whoever 
 came to visit him, even if they were men of rank or great 
 nobles. He kept in his room books of stories, jest-books, 
 and others of a similar sort, and when gentlemen came to 
 see him, especially if they were of high rank, he would 
 have one of them read, and listen to it with a great show 
 of attention and pleasure. He did this in a marked manner 
 when Pope Clement YIII sent to him some Polish nobles, 
 that they might gain fervor and edification from his dis- 
 course. When he was informed that they were coming, he 
 immediately told one of his household to take one of these 
 books and read it to him, not stopping till he should tell him. 
 When the noblemen arrived, he said to them, without dis- 
 turbing himself at all : u Please wait till we come to the 
 end of this interesting story." While the reading went on, 
 he showed great attention and pleasure, like a person who 
 is listening to something important and profitable. Finally 
 he stopped it and said to the visitors : " Have I not still 
 some fine books ? Was not that one worth listening to ?" 
 And so he went on, without uttering a word on spiritual 
 
120 
 
 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 subjects. The strangers remained for a time, exchanging 
 glances with one another, and then went away astonished 
 and annoyed. After they were gone, he had the book put 
 away, saving, " We have done what was necessary." For 
 it was precisely what he desired, — that these distinguished 
 strangers should have a low opinion of him. 
 
APRIL. 
 
 PATIENCE. 
 
 Whoever taketh not up his cross and followeth Me, is not worthy of Me. 
 —Matt., x : 38. 
 
 1. The cross is the true gate through which to enter into the'temple 
 of holiness ; and by any other way it is not possible to come into it. 
 Therefore, we ought more than once to immolate our hearts to the 
 love of Jesus, upon that same altar of the cross on which He sacri- 
 ficed His for love for us. 
 
 Father Alvarez made this resolution : " I will consider 
 all aridity, disquiet, and every trial which shall come to me 
 in prayer, as a martyrdom, and as such I will bear them 
 with co 1 1 stancy ." He pursued this course faithfully for six- 
 teen years, after which he had so many consolations and ce- 
 lestial lights as were an abundant recompense for all the suf- 
 ferings he had previously endured. 
 
 St. Teresa bore the greatest aridity for eighteen years, 
 and then to what heights was she not exalted ! 
 
 St. Bernard said of himself : " All those things that the 
 world loves, such as pleasure, honors, praise, and riches, are 
 to me crosses ; and all things which the world counts as 
 crosses, I seek and embrace with the greatest affection." 
 
 2. If you see that you have not yet suffered tribulations, consider 
 it certain that you have not begun to be a true servant of God ; for 
 the Apostle says plainly that all who choose to live piously in Christ, 
 shall suffer persecutions. — St. Augustine. 
 
 St. Athanasius, St. Basil, St. John Chrysostom, St. Jer- 
 
 121 
 
122 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 ome, and St. Cyril were all charged with a thousand crimes, 
 and in that way were greatly afflicted. 
 
 St. Eomualdo was slanderously accused by one of his 
 monks of the commission of a shameful crime, was con- 
 demned, in a public assembly, to be burnt at the stake as 
 a punishment, and, in the mean time, was suspended from 
 his function as a priest. But, though he was then a cen- 
 tenarian, he bore all with the greatest tranquillity. 
 
 St. Francis Xavier was grieved when he saw everything 
 going on successfully with him in Lisbon ; and if such 
 favorable circumstances had continued to exist, he would 
 have thought that he was not serving God well. 
 
 3. By working oul our salvation through sufferings, the Son of 
 God has wished to teach us that there is nothing in us so fitted to 
 glorify Gud and to sanctify our souls as suffering. Yes, yes, to suf- 
 for for love of the Lord is the way of truth ! Therefore, the more 
 one can suffer, the more let him suffer, for he will be tue most for- 
 tunate of all ; and whoever does not resolve upon this, will never 
 make much progress. — St. Teresa. 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi was so much enamored of 
 suffering that she said : " I do not desire to die soon, because 
 in heaven there is nothing to suffer ; but I desire to live a 
 long time, because I wish to suffer long for love of my 
 Spouse. Xor would I have a brief martyrdom only, but 
 an accumulation of pains, calumnies, misfortunes, and all 
 adversities that can possibly happen to me." And when 
 she went through a long and painful illne-s, this not 
 only failed to extinguish in her this great thirst for suffer- 
 ing, but after tasting it in such a way, she longed for it the 
 more, so that while the Superior endeavored to lessen 
 her hardships for the preservation of her health, she was at 
 the same time seeking in every way to invent new kinds 
 of sufferings, that no one would perceive. It happened 
 
APEIL. — PATIENCE. 123 
 
 one day, in the course of her last illness, that having re- 
 ceived a marked affront, she not only bore it patiently, but 
 showed signs of particular friendship for the offender. 
 When one of the Sisters manifested astonishment, she told 
 her that she was glad she had not died before it occurred, 
 that she might not lose such an excellent opportunity for 
 suffering. 
 
 ' 4. The way is narrow. Whoever expects to walk in it with ease, 
 must go detached from all things, leaning on the staff of the 
 cross ; that is, firmly resolving to be willing to suffer in all things 
 for love of God. — St. John of the Cross. 
 
 Taulerus relates that he knew a great servant of God 
 who had many visions and revelations, and was acquainted 
 with the interpretation of Scripture and the secrets of hearts. 
 But becoming afraid that gifts of one sort might prove a 
 hindrance to favors of another kind, and so prevent him 
 from being loved by God, he earnestly besought the Lord 
 to be pleased to take away from him every consolation ; and 
 he was heard. For five years in succession, he never had 
 the slightest spiritual joy nor any celestial inspiration or 
 illumination, but always led a life full of afflictions, temp- 
 tations, and spiritual aridity. Finally, the Lord was moved 
 with pity at so much suffering, and, one day, sent two 
 angels to console him a little. But he, contented in his sor- 
 rows, refused this consolation, and turning his heart to God, 
 said : " O Lord, I do not desire any pleasure in this world, 
 nor do I wish that any one should enter my heart save Thy- 
 self, O my Beloved ! for it is enough consolation for me if 
 Thy holy will be done in me." This beautiful act of de- 
 tachment pleased God so much that the Eternal Father pro- 
 claimed him His beloved child, in these words : Tu es films 
 Mem in quo Mihi bene complacui — Thou art My son, in 
 whom I am well pleased. 
 
124 
 
 A YEAR WITH THE SAIXTS. 
 
 5. If any one, O Lord, does Thee a service, Thou repayest him 
 by some trial. Oh, what an inestimable reward is this for those 
 who truly love Thee, if it might be given them to know its value !— 
 St. Teresa. 
 
 When the venerable Marco di Palfox saw mat after he 
 had done a good work, some tribulation, reproach, or cal- 
 umny came upon him, he considered this as a special favor 
 from the Lord ; " for," he said, " as I receive no reward 
 in this world, it is a sign that God means to reward me 
 fully in heaven." 
 
 The Lord once appeared to the blessed Clara di Monte- 
 falco and offered her for a gift a cross which hung from 
 His neck. The Saint received the present with the great- 
 est consolation ; and there was then impressed upon her 
 heart an image of the crucifix, of the size of a finger. She 
 preserved this so well that, in her last agony, when one of 
 the nuns was looking for a cross upon the bed, she said to 
 her, " Take my heart, for you will find the crucifix there." 
 In fact, it was found there after her death. 
 
 6. O ye souls who wish to go on with so much safety and consola- 
 tion, if you knew how pleasing to God is suffering, and how much 
 it helps in acquiring other good things, you would never seek con- 
 solation in anything ; but you would rather look upon it as a great 
 happiness to bear the cross after the Lord.— St. John of the Cross. ' 
 
 Blessed William the Abbot, saw, one night, in a dream, 
 some angels who were weaving a crown of marvellous rich- 
 ness and beauty ; and when he asked them for whom they 
 were making it, they said that it was for him, and would 
 be finished when he had suffered enough. 
 
 St. Gertrude once prayed the Lord, at the time of the Car- 
 nival, to show her some special service, pleasing to Him, that 
 she might perform on those three days, on which He had 
 to suffer so many insults from the world. The Lord made 
 
APKIL. — PATIENCE. 125 
 
 her tbis reply : " My daughter, you will never be able to 
 do Me a greater service at any time, than bearing patiently, 
 in honor of My Passion, whatever tribulation may come 
 to you, whether it be interior or exterior, always forcing 
 yourself to do all those things that are most contrary to 
 your desires." 
 
 The Lord appeared one day to St. Teresa, and addressed 
 her thus : " Know that those souls are most pleasing to 
 My Heavenly Father, that are tried by the very greatest 
 afflictions and sufferings !" From that time, the Saint con- 
 ceived such a love for suffering, that she found no consolation 
 but in bearing it ; and when she was without any trouble, 
 she was disquieted, and even said that she would not 
 have exchanged her trials for all the treasures in the world ; 
 and she often had upon her lips those beautiful words, " To 
 suffer, or to die." After her death, she appeared to one of 
 the Sisters, and revealed to her that she was rewarded in 
 heaven for nothing so much as for the contradiction she • 
 had suffered in life, and that if she could wish to return to 
 earth for any reason, the only one would be that she might 
 suffer something. 
 
 7. One ounce of the cross is worth more than a million pounds of 
 prayer. One day of crucifixion is worth more than a hundred years 
 of all other exercises. It is worth more to remain a moment upon the 
 cross, than to taste the delights of Paradise. — Ihe Ven. Sister Maria 
 Vittoria Angelini. 
 
 St. Bridget once received and bore patiently a succession 
 of trials from various persons. One of them made an in- 
 sulting remark to her ; another praised her in her presence, 
 but complained of her in her absence ; another calumniated 
 her ; another spoke ill of a servant of God, in her presence, 
 to her great displeasure ; one did her a grievous wrong, 
 and she blessed her ; one caused her a loss, and she prayed 
 
126 
 
 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 for her; and a seventh gave her false information of the 
 death of her son, which she received with tranquillity and 
 resignation. After all this, St. Agnes the Martyr appeared 
 to her, bringing in her hand a most beautiful crown 
 adorned with seven precious stones, telling her that they 
 had been placed there by these seven persons. Then she 
 put it upon her head and disappeared. How could so 
 much have been gained by any other exercise ? 
 
 The Blessed Angela di Foligno, when asked how she 
 was able to receive and endure sufferings with so much 
 cheerfulness, replied : " Believe me, the grandeur and 
 value of sufferings are not known to us. For, if we knew 
 the worth of our trials, they would become for us objects of 
 plunder, and we should go about trying to snatch from one 
 another opportunities to suffer." 
 
 8. One " Thanks be to God," or one " Blessed be God," in adver- 
 sity, is worth more than a thousand thanksgivings in prosperity- — 
 Father M. d'Avila. 
 
 AYhen St. Francis was suffering much bodily pain in 
 illness, one of his monks told him that he would pray to 
 God to grant him some relief. The Saint reproved him, 
 and bowing his head to the ground, said : " O Lord, I give 
 Thee thanks for this pain which I am suffering, and I 
 pray Thee to be pleased to increase it. What can or should 
 be more acceptable to me than this, that Thou shouldst af- 
 fflict me without mercy, for this is the very thing that I 
 de-ire above all." 
 
 9. If the Lord should give you power to raise the dead, He would 
 give much less than He does when He bestows suffering. By mira- 
 cles you would make yourself debtor to Him, while by suffering He 
 may become debtor to you. And even if sufferings had no other 
 reward than being able to bear something for that God who loves you, 
 is not this a great reward and a sufficient remuneration ? Whoever 
 loves, understands what I say.— St. J. Chrysostom. 
 
APRIL. — PATIENCE. 127 
 
 This Saint set so high a value on suffering, that he even 
 said : " I venerate St. Paul not so much for having been 
 raised to the third heaven, as for the imprisonment he suf- 
 fered. And so, if I were asked whether I would be placed 
 in heaven among the angels, or in prison with Paul, I 
 would prefer the latter. And if it were left to my choice 
 whether I should be Peter in chains, or the angel that re- 
 leased him, I would certainly rather be the first than the 
 second." 
 
 St. Louis the King, when conversing with the King of 
 England about the slavery he endured in Turkey, in which 
 he suffered many trials, expressed himself in this man- 
 ner : " I thank God for the ill success of that war, and I re- 
 joice more at the patience which the Lord granted me at 
 that time, than if I had subjugated the country." 
 
 The Lord once appeared to the Blessed Baptista Verrani, 
 and said to her : " Believe, My daughter, that I have shown 
 you greater love in sending you afflictions, than in lavish- 
 ing upon you every mark of tenderness. In what could I 
 show My love more than in seeking for you what I chose 
 for Myself? Know that to keep from sin is a great good, 
 to perform good works a greater, but the greatest of all is 
 to suffer." 
 
 10. It ought to be considered a great misfortune, not only for in- 
 dividuals, but also for Houses and Congregations, to have every- 
 thing in conformity with their wishes ; to go on quietly, and to 
 suffer nothing for the love of God. Yes, consider it certain that a 
 person or a Congregation that does not suffer and is applauded by 
 all the world, is near a fall. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 How fully St. Vincent was persuaded of this truth, he 
 showed by the manner in which he informed his disciples 
 of a considerable loss which had befallen the house. " As 
 I had been considering," he said, " for a long time, how 
 
128 
 
 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 happily the affairs of the Congregation were going on, and 
 how well everything succeeded, I began to be much afraid 
 of this calm, for I knew that God is accustomed to try 
 His servants. But blessed be the Divine Goodness, which 
 has deigned to visit us with a very considerable loss." 
 
 A holy old man, who was very often sick, was much 
 grieved at passing a whole year without an illness, saying 
 that God must have abandoned him, as He had ceased to 
 visit him. 
 
 Sts. Francis and Andrew Avellino entertained the same 
 sentiments. They thought on any day when they Buffered 
 nothing for the love of God, that He had forgotten and 
 abandoned them. 
 
 One night when Father Avila was sick, his pain in- 
 creased excessively after the candle went out, and the at- 
 tendants had gone to sleep. He was unwilling to awake 
 them, but after a while, overcome by the sharpness of fclie 
 pain, he prayed the Lord to be pleased to deliver him from 
 such agony. He then fell asleep, and on awaking, found 
 himself free from pain. Whereupon, he said to one of his 
 disciples, "What a severe blow the Lord has dealt me tin's 
 night !" By this he meant that in hearing his prayer, God 
 had taken from him the occasion of suffering and of merit- 
 ing. 
 
 11. We have never so much cause for consolation, as when we find 
 ourselves oppressed by sufferings aud trials ; for these make us like 
 Christ our Lord, and this resemblance is the true mark of our pre- 
 destination.—^. V. ds Paul. 
 
 No one has understood this great truth so well as St. 
 Andrew the Apostle. At first sight of the cross on which 
 he was to be crucified, he was filled with joy, and broke forth 
 into this exclamation : " O cross so much desired, so much 
 
APRIL. PATIENCE. 129 
 
 loved, and so much sought by me ! behold how I come to 
 thee full of security and joy ! Do thou separate me from 
 men, and restore me to my Master, so that by thy means He 
 may receive me, who by thy means redeemed me." 
 
 The Lord once said to St. Gertrude : " The more you 
 are tried, and the more your way of life is disapproved with- 
 out any fault of your own, the dearer you will be to Me, 
 on account of the increased resemblance to Me, which you 
 will thus attain ; for any one who greatly resembles a king, 
 is usually very dear to him ; and I lived in constant suffer- 
 ing, and was opposed in all I did." 
 
 When St. Matilda was suffering from a severe illness, 
 Jesus Christ came to her, and told her that when He beheld 
 persons grievously afflicted and tormented, He embraced 
 them with His left arm, to draw them very near His heart. 
 
 12. There is no more evident sign that anyone is a saint and of the 
 number of the elect, than to see him leading a good life and at the 
 same time a prey to desolation, suffering, and trials. — St. A. 
 Gonzaga. 
 
 Because St. Ignatius Loyola was perfect ana dear to God, 
 persecutions came upon him to such an extent, that it would 
 often happen that while he was at a distance, his companions 
 lived in great tranquillity, and im mediately upon his re- 
 turn, some trial would fall upon the house. 
 
 St. Teresa once received some money from a merchant 
 who recommended himself to her prayers. A little while 
 after, she said to him : " I have prayed for you, and it has 
 been revealed to me that your name is written in the Book 
 of Life ; and as a token of this, nothing in future will go on 
 prosperously with you." And this came to pass exactly ; 
 for, within a short time, all his ships were lost, and he be- 
 came bankrupt. When his friends heard of these disas- 
 
130 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 ters, they provided him with another ship, which was also 
 soon wrecked. Then, of his own accord, he entered the debt- 
 ors' prison. But his creditors, knowing how good he was, 
 would not harm him, and set him free. Having thus be- 
 come poor, he ended his life like a saint, content with God 
 alone. 
 
 13. If God causes you to suffer much, it is a sign that He has great 
 designs for you, and that He certainly intends to make you a saint. 
 And if you wish to become a great saint, entreat Him yourself to 
 give you much opportunity for suffering ; for there is no wood 
 better to kindle the fire of holy love than the wood of the cross, 
 which Christ used for His own great sacrifice of boundless charity. 
 — St. Ign. Loyohi. 
 
 Joseph suffered great afflictions and trials from his 
 brethren, and these formed precisely the way by which 
 the Lord led him to his great exaltation. 
 
 St. Teresa, who was formed for so lofty a destiny, suffered 
 incredible trials from all sorts of people, even from the 
 good and spiritual. Many considered her deluded by the 
 devil. Many ridiculed her prayers and revelations. Some 
 wished to exorcise her as possessed. Others accused her 
 to the Holy Office ; and she suffered, besides, much opposi- 
 tion and trouble from her Superiors, in regard to the mon- 
 asteries which she founded. 
 
 14. There is no better test to distinguish the chaff from the grain, 
 in the Church of God, than the manner in which sufferings, con- 
 tradiction, and contempt are borne. Whoever remains uumoved 
 under these, is grain. Whoever rises against them, is chaff ; and the 
 lighter and more worthless he is, the higher he rises, —that is, the 
 more he is agitated, and the more proudly he replies.— <&. Augustine. 
 
 A person of high rank presented himself to St. Francis 
 de Sales, to ask a benefice for an ecclesiastic who enjoyed 
 his patronage. The Saint replied that as to conferring bene- 
 
APRIL. — PATIENCE. 131 
 
 fices he had tied his own hands, for he had decided that 
 they should be given only after a competitive examination ; 
 but that he would not forget his recommendation, if this 
 priest would offer himself to be examined with the others. 
 The gentleman, who was quick-tempered, believing this to 
 be only a pretext for refusal, accused him of duplicity and 
 hypocrisy, and even threatened him. When the Saint per- 
 ceived that gentle words did no good, he entreated him not 
 to object at least to a private examination ; and, as he was 
 still dissatisfied, " Then," said St. Francis, " you wish that 
 I should entrust to him a portion of my charge with my 
 eves closed ? Consider whether that is just !" At this, the 
 gentleman began to raise his voice angrily, and to make all 
 kinds of insulting remarks to the holy bishop, who bore all 
 in unbroken silence. 
 
 An acquaintance of his, who was present, asked him, after 
 the scene was over, how he had been able to endure such in- 
 sults without showing the least resentment. " Do not be as- 
 tonished at this," said the Saint, " for it was not he that 
 spoke, but his anger. Outside of this he is one of my dear- 
 est friends, and you will see after a while that my silence 
 will increase his attachment for me." " But did you not 
 feel any resentment at all ?" pursued the other. " I turned 
 my thoughts in another direction," was the answer, " set- 
 ting myself to consider the good qualities of this person, 
 whose friendship I had previously so much enjoyed." The 
 gentleman afterwards came and asked pardon, even with 
 tears, and they became firmer friends than ever before. 
 
 One day, as St. Felix the Capuchin was going through 
 the street in Eome, with a flask of wine on his back, he 
 met a gentleman on a spirited horse, which he spurred so 
 furiously that it trampled upon one foot of the servant of 
 God, who fell to the ground. The flask was broken, and 
 
132 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 the wine ran out upon the pavement, mingled with the 
 blood which flowed freely from the wound. All the by- 
 standers, affrighted at the accident, expressed their pity for 
 the Saint. He alone retained his usual serenity of coun- 
 tenance, and looking at the gentleman with a mild glance, 
 asked his pardon for his imprudence and rudeness in ob- 
 structing his path. The rider, however, instead of ap- 
 preciating so much virtue, was angry, and with a haughty 
 look and without a word of answer, spurred his horse 
 and rode proudly away. Brother Felix, being assisted to 
 rise, by those who had gathered around, went back to his 
 monastery as best he might. As he was not able to walk 
 quickly for some time, on account of the injury to his foot, 
 he used to say to himself: " Get on, you beast of an ass ! 
 what are you loitering for ? You are so slow and spiritless 
 that you will deserve the stick !" Then turning his heart 
 to God, lie would break forth into devout thanksgivings 
 for His infinite goodness. But after the gentleman had 
 recollected himself a little, and reflected upon the wrong he 
 had done by his scornful treatment of an innocent and 
 holy Religious, he went the next day to the monastery, 
 and falling on his knees before the Saint, begged pardon 
 for the proud and cruel treatment he had given him. The 
 servant of God forgave him with so much cordiality and 
 courtesy, that he resolved to change his habits and his whole 
 life. 
 
 This beautiful truth was known even to Pagan philoso- 
 phers. St. Basil relates of Socrates, that when he was 
 one day struck in the face, in the public square, by one of 
 the rabble, he not only showed no anger at such an insult, 
 but, with tranquil mind and serene countenance, stood quite 
 still until his face was livid with blows. Still more remarka- 
 ble is this anecdote of Epictetus. One day, his master, 
 
APEIL.— : PATIENCE. 133 
 
 who had a violent temper, gave him a blow on one leg. He 
 said to him coolly, that he had better take care not to break 
 it ; and when, by repeated blows, his master actually broke 
 the bone, Epictetus added, without any emotion : " Did I 
 not tell you that you were running a risk of breaking it ?" 
 
 15. It is certain that the true spirit is inclined rather to afflictions, 
 aridity, disgust, and trials, than to sweet and pleasing communica- 
 tions ; foi it knows that the former is that following of Christ and 
 that denial of self so much inculcated by the Lord. — St. John oj the 
 Cross. 
 
 The Lord appeared to St. Catherine with two crowns 
 in His hand, one of gold, the other of thorns, and told her 
 to choose whichever she preferred. She chose the second. 
 From that time she conceived so great a love for afflictions 
 and trials, that she said : " There is nothing that consoles 
 me so much, and gives me so much comfort, as afflictions 
 and crosses, and it seems to me that if I had not this sup- 
 port from time to time, I should live the most wretched life 
 in the world ; and if God should give me my choice whether 
 to go now into Paradise or to remain a little longer here 
 to suffer, I should choose the latter rather than the former, 
 for I know how much glory is increased by sufferings." 
 
 The blessed Maria d'Ognes used to sleep with the ground 
 for her bed, a stone for her pillow, and hair-cloth for a 
 blanket. Being, one day, tried beyond measure by the 
 pains of paralysis, she uttered such mournful sighs that a 
 holy man prayed to God for her, and she was relieved from 
 her illness. But when she was sensible of the cure, she 
 sent to ask the Saint not to pray for her any more, saying 
 that she valued sickness much more than health. 
 
 16. Those who have arrived at perfection, and especially true con- 
 templatives, do not ask the Lord to free them from trials and temp- 
 
134 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 tations. They rather desire and value them as worldlings value 
 gold and jewels, for they know that these are to make them rich. — 
 St. Teresa. 
 
 St. Catherine of Genoa once said in the midst of extreme 
 pain and severe torture : " O Lord ! it is thirty-six years 
 since Thou first gavest me spiritual light, and ever since, I 
 have desired nothing but sufferings, interior and exterior." 
 
 The Venerable Anna Maria of St. Joseph, a Discalced 
 Carmelite, and a person of no ordinary piety, exercised her- 
 self continually in the sharpest penances and austerities. 
 When the others tried to turn her away from these practices, 
 she replied : " Xo, I will never cease until the Lord satiates 
 me with His griefs and reproaches." She often said, too, 
 that she wished for neither relics, nor rosary, nor a cell, 
 nor anything but a cross upon which to crucify herself." 
 
 St. Francis Xavier, when he had a cross, used to make 
 this prayer : " O Lord, do not take it away from me, 
 unless to give me a greater." 
 
 17. Kiss frequently the crosses which the Lord sends you, and with 
 all your heart, without regarding of what sort they may be ; for 
 the more vile and mean they are, the more they deserve their 
 name. The merit of crosses does not consist in their weight, but in 
 the manner in which they are borne. It may show much greater 
 virtue to bear a cross of straw than a very hard and heavy one, be- 
 cause the light ones are also the most hidden and contemned, aud 
 therefore least conformable to our inclination, which always seeks 
 what is showy. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 In the many long and painful journeys made by this 
 Saint, he was never heard to complain of cold, or wind, or 
 the heat of the sun, or the quality of his food ; but he took 
 all things peacefully from the hand of God, and was particu- 
 larly pleased with the worst and most inconvenient articles, 
 and when he could ; he always chose them for himself. 
 
APEIL. — PATIENCE. 135 
 
 Mention is made in the Chronicles of St. Dominic of a 
 novice of that Order, who died in the monastery of Argen- 
 tina, and who opened his eyes unexpectedly, while the Relig- 
 ious were saying the last prayers for his soul, and said : " Lis- 
 ten, dearest Brothers : I am like one who goes to a fair, and 
 buys a great deal for a little money. Behold, I am receiv- 
 ing the kingdom of heaven for a few trials, and I do not 
 see how I deserve it." Having spoken thus, he reposed in 
 the Lord. 
 
 St. John Climacus says that he found in a monastery a 
 young monk who received little penances from the Superior 
 for trifling faults, and haughty and discourteous treat- 
 ment from almost all the rest. The Saint showed sympa- 
 thy for him, and wished to console him ; but the good youth 
 said : " Father, do not give yourself any trouble. They 
 treat me in this way, not because they have bad dispositions 
 and little charity, but the Lord permits it to exercise me 
 in patience, which is necessary to show whether I am serv- 
 ing God truly. Certainly I have no cause to complain, 
 for even gold is not made perfect without being tried." 
 Two years after, added the holy Abbot, this youth passed 
 to a better life, saying to his Brothers before he expired : 
 " I render thanks to Jesus Christ and to you, Fathers, and I 
 testify that through having been tried by you to my profit 
 and advancement, I have lived free from the snares of the 
 devil, and now depart in peace." 
 
 In the Lives of the Fathers, a story is told of a holy 
 monk who every night gave his disciple an instruction, and 
 afterwards sent him to rest. Now, one evening, while giv- 
 ing it, the old man fell asleep, and the good novice, while 
 waiting for him to awake, was much tempted to impatience 
 and to go away to sleep. He conquered himself, however, 
 seven times, with great earnestness and fervor. At mid- 
 
136 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 night, the old man awoke and dismissed him. While say- 
 ing his final prayers, the old Father had a vision of an 
 angel, who showed him a most beautiful throne, with 
 seven crowns above it. In answer to his questions, the angel 
 said that they were for his disciple, who had gained them 
 that night by his victory over seven temptations. When 
 his disciple told him all in the morning, he was struck with 
 wonder to see how bountifully God recompenses all our good 
 actions. 
 
 18. If we could but know what a precious treasure lies concealed 
 in infirmities, we would receive them with as much joy as we would 
 the greatest benefits, and we would bear them without complaint or 
 any sign of annoyance. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 This Saint was tried by many long and most painful in- 
 firmities, which often deprived him of the use of his limbs, 
 and left him no rest by day or night. He bore them all 
 witli unalterable tranquillity, and conversed with the same 
 affability and serenity of countenance that he had when he 
 was well. A word of complaint never escaped from his 
 lips, but he praised and thanked God constantly for send- 
 ing to him these sufferings, and looked on them as special fa- 
 vors. The most he did when the pain was at its worst, was to 
 turn to the crucifix and animate himself to patience by de- 
 vout interior aspirations. If he ever happened to speak 
 of his sufferings, he mentioned them as a thing of no ac- 
 count, saying that he suffered little in comparison with 
 what he deserved, or w ith what Christ suffered for love of 
 us. One of his household was one day applying a dressing 
 to his limbs, which were diseased for forty years, when, 
 moved with compassion at seeing them so swollen and 
 ulcerated, he exclaimed, " Alas, how grievous are your 
 sufferings !" But the Saint quickly replied : " How can 
 
APRIL. — PATIENCE. 137 
 
 you apply the word grievous to the work of God, and His 
 divine arrangement in causing a miserable sinner to suffer ? 
 May God pardon you for what you have just said ! This 
 is not the way to speak in the school of Christ ! Is it not 
 right that the guilty should suffer and be chastised? 
 And cannot the Lord do with us whatever pleases Him ?" 
 
 Once writing of his sufferings to an intimate friend, he said : 
 " I did not wish to let you know of my sickness, fearing it 
 would make you sad. But God is good ! How long shall 
 we be so weak that we shall not have courage to reveal to 
 one another the graces and favors God bestows on us in 
 visiting us with sickness ? May it please His divine good- 
 ness to give us a little more spirit, that we may find our 
 satisfaction in His !" Through all his illnesses he never 
 ceased to take an interest in the affairs of the house and 
 of the whole Congregation. He received persons of all sorts, 
 whether belonging to his Order or not, if they came to him 
 on business or for other reasons, and always with such a 
 smiling face and with so much amiability and serenity that 
 if they had not known his state of health from others, they 
 would have considered him well. Neither did such great 
 infirmities cause him to change his usual mode of life. 
 Up to his death he continued to sleep on straw, and to take 
 the common food. When the physicians and some persons 
 of rank tried to persuade him to take delicacies, be did so 
 once or twice to please them, but immediately returned to 
 what he generally ate, under the pretext that his stomach 
 would not bear other food. 
 
 When St. Felix the Capuchin was suffering severely from 
 colic, he was asked, by the doctor, how he felt, and answered : 
 " The wicked ass of a body would be glad to escape the 
 stick, but it must st md and receive the blow." When he 
 was urged to have recourse to the divine aid, by invoking 
 
138 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 the most holy name of Jesus, from whom he might expect 
 relief — " What do you say ?" cried the Saint ; " to what 
 do you advise me ? Xever ! These are not pains, but celes- 
 tial flowers which Paradise produces, and the Lord shares 
 among His children." Then he began to praise and bless 
 the Divine Goodness which dealt thus with him. 
 
 19. There are some sick persons who grieve aud lament not so 
 much for their own trouhles, as for what they cause to those around 
 them, and because they cannot occupy themselves in good works, 
 and especially in prayer, as they did when tbey were well. In this 
 they deceive themselves greatly, for as to the trouble given to others, 
 whoever is truly patient wishes for all that God wishes, and in the 
 manner and with the inconveniences that He wishes ; as to works, 
 one day of suffering borne with resignation, is worth more than a 
 month of great labors ; and as to prayer, which is better : to remain 
 upon the cross with Christ, or to stay at the foot of it and contem- 
 plate His sufferings ? Besides, to offer to the Lord His own weakness, 
 to remember for whom it was suffered, and to conform ourselves to 
 His holy will, is certainly a very excellent prayer.— St. F. de Sales. 
 
 This Saint bore well not only the afflictions and trials 
 which came to him, but also their consequences, Bucb as the 
 inconvenience which his illnesses caused those who waited 
 on him or lived with him. And in all other things it was 
 the same. 
 
 Father Alvarez saw, in a trance, the great glory which 
 God had prepared for a nun who was tried by a most 
 grievous illness, which she bore with all possible patience. 
 He said that she had merited more in eight months of sick- 
 ness than some healthy and devout persons in many years. 
 
 St. Aldegonda, having been forewarned of the day of 
 her death, prayed the Lord to send her first some painful 
 disease, that, purified by it, she might fly the more lightly to 
 heaven. She was heard, for there came to her an acute 
 fever with very sharp pain. In this state she rejoiced, 
 
APEIL. — PATIENCE. 139 
 
 considering the fever a refreshing coolness ; the pain, con- 
 solation ; and the sweats, a soothing bath by which she 
 should be thoroughly purified for her flight to heaven. 
 
 While St. Francis was suffering very acute pain in his 
 eyes, he gave thanks constantly to God, and prayed to Him 
 for perseverance in His service. One day, the Lord said to 
 him : " Rejoice, Francis, for the treasure of eternal life is 
 in store for you, and these pains are a pledge of it." 
 
 When St. Vincent de Paul was seriously ill, he used to 
 practise a method of prayer, which was easy and pleasant, 
 and at the same time profitable. It was to remain quietly 
 in the presence of God, without forcibly applying his intel- 
 lect to any considerations, only exciting his soul to frequent 
 acts of resignation to the will of God, confidence, love, or 
 thanksgiving. 
 
 20. Observe that we gain more in a single day by trials which come 
 to us from God and our neighbor,thau we would in ten years by pen- 
 ances and other exercises, which we take up of ourselves. — St. 
 Teresa. 
 
 St. Lionina, after suffering for thirty-eight years from a 
 cruel disease, longed to endure yet greater pains, and to 
 finish her course as a martyr. While she was burning 
 with this desire, she was uplifted in an ecstasy, and saw a 
 most beautiful crown, still unfinished, which she was told 
 was in preparation for her. Eager to have it completed, 
 she prayed the Lord to increase her torments, and He sent 
 two soldiers, who tortured her with blows and insults. 
 After this, an angel appeared to her with a crown in his 
 hand, quite finished, and told her that these last trials had 
 placed in it the jewels that were previously wanting. 
 
 An angel appeared, one day, to the blessed Henry Susone, 
 and offered him a shield, a lance, and spurs, saying : 
 
140 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 " Hitherto you have fought among the infantry, and now 
 you will join the cavalry ; hitherto you have practised 
 mortifications of your own choice, now you shall be morti- 
 fied by the scourge of evil tongues ; hitherto you have en- 
 joyed milk from the breast of Christ, n<»w you shall be in- 
 ebriated with His gall ; hitherto you have been pleasing 
 to men, now they will rise against you." The following 
 day, as the servant of God was meditating upon this vision, 
 he felt impelled to go to the window, and on looking out, 
 he saw a goat in the court-yard, with a rag in its mouth, 
 which it was pulling and tearing. Then he heard a voice 
 which said : " Thus are you to be torn by the mouths of 
 others." He, thereupon, went down stairs, and picked up 
 the rag, which he preserved as a precious pledge of his 
 cross. 
 
 21. He has not true patience, who is willing to suffer only what 
 he pleases, and from whom he pleases. The truly patient man does 
 not regard the length nor the kind of his sufferings, nor yet the person 
 who makes him suffer,— whether he be a superior, an equal, or an in- 
 ferior; whether he be a holy man or ill-disposed and dishonorable. 
 His only aim is to suffer. — A. Kempis.. 
 
 We are told, in the Lives of the Fathers, of a young monk 
 who dwelt with an aged monk who went every morn- 
 ing to the city to sell the articles which they had both made 
 on the preceding day, and who spent all they brought upon 
 wine for himself, bringing home only a bit of bread for the 
 youth. The young man bore this way of life for three 
 years ; but at last, finding himself in rags and dying of 
 hunger, he began to consider whether it would not be well 
 to leave such a companion and go elsewhere. Then an angel 
 appeared to him and said : " Have patience a little longer, 
 for to-morrow you shall be with me in Paradise." He told 
 this vision to the old man, who did not believe it. But the 
 
APEIL. — PATIENCE. 141 
 
 following day, as they were discussing the matter, the holy 
 youth peacefully expired, and the old man was converted 
 and mourned for his previous life. 
 
 22, The Lord sends us tribulation ;md infirmities to give us the 
 means of paying the immense debts we have contracted with Him. 
 Therefore, those who have good sense receive them joyfully, for 
 they think more of the good which they may derive from them 
 than of the pain which they experience on account of them. — St. V. 
 Ferrer. 
 
 This Saint unfolded this same sentiment more fully in a 
 sermon which contained this pleasing parable : There was 
 a king who had in prison two men who both owed him 
 large sums of money. Seeing that they were unable to 
 pay, because they possessed nothing, he threw down a purse 
 full of money upon each of them with so much force that 
 they both felt the pain. One, angry at the blow, showed 
 his impatience without making any account of the purse ; 
 but the other, not regarding the pain, recognized the favor 
 done him, and, taking the purse, gave thanks to the king, 
 and paid his debt with the money. " Now, precisely the 
 same thing happens with us," added the Saint. " We all 
 owe heavy debts to God for the many benefits we have 
 received from Him, and for the many sins we have com- 
 mitted against Him, nor have we anything of our own to 
 pay them. Therefore, moved by pity for us, He sends us 
 the gold of patience in the purse of tribulations, that we 
 may use it to pay our debts. Whoever will not do this, only 
 increases his debts and renders himself, at the same time, 
 more displeasing to God." 
 
 The example of the two thieves crucified with Christ, 
 confirms this truth. By his patience, one paid his debts 
 and gained Paradise • while the other, by his impatience, 
 
142 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 made himself more than ever a debtor, and obtained for 
 himself eternal pains. 
 
 CVsarius tells of a Cistercian monk who appeared to his 
 Abbot in great glory the night after his death, and said to 
 him : " Know, my Father, that the sharp pains and tor- 
 tures of my illness supplied for me the place of purgatory 
 by anticipation ; and therefore I rose directly from earth to 
 heaven." 
 
 23. Do not be vexed at the contradictions you meet in ordinary 
 intercourse, for they give an opportunity to practise the most pre- 
 cious and amiable virtues, which our Lord has recommended to us. 
 Believe me that true virtue is no more reared in outward repose, 
 than good fish in the stagnant water of a swamp. How shall we 
 prove our love for God, who has suffered so much for us, if not 
 among contradictions and repugnauces ? — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 The blessed Seraphino the Capuchin was once in com- 
 pany with his Superiors and a young secular, who, seeing 
 him so simple, humble, and imperturbable, took a fancy to 
 tyrannize over him and to go so far as to slight, insult, and 
 even strike him. Brother Seraphino, unmoved by all these 
 insults, only said, with perfect amiability : " Ah, my little 
 saint ! my little saint !" (It was by this name that he 
 would call those who insulted him.) " Let us do good in 
 the service of God." 
 
 One of the Fathers of the Desert used to imagine Jesus 
 Christ standing by his side in his tribulations, and saying 
 to him : " You are My brother, and are you not ashamed 
 to make any difficulty about suffering this, when you know 
 how much I have suffered for you ?" 
 
 24. If any house should be found where there was no monk who 
 was troublesome and of a bad disposition, it would be well to look 
 for one, and to pay him at a high rate for the great good that results 
 from this evil when judiciously managed.— ££. Bernard. 
 
APEIL. — PATIENCE. 143 
 
 When St. Philip Neri was living at San Girolamo, he 
 had a great concourse of penitents. The sacristans of the ' 
 church, annoyed by this, took a dislike to him, and did him 
 all the ill-turns they could. Sometimes, when he was go- 
 ing to say Mass, they locked the door in his face ; or they 
 would not give him the sacred vestments, or only cheap and 
 torn ones, with many rude and insulting remarks. Some- 
 times they took from his hands the missal and chalice, or 
 hid them, or compelled him to take off his vestments when 
 he already had them on. Again, they would make him 
 leave one altar and go to another, or perhaps back to the 
 sacristy, — and all to irritate him and induce him to leave 
 the place. But the holy man, without ever complaining 
 of the bad treatment he received, or giving any sign of an- 
 noyance, went on concealing his feelings, and praying for 
 these men, treating them also with charity and respect, and 
 doing them any services that he could. Though he was 
 often urged by his friends to go and live elsewhere, he would 
 not do it, " because," said he, " I do not wish to fly from the 
 cross which God sends me." This lasted for some years. 
 Finally, seeing that he accomplished nothing by his charity 
 and humility, and that his enemies, instead of being softened, 
 rather increased in pertinacity, he had recourse to God for 
 some relief, and, one day in particular, fixing his eyes upon 
 a crucifix, he said : " O my good Jesus ! why dost Thou not 
 hear me ? For so long a time, and with so much earnest- 
 ness, I have asked for patience ; why hast Thou not listened 
 to me ?" Then he heard a voice in his heart, which said : 
 " Dost thou not ask Me for patience ? I will give it to thee, 
 but it is by this means that I wish thee to gain it." Thence- 
 forward, he bore all with greater cheerfulness, and with 
 the most perfect content, to such a degree that he no longer 
 felt any o^ their injuries, but greatly desired them ; and 
 
144 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 when he was ill-treated by these men, or by others, he 
 made no account of it, and did not speak of it, nor allow it 
 to be spoken of. If he ever heard any evil said of those 
 who had offended him, he promptly excused them, praised 
 them, and, if it was suitable, visited and protected them. On 
 this account, he acquired such a liking for the place that for 
 thirty years he would never have it. He could not be in- 
 duced to abandon his beloved place of suffering, even when 
 he had built the new Oratory of the new church, and many 
 of his sons had gone to live there. Though they tried to 
 prove to him the suitableness and the obligation of living 
 with them as he was their founder and head, all their en- 
 treaties and prayers were of no avail, until, finally, the 
 authority of the Pope was interposed to give them .success. 
 
 25. In this life there is no purgatory, but either paradise or hell. 
 He who bears tribulations with patience, has paradise ; he who 
 does not, hell. — >Si. Philip Neri. 
 
 A prisoner at the bar once called for a Jesuit Father, 
 and said to him : " Father, I wish you to know that I, too, 
 was once of your Order. For some time, I was exact in 
 the observance of the Rules ; I lived content, and did 
 everything with ease and pleasure. Then I began, little 
 by little, to relax, till, after a time, I found so much difficulty 
 and trouble in every trifle, that it seemed best to leave the 
 Order. Finally, you see where my sins have brought me. 
 I have told you this that my example might be of use to 
 others." 
 
 \Yhen St. Francis de Sales was ill, it was a matter of great 
 edification to notice how simply he told his symptoms, with-, 
 out exaggeration or complaint, how patiently and uncom- 
 plainingly he bore them, and how he received all remedies 
 without opposition. Though he sometimes suffered most 
 
APRIL. — PATIENCE. 145 
 
 cruel pains in his inferior nature, he always preserved an 
 unalterable serenity of brow and eye, as if he were not suf- 
 fering at all. Thus he came to enjoy Paradise even while 
 suffering, unlike so many others, w ho, at every trifling pain, 
 seem impatient and inconsolable. 
 
 26. Learn, my Sisters, to suffer something for the love of God, 
 without letting every one know it. — St. Teresa. 
 
 On a Good Friday, the venerable Father Daponte asked 
 our Lord the favor of giving him a share in His sufferings. 
 He answered by sending him fearful pains for the rest of 
 his life, which he received with the greatest possible joy. 
 Once being asked how he felt, he replied : " Oh, how well 
 God chastises this sinner ! I tell you that except my head, 
 no part of my body is without its own particular pain." 
 A little while after, he repented of having said so much, 
 and made a vow never to reveal his sufferings to any one, 
 when he could conceal them without displeasing God. 
 
 St. Philip Neri, in his illnesses, which were long, severe, 
 and frequent, was seen always with a cheerful countenance 
 and a serene brow ; he never gave any sign of pain, how- 
 ever great it might be, nor talked about his sickness, ex- 
 cept to the physicians. 
 
 For twenty-eight years St. Clare suffered grievous in- 
 firmities, and in all that time was never heard to com- 
 plain of her sufferings, but instead, she thanked God for 
 them. 
 
 It is related, in the Lives of the Fathers, that when the 
 Abbot Stephen was sick, his companions made for him a 
 fried cake, but used, by mistake, a kind of oil which was 
 very bitter. The holy Abbot perceived this on tasting it, 
 but ate a little, without saying anything. When another 
 was made in the same way, the Abbot tasted that also, and 
 
146 A YEAE WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 left it without a word. This would have continued longer, 
 if his companion, wishing to tempt him to eat by example, 
 had not taken a piece himself. When he perceived how 
 bitter it was, he was very much grieved ; but the Abbot 
 said : " Do not trouble yourself about it, my son, for if God 
 had not willed that you should mistake one kind of oil for 
 another, you would not have done it." 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi invented a great and secret 
 mortification, which she afterwards practised for the rest of 
 her life. When she noticed that her Superiors, through re- 
 gard for her health, tried to give her such food as she liked 
 best, she showed a preference for what was disagreeable and 
 unpleasant to her tas'e, and made it appear that those things 
 w T hich she really desired, were objects of aversion, and 
 would make her ill. And so it happened that what she 
 disliked was often given her, and what would have suited 
 her taste, was forbidden. In reward for this, she enjoyed 
 imperturbable peace of soul, and the constant presence of 
 God. 
 
 27. "Whoever aspires to perfection, must beware of saying, •' I 
 was right. They did that to me without reason." If you are not 
 willing to bear any cross which is not given you according to reason, 
 perfection is not for you. — St. Teresa. 
 
 When Brother Egidius of Tarentum, a Franciscan lay- 
 brother, was roughly treated by his Superiors or compan- 
 ions, or called a useless and unprofitable servant, he never 
 excused himself, but said, with a smile, "Give it to 
 Brother Ass, for he deserves much worse !" On account 
 of the miracles he performed in Tarentum, crowds of peo- 
 ple gathered about him, to the no small inconvenience of 
 the other Brothers, so that he was sent away to the monastery 
 in Bari. But scarcely had he arrived, when multitudes 
 
APEIL. — PATIENCE. 147 
 
 came to the monastery to see him, and receive aid from 
 him, and the monks there, blaming him for the disorder, 
 were as much displeased as the others had been. The 
 Father Guardian reproved him severely in Chapter, saying 
 that he was a drunkard, a fool, an idle, restless man, full 
 of hypocrisy and ambition, who sought the credit of per- 
 forming miracles, that he might be regarded as a saint. 
 Finally, they gave him the discipline in public. He did 
 not resent any of these things at all, but, without pertur- 
 bation, said to himself : " Yes, I am just such a wicked 
 and unworthy man; you say truly, Father Guardian, 
 that it is not I who work the miracles, but the Blessed 
 Virgin." 
 
 A prelate once ordered St. Vincent de Paul to receive 
 into his house a certain Religious who was engaged in pro- 
 moting some special work. He did so, and gave him useful 
 advice. But some persons who were not in favor of the 
 work he was advocating, complained of the Saint to the 
 same prelate. He, not remembering that it was in pursu- 
 ance of his own order, called for St. Vincent, and in pres- 
 ence of these persons gave him a sharp reproof, which he 
 received calmly and without a word of self-justification. 
 God, however, brought back to the mind of the prelate the 
 command he had given, and meeting the Saint one day, he 
 made him a suitable apology, and formed a high opinion of 
 him. 
 
 St. Peter Martyr was visited, one day, by three holy vir- 
 gins, and from this accused of admitting women into his 
 room, condemned in public chapter, and sent to a remote 
 monastery ; but he bore all this disgrace without a word. 
 
 28. If we should regard tribulations with the eye of a Christian, 
 and wholly clear from our minds those mists of worldly wisdom, 
 which oppose the rays of Faith, and do not allow them to penetrate 
 
148 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 to the depths of our souls ; how fortunate should we consider our- 
 selves in being calumniated, and regarded not only as idle and in- 
 capable, but even as bad and vicious ! Is it not, indeed, a great hap- 
 piness to be persecuted in doing well, when Christ has called those 
 blessed who suffer for justice ?— St. V. de Paul. 
 
 For this reason the Apostles went away cheerful and con- 
 tented, when they found themselves assailed and persecuted 
 by the chief men of the synagogues. St. Paul, too, says of 
 himself that in such troubles, his heart was filled 'with con- 
 solation and joy, because he knew, by the light of faith, 
 how great was the value and advantages of tribulations and 
 trials. 
 
 When Brother Juniper w r as one day insulted by some 
 rude remarks, he took up the folds of his dress, and extend- 
 ing it with both hands, said : " Come now, throw them in, 
 and without any fear fill up this lapful of joys." 
 
 Father Alvarez, being informed of a grave calumny that 
 had been spread against him, gave signs of great gladness, 
 and said to the one who had given him the information, 
 and who was gazing at him in wonder : " Now I see that 
 God wishes me well, for He is leading me by the w r ay of 
 those dearest to Him." 
 
 A director of the Venerable Maria Seraphina, to whom she 
 revealed her whole life, testifies of her that in all the in- 
 sults and ridicule which she had suffered, in the bad inter- 
 pretation which others had put on her good works, and in all 
 her other trials, she never gave way to impatience, nor 
 showed any signs of vexation, but bore everything with 
 the greatest peace and tranquillity both internal and ex- 
 ternal, always praising and blessing God for the occasion 
 He w T as giving her to exercise patience. Once when she had 
 received at the grate many reproaches and menaces, which 
 she bore with the most perfect tranquillity of heart and se- 
 
APKIL. PATIENCE. 149 
 
 renity of countenance, one of her nuns, who had heard and 
 seen all with great astonishment, asked her how she felt, 
 and she replied gaily : " Blessed be God ! I am all flowers 
 and joys ! blessed be God !" Her way of feeling, in such 
 cases, became so well known to all in the convent, that 
 when they saw her coming back from the grate with a 
 bright face, praising and blessing God, they used to say, 
 " Our Mother must have caught something good to-day," 
 — meaning that she received some cross; and when they 
 inquired afterwards what had happened, they found this to 
 be the case. The servants, too, had noticed this trait even 
 before she left her father's house, and so, when any illness 
 or trouble came to her, they would say, " Now your day has 
 come, — this is your jubilee \" 
 
 29. If you look at the rod of Moses lying on the ground, it is a 
 frightful serpent ; if you look at it in the hand of Moses, it is a wand 
 of power. It is thus with tribulations. Consider them in them- 
 selves, and they are horrors ; consider them in the will of God, and 
 they are joys and delights. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi used to say she did not 
 think there could be found in the world suffering so bitter, 
 adversity so severe, or trials so painful, that she could not 
 bear them cheerfully, by simply persuading herself that it 
 was the will of God. And, in fact, in the great sufferings 
 of an illness that lasted five years, and at the time of her 
 death, whenever any one reminded her that it was the will 
 of God that she should suffer those agonies, it would take 
 away all their bitterness, and quiet her at once. 
 
 It is told in the Life of St. Lupus, that when he heard 
 that the terrible Attila was coming to plunder his episcopal 
 city of Troy, he was first much affrighted. But afterwards, 
 nerved to courage by the spirit of God, he went out to 
 
150 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 meet him, in bis pontifical vestments, in the hope of check- 
 ing his audacity. When he came into Attila's presence, he 
 asked him who he was. " The scourge of God," was 
 Attila's reply. At these words, the Saint exclaimed : 
 " And I, who am the spoiler of God's kingdom, well deserve 
 to be scourged by Him !" Then he ordered the gates to 
 be opened without delay. But when the enemy came in, 
 he passed directly through the city, without doing any 
 harm, as if he had seen no one. By this, God willed to 
 show how much He was pleased witli the submission and 
 humility of the holy man, in bowing so readily beneath the 
 scourge He had sent liim, and in believing that he deserved 
 it. 
 
 30. When it is our lot to suffer pain, trials, or ill-treatment, let 
 us turn our eyes upon what our Lord suffered, which will instantly 
 render our sufferings sweet and supportable. However sharp our 
 griefs may be, they will seem but flowers, in comparison with His 
 thorns.—^. F. de a 
 
 Count Elzearius received many insults even from his 
 own subjects, and bore them all with great tranquillity. 
 Being asked, by his wife, how he was able to do this, he an- 
 swered : " When I receive insults from any one, I turn my 
 thoughts to the great affronts which the Son of God suffered 
 from His creatures, and say to myself, ' Even if they were 
 to pull your beard and strike you, what would this be in 
 comparison with what your Lord suffered with so much 
 patience V But I can tell you, besides, that I sometimes 
 feel in such cases no slight emotions of anger. Then I 
 quickly turn my mind to some similar injury suffered by 
 our Lord, and keep it fixed upon that, until the emotion 
 has subsided. 
 
 A good woman being once confined to her bed and suf- 
 fering from many ailments, a friend of hers put a crucifix 
 
APEIL. — PATIENCE. 151 
 
 into her hand, Inviting her to pray for relief from such 
 great trials. But she said : " Would you have me seek to 
 descend from the cross, when I hold in my hands a crucifix ? 
 God keep me from it ! I will rather suffer for Him, who 
 most willingly underwent for me pains incomparably 
 greater than mine." 
 
 When St. Teresa was in great suffering, the Lord ap- 
 peared to her, showing her His wounds, and saying : " Be- 
 hold, My daughter, the sharpness of My torments, and con- 
 sider whether thine can be compared to Mine." The Saint 
 was so greatly moved by this, that she no longer felt the 
 pain, and would often say afterwards : " When I think in 
 how many ways the Lord suffered, and that for no fault of 
 His own, I do not know of what I was thinking when I 
 complained of my sufferings and tried to escape from them." 
 
 A servant of God, being much afflicted by the grievous 
 persecutions, calumny, and contempt that he experienced, 
 turned to the Lord and said : " How long, O Lord ! must 
 I be so tried, without any fault of mine, as Thou knowest ?" 
 Then the Lord appeared to him, showing His wounds, and 
 answering : " And for what fault had I to be treated thus ?" 
 At this sight he was so much moved, and filled with such 
 great joy, that he did not feel his afflictions at all, and said 
 that he would not have exchanged his condition for that 
 of any monarch on earth. 
 
 For thirty-eight years St. Lidwina suffered constantly 
 all kinds of infirmities,- — gout in her feet and hands, tooth- 
 ache, fevers, and whatever is most painful, — and yet she al- 
 ways remained cheerful and happy, because she kept the 
 sufferings of Christ continually in view. 
 
 Dionysius the Carthusian tells of a certain novice, who 
 became tepid in the divine service. While in the beginning 
 all went easily with him, he afterwards found great dim- 
 
152 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 culty in performing humble offices, and in all the exercises 
 of mortification, and, among other things, he felt especial 
 di-gust for a miserable habit, such as novices were expected 
 to wear. Now, one night Jesus Christ appeared to him in 
 his sleep, with a long and heavy cross on His shoulders, 
 which with Hi- utmost efforts He was dragging up a stair- 
 case. Moved with compassion, he offered to help Him. 
 But the Lord, turning upon him a severe look, said : 
 " How do you presume to carry so heavy a cross — you, who 
 cannot bear for love of Me a habit that weighs so little ?" 
 The novice, awakened by this reproach, was at once hu- 
 miliated and aroused, so that, henceforward, he wore the 
 habit with great joy and content ; and whenever any trial 
 came in his way, at the mere thought of the great suffer- 
 ings which Christ bore, everything seemed to him easy and 
 pleasant. 
 
MAY. 
 
 MEEKNESS. 
 
 Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth. — Matt., v : 4. 
 
 1. Meekness and mildness of heart is a virtue rarer than chastity, 
 and yet it is more excellent than that and all other virtues, for it is 
 the end of charity, which, as St. Bernard says, is in its perfection 
 when we are not only patient, but also kind. It is necessary, how- 
 ever, to have a great esteem for this virtue, and to use every effort to 
 acquire it. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales himself had the very highest regard 
 for this virtue. He spoke of it so frequently and with so 
 much love, as to show clearly it was his chosen one among all. 
 So, though he excelled in^all the virtues, he was singular 
 and remarkable in this. He always wore a serene counte- 
 nance, and there was a special grace upon his lips, so that 
 he generally appeared to be smiling, and his face breathed 
 a sweetness which charmed every one. Though he usually 
 showed great recollection, he sometimes thought it desira- 
 ble to give proof of amiability, and then he consoled all 
 who met him, and won the love and regard of whoever 
 looked upon him. His words, gestures, and actions were 
 never without great suavity and gentleness, so that it 
 seemed that this virtue had taken in him the form of man, 
 and that he was rather meekness itself than a man endowed 
 with that quality. He, too, justly merited the praise be- 
 stowed by the Holy Spirit upon Moses, " that he was the 
 meekest man of his time upon earth." And so St. Jane 
 Frances de Chantal was able to say that there was never 
 
 153 
 
154 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 known a heart so sweet, so gentle, so kind, so gracious 
 and affable, as his. St. Vincent de Paul expressed the same 
 sentiment, saying that he was the kindest man he had 
 ever known, and the first time he saw him, he noticed in 
 the serenity of his countenance, and in his manner of con- 
 versing, such a close resemblance to the meekness of Christ 
 our Lord as instantly won his heart. 
 
 The same may be said of St. Vincent de Paul. He was 
 of a bilious-sanguine temperament, and, consequently, much 
 inclined to anger, as he himself admitted to a friend, saying, 
 that when he was in the house of Conde, he allowed him- 
 self to be conquered more than once by his disposition to 
 melancholy and to fits of passion. But having seen that 
 God called him to live in community, and that in such a 
 state he would have to deal with people of every variety 
 of nature and disposition, he had recourse to God, and ear- 
 nestly prayed Him to change his harsh and unyielding 
 temper into gentleness and benignity ; and then he began 
 with a firm purpose to repress those ebullitions of nature. 
 By prayer and effort combined he succeeded in making such 
 a change, that he seemed no longer to feel any temptations 
 to anger, and his nature was so altered that it became 
 a source of benignity, serenity of countenance, and sweetness 
 of manner, which won for him the affection of all who 
 shared his acquaintance. As a rule, he received all those 
 who went to his house, with pleasant words, full of respect 
 and esteem, by which he showed his regard for them and 
 his plea-ure in seeing them. This he did with all, with the 
 poor as well as those of high rank, adapting himself ahvays 
 to the position of each. 
 
 2. Meekness is a virtue which implies loftiness of soul. For this 
 reason worldlings usually are wanting in meekness, for this loftiness 
 is found in them but rarely and imperfectly. If they are not the first 
 
MAY. — MEEKNESS. 155 
 
 to use harsh and discourteous expressions, yet when they are ad- 
 dressed to them by others, they resent and return them promptly, 
 showing by their revenge that they have a rude and ignoble heart. 
 And so the servants of God, remaining always quiet and peaceable, 
 though provoked by words or acts, manifest a perfect loftiness of soul 
 superior to all rudeness. — St. Thomas Aquinas. 
 
 This holy Doctor confirmed this noble sentiment by his 
 actions, for in whatever trying position he was placed, he 
 never gave the least sign of resentment, bnt at all times and 
 on all occasions showed a calm and spiritual insensibility to 
 everything. 
 
 The Emperor Constantine illustrated the same thing by 
 his actions, especially on one occasion, when he had re- 
 ceived a marked affront from his subjects, but was so sus- 
 tained by his habitual meekness as not to be at all perturbed 
 by it. When some of the court urged him to take a 
 signal vengeance, telling him that it was not right for him 
 to bear such a stain on his face, he replied, with a smile, pass- 
 ing his hand gently over his face, " I do not find any stain 
 there." 
 
 The same is recorded of the glorious St. Vincent Ferrer, 
 who was never seen angry, whatever insult or injury he re- 
 ceived. 
 
 3. There is nothing which edifies others so much as charity and 
 kindness, by which, as by the oil in the lamp, the flame of good ex- 
 ample is kept alive. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 We read of St. Francis Xavier that his brother Jesuits 
 often visited him, only to enjoy his admirable mildness. 
 
 When St. Ignatius was passing, one day, with a compan- 
 ion, near some reapers, they began to jeer and mock at him. 
 The Saint, not to deprive them of this amusement, stood 
 still, with a tranquil countenance, until they had finished ; 
 then he blessed them, and went away. But they, amazed 
 at such conduct, proclaimed him to be a saint. 
 
156 A YEAR AVITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 4. We ought to deal kindly with all, and to manifest those quali- 
 ties which spring naturally from a heart tender and full of Christian 
 charity ; such as affability, love, and humility. These virtues serve 
 wonderfully to gain the hearts of men, and to encourage them to 
 embrace things that are more repuguaut to nature.— St. V. de Paul. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales dealt with every one with so much 
 meekness that without any rough measures he arranged 
 every thing according to his own will, and always did what 
 he wished. He did this in a manner so gentle, and at the 
 same time so full of authority, that no one could resist his 
 persuasions. He treated all with respect, welcomed all 
 amiably, and granted requests with great suavity and cor- 
 diality. This gave him such influence and power over 
 hearts, that all yielded to him. And as he sought to adapt 
 himself to all, nnd to he everything to everybody, all will- 
 ingly fulfilled his desires, which had no other object than 
 to see them occupied in the divine service, and walking in 
 the way of salvation. 
 
 St. Francis Xavier treated every one with great mildness 
 and kindness, which drew to him all, both small and great, 
 won the hearts of all, and induced all to do what he 
 wished. 
 
 The Abbot Servins being one day treated with great 
 rudeness by a countryman, not only bore it with extreme 
 patience, but replied with much sweetness. At this, the 
 man, struck with admiration and compunction, at once 
 threw himself at his feet to ask his pardon, and afterwards 
 became one of his monks. 
 
 5. At times, a single word is sufficient to cool a person who is 
 burning with anger ; and. on the other hand, a single word may 
 be capable of desolating a soul, and infusing into it a bitterness 
 which may be most hurtful.— St. V. de Paul. 
 
 One day, when St. Macarius w T as travelling with a dis- 
 
MAY. — MEEKNESS. 157 
 
 ciple in Mtria, the disciple went a little in advance of him, 
 and then met an idol-priest who was hurrying along with a 
 heavy stick on his shoulders. " Where are you going, 
 demon ?" he called out. Upon this, the priest laid down his 
 wood, ran upon him, and gave him so many blows that he 
 left him for dead. Then he picked the wood up again, and 
 went on his way in haste. Soon after, Macarius met him 
 and saluted him with the words, " God save you, toiler !" 
 " You have done well," he repli< d, "to salute me civilly." 
 " I saw you were fatigued," continued the Saint, " and 
 that you were running without regard to your health, and I 
 saluted you, that, by stopping, you might get a little rest." 
 " By this I know that you are a true servant of God," re- 
 plied the idolater, and throwing himself at the Saint's feet, 
 he said that he would never leave him, until he had in- 
 vested him with the habit of a monk. 
 
 Three monks, being on a journey, lost their road, and so 
 were obliged to pass through a field of grain, which they 
 consequently injured. A peasant, seeing this, began to re- 
 proach them, and call them false monks. Then the oldest 
 told his companions not to reply, and when he came 
 near the man, he said to him, " My son, you have said well." 
 And, as he continued to insult them, he added : " You tell 
 the truth, my son ; for if we were true monks, we should 
 not have done you this harm. Now, pardon us for the 
 love of God, for we know that we have done wrong." At 
 these words, the rustic, amazed at such great meekness, 
 threw himself at their feet, asked for pardon, and then for 
 the habit, and went away with them. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales always spoke with so much sweet- 
 ness and mildness, that with two or three words he often re- 
 stored the most troubled hearts to tranquillity. 
 
158 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 6. As it is not possible, in this pilgrimage of ours, not to meet and 
 become entangled with each other, if we would preserve interior 
 peace, we must possess a great fund of meekness, to oppose to the un- 
 expected assaults of anger. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 Philip II, King of Spain, had spent many hours of the 
 night in writing a long letter to the Pope, and when it was 
 finished, he gave it to his secretary to be folded and sealed. 
 But he being half-asleep, poured ink over it instead of sand, 
 and nearly died of fright when he saw what he had done. 
 But the king, without any excitement, only said, "Here is 
 another sheet of paper/' and went back calmly to his writ- 
 ing. Another day, when he was going to hunt, he took a 
 seat to have his boots put on. When one was on, the 
 other was not to be found, and he waited for it a long time, 
 without giving any sign of impatience, or saying a single 
 word. At the time of his coronation, a soldier, in trying to 
 keep back the crowd with a pole, broke thereby three crys- 
 tal lamps that were over the throne, so that the oil fell on 
 the rich dresses of the king and queen. " Well," said the 
 king, " this is a sign that in my reign there will be the unc- 
 tion of peace and abundance. " 
 
 St. Remigius, foreseeing a great famine, had collected a 
 large quantity of grain, and being informed, one day, that 
 some ill-disposed person had set it on fire, he quickly 
 mounted his horse, and hurried to the spot. He found 
 the fire so far advanced that there was no hope of extin- 
 guishing it ; but he was chilled by his ride, as the weather 
 was very cold, so he dismounted, and with perfect tran- 
 quillity both of mind and countenance, he began to warm 
 himself, remarking, " Fire is always good !" 
 
 As the venerable Cardinal d'Arezzo was about to give or- 
 dination one morning, one of the candidates was not pres- 
 ent. He sent for him, and remained waiting in the mean 
 
MAY. — MEEKNESS. 159 
 
 time with perfect composure. At his arrival, without any 
 resentment, he quietly proceeded with the ceremony. 
 
 7. There are some characters which appear very gentle as long as 
 everything goes well with them ; but at the touch of any adversity 
 or contradiction, they are immediately enkindled, and begin to 
 throw forth smoke like a volcano. Such as these may be called 
 burning coals hidden under ashes. This is not the meekness which 
 our Lord aimed to teach, that He might make us like Himself. We 
 ought to, be like lilies among thorns, which, though they come from 
 amid such sharp points, do not cease to be smooth and pliable. — St. 
 Bernard. 
 
 This test shows how true was the meekness of St. Fran- 
 cis de Sales, for it is recorded of him that the more he was 
 ill-treated, the more tranquil he appeared. It may be said 
 that he found peace in war, roses among thorns, and sweet- 
 ness amidst the greatest bitterness. He once even said him- 
 self : u Of late, the open contradiction and secret opposition 
 which I meet, bring me a peace so sweet and soothing that it 
 has no equal, and presages the approaching rest of the soul in 
 its God, which most truly is the single ambition and the 
 single desire of my heart and soul." In nothing does this 
 admirable peace and tranquillity shine forth more than in 
 the persecutions he suffered on account of the Order of the 
 Visitation — the work of his hands and of his mind, which 
 had cost him prayers, journeys, and labors, without number, 
 and was certainly dear to him as the apple of his eye. Such 
 great opposition was raised against this most worthy Insti- 
 tute, that several times it was on the point of extinction ; yet 
 he never lost his imperturbable peace for that. On the 
 other hand, he wrote that he praised God that his little 
 Congregation had been calumniated, as that was one of the 
 most evident marks of the approbation of Heaven. One day, 
 when the Saint was preaching, two lawyers sent up to him 
 a note full of insulting remarks, in the hope of breaking 
 
160 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 up the sermon. He took the paper, thinking it contained 
 some notice to be given to the people, had the patience to 
 read it through to himself, and then, undisturbed, went on 
 with his sermon. When it was over and he had rested a 
 little, he inquired of the cleric from whom he had received 
 the note, and went to visit the two lawyers, one after the 
 other. Without speaking of the letter, he begged them to 
 say in what he had given them offence. "When he heard 
 the occasion, he assured them that he had never had the in- 
 tention of doing so, and asked their pardon on his knees. 
 This caused them much confusion, and they asked his par- 
 don in turn. Thenceforth, they lived on the best terms 
 with him, venerating, as they did, a virtue so heroic and 
 Christian. 
 
 This virtue also shone forth in St. Jane Frances de 
 Chantal. When she was, on various occasions, ill-treated by 
 many, she never showed the least sign of resentment or dis- 
 pleasure, but in return gave presents to one, bestowed 
 favors obtained from God or from persons of rank, upon 
 another. Nor was her love for any of them diminished. 
 
 A certain youth, who was very angry because a young lady 
 whom he wished to marry, had embraced the religious state, 
 went to see her, and said many insulting things to her. She 
 listened to them all with great serenity of countenance and 
 so much joy of heart that on leaving the parlor she said to 
 her companion, who had been present at the interview, 
 u I never heard a eulogium more agreeable to me, than the 
 one this good youth has just made.'' Then, moved with 
 compassion at his sinful state, she added, " Let us pray the 
 Lord to give him light." Her prayers were indeed heard, 
 for he repented of his error, came again to ask her pardon, 
 then himself entered religion, and finally became a great 
 preacher, and a good servant of God. 
 
MAY. — MEEKNESS. 161 
 
 8. When you nave to make arrangements, settle quarrels, or win 
 others to your views, take care to be as mild as possible. You will 
 accomplish more, and conquer more readily, by yielding and hum- 
 bling yourself, than by harshness and disputation. Who does not 
 know that more flies are caught with an ounce of honey than with a 
 hundred barrels of vinegar ? — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 The venerable Cardinal d/Arezzo excelled in this. He 
 not only knew how to keep his own household in peace, 
 and banish all differences from among them, when he was 
 bishop and cardinal ; but when he was a simple religious, 
 he was considered to be a man very well adapted to settle 
 lawsuits, to quiet discord, and to calm the most inflamed 
 spirits. He succeeded in this not only by his prudence 
 and dexterity in management, but also by his great affabil- 
 ity and mildness, which won the affection of all, and so 
 gave him great power to soften the most obstinate hearts. 
 
 St. John Berchmans, even when a child, had great suc- 
 cess in settling the little disputes that arise among children, 
 and the reason was, that prayers and gentleness were the 
 means he employed. 
 
 9. If you wish to labor with fruit in the conversion of souls, you 
 must pour the balsam of sweetness upon the wine of your zeal, that 
 it may not be too fiery, but mild, soothing, patient, and full of com- 
 passion. For the human soul is so constituted that by rigor it be- 
 comes harder, but mildness completely softens it. Besides, we ought 
 to remember that Jesus Christ came to bless good intentions, and if 
 we leave them to His control, little by little He will make them fruit- 
 ful.—^. F. de Sales. 
 
 This holy Bishop proceeded in this way himself with the 
 most perverse sinners, striving to bring them to repentance 
 in the gentlest ways possible, guiding himself by the great 
 maxim, that the spirit of meekness is the spirit of God, as 
 the spirit of mortification is that of the Crucified. A man 
 who had been guilty of enormous crimes, once came to his 
 
162 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 confessional, and went on accusing himself of them with 
 indifference, and without any spirit of penitence. After 
 bearing this for some time, the Saint began to weep, and 
 when his penitent asked if anything had happened to him, 
 he merely answer* d, " Go on." As he went on with the 
 same ease as before, telling even greater sins, he wept again 
 and again. On being urged to tell the cause, he at last 
 said, in a voice full of compassion, " I weep because you do 
 not weep." These words struck the heart of the sinner 
 with compunction, and he became a true penitent. His 
 gentleness manifested hSelf especially in his manner of giv- 
 ing advice, encouraging souls, at the same time, to advance 
 to perfection. When he found them lost in sin and in dan- 
 gerous occasions < >f it, he would indeed cry out : " Cut, break, 
 rend, for there are certain bonds which we must not treat 
 with ceremony, or stop to disentangle, but we mu-t dissever 
 and sunder them at once." But on other occasions, where 
 there was no danger, he would lead his penitents step by 
 step to retrench superfluities and banish worldliness from 
 their lives. " Do you not see," he wrote to a lady, " that 
 vines are not pruned with the rough strokes of an axe, but 
 with a fine-edged hook, one shoot after another ? I have 
 seen some statues which the sculptor worked on for ten 
 years before they were perfect, cutting, with chisels, a little 
 here and a little there, until "he had removed all that was 
 contrary to accuracy of proportion. Xo, certainly it is not 
 possible to arrive in a day at the point you aspire to reach. 
 It is necessary to gain one step to-day, another to-morrow, 
 and to strive to become masters of ourselves by degrees ; 
 for this is no small conquest." 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul, also, was accustomed, even in preach- 
 ing, to speak with the greatest suavity and gentleness, 
 so that he infused into the minds of his hearers, especially 
 
MAY. — MEEKNESS. 163 
 
 the poor, such confidence in himself, and such readiness to 
 follow his directions, that after a sermon, they would often 
 run after him, and entreat him with tears, in the midst of 
 the crowd, to hear their confessions, in which they revealed 
 to him, with great frankness, the most hidden wounds of 
 their souls, that they might receive from him a remedy. He 
 once committed a great sinner to the care of one of his 
 priests, that he might do what he could to bring him to 
 repentance. The priest soon found that whatever he said 
 had no effect upon that obstinate heart, and he therefore 
 entreated the Saint to say something himself. He did so, 
 and with such efficacy that he converted him ; and in order 
 that the conversion might be lasting, he induced him to 
 make the Spiritual Exercises. The sinner afterwards ac- 
 knowledged that it was the singular sweetness and charity of 
 the Saint, which had gained his heart, and that he had never 
 heard any person speak of God as he did. For this reason 
 the Saint would not permit his missionaries to treat peni- 
 tents with austerity and harshness ; he told them that it was 
 necessary to encourage repentant sinners, and that the in- 
 fernal spirit ordinarily makes u-e of rigor and bitterness, 
 on the part of priests, to lead souls more astray than ever. 
 He used the same method in the conversion of heretics, 
 and succeeded by it in converting many, who afterwards con- 
 fessed that they had been gained to God by his great patience 
 and cordiality. The Saint explained this when he said : 
 " You see, when one begins to argue with another, the latter 
 easily persuades himself that he wishes to conquer him, and 
 therefore is more prepared to resist than to embrace the 
 truth ; so that the contest, instead of disposing his mind to 
 conversion, rather closes his heart, which, on the contrary, 
 remains open to sweetness and affability. We have," he 
 added, " a fine example of this in Monsignor de Sales, who ? 
 
164 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 though very well versed in controversy, converted heretics 
 rather by mildness than by learning, so that Cardinal di 
 Peron used to say that intellect was enough to convince here- 
 tics, but it needed Monsi^nor de Sales to convert them." 
 
 When St. Francis Xavier was preaching in Macao to a 
 great multitude of people, some of the mob threw stones at 
 him. He went on without the least sign of resentment, 
 and he made more conversions in this way than by his 
 preaching. 
 
 St. Ludwina, by her great sweetness, converted a sinner 
 whom no preacher or confessor had ever been able to bring 
 to repentance. 
 
 St. Philip Neri labored much in the conversion of souls. 
 He drew them to the Lord with so much dexterity, that 
 the penitents themselves wondered, for he seemed to 
 charm them, in such a way that whoever came to him once, 
 appeared unable to refrain from coming again. He was 
 very careful to accommodate himself to the nature of each 
 one. If great sinners and men of evil life came to him, he 
 commanded them in the beginning to abstain from mortal 
 siu, and then led them, by degrees, with admirable skill, 
 to the point he aimed at. There once came to his feet a 
 penitent so addicted to a certain sin, that he fell into it al- 
 most every day. The only penance he gave him was to come 
 to confession immediately after he committed the sin, without 
 waiting to fall a second time. The penitent obeyed, and the 
 Saint always absolved him, without giving him any other 
 penance. By this method he succeeded in a few months in 
 freeing him, not only from this sin, but from all others, 
 and in leading him to a high degree of perfection. He ad- 
 vised a very dissolute young man to say the " Hail, holy 
 Queen," seven times a day, and then to kiss the ground 
 with the words " To-morrow I may be dead." By do- 
 
MAY. — MEEKNESS. 165 
 
 ing this the youth soon reformed his life, and fourteen years 
 after died a holy death. In the same manner, the Saint 
 brought back to the way of God a great number of sin- 
 ners, many of whom said on their death -beds, " Blessed be 
 the day and the hour when I first knew Father Philip." 
 And they all remained so attached to him that there was 
 nothing they would not willingly have done for him. 
 
 10, Whoever has direction of souls, should deal with them as God 
 and the angels do, — with admonitions, suggestions, entreaties, and 
 " with all patience and doctrine." He must knock at the door of 
 the heart like the Spouse, and try gently to open it : if he succeeds, 
 he must introduce salvation with gladness ; but if a refusal comes, 
 he should bear it patiently. It is thus that our Lord acts. Though 
 He is Master of all hearts, He bears with our long resistance to His 
 lights, and our many rebellions against His inspirations ; and even if 
 He be forced to withdraw from those who will not walk in His way, 
 He does not cease to^ne^jHis inspirations, and invitations. Our 
 guardian angels, to^Vxactlyiinitata His conduct in this ; for they 
 guide, rule, and help l M fW [ as T they e'an, those whom God has com- 
 mitted to their charge, and when chey see them remaining Obstinate, 
 they do not therefore abandon them, nor experience either grief or 
 vexation, nor lose their blessedness in any degree. Now, what better 
 models than these can we desire for our own conduct ? — St. F. de 
 
 These surely were the models that this Saint proposed to 
 himself. With weak souls in particular, such as beginners, 
 or those who have made but little progress in the spiritual 
 life, he said we ought to copy Jacob, who suited his steps 
 to those of his little sons, and even to the tender lambs. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul, also, behaved with great suavity and 
 patience to all whom he directed, and especially to scrupu- 
 lous persons, bearing with their weaknesses, and listening to 
 them with unalterable sweetness. He treated in the same 
 way those that were fastidious and hard to please, saying 
 that they ought to be guided with the greatest kindness, as 
 
166 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 their infirmities of spirit were worthy of even more com- 
 passion than bodily ones. 
 
 St. Jane Frances de Chantal pursued the same course. 
 Writing to a Superioress of her Order, she says : " The 
 older I grow, the more I feel the necessity of meekness to 
 win and retain hearts, to the end that they may be faithful 
 to the duty they owe to God. Whatever I have tried to 
 do for the benefit of those who have had recourse to me to 
 guide their souls, has been done by means of a mild and 
 humble charity, and without any authority but that of a 
 heart- felt entreaty." 
 
 11. As without faith it is impossible to please God, so without 
 mildness it is impossible to please men and to govern them well. — 
 St. Bernard. 
 
 The same Saint proved this by his example. When he 
 was made Abbot, he proceeded at first with much austerity 
 and severity ; and though his monks had a high opinion of 
 him, they could not adapt themselves to each other. There- 
 fore, he was warned by God to show more suavity and 
 sweetness ; and when he did so, he gained for himself the 
 affection of all, and a most exact obedience. 
 
 Cassiodorus relates of Theobald, that after being made 
 king he used to say : " In changing our office we have 
 changed our methods ; and if we previously acted with 
 rigor, we now 7 employ clemency altogether." 
 
 Nicetus, in his Annals, tells of a certain emperor who at 
 his death called together the chief men of the empire, and 
 said to them : " My tw r o sons, as you see, are both good ; but 
 I consider the younger better fitted to govern than the elder, 
 for, besides his other virtues, he is inclined to clemency and 
 docility, and w-hen he has made any mistake, he follows the 
 counsels of others, and obeys the voice of reason. The 
 
MAY. — MEEKNESS. 167 
 
 other is easily made angry, and in his fits of passion he 
 cannot control himself. This trait is most opposed to good 
 counsel, and brings ruin on the wise." 
 
 12. I have turned forward and backward and on every side, and 
 what conclusion have 1 reached ? I have considered all methods of 
 governing, and even tried them, and I have finally seen that the best 
 is that which is amiable, sincere, humble, and patient. — St. J. F. 
 de Ghantal. 
 
 It was indeed thus that this Saint lived among her sub- 
 jects, in a gentle and humble manner, and thus she gained 
 from them whatever she desired. When she asked for any- 
 thing unimportant, she procee led with so much submission 
 that they were overcome by her humility ; and when she 
 required what was necessary, she did it with so much sweet- 
 ness, that no one who had a heart, could fail to obey her 
 orders promptly. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul wrote thus to a Superior who had 
 complained to him of one of his subjects : " The priest 
 of whom you write to me, is a worthy and virtuous 
 man, and before he came to us, he was much esteemed in 
 the world. If he is now a little restless, engages in tem- 
 poral affairs, thinks too much of his relatives, and even 
 looks down upon his companions, you must bear with him 
 mildly. If he had not these faults, he would have others • 
 and if you had nothing to bear with, your charity would 
 not have much opportunity for exercise, nor would your 
 conduct and government bear much resemblance to those 
 of Christ our Lord, who chose to have rude disciples, sub- 
 ject to various defects, that He might teach us by practis- 
 ing amiability and patience with them, how those should be- 
 have who hold the office of Superior. I entreat you to form 
 yourself upon this holy model, by which you will learn not 
 only to bear with your brethren, but also to help them in 
 
168 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 freeing themselves from their imperfection-." Writing to 
 another on one of the Missions, who was very unwilling 
 to part with one of his assistants, he said : " I do not 
 doubt that the separation from this clear companion and 
 faithful friend must necessarily be painful to you ; but re- 
 member that our Lord separated Himself from His own 
 Mother, and that His disciples, whom the Holy Ghost had 
 so perfectly united, separated themselves from one another 
 for their Master's service." 
 
 Plutarch relates of Pericles that whenever he put on his 
 officer's dress, he used to say to himself, as a reminder to 
 be affable and respectful to all, " Attention, Pericles ! you 
 are going to command your brothers, Greeks, citizens of 
 Athens !" 
 
 13. Whoever has the charge of others, ought not hesitate to re- 
 sist ami correct the vices of those who depend on him, or even to 
 oppose their sentinnnls when need requires it, — always, however, 
 with mildness and peace, especially when he has to enunciate any 
 truths difficult to receive. Such truths must first be heated by a 
 burning fire of charity, which will take away all their sharpness ; 
 otherwise, they will be sour fruit, better calculated to cause disease 
 than to give nourishment. Nothing is more bitter than walnut- 
 bark when it is green ; but when made into a preserve, it is very 
 sweet and exceedingly wholesome. So reproof, which is very bit- 
 ter in its nature, heated at the fire of charity, and sweetened by amia- 
 bility, becomes itself pleasing and delicious. And when truth ut- 
 tered by the tongue is destitute of sweetness, it is a sign that the 
 heart is warning in true charity. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 When Father Lambert of the Congregation of the Mis- 
 sion was obliged to administer correction to his inferiors, 
 he accompanied it with great sweetness, and never exag- 
 gerated their faults. He even overlooked them as far as 
 he could, sometimes when committed in his presence. The 
 venerable Cardinal Bellarmine used to act in the same way. 
 
 St. Francis Borgia never let any faults of his subjects 
 
MAY. — MEEKNESS. 169 
 
 pass without correction. When they were slight faults, he 
 never spoke harshly, but would say, " Ah ! may God 
 pardon you ! May He make you a saint ! Oh, brother, how 
 could you say or do this ?" If the fault was grave, he 
 summoned the culprit, corrected him kindly, and when he 
 saw any amendment, dismissed the whole matter. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul, when he was obliged to give cor- 
 rection, did it with so much moderation and in a manner at 
 once so sweet and so effective, that even the hardest hearts 
 were softened, and could not resist the power of his gentle- 
 ness. He said, on one occasion, that in the whole course of 
 his life he had given correction with harsh words only three 
 times, in which he thought it necessary to do so ; but every 
 time he had been afterwards sorry, for the result proved to 
 be bad ; and on the contrary, by mildness he had always 
 obtained what he desired. The precautions which he used 
 to render correction fruitful, and to sweeten its bitterness, 
 were the following : — In the first place, unless it was 
 absolutely necessary, he never gave correction at the mo- 
 ment the fault was committed, but took some time to con- 
 sider before God the best way of treating it, especially if the 
 fault was grave and the person little disposed to receive 
 reproof; and when a suitable time came, he would ask him, 
 with much confidence and cordiality, if he would like a 
 little advice, adding that he knew he was himself more im- 
 perfect and culpable than any other. In the second place, 
 he would show him marks of affection, and praise him if 
 he could find anything to praise in him. He thus opened 
 the way to reveal to him his fault with tact, and to make 
 him see its gravity and bad effects/ He excused it too, and 
 made the least he could of it, and then suggested a remedy, 
 and as an encouragement to make use of it, added humbly 
 that he, too, needed it. Thirdly, he ended the correction with 
 
170 A YEAR WITH THE SAIXTS. 
 
 encouragement, saying that God had permitted that failing 
 as a humiliation, and to give opportunity to attend with 
 greater fervor to the acquisition of virtue. Often he would 
 apparently pass over faults, making it appear that he had 
 scarcely noticed them. It was his opinion that those who 
 had fallen into some faults, should be admonished, the first 
 time, at some fitting opportunity, with great kindness and 
 gentleness ; the second time, with a little severity and grav- 
 ity, accompanied, however, with graciousness, and the sug- 
 gestion of easy and charitable remedies ; but the third time, 
 with zeal and firmness, and with a warning of the final 
 remedy which would have to be applied. 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi was never known to assail 
 or oppress any one. On the contrary, when she was mis- 
 tress of novices, if any one of those whom she reproved, 
 answered her with pride and stubbornness, she said nothing, 
 but merely regarded her with an amiable look, and waited 
 until some other time to correct her. 
 
 When St. Jane Frances de Chantal had to give any 
 correction or penance, she spoke always with great care, 
 that there might not escape from her lips any word of re- 
 proof or disapproval, which would show the slightest sign 
 of anger, but that all might be accompanied by a cordial 
 compassion and tendernes-, which would serve at once to 
 blame the fault and to comfort the offender. Her sole 
 effort was to make the delinquent perceive her error, and 
 recollect herself, and she did this in ways so gentle and 
 terms so insinuating, that it was almost impossible not to 
 be moved to repentance, and not to receive tlie admonition 
 with profit. If an unruly spirit showed itself in any one, 
 what entreaties, what caresses, what loving stratagems, her 
 charitable prudence suggested, to lead her back into the 
 right path ! 
 
MAY. — MEEKNESS. 171 
 
 The venerable Cardinal d'Arezzo, a man most zealous 
 for the glory of God and the salvation of souls, was pecu- 
 liarly anxious that the ecclesiastical functions should be 
 performed with all possible propriety and perfection. Yet 
 when he saw any of his subjects fail in this, though his 
 heart was deeply moved, all were surprised at the mildness 
 of his correction. But when he heard that any of his 
 flock, and especially any ecclesiastic, was living in some 
 habitual sin, or had fallen into a grave transgression, it 
 caused him such pain and affliction that he often wept, and 
 after supplicating God, with fervent and loving prayer, to 
 have compassion on human miseries and frailty, he would 
 turn all his thoughts and efforts towards providing some 
 remedy. First of all, in such cases, he would promulgate 
 anew the decrees and orders of synods, with their penalties 
 annexed, to the end that the guilty parties might be re- 
 minded of the danger in which they stood, and might do 
 at least from fear, what they would not do from virtue. 
 Afterwards, if necessary, he would give an admonition in 
 private, but with admirable tact, and with especial 
 tokens of confidence and familiarity. At first sight this 
 course appears strange and contrary to all rules of good 
 government, but one can scarcely believe how much good 
 it did in the hands of this holy pastor. He sometimes sent 
 for priests and even for seculars, who were known to be 
 leading evil lives, and invited them to dine with him. 
 After dinner, he took them to his own room, and began to 
 admonish them, dilating upon the heinousness of their sin 
 and its enormity before God, with such zeal and affection, 
 that he wept copiously himself, and moved them also to tears 
 and conversion. In this way he gained the greatest results, 
 and admirable changes of life were witnessed, to the ex- 
 traordinary edification of the people. 
 
172 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 14. The only consideration of Superiors ought to be the love of 
 God, and the sanctification of the souls committed to their care. 
 This cannot be better attained than by humility, combined with a 
 peaceable disposition and good example. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 To this end St. Vincent recommended Superiors to take 
 pains that the yoke of obedience should be easy to their 
 subjects, and therefore to cultivate a civil and amiable 
 manner, rather than a harsh and imperious one. To one 
 whom he was sending to a certain house as Superior, he 
 gave this direction : " Do not be domineering in order to 
 appear like a Superior and master. I am not of the opinion 
 of a person who said to me, a few days ago, that to govern 
 well and maintain authority, it was necessary to be known 
 as a Superior. Jesus Christ did not speak thus ; He 
 taught us the contrary, botli by example and in words, 
 when He said that He came into the world not to be served, 
 but to serve ; and that whoever wishes to be Superior, ought 
 to make himself the servant of all. Conform yourself, 
 then, to this holy maxim, behaving towards those for whom 
 you are sent to care, quasi unus ex Wis, — as one of them- 
 selves, — and telling them, as soon as youai rive, that you have 
 come not to rule, but to serve. If you practise upon this 
 suggestion both at home and abroad, all will be well." 
 
 To another whom he was sending as Superior to another 
 house, he spoke thus : " What you ought to do is to trust 
 in God, that you may be a burden to no one, and to treat 
 all with affability and courtesy, always using peaceable and 
 gentle words, never sharp and imperious ones. For, as 
 there is nothing better fitted to gain hearts than this humble 
 and courteous demeanor, so, also, there is nothing better 
 adapted to attain our object, which is, that God may be 
 served and souls sanctified." Writing to the head of a 
 Mission, who had with him a somewhat faulty companion, 
 
MAY. — MEEKNESS. 173 
 
 he said : " If you wish to be accompanied by the blessing 
 of God, make every effort to bear with your assistant meekly. 
 Banishing every thought of superiority from your heart, 
 accommodate yourself to him in a spirit of charity. This 
 is the means by which Jesus Christ won and perfected His 
 disciples, and it is in the same way only that this good 
 priest will be won. Granting this to be true, give a little 
 time to gratifying his humor, never contradict him at the 
 moment when he seems to you to give occasion for it, but, 
 when it is absolutely necessary, admonish him later, and with 
 humility and good feeling." 
 
 Such was his own patience, for though he was most rig- 
 orous to himself and very exact even in the smallest things, 
 to others he was full of charity and mildness, taking care 
 to please all in everything that he reasonably could. In giv- 
 ing orders, his manner was always so unpretending, and his 
 words so courteous, that he seemed rather to entreat than to 
 command. When he intended to assign to any one some 
 hard task or difficult business, he prepared him for it by 
 degrees, and with much dexterity smoothed away the dif- 
 ficulties which might have discouraged him. And in every 
 thing he showed so much affability and cordiality that he 
 gained all hearts, and was exactly obeyed even in the most 
 difficult things. Many, too, have confessed that, after God, 
 they owed their perseverance to his charity, gentleness, and 
 mildness towards them. 
 
 St. Francis Borgia was very strict with himself, but 
 most compassionate and kind to his subjects ; so that al- 
 though he would not excuse himself for the slightest de- 
 fect, he would pardon very many in them. In giving an 
 order, he would never speak sharply, but would say, with 
 great sweetness : " I entreat you to do this for the love of 
 God. Would you have any difficulty in going to such a 
 
174 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 place ? Would it be convenient for you to do such a thing ? 
 I had thought of giving you such a charge, but I would like 
 to know whether it would be agreeable to you." 
 
 St. John, a Canon Regular, was once assailed with a volley 
 of abuse by one of the Religious over whom he was ap- 
 pointed Prior. When he did not reply, another who was 
 present, said : " You might stop all this insolen e by a word, 
 by ordering him to go to his cell. " Xo !" replied the Saint, 
 " when fire is consuming a house, would it be well to throw 
 on more wood ? This good brother is now burning with 
 anger ; if I should reprove him, his finger would be in- 
 creased ; but when this great fire has died out, then it will 
 be time to apply a remedy." 
 
 St. Francis de Sales having been obliged to imprison 
 one of his ecclesiastics, who was leading a scandalous life, 
 the offender, after a few days, showed great signs of repent- 
 ance, and begged for an interview with the Saint, who had 
 pardoned him on previous occasions. Those who had 
 charge of him did not wish to permit this, for they knew 
 what great compassion the man of God would feel for him 
 if he saw T him ; but they finally yielded to his entreaties. 
 When he came into the Saint's presence, he begged for mercy, 
 with fervent promises of amendment. Then the holy 
 Bishop said, with much emotion and many tears : " I con- 
 jure you, by the love and mercy of God, in which we all hope, 
 to have pity on me, on the diocese, on the Church, and on 
 the whole Order so much dishonored by the scandalous life 
 you have hitherto led, which gives matter to our adversaries 
 to blaspheme our holy Faith. I pray you to have pity on 
 yourself, on your own soul, which you are sending to per- 
 dition for eternity : I exhort you in the name of Jesus Christ, 
 on which you trample ; by the goodness of the Savior, whom 
 you crucify anew ; and by that spirit of grace, whom you 
 
MAY. — MEEKNESS. 175 
 
 outrage !" This mild earnestness was so efficacious that he 
 not only did not fail again into his former sins, but became a 
 model of virtue. St. Francis de Sales was once asked by 
 St. Jane Frances de Chantal what she had better do in re- 
 gard to a novice who had begged importunately to be ad- 
 mitted to profession, — which in that Order is regarded as a 
 fault, as profession is granted at a proper time, without any 
 request, to those who have been exact in observance. He 
 answered gently that charity should abound on one side, 
 when humility is wanting on the other. 
 
 St. Jerome relates of St. Paula that when she was gov- 
 erning a convent built by herself, she failed in none of her 
 obligations, and never asked anything of her daughters 
 which she had not first practised herself; and she showed 
 her authority only by her care in providing for all their 
 wants, by serving them in all their needs, and by leading 
 them to the practice of virtue. She was never absent from 
 choir, but always among the first to arrive ; in the work of 
 the house, she was the most attentive and the most laborious. 
 In regard to others' faults, if any failed in exercises of piety ; 
 if any one was slothful in corporal exercises ; if any one was 
 ca' eless about her employment, — she brought all back to 
 their duty, managing them in different ways, according to 
 their disposition, — if passionate, with caresses ; if patient, 
 with correction. If discord arose between too, she reunited 
 them with gentle words. If she noticed any one who was 
 fastidious in dress or behavior ; who was loquacious, pas- 
 sionate, or quarrelsome, she admonished her with tact more 
 than once ; but if she did not amend, she gave her the lowest 
 rank among her Sisters, set her to kneel at the door of the 
 refectory, or to eat by herself, in the hope that shame might 
 succeed where reproof had failed. With the sick she was 
 all cordiality, charity, and liberality, thinking no labor or 
 
176 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 expense too great for them. But if she was all kindness to 
 others, to herself, when sick, she was all austerity and hard- 
 ness, permitting no exceptions in her own favor, even in 
 the matter of food. Once when she was recovering from a 
 burning fever in the month of July, she could not be in- 
 duced to partake of a little honey, which the physicians had 
 recommended to strengthen her weak digestion. 
 
 15. In religious Orders, union and peace ought to be preferred 
 above every other good. These depend upon bearing with one an- 
 other, yielding to one another, and treating one another with that 
 mildness, which is a source of peace, and a bond of perfection that 
 unites hearts.— St. V. de Paul. 
 
 When this Saint was obliged to reprehend any one for a 
 fault, he took every precaution that the person who had in- 
 formed him of it, should not be known. And if he feared 
 to give occasion for suspicion or aversion, he would omit 
 the correction altogether, rather than disturb the general 
 harmony. 
 
 When St. John Berchman- had the office of monitor in 
 the novitiate, he never reported anything to the Superior, 
 without first consulting God before the Blessed Sacrament, 
 that he might not disturb the peace of others, and also that 
 he might not be deceived by his own judgment or feeling. 
 
 16. It is a matter of great importance to make our conversation 
 agreeable. To do so it is necessary to appear humble, patient, respect- 
 ful, cordial, yielding in all lawful things and to all. Above all, we 
 must avoid contradicting the opinion of any one, unless there should 
 be an evident necessity for it. In that case, it should be done with 
 all possible mildness, and with the greatest tact, without outraging 
 the feelings of the other party. In this way, contests will be avoided, 
 which produce only bitterness, and which ordinarily spring rather 
 from attachment to our own opinion, than from love for truth. Be- 
 lieve me, that as there are no dispositions more inimical to human 
 society than those which are given to contradiction ; so there is not a 
 
MAY. — MEEKNESS. 177 
 
 person more generally loved than he who contradicts no one. — St. F. 
 de Sales. 
 
 Father Lambert Cousteaux of the Congregation of the 
 Mission, showed to all great civility and respect, which were 
 always accompanied with remarkable sweetness and cordial- 
 ity, though by nature he was inclined to rigor. His coun- 
 tenance was always cheerful, and his words courteous and 
 such as could give no one offence. By these pleasant man- 
 ners he soon won hearts, so that all who talked with him 
 went away content, and happy, and greatly pleaded with 
 his affability to all, and with the Christian condescension 
 with which he yielded to their sentiments and opinions. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul was never heard to contend or dis- 
 pute about indifferent things, but took the word of others 
 with all facility, and adapted himself to their views. 
 
 We read of St. John Berchmans that he never quarrelled 
 with any one. For this reason, all his companions not 
 only loved him tenderly, but allowed themselves to be 
 admonished and ruled by him, as if he had authority over 
 them. 
 
 17. Let us strive to be amiable, sweet, and humble with all, but 
 especially with those whom God has placed near us, such as our ser- 
 vants. And let us not be of those who seem angels abroad, but de- 
 mons at home. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 This blessed Saint treated everyone in his house with great 
 kindness, even the servants, whom he never used roughly 
 either in word or deed. His orders to them were given in the 
 form of requests ; he always courteously returned their salu- 
 tations; he never complained of their mistakes in preparing 
 his apartments or his food ; he was most thoughtful in giving 
 directions, sparing them inconvenience as much as he could. 
 When he could not avoid blaming them, he did it with so 
 
178 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 much kindness and consideration that they were ashamed, 
 and were sure to amend ; for mildness has such a charm 
 that every one surrenders to it. An incident that occurred 
 one evening, may serve as an example. A marquis who 
 had visited him on some important business, remained 
 until it had grown quite dark. The Bishop's servants, in 
 the mean time, trusting their work to one another, not only 
 left their master without attendance, but even without a 
 light, so that when the marquis was ready to go, the Bishop 
 was obliged to lead him by the hand tb rough the corridor 
 and across the hall. When they reached the door, they 
 found the servants amusing themselves with those the mar- 
 quis had brought. After the guest had departed, the Saint 
 said very quietly to his valet : " My friend, two farthings' 
 worth of candle would have done us much ere lit to-night." 
 Such were the corrections given by this mild prelate, of 
 whom Monsignor di Bellei testifies that there was never a 
 master kinder to his servants, or more beloved by them. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul always showed an admirable gentle- 
 ness to all the members of his Congregation. He met them 
 with a kind and cheerful countenance, giving them frequent 
 marks of fatherly love and cordiality, especially when he 
 was sending them to a mission, or on a long journey. 
 When they returned, he spoke to them with so much affa- 
 bility, and embraced tbem with so much cordiality, that he 
 completely won their hearts ; so that one of them said : 
 "When lam going on a journey, or returning from one, I feel 
 perfumed with the embrace and the welcome which he truly 
 bestows on me." His words were so full of spiritual unc- 
 tion and efficacy, that he could have everything done that 
 he wished, without an effort on his part. His manner was 
 the same when they went to him on their own personal 
 concerns. He listened with courtesy and cordiality, and 
 
MAY. — MEEKNESS. 179 
 
 never gave the least sign of impatience, even if lie was en- 
 gaged in important and urgent business. This courtesy 
 was shown in a special manner towards the lay-brothers. 
 One of them went to him on a certain occasion, to complain 
 of harsh treatment he had received from an official in the 
 house. He was welcomed with the greatest cordiality, and 
 invited to come again in any similar case, so that all bitter- 
 ness was banished from his heart, and he went away con- 
 soled and edified to find that he had so good a Father. 
 One of his priests came to him one day, full of trouble, 
 resolved to abandon his vocation, and return to his own 
 country. The Saint listened to him, and then said, " Well, 
 Father, when do you go ? Do you wish to travel on foot, 
 or on horseback ?" But the priest, surprised and edified by 
 such meekness, was immediately freed from the temptation, 
 and proclaimed that his Superior was a saint. 
 
 The conduct of the Empress Leonora was the same. Her 
 manner of giving orders was so kind and so humble that 
 her household could not ask for a mistress with less air of 
 control and dominion. Her commands almost always took 
 the form of requests, which caused the women in her ser- 
 vice so much confusion, that they often entreated her to 
 speak to them like a mistress, as she had a right to do. 
 But she replied : " I approve and praise your sentiments ; 
 but I know myself to be far different from what I seem to 
 you, and I think myself more worthy to serve than to com- 
 mand." If anything happened to fall when she was work- 
 ing with them, she was always the first to stoop and pick 
 it up. However great were the faults and errors committed 
 by those in her service, she always had reasons and excuses 
 ready to screen them. She took all possible pains not to 
 displease any one, and not to cause any jealousies or sus- 
 picions to arise among them. Once, she entrusted a thing, 
 
180 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 by mistake, to the chief tiring-woman, instead of the princi- 
 pal lady in waiting. A distraction, which she had in prayer, 
 brought this error to her recollection, and r'sing from her 
 knees, she went on the instant to apologize to the lady, 
 that she might not consider herself overlooked, and feel the 
 slight. 
 
 We read of St. Jane Frances de Chantal that while she 
 was still in the world, she showed the greatest affability and 
 cha r_* ty toward sail who served her. She d id not scol d them, 
 as many do, nor reprove them for every little fault, but 
 bore with them with great patience and humility, without 
 ever being weary of helping them to reform, until God gave 
 her the consolation of seeing their amendment. As a 
 proof of this, she never dismissed from her house more than 
 two servants. These were quite incorrigible ; but all the rest 
 remained as long as they chose, and were always well shel- 
 tered, clothed, and taken care of. Once when the Baron, 
 her husband, was very angry with a servant, and she was 
 trying to pacify him, he said to her : " It is true that I am 
 too impulsive, but you are too good." 
 
 18. Resist your impatience faithfully, practising, not only with 
 reason, but even against reason, holy courtesy and sweetness to all, 
 but especially to those who weary you most. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 St. Francis himself excelled in this. AVe read in his Life 
 that a poor lawyer often visited him in regard to trifling 
 matters of business, and that the Saint always listened to 
 him with great courtesy and without any sign of weariness ; 
 so that many wondered how a prelate who had so many 
 important occupations, could listen quietly to stupid trifles 
 which might weary even an idle man. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul furnishes another example. It 
 often happened that he was obliged to repeat the same thing 
 
MAY. — MEEKNESS. 181 
 
 many times, either because people did not understand him, 
 or forgot what they had heard. But he was always calm, 
 and showed neither anger nor weariness, nor did he send 
 them away. He welcomed them with a cheerful counte- 
 nance and with great affability, that they might not feel 
 discouraged or slighted ; and when he was in company with 
 any one of high rank, if he saw them coming, he rose, and 
 went to speak to them in private, repeating the same thing 
 always with civility. One of them testified that he made 
 him repeat the same thing five times in succession, when he 
 was engaged, too, with persons of high rank ; yet he never 
 gave the least sign of impatience, repeating it the last time 
 with the same quiet and calmness as he did at first, and 
 showing in his face pleasure rather than dissatisfaction. 
 
 19. The highest degree of meekness consists in seeing, serving, 
 honoring, and treating amiably, on occasion, those who are not to 
 our taste, and who show themselves unfriendly, ungrateful, and 
 troublesome to us. — St. F. < 
 
 This holy Bishop was at one time laboring for the con- 
 version of a heretical woman, quite advanced in years, who, 
 for a long time, came to him every day with new doubts. 
 He listened to her with great amiability, and without ever 
 showing any weariness, though he could see that he gained 
 nothing. But the woman did not grow tired of knocking 
 at his door three or four times a day, so much was she at- 
 tracted by his gentle demeanor. Finally, she said that she 
 had no other difficulty except in regard to the celibacy of 
 the clergy. The Saint replied to this that it was necessary 
 for them, in order that, being free from the care of a family, 
 they might serve the people, and that indeed it would have 
 been difficult for him to talk with her so often, if he had a 
 wife and children to take care of. This reason was more 
 
182 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 convincing to her than all the arguments of theologians, and 
 she was converted. 
 
 When St. Jane Frances de Cliantal was living in the house 
 of her father-in-law, she endeavored, by the most obliging 
 and gentle manners, to win over an insolent servant who was 
 there, and who behaved as if she herself were the mistress of 
 the house. She tried to please her in all she thought most to 
 her taste, and even went so far as to wash and dress, instruct 
 and take care of, her children like her own. She reproved 
 the servants also if they showed any contempt for her. This 
 went on for seven years, the servant growing all the time 
 more haughty and presumptuous. When any one t Id the 
 Saint that she Avas losing her time, in trying to gain over 
 such a Avoman by civil and gentle methods, she answered : 
 " That would be true, if I had not others besides her in A T ie w. 
 Did not our Lord say that all Ave do for the poor, Avhom He 
 commends so specially to us, He Avill consider as done to 
 Himself? With God, nothing is lost, and the less gratitude 
 we receive from men, the more account will God make of 
 Avhat Ave do to them for His sake." To another Avho said 
 that at her father-in-law's death this servant ought to be 
 thrown into a ditch, she answered : " Xo, I would take up 
 her defence myself. If God makes use of her that I may 
 have a cross to bear, why should I wish her ill ?" Another 
 tried to shoAV her how unsuitable it was that the control of 
 the household should be in the hands of a servant. But she 
 replied : " God ordains it thus for my advantage, that I may 
 have all my time for works of charity." To the father-in- 
 law, Avho permitted this, she showed eA r ery mark of defer- 
 ence and special respect ; and when she left the world, she 
 recommended him warmly to a priest, requesting him to be 
 present at his death. 
 
 Father John Leonardi was also remarkable for this 
 
MAY. — MEEKNESS. 183 
 
 trait. For the space of forty years he bore persecutions and 
 trials from all kinds of people, yet he never let slip a word 
 of aversion, anger, resentment, or ill-feeling towards them, 
 but always tried to do them good, and to help them by word 
 and act. He constantly prayed for them, excused tl i em, de- 
 fended them, and treated each of them as he would one of 
 his dearest friends. Though he knew that some monks of 
 a certain Order, to which he had been sent as inspector, 
 by commission of the Apostolic See, — being impatient of the 
 regular discipline he had restored, were plotting and writ- 
 ing to the Sacred Congregation against him, he vet showed 
 no resentment, and took no steps to defend himself. He 
 behaved, to these abbots on the contrary, with charity and 
 courtesy, as if they were his intimate friends; and when some 
 of them rudely assailed him by word and act, he passed the 
 matter over lightly and gently, correcting them mildly, or 
 giving them some moderate penance, when it was necessary, 
 as he said, to satisfy his own conscience. But he never men- 
 tioned what had been done against himself personally, either 
 in writing to the Sacred Congregation, in the general chap- 
 ters, nor on any other occasion that offered itself. When 
 he was walking, one day, in Lucca, he met one of these 
 monks, who, after loading him with harsh and abusive epi- 
 thets, without any resistance on his part, struck him a heavy 
 blow on one cheek. The servant of God, without any anger, 
 turned the other cheek, as if to receive a second blow ; but 
 the assailant, abashed at this, turned his back and went 
 away. Then Father John, glad to see himself reckoned 
 worthy to suffer somethiug for the love of his God, went 
 home, and for many days prayed for this misguided man 
 as a special benefactor. 
 
 20. Beware of becoming vexed or iuipatieut at the faults of others ; 
 
184 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 for it would be folly when you see a man falling into a ditch, to throw 
 
 yourself into another to no purpose. — St. Bonaventura. 
 
 Cardinal Cesarini, a man of most gentle disposition, hav- 
 ing been told that the mule he usually rode was lost, 
 through the neglect of a servant, sent for him ; but when he 
 asked him about the matter, the man replied very rudely. 
 The Cardinal was silent at first, but when the servant con- 
 tinued his impertinence, he turned to the bystanders, and 
 said : " Do not wonder at my silence, for I thought it best to 
 suppress my anger, and give reason time to gain control 
 over pas-ion, lest I should fall myself into a fault, by trying 
 to correct the fault of another." 
 
 A reckless youth was once brought to St. Francis de Sales, 
 that the Saint might give him a private correction ; but 
 instead of rigor, he showed extreme gentleness with him. 
 Seeing his obstinacy, he shed bitter tears, saying that this 
 young man would come to a bad end, as indeed happened, for 
 he was killed in a dud. When St. Francis was afterwards 
 blamed for being too mild on this occasion, he answered : 
 " What would you have me do ? I tried as well as I could, to 
 arm myself with an anger that should not be sinful, and 
 therefore I took my heart in both my hands, but I had not 
 strength to fling it in his face. And then, to tell the truth, 
 I feared to lose that little stock of mildness, which I have 
 labored for twenty-two years to collect, like dew, in the vase 
 of my heart. The bees have been many years in gathering 
 the honey, which a man swallows at a draught. Besides, 
 what is the use of speaking to one who does not listen ? 
 That foolish youth was not capable of correction, for he was 
 not master of his own judgment. So I could not have 
 helped him, and might have injured myself, like those who 
 are drowned with shipwrecked sailors, whom they are try- 
 ing to rescue. Charity ought to be judicious and prudent." 
 
MAY. — MEEKNESS. 185 
 
 21. You should never be displeased at the sight of your own im- 
 perfections, except with a displeasure humble, tranquil, and peaceful, 
 not excited and angry ; for this latter kind does more harm than 
 good.— St. F. de Sales. 
 
 St. Francis practised this in his own case. He said one 
 day : " For myself, if I had, for example, a great desire 
 not to fall into the vice of vanity, and yet fell very deeply 
 into it, I should not wish to reproach myself in this manner, 
 — " Are you not a wretch, an abomination, for having allowed 
 yourself to be conquered by this vice, after so many resolu- 
 tions ? Die of shame ! do not raise your eyes to heaven, 
 bold, disloyal traitor to God P — or with similar words. But 
 I would prefer to correct it quietly, and in a compassionate 
 way, saying : ' Come now, my poor heart, here we are fallen 
 again into the ditch, which we have so many times resolved 
 to avoid. Ah, let us rise up, and leave it once for all ! 
 Let us have recourse to the mercy of God, and hope in it, 
 for it will aid us to be more constant in future ; and in the 
 mean time let us return to the road of humility. Courage I 
 let us rise above ourselves, for God will help us, and we 
 shall advance/ Upon this reproach I would found a firm 
 and solid resolution not to fall again into the error, and to 
 apply suitable remedies/' 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul never felt anger or bitterness against 
 himself on account of his defects, and often said that vice 
 should be hated and virtue loved, not because the former 
 displeases us, and the latter pleases us, but only for love of 
 God, who hates vice and loves virtue ; and thus the pain 
 felt for a defect will have something in it sweet and tranquil. 
 
 St. Aloysius Gonznga was not discouraged when he com- 
 mitted faults, but only turned his glance upon his own 
 heart, and said, " Terra deditfructum suum"^-The earth 
 has yielded its fruit. 
 
186 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 22. If one wishes to acquire liberty of spirit, and not always walk 
 in darkness, he should feel no trouble in regard to aridities, disquiets, 
 distractions, or involuntary thoughts.—^. Teresa. 
 
 The Saint just mentioned practised this herself. What 
 vexations and trials, internal and external, from her Relig- 
 ious and from others, and from Satan himself, had she not 
 to suffer in her life ! Yet, in so many and various adver- 
 sities, she maintained herself always firm and immovable, 
 like a rock beaten by the waves of the sea, without taking 
 any of these things to heart. In this way she enjoyed a 
 freedom of spirit little less than angelic. 
 
 We read the same of St. Francis de Sales, who was never 
 disquieted by whatever happened to him, however adverse 
 it might be. To a lady who had asked his advice upon 
 this subject, he wrote thus : " You would prefer to see 
 yourself without defects and without temptations, rather 
 than in the midst of imperfect ions and afflictions. I would 
 like it too, and we shall be so in Paradise. But the dis- 
 quiet which you feel at not being able to arrive at this 
 stage of perfection in this life, makes you doubt whether 
 your hatred of sin be good. No, it is not pure, for it dis- 
 quiets you. Hate your imperfections, then, because they are 
 imperfections, but love them because they make you know 
 your nothingness, and give to you an opportunity to exer- 
 cise yourself in virtue, and to God to show His mercy 
 towards you." 
 
 23. Be very mild and very gracious in the midst of your exterior 
 occupations, for every one expects this good example from you. — 
 St. F. de Sales. 
 
 It is said of this Saint that amid all his activity he pre- 
 served a countenance mild, tranquil, and peaceful, and that 
 he was never known to lose the least jot of his cheerful- 
 
MAY.— MEEKNESS. 187 
 
 ness and serenity, in whatever business he was engaged. 
 
 The same is said of St. Vincent de Paul. He never lost 
 his tranquillity of mind in the midst of affairs, however 
 numerous or troublesome they might be. And it was won- 
 derful to see how he received all persons with the same seren- 
 ity of countenance, and satisfied their demands, \\ hatever 
 their rank might be, with great courtesy, and without ever 
 giving a sign of weariness or vexation at their importunity. 
 
 It is related of the Abbot David that for a period of 
 forty-five years, which he passed in the monastery, he was 
 never seen in a passion, nor showing any sign of perturba- 
 tion, but, in whatever he was engaged, his countenance bore 
 a look of imperturbable serenity and tranquillity, as if he 
 were an angel among men. He must, notwithstanding, 
 have been often placed in trying positions, as he was Su- 
 perior over one hundred and fifty monks, some of whom 
 could not have failed to be troublesome and unmanageable, 
 and he must also have had many difficult business affairs 
 to conduct. This trait of his character is reported by Theo- 
 doret, who says that he not only heard of it from others, 
 but observed it himself in the course of a week's visit. 
 
 The process of canonization of St. Thomas of Aquin 
 states that he was never seen angry or even disturbed, but 
 that at all times and in all occupations, he retained seren- 
 ity and cheerfulness of countenance to such a degree, that 
 those connected with him, experienced consolation and a 
 certain spiritual joy by merely looking at him. 
 
 St. Athanasius writes of St. Anthony, that he always 
 appeared so joyful, that every day seemed like Easter with 
 him, and that a stranger coming to see him, could pick 
 him out from a multitude of monks, by the gladness and 
 benignity which shone upon his countenance. And the 
 same writer adds that this joy was occasioned by the great 
 
188 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 hope which he had of Paradise ; for he had his mind al- 
 ways fixed on the eternal things above, of which he could 
 not think without rejoicing. 
 
 24. Know and be assured, that all those thoughts which give dis* 
 quiet and agitation of mind, are not in any wise from God, who is 
 the Prince of Peace ; but they always proceed either from the devil, 
 or from self-love, or from the esteem which we have of ourselves. 
 These are the three fountains from which all our perturbation 
 springs. Therefore, when thoughts of such a nature come to us, 
 we ought to reject them at once, and make no account of them. — 
 St. F. de Sales. 
 
 Here is the reason why this Saint was never seen per- 
 turbed or disquieted. It was because he scorned the temp- 
 tations of the devil, and was humble in heart, and a sworn 
 enemy to self-love. 
 
 When the Abbot Isaac was asked by another monk, why 
 the devils feared him so much, he replied : " At the time 
 I entered religion, I made a resolution never to let an 
 impatient act or angry word escape me, and, by the grace 
 of God, I have never broken it." Yet God knows how 
 many temptations and trying circumstances he had met ! 
 
 25. Humble mildness is the virtue of virtues whicli our Lord has 
 recommended to us, and therefore we ought to practise it every- 
 where and always. Evil is to be shunned, but peaceably. Good 
 is to be done, but with suavity. Take this for your rule : Do what 
 you see can be done with charity, and what cannot be done without 
 disturbance, leave undone. In short, peace and tranquillity of heart 
 ought to be uppermost in all our actions, as olive oil floats above 
 all liquors. — S. F. de Sales. 
 
 We read of this Saint that he enjoyed an imperturbable 
 peace of heart. He said himself, one day : " What is there 
 that can possibly disturb our peace? If all the world 
 were in confusion, I should not be troubled ; for what is 
 
MAY. — MEEKNESS. 189 
 
 all the world worth in comparison with peace of heart ?" 
 His acts, too, corresponded to his words. Though he had the 
 reform of the monasteries much at heart, he never used his 
 authority to cany it out, knowing well that what is done 
 by force is not lasting. So he preferred to fail in his plans 
 rather than to execute them by violence, and waited until 
 time, or rather until God, should work those changes in 
 hearts, that are above the power of any creature. 
 
 It was St. Vincent de Paul's maxim that though one 
 ought to hold firmly to the end proposed in good under- 
 takings, it was equally suitable to employ all possible amia- 
 bility and sweetness in the means ordained to that end. 
 For this is an imitation of the Divine Wisdom, which, 
 though it reaches its ends strongly, yet disposes sweetly 
 the means that lead to them. 
 
 26. If it be possible, never yield to anger, nor admit any pretext 
 for opening to it the door of your heart ; for, should it once enter 
 there, it will not be in your power to expel it when you please, or 
 ever to control it. If you see that through your weakness it has 
 gained a foothold in your spirit, instantly gather all your forces to 
 re-establish peace and tranquillity. But this must be done quietly 
 and never violently ; for it is a matter of much importance not to 
 irritate the wound. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 The same Saint employed in his own conduct this princi- 
 ple of applying self-control w'nere it could be useful, without 
 concerning himself with what was involuntary, as he says 
 in these words : " Have I made, for example, a resolution 
 to acquire mildness ? Very well, now let anger make a 
 chaos of my poor heart, let my brain be all on fire, let my 
 blood boil like a seething caldron, — I make no account of 
 all this. Meanwhile, I do not cease to be mild in all such 
 ways as are possible, and I silence and choke all the reasons 
 that nature would offer in justification of this passion." It 
 
190 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 once happened that one of his relatives, aggrieved by some- 
 thing which he thought this holy man had done, went to 
 his house, and loaded him with insults and threats. The 
 Saint, who was entirely innocent, sought to undeceive him, 
 and tried to pacify him with great mildness and courtesy. 
 But the gentleman, overcome by anger, would listen to noth- 
 ing, and went on abusing and insulting him, until he fi- 
 nally went away still storming and full of ill-will. Then the 
 Saint, turning to a Keligious who was present and was 
 much nstonished at his patience, said to him : " Father, it 
 was not desirable to exasperate this good man still more by 
 showing him his rashness. He will know it well some day, 
 and will repent of it." And so he did ; for, a few days 
 after, he came to ask pardon. It is said that the patience 
 of St. Francis was never known to waver, nor was his heart 
 ever known to cherish resentment against any one. From 
 this it clearly appears that this holy virtue, which shone so 
 remarkably in him, did not result, us many believe, from a 
 disposition all sweetness by nature, but from the great and 
 continual violence he had done to himself. On the contrary, 
 he was of a bilious temperament, and confessed of himself 
 that he had taken the greatest pains to conquer it, and that 
 he had labored at this for twenty-two years with great con- 
 stancy and courage. This was clearly shown after his death, 
 for when his body was opened there was nothing found in 
 the gall-bladder but three hundred grains of sand, which 
 was a manifest proof of his innumerable struggles to repress 
 the emotions of anger. 
 
 Such was the case of many other Saints, in whose Lives 
 we read that they were never seen to give way to anger, 
 but that even on the most exciting occasions, they always 
 showed the same tranquillity of countenance and serenity 
 of soul. Among these were St. Anthony, St. Ephrem, St. 
 
MAY. — MEEKNESS. 191 
 
 Thomas Aquinas, St. Vincent de Paul, and others, especially 
 the glorious St. Philip JSTeri, who would sometimes put on 
 an appearance of severity to exercise his novices in humility. 
 Then, as soon as they were gone, he would turn to any who 
 might be present, and say, " Did I not seem to be in a 
 passion ?" and instantly resume his previous serenity of ex- 
 pression. 
 
 27. The remedies against anger are : 1. To forestall its movements, 
 if possible, or at least to cast them aside quickly, by turning the 
 thoughts to something else. 2. In imitation of the Apostles when 
 they saw the sea raging, to have recourse to God, whose office it is 
 to give peace to the heart. 3. During the heat of passion, not to 
 speak, nor take any action as to the matter in question. 4. To 
 strive to perform acts of kindness and humility towards the person 
 against whom one is incensed, especially in reparation for any of a 
 contrary nature. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 This good Saint was often wrongfully assailed by others 
 with insulting words. To avoid yielding to anger in such 
 cases, he wonld sometimes think of some good quality they 
 possessed, to excite a sentiment of love for them ; or again, 
 he would be silent and let them talk, if he had tried sweet- 
 ness and courtesy in vain. To a gentleman who had been an 
 astonished witness of his heroic patience, he once said : 
 " You see I have made a compact with my tongue, that 
 when anything is said against me that may excite me to an- 
 ger, it will beware of uttering a word." 
 
 If St. Vincent de Paul was at any time moved to anger, 
 he abstained from speaking and from acting, and, above all, 
 he never resolved upon anything, until he felt that his pas- 
 sion had subsided. He often said that actions performed 
 under excitement may appear good, but can never be per- 
 fect, as they are not fully directed by reason, which is then 
 perturbed and obscured, and that in spite of all the ebul- 
 
192 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 litions of anger and all imaginable pretexts of zeal, we should 
 speak only soft and courteous words, that we may gain our 
 neighbors to God. Therefore, while the emotion lasted, 
 he made every effort to hinder any trace of it from ap- 
 pearing on his countenance, and if, on rare occasions, there 
 escaped him any word or gesture which might indicate im- 
 patience or severity, he immediately asked pardon. One 
 day he spoke with a great deal of decision to a lay -brother 
 who had excused himself under various pretexts fur giving 
 lodging to a stranger. Though he had done this with the 
 best intention, and the brother recognized his error, he yet 
 humbled himself for it that same evening, and wished to 
 kiss the lay-brother's feet. Another time he feared that 
 he had offended a lay-brother, by telling him to have pa- 
 tience and wait a little for the solution of certain doubts 
 that he had proposed to him. In this uncertainty he would 
 not say Mass, until he had asked his pardon. 
 
 When the venerable Monseigneur de Palafox felt his 
 emotions of anger or excessive zeal springing up in his 
 mind while he was giving a reproof, he would instantly 
 raise his heart to God, and say : " O Lord, hold fast in this 
 tempest the rudder of my reason, that I may not transgress 
 Thy holy will in any thing." 
 
 A great philosopher gave Augustus Caesar this advice : 
 " When you feel any emotion of anger, do not say or do 
 anything, until you have run over in your mind at least 
 the twenty-four letters of the alphabet." 
 
 Plutarch tells of a certain king of Thrace who was re- 
 markable for his violent temper, and the cruel punishments 
 he inflicted on his servants. One of his friends gave him 
 some vases, which were fragile, but beautifully wrought. 
 He gave his friend a handsome present in return, and then 
 broke the vases. When some one expressed amazement at 
 
MAY. MEEKNESS. 193 
 
 this latter action, he said : " I did this so that I might not 
 come to inflict my usual cruelties on any one who should 
 break them." 
 
 28. Accustom your heart to be docile, manageable, submissive, and 
 ready to yield to all in all lawful things, for the love of your most 
 sweet Lord ; so will you become like the dove, which receives all the 
 colors which the sun gives it. For this end, put your soul every 
 morning in a posture of humiiity, tranquillity, and sweetness, and 
 notice from time to time through the day, if it has become entangled 
 in affection for anything ; and if it be not quiet, disengaged, and tran- 
 quil, set it at rest.— St. F. de Sales. 
 
 This holy prelate was so remarkable for accommodating 
 himself to the dispositions of all, that Alexander VII, in his 
 eulogy, could find no way to describe him better than to say, 
 that God had willed to make him all to all. Among the 
 innumerable proofs of this, it will be enough to mention 
 one connected with St. Jane Frances de Chantal. She was 
 afraid of losing him, on account of his excessive application 
 to his work, and the little care he took of his health, and so 
 she entreated him to take more care of himself. Equally 
 humble and yielding, he answered her : " I take care of 
 myself as much as possible, more because you tell me to, 
 than from any inclination I have to this sort of attention. 
 I imagine, however, that it is God's will that I should de- 
 sire something for your sake, and now let Him do with me 
 according to His good pleasure." On other occasions also 
 he gave her the same assurance. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul had the habit deeply rooted in his 
 nature, of being pliable and ready to follow every one's will 
 in indifferent matters. 
 
 The Abbot Agatho declared that he had never retired to 
 rest without having first stifled every emotion of anger, 
 even against himself, and that he did so to fulfil the pre- 
 
194 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 cept, Diverte a malo et fac bonum; inquire pacem et perse- 
 quere earn— Turn away from evil, and do good ; seek peace, 
 and pursue it. 
 
 29. A most important means of acquiring iuterior mildness is to 
 accustom ourselves to perform all our actions, and to speak all our 
 words, whether important or not, quietly and gently. Multiply 
 these acts as much as you can in the time of tranquillity, and so you 
 will accustom your heart to gentleness. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 The Saint himself practised this advice well, for he never 
 seemed hurried on any occasion. When a person once 
 asked him about this, he answered : " You ask me how I 
 manage not to be hurried and troubled when every one else 
 is. How shall I answer you ? I did not come into the 
 world to bring perplexities ; are there not enough in it al- 
 ready?'' 
 
 30. To keep the soul continually in a state of geutle calm, it is 
 necessary to perform every action as heing done in the presence of 
 God, and as if He Himself had ordained it. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 This is the reason why St. John Berchmans performed 
 all his actions so regularly, and was so even-tempered on 
 all occasions, without any alteration or perturbation. It 
 was because he constantly enjoyed the Divine presence, and 
 was accustomed before beginning any action, to plan it 
 with God, and to remain in His sight while doing it. 
 
 When one of the Fathers of the Desert was asked how he 
 contrived to lead a life so well-ordered and so perfectly 
 even, he answered : " I keep my eyes always upon my 
 guardian angel, who stands ever at my side, assisting me 
 in every work, teaching me in all circumstances what I 
 have to say and do, and noting carefully every one of my 
 actions. Thence arise in me such fear and respect for him, 
 as make me ever attentive not to say or to do anything 
 that can displease him. 
 
MAY. — MEEKNESS. 195 
 
 31. One great means of preserving a constant peace and tranquil- 
 lity of heart, is to receive all things as coming from the hands of 
 God, whatever they may be, and in whatever way they may come. 
 — St. Dorotheus. 
 
 St. Catherine of Sienna once asked the Lord the way to 
 obtain true peace of heart, and He answered : " It is to be- 
 lieve that all that happens in the world, comes by the order 
 and disposal of God, and that He never makes anything 
 happen to any one that is not best for him." 
 
 It is told of St. Macarius that he was never seen angry 
 or melancholy, but that he always appeared cheerful, and 
 possessed of a heavenly gayety. The cause of this was, that 
 he received all that happened to him as coming from the 
 hands of God. Severus Sulpicius, who spent much time 
 with St. Martin, says the same of him. 
 
 When the servants of David wished to avenge him Upon 
 Semei, " No," he said, " for it is God who has commanded 
 him to curse me ; and who shall ask Him why He does 
 it?" 
 
 St. Francis de Sales was once shamefully abused by a 
 certain gentleman, in presence of a Religious, who was so 
 amazed at his patience that he took the first opportunity 
 of asking him how he could bear so many insults with so 
 much tranquillity. " Do you not perceive," he replied, 
 " that God has foreseen from all eternity the grace He 
 would bestow on me, that I might bear these reproaches 
 willingly ? And would you not have me drink this chal- 
 ice, which has been prepared for me by the hands of so 
 good a Father." 
 
 " I never," said an illuminated soul, " had fully under- 
 stood this truth, so often repeated again and again, that not 
 a hair falls from our heads without the will of our Heav- 
 enly Father. To understand this clearly and fully, makes 
 
196 A YEAR AVITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 the soul a sharer in celestial joys while still on earth, and 
 the cross which was before a hell, becomes for her a para- 
 dise. All this is because she tastes the marvellous sweet- 
 ness that lies hidden for pure souls in a command of God. 
 And it is enough that any thing should be His command, 
 to cause her to find in it peace and tranquillity." 
 
 We read of the venerable Mother Seraphina that in any 
 trial or misfortune that happened to her, all she did was 
 to praise and bless God. She often said : u God is our 
 Father, and whatever He does, all is for our advantage. If 
 this had not been for our good, it would not have happened." 
 Xews was once brought to her, that a ship loaded with 
 provisions purchased in Salerno for her convent, had been 
 wrecked. She immediately took her daughters with her to 
 the chapel, and there she praised and thanked the Lord for 
 this act of His providence ; and she said that it wa< as 
 pleasing to her as if she had done it with her own hands 
 and by her own choice, nay much more so as it had been 
 done by the hand of God. 
 
JUNE. 
 
 OBEDIENCE. 
 
 All tilings whatsoever that they command you, observe and do. — Matt, 
 xxiii : 3. 
 
 1. We all have a natural inclination to command, and a great 
 aversion to obey ; and yet, it is certain that it is more to our advan- 
 tage to obey than to command. It is for this reason that perfect 
 souls have so great an affection for obedience, and find in it all their 
 delight. 
 
 These are the words of St. Francis de Sales, and in fact 
 this Saint exercised himself much in this virtue, although 
 he was a Bishop and Superior of so many houses. He 
 even obeyed his chamberlain in regard to rising and retir- 
 ing to rest, dressing and undressing, as if he had been the 
 servant instead of the master. 
 
 St. Teresa often said : " One of the greatest graces for 
 which I feel bound to thank our Lord, is that His Divine 
 Majesty has given me a desire to be obedient ; since in this 
 virtue I experience the greatest consolation and content, as 
 the one which our Lord enjoined upon us more than any 
 other ; and therefore I desire to possess it more than any- 
 thing else in the world." 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi had so great a love for obe- 
 dience that even though a command might be very diffi- 
 cult to execute, or her weariness extreme, she never ap- 
 peared reluctant, or showed the least sign of discontent, but 
 accepted everything with a cheerful countenance, as if the 
 
 197 
 
198 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 most agreeable proposal had been made to her. It even 
 occurred to her to doubt of her own merit in obeying, on ac- 
 count of the great ease and delight which she experienced 
 in it. But she did not content herself with submission to 
 her Superioress. Of her own accord, she subjected herself 
 also to her companions, and even to her inferiors. With 
 this intention, she chose one of her Sisters, whose permis- 
 sion she asked for even the most minute things which she 
 desired or found it necessary to do, and obeyed her in 
 everything in spite of all difficulties. If she could not 
 have access to this particular Sister, she would ask the per- 
 mission of some other ; and whoever was her companion in 
 any employment, she always yielded precedence to her, and 
 followed her plans and methods. 
 
 2. Obedience is, without doubt, more meritorious than any auster- 
 ity. And what greater austerity can be thought of than that of 
 keeping one's will constantly submissive and obedient? — St. Cath- 
 erine of Bologna. 
 
 When St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi was sick, she was 
 accustomed to refuse any delicate food or costly medicine 
 that was offered her ; but if the bringer required her to take 
 it as an act of obedience, she made no further objections ; 
 but saving only " Blessed be God," she would instantly 
 take it. 
 
 As St. Dositheus was not able to practise austerities, or 
 even the ordinary exercises of religion, on account of his 
 feeble health, he turned his attention wholly to the practice 
 of obedience, and after five years spent in this manner, it 
 was revealed to him that a crown like that of the great St. 
 Anthony awaited him in heaven. When some of the her- 
 mits who had been most fervent in penances and in all the 
 other exercises, felt aggrieved at this, our Lord signified to 
 
JUNE. — OBEDIENCE. 199 
 
 them that they had failed to understand the full merit of 
 obedience. 
 
 3. Obedience is a penance of the soul, and for that reason a sacri- 
 fice more acceptable than all corporal penances. Thence it happens 
 that God loves more the least degree of obedience in thee, than all 
 the other services thou mayest think to render Him. — St. John of the 
 Cross. 
 
 This Saint, having finished his studies and returned to 
 the monastic life, showed that he had a high opinion of 
 himself, on account of his great learning. To cure him, 
 his director gave him a catechism, telling him to lay aside 
 all other books and read this alone, picking out the words 
 syllable by syllable, like a child. He continued to do this 
 for a long time, and with great application, and afterwards 
 confessed that he derived from it not only a high degree of 
 obedience, but many other virtues as well. 
 
 We read in the Lives of the Fathers that four monks 
 once visited the Abbot Pambo, and each of them told him 
 in private of the virtues of the others. One fasted severely ; 
 another did not possess the smallest thing ; this one glowed 
 with the most fervent charity ; while that one had lived 
 in the practice of obedience for twenty years. When the 
 Abbot had heard these things, one after the other, he said : 
 " The virtue of this last is greatest of all, for the rest 
 followed their own will, but he has made himself the servant 
 of another's will." 
 
 4. A little drop of simple obedience is worth a million times more 
 than a whole vase full of the choicest contemplations. — St. M. M. di 
 
 We read of a holy nun who was one day enjoying the 
 company of the Infant Jesus in her cell, when she was sent 
 for by her Superioress. Begging Him to wait for her ; she 
 
200 YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 went to obey the summons, and when she returned she 
 found Him no longer an infant, but wearing the form of a 
 full-grown youth. By this He intended to show her how 
 much her prompt obedience had caused Him to grow spirit- 
 ually in her heart in so short a time. 
 
 One day, when St. Frances of Rome was reciting the 
 Office of the Blessed Virgin, she was interrupted four times 
 while repeating a -ingle antiphon, by the voice of her hus- 
 band calling her. Each time she answered promptly, and 
 when she returned th" fourth time, she found the antiphon 
 written in letters, of gold. 
 
 5. To pick up a straw from the ground through ohedience, is more 
 meritorious thau to preach, to fast, to use the discipline to blood, and 
 to make long prayers, of one's own will. — Rodriguez. 
 
 A Cistercian monk, having gathered up a few crumbs at 
 the close of a meal, had not had time to eat them, as the 
 signal for leaving the table was given, and grace was said. 
 He was unwilling to waste them, but his rule forbade him 
 to eat anything except at the regular repasts. He therefore 
 went to his Superior, and kneeling, asked what he slmu <l 
 do. But when, at his Superior's command, he opened his 
 hand to show him the crumbs, they were changed into pre- 
 cious gems. 
 
 6. All the good of creatures cousists iu the fulfilment of the Di- 
 vine will. And this is never better attained thau by the practice of 
 obedience, in which is found the annihilation of self-love and the true 
 liberty of sons of God. This is the reason why souls truly good ex- 
 perience such great joy aud sweetness in obedience. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 The Saint just quoted had himself gained so complete a 
 submission to the Divine will that he cheerfully obeyed who- 
 ever had authority over him, as the Pope, Bishops, priests, 
 aud civil rulers as well, and evinced special respect and 
 
JUNE. — OBEDIENCE. 201 
 
 veneration for each of them. An incident in his relations 
 with his director deserves notice here. Having with his con- 
 currence left the house of Conde, to avoid the high esteem in 
 which he was held there, he could not be induced to return, 
 though entreated to do so by many men of high rank. 
 At last there came a letter from his director, not command- 
 ing his return, but merely mentioning the desire which these 
 nobles had for it. Immediately a doubt arose in his mind 
 as to what he ought to do, and this could not be quieted 
 except by a personal interview with the director, who then 
 exhibited some preference for his return. Upon this he 
 went back without hesitation. 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi had such great affection and 
 regard for obedience as a safeguard from the danger of do- 
 ing one's own will, that the thought of acting under it was 
 sufficient to restore her peace and serenity, when she was 
 burdened by an unusual trial or labor. 
 
 7. Whoever has not the virtue of obedience, cannot be called a 
 Religious. Whoever, then, is under obedience by vow, and fails 
 therein, not using every exertion to observe her vow with the utmost 
 perfection, — I cannot understand why she remains in the con- 
 vent.— ££. Teresa. 
 
 St. Margaret of Hungary, a Dominican nun, was in the 
 habit of taking all directions that were given to the com- 
 munity as addressed to herself, and as if their observance de- 
 pended upon her. 
 
 St. Jane Frances de Chantal once gave permission to a 
 Sister, in a case of urgent need, to use some money which 
 St. Francis de Sales had put into her hands to be employed 
 for the sick alone. Though the Sister was sure to replace 
 it from a gift that had been promised her, Mother de Chan- 
 tal began to fear that she had failed in obedience, and sent 
 
202 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 for St. Francis, who came the next morning to the convent. 
 She immediately threw herself at his feet, and, weeping, con- 
 fessed her fault ; and she herself said afterwards that she 
 could never think of it without tears. 
 
 8. Would 3'ou know who are true monks ? Those who by mor. 
 tificatiou have brought their will under such control, that they no 
 longer have any wish except to obey the precepts and counsels of 
 their Superior. — St. Fulgentius. 
 
 St. Francis once gave the blessed Egidius full freedom to 
 choose whatever province or monastery he might prefer as a 
 place of residence. After fourdays of this liberty, Egidius 
 was surprised at finding himself much troubled in mind. 
 Then returning to the i^aint. he earnestly entreated him to fix 
 his abode for life, for he knew that this liberty would ban- 
 ish all peace from his soul. 
 
 9. Every Sister, on entering religion, should leave her own will 
 outside the gate, in order to have no will but that of God. — St. F. de 
 Sales. 
 
 St. Dositheus said of himself that from his first en- 
 trance into religion he completely gavo up hia own will, 
 subjecting it in every thing to that ot* his Superior, to whom 
 lie also revealed all his temptations and all his desires. And 
 he adde 1 that in this way he had attained such peace of 
 heart and tranquillity of mind that nothing could ever dis- 
 turb him. 
 
 10. Many Religious and others have been saints without medita- 
 tion, but without obedience no one. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 A lay-brother of St. Bernard's Order being danger- 
 ously ill, the Saint visited him, and encouraged him with 
 the hope that he would soon pass from labor to eternal 
 rest. " Yes," replied he ; " I confide in the Divine Mercy, 
 
JUNE. — OBEDIENCE. 203 
 
 and feel certain that I shall soon go to enjoy God." The 
 Saint, feeling that this might be presumption, said reprov- 
 ingly : " What do you mean, brother ? When you were so 
 wretched and had nothing to live on, God put you in this 
 place, where you have lived so well ; and instead of being 
 thankful for this favor, do you now claim His kingdom, 
 as if it were your inheritance ?" " Father," replied the 
 sick man, " what you say is true, but have you not preached 
 that the kingdom of God is purchased not by riches or no- 
 bility, but by the virtue of obedience ? Now, I have kept 
 these words in mind, and have never failed to obey any one 
 who has given me an order, as all in the monastery will 
 tell you. Why, then, have I not reason to hope for what 
 you have promised me?" The Saint was much pleased at 
 this, and told it to all in the house after the brother's death. 
 
 11. Obedience is the summary of perfection and of the whole spirit- 
 ual life, and the securest, shortest, least laborious, and least dangerous 
 way of becoming enriched with all virtues, and arriving at the goal 
 of our desires — eternal life. — Alvarez. 
 
 St. Teresa was fully persuaded of this truth, which led 
 her to say that if all the angels together told her to do one 
 thing, while her Superior commanded the contrary, she 
 would always give the preference to the order of the Su- 
 perior. " Because," she added, " obedience to Superiors 
 is commanded by God in the Holy Scriptures, and conse- 
 quently it is of faith, and there can be no deception about it ; 
 but revelations are liable to illusion." And, in fact, she 
 often disclosed to her director things revealed to her by God, 
 and when he disapproved of them, she immediately let them 
 pass. 
 
 St. Frances of Rome, on many occasions, received com- 
 mands from God to do certain things, but she never did them 
 
204 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 without first having the consent of her confessor, which was 
 very pleasing to our Lord. 
 
 On her death-bed, St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi said that 
 nothing in the review of her whole life gave her so much 
 comfort as the certainty that she had never been guided in 
 anything by her own will and judgment, but always by the 
 will and judgment of her Superiors and directors. 
 
 St. Paul/surnam d the Simple, received grace to perform 
 miracles, after serving God only a short time in perfect obe- 
 dience. 
 
 12. The devil, seeing that there is no shorter road to the summit 
 of perfection than that of obedience, artfully insinuates mauy repug- 
 nances and diifieulties'under color of good, to prevent us from follow- 
 iug it. — St. Teresa. 
 
 On account of St. Bridget's extreme attachment to pen- 
 ances, her spiritual fat ler once forbade her to perform so 
 many. She obeyed, but with reluctance, for she feared the 
 loss of a spirit of mortification. The Blessed Virgin then 
 appeared to her and said : " Suppose, my daughter, that 
 two of my ciiildren desire to fa-ton a certain day. One, 
 being mistress of her own actions, fasts ; the other, who is 
 under obedience, does not fast. The second gains two 
 rewards — one for her desire, the other for her obedience. " 
 This instruction completely reassured the Saint. 
 
 13. The more we see of failure in obedience, the stronger should 
 be our suspicion of temptation and illusion. For when God sends 
 Hi? inspirations to a heart, the first grace He sheds upon it is that of 
 obedience. — St. Teresa. 
 
 "When a nun wrote to St. Francis de Sales that she was 
 very unwilling to do some things prescribed by the rule of 
 obedience, lie answered in this manner : " To wish to live 
 according to one's own will, in order better to perform the 
 
JUNE. — OBEDIENCE. 205 
 
 will of God — what a wild idea is this ! That an inclination, 
 or rather a caprice, fretful, changeable, bitter, and obstinate, 
 should be an inspiration, — what a contradiction this would 
 
 be r 
 
 Surius relates of the blessed Giordano, General of the 
 Dominicans, that when he was iil of a fever in a Piedmon- 
 tese city, where there was no house of his Order, the Bishop 
 received him and gave him a magnificent bed, soft, and 
 richly curtained. The humble servant of God did not wish 
 to rest so luxuriously, but submitted at the wish of a prior of 
 the Order, who had charge of him at the time, on account 
 of his medical skill. The demon, however, seeing so good 
 an opportunity, appeared to him the first night, in the form 
 of a shining angel, and gazing on him with wonder, re- 
 proved him, saying that he could not understand how he 
 could repose in snch luxury, and how he could so soon 
 abandon his usual mortifications, without thinking of the 
 grave scandal that he would thus give to his Order. After 
 adding that he ought rather to sleep on the bare ground, he 
 quickly disappeared. The holy man, instantly springing 
 from the bed, stretched himself upon the floor. When the 
 prior returned in the morning, he was much astonished at 
 the condition of things, and immediately order his chilled 
 and shivering patient to return to bed, if he did not wish 
 to commit suicide. The demon, however, did not lose cour- 
 age, and appeared again the next night, under the form of 
 an angel of light. " Oh," said he, "I had believed that 
 a warning from heaven would suffice to bring you back to 
 regular observance ! But I see that self-love is very strong 
 in you. How do you dare to rebel against the light of 
 heaven ? Obey at once the voice of God, who requires you 
 to leave this effeminacy, to cure you amid the austerities 
 suited to your state !" Strangely enough, the good man al- 
 
206 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 lowed himself to be persuaded again to exchange his bed for 
 the bare floor. But when the prior visited him the next 
 time, and found him benumbed and hall- fainting, he ex- 
 claimed sharply : " What oddity or what spirit of rigor is 
 this ?" But the Saint interrupted him, saying that lie was 
 lying thus not by his own caprice, but by command of the 
 angel of the Lord, who had expressly informed him that it 
 was the will of God that he should not remain in such a 
 luxurious couch. " No, Father," returned the good prior, 
 " it cannot be an angel of the Lord that has taught you to 
 disregard obedience. This is the rmilign spirit, who desires 
 to destroy your life, or at least to prolong your illness, 
 that he may hinder your plans for the glory of God ; if he 
 comes again, show him no favor." With these and similar 
 words he persuaded him to return to bed, and allow him- 
 self to be cared for. When the demon came back on the 
 third night, the reception he met with showed him that he 
 was discovered, and he instantly fled in a paroxysm of dis- 
 appointment and rage. The sick man soon began to re- 
 cover, and afterwards pursued his apostolic labors with such 
 success that his name became terrible to hell, and very glo- 
 rious throughout the world. 
 
 14, That obedience may be complete, it must exist in three things : 
 in execution, by doing promptly, cheerfully, and exactly whatever 
 the Superior orders ; in will, by willing nothing but what the Supe- 
 rior wills ; in judgment, by being of the same opinion as the Supe- 
 rior. — St. lgn. Loyola 
 
 Whatever command was laid upon St. Mary Magdalen 
 di Pazzi, she accepted it always with a cheerful countenance, 
 and executed it with promptness and exactness. And, 
 what is more, she obeyed blindly, without stopping to in- 
 quire about the purpose and reason of the order, and 
 
JUNE. — OBEDIENCE. 207 
 
 whether that or something else would be better ; for, as she 
 said, she would not consider herself obedient, though she 
 performed what was required, if she did not subject her 
 own judgment to that of the Superioress. And so, when 
 she received an order, she first applied herself to judge and 
 feel as the Superioress judged and felt, then she inclined 
 her will to desire what she desired ; therefore, she found no 
 difficulty in performing anything, whatever it might be. 
 Once our Lord ordered her to live on bread and water, to go 
 barefooted, and to wear a single poor and patched garment ; 
 but as the Superioress did not consent to this, she put on 
 stockings, shoes, and her ordinary dress, and ate the usual 
 food, as far as she was able, until by an evident miracle 
 God changed the will of the Superioress. By this she showed 
 that she trusted more to the judgment of Superiors than to 
 her own, or even to revelations. 
 
 The Abbot Silvanus loved one of his monks, named 
 Marcus, with a special affection. When a person came 
 one day to tell him that the others were much offended at 
 this, he brought him to the cells of the monks, and called 
 them, one after another, by name. All were slow in appear- 
 ing, except Marcus, who instantly came out. The Abbot 
 and his companion then entering his cell, found that he had 
 been writing, and had left a letter half finished that he might 
 not delay in answering the voice of his Superior. This 
 proved to all how reasonable was the Abbot's preference 
 for him. 
 
 " I take for my model," said St. Francis de Sales, " the 
 little Babe of Bethlehem, who knew so much, could do so 
 much, and allowed Himself to be managed without a 
 word." 
 
 15. Obedience consists not alone in doing what is actually com- 
 
208 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 manded, but also in a continual readiness to do on any occasion 
 whatever may be imposed. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 St. Francis Xavier was so ready for any act of obedi- 
 ence, that though he was working so fruitfully in India, 
 and with so much satisfaction to himself, he said, that if 
 at the beginning of a promising mission he should receive 
 an order from St. Ignatius, his Superior, to return to It- 
 aly, he would instantly break off his work and set out. 
 
 St. Felix the Capuchin excelled greatly in this virtue. 
 At the least sign from his Superiors, he showed himself 
 ever prompt and ready to execute all their directions, how- 
 ever arduous, difficult, and varied they might be, without 
 excepting any. Tin- wis s> well known, that Superiors 
 were careful not to mention any wish of theirs in presence 
 of this holy man, without real need, for lie would be sure 
 to consider a mere remark as a rigorous precept, and im- 
 mediately proceed to execute it. 
 
 16. True obedience manifests itself in executing gladly and with- 
 out any repugnance, things which are objects of antipathy, or con- 
 trary to one's interests.— Rodriguez. 
 
 St. Teresa tells of herself that when the prioress ordered 
 her to leave a certain foundation which she had begun by 
 Divine command, and for which she had labored much, she 
 instantly left it with perfect willingness ; for she judged 
 this to be a proof that she had done all she could, and that 
 nothing more was required of her. But even her confess- 
 or would not believe in this resignation, thinking that she 
 must be afflicted at so great a disappointment. 
 
 In the convent of the venerable Sister Maria Crucifixa 
 it was the rule to receive male visitors veiled. A special 
 direction to the contrary was at one time given to her, 
 which she obeyed readily, though with feelings of extreme 
 repugnance. 
 
JUNE. OBEDIENCE. 209 
 
 St. John Berchmans was appointed to serve a High Mass 
 at an hour very inconvenient for his studies. He accepted 
 the duty gladly, and served the Mass for many months 
 without a word of complaint, or an attempt to be relieved 
 from the charge. 
 
 We read of St. Felix the Capuchin, that he was always 
 prompt in giving up his own preferences, and especially for 
 actions in themselves virtuous and meritorious, which even 
 pious persons find it difficult to abandon, from motives of 
 charity or mortification. But if these acts ceased to be ap- 
 proved by his Superiors and directors, they no longer at- 
 tracted him. And so, a simple prohibition was sufficient 
 to make him forsake auy austerity or spiritual exercise, 
 not only without repugnance, but with the greatest tran- 
 quillity. For example, he had for years gone barefoot 
 with the consent of his Superior. But in his old age the 
 Cardinal Protector, at the request of one of his companions, 
 ordered him to put on sandals again. This he immedi- 
 ately did, without complaint, or inquiry as to who had made 
 the suggestion to the Cardinal, and without considering 
 how much his reputation would suffer among seculars, who 
 would suppose that he had relaxed in virtue. 
 
 17. A truly obedient man does not discriminate between one thing 
 and another, or desire one employment more than another, since 
 his only aim is to execute faithfully whatever may be assigned to 
 him. — St. Bernard. 
 
 St. Jerome wrote that when visiting hermits in the desert, 
 he found one who for eight years had carried a heavy stone 
 on his shoulders twice a day, for a distance of three miles, 
 by order of his Superior. Asking him how he could be 
 willing to perform such an act of obedience, he replied that 
 he had always done it with the greatest contentment, as if 
 
210 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 it had been the loftiest and most important occupation in 
 this world. These, concludes the Saint, are the ones who 
 make profit and grow in perfection, for they nourish them- 
 selves with " the flour of wheat," that is, with doing the 
 will of God ; and he testifies that he was himself so moved 
 by the reply he received, that from that hour he decided to 
 become a monk. 
 
 18. The chief merit of obedience consists not in following the will 
 of a mild, amiable Superior who asks rather than commands, but in 
 remaining patiently uuder the yoke of one who is imperious, rigor- 
 ous, harsh, ill-humored, and never satisfied. This is a pure fountain 
 of water gushing from the throat of a bronze Hon.— St. F. de Sales. 
 
 St. Jane Frances de Chantal used to say that she should 
 feel greater satisfaction in obeying the lowest Sister, who 
 would do nothing but vex her and order her about roughly 
 and sharply, than in following the directions of the ablest 
 and most experienced in the Order ; for, she said, where 
 there is least of the creature, there is most of the Creator* 
 
 St. Athanasius relates of the ancient monks that they 
 sought for harsh and unamiable Superiors, who would never 
 be pleased with what they did, and who would reprove 
 them for their good, as St. Paeomius did his disciple 
 Theodosius ; and the harder and more unattractive the Su- 
 perior wa-, the more perfect was their obedience. 
 
 St. Catherine of Bologna desired that her Superioress 
 should treat her always unkindly and impose upon her the 
 hardest tasks. She said that her own experience had proved 
 that obedience in ordinary matters is indeed very useful, 
 but that obedience in things difficult, or harshly commanded, 
 in a short time fills the soul with virtues, and unites it to 
 God. 
 
 19. If }'ou will not do violence to yourself, and will not be indif- 
 
JUNE. — OBEDIENCE. 211 
 
 ferent, as far as your own interests are concerned, as to who is your 
 Superior, — do not flatter yourself that you will ever become a spirit- 
 ual man and a faithful observer of your vows.— St. John of the Cross. 
 
 St. Francis of Assisi said that among the graces he had re- 
 ceived from the Lord was this, that he was as willing to 
 obey a novice who had been in the house but an hour, as 
 the most worthy of the seniors. 
 
 St. Francis Borgia showed the greatest veneration for all 
 Superiors, not only while in office, but after they had retired 
 from it. And when St. Ignatius appointed a lay-brother 
 to take charge of his health, he yielded the same obedience 
 to him that he would have to the Saint himself. 
 
 20. Remember that thou hast given thyself to the Superior for the 
 love of God, and to obtain the kingdom of heaven, and consequently, 
 thou art no more thine own, but his co whom thou hast given 
 thyself. Therefore, it is not permitted thee to do anything of thy- 
 self, and without his will, since he, not thou, is the master of thy 
 will. 
 
 As far as St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi was able, she did 
 nothing without seeking the command or permission of the 
 Superior or Mistress. 
 
 The venerable Pudenziana Terziaria, a Franciscan nun, 
 said to her confessor just before her death : " Father, since 
 I gave myself into your hands, by the divine help I have 
 never so much as uttered a sigh which had not the seal 
 of obedience. I have now but to draw my last breath, 
 which I desire should have the same merit. Give me, then, 
 permission for it !" The Father, astonished at so btrange 
 a request, paused for a moment, and then answered : " My 
 daughter, I do not wish you to go yet." She inclined her 
 head, and turning to the crucifix, " My Lord/' she said, 
 " Thou seest I am detained. Do not compel me, for I 
 cannot consent," A little while after, she renewed her re- 
 
212 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 quest to the Father, with the same result. But finally, 
 moved with pity, he said : " Depart, O blessed soul, to the 
 eternal repose !" Sue said quickly, " Bless me, Father," and 
 after receiving the usual benediction, she turned her eyes 
 upon those around, as if bidding them farewell, clasped and 
 kissed the crucifix, and saying, with a smile, " I am going," 
 she expired. 
 
 21. Beware of paving any attention to the wisdom, skill, or intel- 
 ligence of a Superior ; if not, you will exchange divine obedience 
 for human ; for you will be led to obey for the sake of the qualities 
 you perceive in him, and not for the sake of God imperceptibly pres- 
 ent in his person. Oh what great havoc the devil works in the hearts 
 of Religious, when he succeeds in making them regard the qualifica- 
 tions of Superiors.— &. John of the Cross. 
 
 Father Peter Faber never looked at the defects of a Su- 
 perior, but always at his virtues, that he might honor 
 him in truth. And if he met one full of fault- ami des- 
 titue of virtues, he would still strive to honor and obey 
 him faithfully, for the love and fear of God, and for his 
 own perfection. 
 
 St. John Berchmans saw God in his Superiors, and never 
 their own qualities. This caused him to treat them always 
 with great veneration, and he said that he had never the least 
 dislike for any one of them. 
 
 22. When the Superior orders anything, consider that it is not he 
 that speaks, but God, so that the Superior is but a trumpet through 
 which the voice of God sounds. And this is the true key to obedi- 
 ence, and the rea-on why the perfect obey in everything so promptly, 
 and make no difference between one Superior and another, and sub- 
 mit to the lowest in authority as well as to the highest, and to the im- 
 perfect as well as to the perfect ; for they regard not the persons nor 
 the qualities of Superiors, but God alone, who is always the same, 
 of equal merit, and of equal authority. — Rodriguez. 
 
 §t. Aloysius Gonzaga said that he did not remember 
 
JUNE. — OBEDIENCE. 213 
 
 ever to have disobeyed the slightest order of a Superior. 
 He even showed as much reverence and submission to the 
 beadle as to the General himself. 
 
 The blessed Solomea observed the orders of Superiors 
 with as much exactness as if they had been given by God 
 Himself; for this reason, that he regarded them as origin- 
 ating from God, and only promulgated by the voice of the 
 Superior. 
 
 The venerable Mother Seraphina sometimes had confess- 
 ors who possessed but little wisdom, yet she obeyed them 
 with the same exactness as she did the others ; and she often 
 said that when they did not command anything sinful, it was 
 always necessary to obey them, without seeking a reason for 
 their orders. 
 
 23. Do you know how it happens that many who have lived long- 
 in religion, aud practised daily so many acts of obedience, have by no 
 means succeeded in acquiring a habit of this virtue? Because, not 
 every time they obey, do they do it because such is the will of God 
 (which is the formal reason of obedience) ; but they obey, now for 
 one cause, now for another, so that their actions, being destitute of 
 mutual similarity, cannot unite to form a habit of this virtue. — 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi never regarded the person 
 who was her Superior, or who gave her orders, whoever 
 she might be, but recognized in her the person of God ; nor 
 did she obey for any other reason than because she believed 
 it to be the will of God. She considered whatever was im- 
 posed on her as ordered by divine authority, and so she 
 obeyed the cook as willingly as the prioress, and expe- 
 rienced equal joy and satisfaction in doing so. 
 
 The same is narrated of the monks of Egypt, who per- 
 formed promptly, without any discussion or objection, what- 
 ever duty was laid upon them, as if the order had come 
 
214 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 di recti}- from God, whose will they were accustomed to 
 recognize in that of the Superior. 
 
 24. If you ever are conscious of impulses, thoughts, and judg- 
 ments opposed to obedience, though apparently good and holy, do 
 not admit them on any account, but reject them promptly, as you 
 would thoughts against chastity or faith.— St. John Climaevs. 
 
 St. John Berchmans once had a philosophical thesis to 
 defend, on which he was only partly prepared, when he was 
 called to join a brother who was going out. lie felt inte- 
 riorly a slight repugnance t<> Leaving his work ; bat without 
 giving any outward sign of it, \w turned hi- thoughts in 
 another direction. When he came home, he reflected 
 seriously on the emotion he had felt, and for some days re- 
 called it at his particular examen, and made it a subject of 
 mature reflection. Finally, by the grace of God, he was 
 able to tell his Superior that he had obtained a victory over 
 himself; and he was never again disturbed by any repug- 
 nance. 
 
 The Venerable Maria Seraphina had permission from her 
 director, who was living in Naples, to communicate every 
 day. But to avoid singularity, he advised her to ask per- 
 mission each time from the ordinary director of Capri. 
 When he refused it, as often happened, she submitted, 
 though with much grief. On one of these occasions, as 
 she was hearing M iss, the Lord appeared to her after the 
 consecration, and seemed to invite her to go to Communion, 
 which enkindled in her heart a most vehement desire to do 
 so. But she would not yield to it, as she was persuaded 
 that there might be an illusion in regard to the vision, 
 while there could be none as to the command of the con- 
 fessor. 
 
 25. Beware of examiuing and judging the orders of Superiors, 
 
JUNE. — OBEDIENCE. 215 
 
 and considering why such a thing was commanded, or whether an- 
 other course would have been better. All this belongs not to the 
 subject, but to the Superior.— $5. Jerome. 
 
 One very warm summer day, St. John Berehmans went 
 out three or four times, having been given, by the Superior, 
 as a companion to several Brothers in succession. His 
 room-mate, feeling sorry for his evident suffering, advised 
 him to use a little more discretion and prudence, for other- 
 wise the intense heat would surely make him ill. But he 
 answered with much gentleness : " Brother, I must leave 
 prudence to him who gives me the orders. I am bound to 
 nothing but obedience." 
 
 When the Bishop of Capri was going to celebrate Mass, 
 one morning, at the convent of the venerable M< >ther Sera- 
 phina, he sent her word that he did not wish to give Com- 
 munion to the nuns at the usual grating, but at the altar, 
 and that they must, therefore, all come into the church. 
 The servant of God was then in her cell, and without stop- 
 ping to consider how painful was such a direction on ac- 
 count of the great irregularity it involved, she threw her- 
 self on her knees before her crucifix, and kissed the ground ; 
 then rising, she kissed the Lord's feet, saying affection- 
 ately : " He was made obedient unto death." Without 
 further delay, she left her cell, and went to beg of her Sis- 
 ters to obey the order of the Prelate. After receiving Holy 
 Communion, they all went into the choir to make their 
 thanksgiving. There the Mother had an ecstasy, in which 
 our Lord told her how much He had been pleased with this 
 act of obedience. She told her companions of this when 
 they were assembled at the general recreation. But when 
 some dwelt on the repugnance they had felt, she said : 
 " For me, the Lord gave me this morning a great reward 
 for my blind obedience ; and though the action in itself 
 
216 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 may not have been good, certainly the obedience was 
 good." 
 
 26. It is not enough for obedience to do what is commanded. It 
 must be done without debate, and must be looked upon as the best 
 and most perfect thing possible, though it may seem and may even 
 be the contrary. — St. Philip Neri. 
 
 Father Alvarez was accustomed to subject himself will- 
 ingly to obedience in all things. For he said that he had 
 noticed that even when it seemed desirable for him to do 
 something contrary to what obedience required, yet by obe- 
 dience he always succeeded best 
 
 What did our Lord do to cure the blind man ? He 
 anointed his eyes with clay, and told him to go and bathe 
 in the pool of Siloe. This blind man might have said that 
 this was a remedy better adapted to takeaway sight than to 
 restore it and he might have objected to the journey. But 
 as he obeyed without cavil, he was cured. 
 
 St. Columbano the Abbot, having most of his monks 
 sick, ordered them all to go to the burn and thrash the grain. 
 It seemed a very hard and indiscreet thing to oblige men 
 who were almost too weak to stand, to perform such labo- 
 rious work, and to expose them to the rays of a scorching 
 sun ; but they all went out to execute the order, except a few 
 prudent and caution- one-, who thought it safer to remain 
 in bed. But what was the result? Those who blindly 
 obeyed, were cured instantly, while the others who reasoned 
 about the matter, remained sick of the fever for a whole 
 year. 
 
 The Blessed Virgin, appearing to a nun, told her that by 
 means of obedience the ends of Divine Wisdom are accom- 
 plished ; which, often by ways sublime and not penetrated 
 by human prudence, moves ou to the aims it seeks without 
 any hindrance. 
 
JUNE. — OBEDIENCE. 217 
 
 27. Whoever wishes to be a good Religious, must make himself 
 like the ass of the monastery. This animal does not choose what 
 burden he is to bear, nor go by the road he prefers, nor rest when he 
 likes, nor do what he wishes ; but accommodates himself to all that 
 is chosen for him. He walks, he stops, he turns, he goes back, he suf- 
 fers and labois day and night, in all kinds of weather, and bears what- 
 ever burden is put upon him, without saying, "Why ?" or " What 
 for?" "It is too much;" "It is too little;" or the like. Abbot N ester one. 
 
 This holy Abbot, as is told in the Lives of the Fathers, 
 at his very entrance into religion, made this beautiful reso- 
 lution : I and the ass are one. I will consider myself to be 
 the monastery ass. And so, he became one of the best Relig- 
 ious. 
 
 St. John Berchmans considered himself in the same light. 
 Whatever was commanded him, he never refused to do, 
 nor excused himself, nor gave any sign of discontent or dis- 
 couragement, but accepted all cheerfully, and executed it 
 promptly and faithfully. And so, when the Superiors 
 were in perplexity as to assigning some difficult task, or 
 findi ag a companion for a brother who was going out, 
 he w r as always their resort. Thus, it sometimes happened 
 that he had scarcely returned home with one, when he was 
 appointed to go out with another ; and this might occur 
 three or four times in one day. And with these compan- 
 ions he would go back and forth, in one direction or another, 
 stop anywhere and as long as they pleased, without objects 
 ing, or complaining of the loss of time, or of not being as 
 well treated as others; for his only aim was to obey and 
 serve. 
 
 But St. Felix the Capuchin put on this character most 
 completely of all, for he did it not only in his own mind, 
 but, by an avowal that others might have the same opinion 
 of him ; and he even valued the title of ass. Sometimes, 
 he was passing through a crowded street with baskets full 
 
218 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 of bread or wine, when he wou'd shout : " Make way for the 
 ass !" And if any one should say that he did not see any 
 ass, he would answer : " Do you not know that I am the 
 Capuchins' ass?" As he was walking, one day, in the 
 city, he fell down, by accident, in the mud, and not being 
 able to rise, he said to his companion : " Do you not see 
 that the ass has fallen ? Why do you not put on the whip 
 and make him rise ?" When any Religious called him by 
 his own name, he would often answer, " You are mistaken, 
 Father ; my name is Brother Ass." Nor was all this a mere 
 matter of words ; for the Superior could employ him at all 
 times and places, precisely a- ii he had been an ass, and give 
 him whatever he pleased to do, without the risk of a word 
 of excuse or the slightest sign of reluctance. 
 
 28. Whoever lives under obedience, ought to allow himself to be 
 ruled by Providence, through his Superior, like a dead man. It is a 
 sign of death not to see, not to feel, not to answer, not to complain, 
 not to show any preference, but to be moved and carried anywhere 
 at the will of another. See how far your obedience falls short of 
 this. — St. lgn. Loyola. 
 
 A man of this type was St. Paul the Simple, a disci- 
 ple of St. Anthony. He, one day, asked his master whether 
 Christ was before the Prophets ; upon which the Saint com- 
 manded him not to speak, as he was able to talk nothing but 
 nonsense ; and for three success] v. y- ars the disciple observed 
 perpetual silence. After that, St. Anthony, wishing to try 
 his obedience still further, commanded him to do many ab- 
 surd and useless things, such as drawing water from a well, 
 and then pouring it out ; making garments, then ripping 
 them to pieces ; and the like. St. Paul regarded all these 
 things as necessary, at least because they were commanded, 
 though they might be frivolous and of no account in them- 
 selves. He performed them, therefore, cheerfully, promptly, 
 
JUNE. — OBEDIENCE. 219 
 
 and with all possible diligence, without making the le.st 
 reflection about them. 
 
 The same spirit was shown by a certain disciple of the 
 Abbot Martin, who, having a dry rod in his hand, planted it 
 in the ground, and bade his disciple to water it until it blos- 
 somed. The latter did this regularly for three years, going 
 daily for water to the Nile, which was two miles distant ; 
 and he never complained nor was discouraged by seeing that 
 he had labored so long in vain. Finally, the Lord deigned 
 to show how much this labor pleased Him, for the rod grew 
 green and blossomed. This anecdote is related by Severus 
 Snlpicius, who says that he had himself seen the tree, 
 which was preserved up to his time, as a memorial, in the 
 court of the monastery. 
 
 On the day when St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi received 
 the habit, she prostrated herself humbly, and with true 
 feeling, at the feet of her Mistress, and resigned herself 
 wholly to her will, saying that she gave herself into her 
 hands as if dead, and that, hereafter, she might do with her 
 whatever she pleased, for she would obey her in everything. 
 She also entreated her not to show her any favor in regard 
 to humiliations and mortifications. She made the same 
 protestations to a second Mistress afterwards appointed to 
 succeed the first. And she did, in fact, live thus wholly 
 submissive to their will, obeying them promptly in every- 
 thing, and allowing herself to be employed by them in 
 whatever they wished, without ever contradicting or giv- 
 ing any sign of disapproval, whatever they might say. In 
 this manner, she succeeded so far in despoiling herself of 
 her own will and judgment that she seemed no longer to 
 have any, and they might be called dead in her. 
 
 29, The perfection of a Religious consists in exact obedience to his 
 
220 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 Rules ; and whoever is most faithful iu their observance, will be, by 
 
 this fact alone, the most perfect. — Rodriguez. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul was most exact in the practical ob- 
 servance of all the rules 'of the Congregation, to such a 
 degree that he scrupled to transgress even the smallest, 
 such as that of kneeling on entering or leaving his cell, 
 though in the last years of his life this became very pain- 
 ful to him, on account of a disease which had settled in his 
 limbs. He was also usually the first to be present at the 
 general exercises, particularly meditation. 
 
 Father Joli, Superior of the ( Jongregation of the Mission, 
 was most exact himself in the observance of the Rules, and 
 inflexible as to others, yielding neither to reasons nor to 
 entreaties, so far as to permit the least want of observance. 
 A Superior, having once written to him to ask a certain 
 permission, this was his reply : "Our Rule is opposed to 
 this, and we ought to be most strongly attached to our 
 Rule. This is the best of all reasons." In a discourse to 
 his ( '< immunity, he said, one day : " We ought to regard as 
 our chief duties, the Rules and holy practices of the Con- 
 gregation, disregarding, to observe them, all our own par- 
 ticular devotions. For example, we should consider it more 
 meritorious not to speak without permission to persons of 
 our acquaintance, whom we may meet in the house, than to 
 take twenty disciplines of our own will." 
 
 St. Jane Frances de Chantal had the observance of her 
 Rules so much at heart, and kept such strict watch over 
 herself, that she might not transgress the smallest, even 
 when a Superior, and much advanced in years, that her 
 practice served as a living and most efficacious rule, to 
 rouse and incite all the others to a most perfect observance. 
 It happened once that she came into recreation from the 
 parlor, much prostrated on account of her great age. Some 
 
JUNE. — OBEDIENCE. 221 
 
 companions begged her to rest for the short time that re- 
 mained before the close of recreation. " But what shall 
 we do," she answered, smiling, " with the Rule, which re- 
 quires us to work in recreation V 
 
 St. Aloysius Gonzaga was never seen to transgress the 
 least rule of the Institute. He was so exact in this that he 
 could not bring himself to give a companion half a sheet of 
 paper, or to receive any little picture that might be offered to 
 him, without first obtaining permission from the Supe- 
 rior, as the Rule prescribed. 
 
 One night the devil tormented a lay-brother in the Do- 
 minican monastery at Bologna, with so much cruelty that 
 the noise of blows and struggles aroused the Religious. 
 When St. Dominic, who was there, commanded the demon 
 to tell why this was, he answered, that it was because the 
 brother had taken something to drink, on the previous even- 
 ing, without permission, and without asking a blessing, as 
 the Rule enjoined. 
 
 St. Gregory relates that an evil spirit entered into a nun, 
 and tormented her grievously, because she had eaten lettuce 
 without asking a blessing, according to the requirement of 
 the Rule. 
 
 30. The predestination of Religious is inseparably connected with 
 love for their Rule, and the careful performance of the duties of 
 their vocation. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 St. Bonaventure wrote these words in a note-book : I 
 have come into religion to live not as others live, but to 
 live as all ought to live, in the spirit of the Institute and 
 full observance of the Rule ; for, at my entrance, the Rules 
 were given me to read, and not the lives of others. The 
 Rules were then accepted by me voluntarily and as the ba- 
 sis of my life, and therefore I ought to observe them all 
 
222 A YEAE WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 exactly, although I should see that no one else observed 
 them. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales gave high praise to a certain 
 General of the Carthusians, for his great regularity in the 
 observance of his Rule ; for, he said, he was so exact even 
 in things of the least importance, that he did not yield the 
 palm even to the best novices. 
 
 St. John Berchmans was so devoted to the observance 
 of the Rules, that during all the time he lived in religion, 
 no person ever saw him violate one of them. And so, when 
 he came to die, he asked for the little book of his Rules, and 
 clasping it in his hands, he said, " With this I die will- 
 ingly." 
 
JULY. 
 
 SIMPLICITY. 
 
 Be simple as doves. — Matt, x : 16. 
 
 1. Among those who make profession of following the maxims of 
 Christ, simplicity ought to be held in great esteem ; for, among the 
 wise of this world there is nothing more contemptible or despicable 
 than this. Yet it is a virtue most worthy of love, because it leads 
 us straight to the kingdom of God, and, at the same time, wins for 
 us the affection of men ; since one who is regarded as upright, sin- 
 cere, and an enemy to tricks and fraud, is loved by all, even by 
 those who only seek from morning till night to cheat and deceive 
 others. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 This Saint himself truly had great esteem for simplicity, 
 and loved it much. Therefore, he not only kept himself 
 from any transgression against it, but could not suffer those 
 under his authority to commit any. If at times they were 
 guilty of doing so, he would be sure to correct them for it, 
 though with great mildness. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales, also, was full of respect and love 
 for this virtue, as he once declared to a confidential friend, 
 in these words : " I do not know what that poor virtue of 
 prudence has done to me, that I find so much difficulty in 
 loving it. And if I love it, it is only from necessity, inas- 
 much as it is the support and guiding light of tkis life. 
 But the beauty of simplicity completely fascinates me. It 
 is true that the Gospel recommends to us both the simplicity 
 of the dove and the prudence of the serpent ; but I would 
 give a hundred serpents for one dove. I know that both 
 
 223 
 
224 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 are useful when they are united, but I think that it should 
 be in the proportion observed in compounding some m( di- 
 cines, in which a little poison is mixed with a quantity of 
 wholesome drugs. Let the world, then, be angry, — let the 
 prudence of the world rage, and the flesh perish ; for it is 
 always better to be good and simple, than to be subtle and 
 malicious." 
 
 St. Phocas the Martyr was greatly to be admired for his 
 simplicity, according to what Surius relates. He culti- 
 vated a little garden, less to provide food for himself, than 
 to supply with vegetables and fruit those travellers and 
 pilgrims who had heard of his liberality, and stopped at his 
 house ; for no one ever knocked at his door, who was not 
 received with great charity and courtesy. This holy man 
 was denounced for aiding and abetting Christian-, to the 
 governor of the province, who, resolving upon his death, 
 sent soldiers privately in search of him, with orders to kill 
 him. They arrived, one evening, at his house, not knowing 
 that it was his, entered it, and, with the usual freedom oi 
 soldiery, demanded food. According to his custom, he re- 
 ceived them willingly and kindly, and gave them what lit- 
 tle he had. He served them, too, at table, with so much char- 
 ity and courtesy that they were delighted and captivated, 
 and said between themselves that they had never met such 
 a good-hearted man. And so, they were led by his great 
 simplicity and candor to ask him with confidence, whether 
 he knew anything of a certain Phocas, who helped and 
 harbored Christians, and upon whose death the imperial 
 prefect had resolved. The Saint replied that he knew him 
 very well, and that he would willingly point him out 
 to them, so that they might go to rest quietly, without 
 further inquiry, for on the next day he would show them 
 an easy way of capturing him. He then spent the whole 
 
JULY. — SIMPLICITY. 225 
 
 night in fervent prayer, and, when it was day, he went to 
 visit the soldiers, and bid them good morning, with his 
 usual cordiality. They answered by reminding him of his 
 promise to deliver up Phocas, whom they were seeking. 
 " Do not doubt," he returned, " that I will find him for 
 you. Consider that you have him already in your hands." 
 " Let us go, then, and take him," they answered. " There 
 is no need of going," he replied, " for he is here present. 
 I am he. Do with me what you please." At these words, 
 the soldiers were amazed and stupefied, both on account 
 of the great charity with which he had welcomed them, 
 and of the ingenuous sincerity with which he revealed him- 
 self to his persecutors, when he could so easily have escaped 
 death by fleeing in the night. They gazed at each other 
 in amazement, and neither of them dared to lay hands on 
 one who had been so kind to them. They were more in- 
 clined to give him his life, and to report to the prefect that 
 after long search they had not been able to discover Phocas. 
 " No," said the Saint, " my death would be a less evil than 
 to concoct such a fiction, and tell such a falsehood. Exe- 
 cute, then, the order you have received." So saying, he bared 
 his neck, and extended it to the soldiers, who severed it 
 with one stroke, and gave him the glorious crown of mar- 
 tyrdom. This most candid fidelity was so agreeable to 
 God that He immediately began, and still continues, to sig- 
 nalize it by illustrious miracles, especially in favor of pil- 
 grims and sailors, to whom, in death as in life, the Saint 
 has been most liberal of benefits and miraculous helps. In 
 recognition of this, a custom came into use among travellers 
 by sea, of serving to him every day at meals a part of the 
 first dish, which was called the portion of St. Phocas. 
 This was each day bought by one or other of the voyagers, 
 and the price deposited in the hands of the captain ; and 
 
226 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 when they came into port, the money was distributed among 
 the poor, in thanksgiving to their benefactor for their suc- 
 cessful voyage. 
 
 2. Simplicity is nothing but an act of charity pure aud simple, 
 which has but one sole end, that of gaining the love of God. Our 
 soul is then truly simple, when we have no aim at all but this, in 
 all we do. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi once said : " If I thought 
 that by saying a word, however indifferent, for any other end 
 than the love of God, I could become a Seraph, I certainly 
 would not say it." 
 
 The devil, envying a young monk who was making good 
 progress, appeared, one night, to his Mastei of Novices, un- 
 der the form of a good angel, and informed him that his 
 disciple was already reprobated, and that whatever good he 
 did was of no use to him. The Master of Novices was 
 much grieved at this, and could not refrain from tears w -beli- 
 ever he met the young man, who, one day, asked him the rea- 
 son of his grief. When he told it, the novice said : 
 "Father, do not grieve for this. If I am to be damned, 
 I shall be damned ; if I am to be saved, I shall be saved. 
 I serve God not for the kingdom of heaven, but for His 
 goodness aud love towards me, and for the Passion He has 
 suffered for me. If, then, He chooses to give me His Para- 
 dise, He can do it ; and if He wishes to give me hell, he can 
 indeed do it : I am content that He should do with me what 
 pleases Him." The following night, a true angel appeared 
 to the Master of Novices, and told him the one he had pre- 
 viously seen was a devil, and that his disciple had merited 
 more by his act of resignation, than by all the good life he 
 had hitherto led. 
 
 3. The office of simplicity is to make us go straight to God, without 
 
JULY. — SIMPLICITY. 227 
 
 regard to human respect or our own interests. It leads us to tell 
 things candidly, and just as they exist in our hearts. It leads us to 
 act simply, without admixture of hypocrisy and artifice, and, finally, 
 keeps us at a distance from every kind of deceit and double-dealing. 
 —St. V.dePauL 
 
 This Saint always held it as of the utmost importance to 
 have God as his only object in all he did ; neither could he 
 bear that those under his charge should swerve in the least 
 from this aim. When one of them was publicly accused of 
 having done something from human respect, he repri- 
 manded him severely, saying that it would be better to be 
 thrown into the fire with feet and hands tied, than to work 
 to please men. Answering a letter from one of his priests, 
 he writes thus : " You write to me that when you speak 
 highly of a certain person in your letters, it would be well 
 for his friends to know it, that he may come to know it too. 
 What thoughts for you to have ! where is the simplicity of 
 a missionary, who ought always look directly to God ? If 
 you do not see good in certain persons, do not speak of it ; 
 but if you find it, speak of it to honor God in them, since 
 from Him all good proceeds. Our Lord reproved one who 
 called Him good, because he did not call Him so with a good 
 intention. With how much greater reason might you be 
 blamed, if you praise sinful men to please them, and to gain 
 their favor, or for any other earthly and imperfect motive ? 
 Remember that duplicity does not please God, and that to be 
 truly simple, we ought to have no aim but Himself." As to 
 his own language, it was candid and simple, and so far from 
 all evasion and craftiness, that no one could ever fear being 
 deceived by him. He also avoided high-flown compliments, 
 which, as they are usually united with dissimulation, are not 
 in conformity with the rul es o f Christian simpl icity . There- 
 fore, he conversed with all simply and cordially, omitting 
 
228 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 useless demonstrations, as lie desired also that his priests 
 should do. 
 
 The venerable Sister Crucifixa possessed most remarkable 
 candor and sincerity , by which she showed her hatred of 
 all dissimulation and duplicity. The slightest untruth 
 never escaped from her lips, either in the way of civility or 
 of jest, although at recreation she would often employ 
 irony, or other diverting forms of expression, to enliven 
 the conversation. 
 
 St. Charles Borromeo showed plainly that he was full of 
 this holy virtue, on several occasions, especially in the elec- 
 tion of Pius V as Pope. As his uncle, Pius IV, had al- 
 ways disliked St. Charles, there was every reason to believe 
 that the nephew would be opposed, or at least not very 
 friendly, to him, so that he might be taxed with want of pru- 
 dence in giving power that would be likely to be used for 
 his own ruin. Nevertheless, having before his eyes only 
 the glory of God and the greater good of the Church, and 
 paying no regard to his private interests, he brought about 
 his election. But God took care of him, and caused him to 
 be much favored and esteemed by Pius V. In his speech, 
 St. Charles was extremely candid, and utterly opposed to 
 all artifice and duplicity, and he wished those of his house- 
 hold to be the same, as he once said to one of them, who, in 
 talking of a certain affair, allowed these words to escape him : 
 " I will tell you sincerely what I think about it." The Saint 
 interrupted him quickly, saying : " Then you do not always 
 speak sincerely ! Xow, be sure that he cannot be my friend, 
 who does not speak always with sincerity, and say with his 
 lips what he means in his heart." 
 
 4. God loves the simple, and converses with them willingly, and 
 communicates to them the understanding of His truths, because He 
 disposes of these at his pleasure. He does not deal thus with lofty 
 and subtle spirits. — ^. F. cU Sales 
 
JULY. — SIMPLICITY. 229 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul was of the same opinion, the truth 
 of which, he said, experience daily confirms ; for it is but 
 too clear that the spirit of religion is not ordinarily to be 
 found so much among the wise and prudent of the world, 
 as among the poor and simple, who are enriched by God 
 with a living and practical faith, which makes them believe 
 and appreciate the words of eternal life. So they are usu- 
 ally seen to suffer their diseases, their poverty, and all 
 their trials, with more patience and resignation than others. 
 
 St. Ambrose, in the funeral oration which he pronounced 
 over his brother, St. Satirus, greatly exalts among his other 
 virtues his childlike simplicity, " which," he says, '' shone 
 in him like a mirror, so that he could not have failed to 
 please God ; for He, as a completely simple being, loves 
 what is simple, and hates and punishes all adulteration." 
 
 It is related, in regard to St. Gertrude, that the Lord once 
 appeared to a holy soul, and said : " Know that there is 
 not a soul in the world which is nearer and more closely 
 united to Me by simplicity, than that of Gertrude, and so 
 there is none to which I feel Myself so much drawn as to 
 hers." 
 
 5. True simplicity is like that of children, who think, speak, and 
 act candidly and without craftiness. They believe whatever is told 
 them ; they have no care or thought for themselves, especially when 
 with their parents ; they cling to them, without going to seek their 
 own satisfactions and consolations, which. they take in good faith, 
 and enjoy with simplicity, without any curiosity about their causes 
 and effects.— ££. F. de Sales. 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi resembled in her behavior 
 a simple girl, acting without craftiness, and with great candor 
 and simplicity of heart, accompanied, however, with prudence 
 and such gravity as made her loved and respected by all. 
 
 The venerable Sister Maria Crucifixa was truly remark- 
 
230 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 able for this virtue. Though gifted with heavenly illumi- 
 nation, she appeared precisely like a simple little girl, with- 
 out a vestige of artfulness. She told everything candidly 
 and as it seemed to her, and she thought others did the 
 same ; for she could not believe that a Christian would be 
 capable of telling lies. Some examples will show this more 
 clearly. 
 
 On account of the opinion generally entertained of her 
 sanctity, a great number of letters came to her from many 
 places. She believed that this was owing to the high stand- 
 ing of the convent, and that her companions received as 
 many ; but she was much surprised to notice that they were 
 not kept as busy in writing answers as she was. To satisfy 
 herself about the matter, she went around asking them if 
 they received many letters ; and they, to favor her simplicity, 
 answered, with polite exaggeration, that they received ever 
 so many. " Why, then, do you not write ?" she replied. " I 
 will bring you the ink-stand so that you can answer them." 
 She went for the ink-stand and a pen, and gave them to 
 her companions ; but seeing that they could not restrain their 
 laughter, she was unable to understand what the joke was, 
 and remained much puzzled. 
 
 Having received from Cardinal Tommasi, her brother, 
 who often wrote to her, a letter in which he signed himself 
 u a wretch," according to the frequent cu-tom of the time, 
 she would answer neither that one, nor many others that he 
 afterwards wrote. Being asked the reason, she replied that 
 she did not wish to keep up a correspondence with wretches ; 
 and it required no little trouble to induce her to write. 
 
 But in another pretty incident the Lord was pleased to 
 show how acceptable to Him was her simplicity. A lin- 
 net was given to her, which she nam^d Fiorisco. She 
 loved it very much, not only for its beautiful voice, but 
 
JULY. — SIMPLICITY. 231 
 
 for the virtues which she said were shown in its actions. 
 It happened once that she wished to pull out two of its 
 feathers, to make a little pen to draw a certain design for 
 an approaching Festival. She thought the linnet was 
 rather unwilling to give them to her, and she was somewhat 
 disedified by his want of devotion. A short time after, a 
 young canary, taking his first flight, rested on the cage of 
 the linnet, which held him by one of his feet with his 
 beak, and began to pull out his feathers with his claws. 
 Seeing what was going on, she hurried to the rescue, and 
 exclaimed, " Ah, Fiorisco ! we are growing worse and 
 worse ! Is this the way to observe charity ?" Then turn- 
 ing to the image of the Virgin, she protested that in this 
 bird she loved nothing except God, but that he had done 
 very wrong that day, and she wished that he might be 
 suitably punished. At these words, the linnet, as if he 
 foresaw the coming punishment, stopped singing, and spent 
 the rest of the day in a melancholy manner in a corner of the 
 cage, with his feathers ruffled up. When evening came, a 
 noise was heard from the cage, where poor Fiorisco was 
 struggling grievously, with mournful cries. The servant 
 of God hastened to the scene, and saw the devil, in the 
 form of an ugly crow, attacking her bird. Crying aloud 
 " Sanpta Maria" she put him to flight ; but she found 
 that her linnet had lost a wing, which had been torn off at 
 the shoulder, and fell on the ground before her eyes ; and 
 the injured bird seemed on the point of drawing his last 
 breath. She was grieved at the sight, and prayed to the 
 Lord, asking, as He did not desire the death of a sinner, but 
 his conversion and life, that He would grant that her Fio- 
 risco, though he had been punished, might not die. Nor 
 was the prayer in vain ; for, after she had taken the bird in 
 her hand, and caressed it a little, it suddenly recovered its 
 
232 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 usual strength, and appeared with a new wing, fully pro- 
 vided with bones and flesh and skin, in nothing different 
 from the first, except that the feathers were handsomer. 
 
 6. Astuteness is nothing but a mass of artifices, inventions, craft, 
 and deceit, by which we endeavor to mislead the minds of those with 
 whom we are dealing, and make them believe that we have no 
 knowledge or sentiment as to the matter in question, except wlrnt we 
 manifest by our words. This is wholly contrary to simplicity, 
 which requires our exterior to be perfectly in conformity with our 
 interior. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 When this good Saint was told, by a friend of his, that he 
 would have been successful in politics, " No," he replied, 
 " the mere name of prudence and policy frightens me, and 
 I understand little or nothing about it. I do not know how 
 to li<-, to invent, or dissimulate, without embarrassment, and 
 political business is wholly made up of these things. What 
 1 have in my heart, I have upon my tongue; and I hate 
 duplicity like death, for I know how abominable it is to 
 God." 
 
 St Vincent do Paul, too, was utterly opposed to Worldly 
 policy, and in his dealings with others, was mosl careful to 
 avoid all evasions and artifices. The very shadow of 
 falsehood affrighted him, and he had a horror of equivoca- 
 tions, which deceive an inquirer by answers of double 
 meaning. 
 
 7. When a simple soul is to act, it considers only what it is suit- 
 able to do or say, and then immediately begins the action, without 
 losing time in thinking what others will do or say about it. And 
 after doing what seemed right, it dismisses the subject ; or if, per- 
 haps, any thought of what others may say or do should arise, it in- 
 stantly cuts short such reflections, for it has no other aim than to please 
 God, and not creatures, excepr a^ the love of God requires it. There- 
 fore, it cannot bear to be turned aside from its purpose of keeping close 
 to God, and winning more aud more of his love for itself. — St. F. 
 de Sales. 
 
JULY. — SIMPLICITY. 233 
 
 This holy Bishop having gone one evening to the Certosa 
 at Grenoble, the General of the Carthusians, who was a man 
 of great learning and piety, received him very courteously. 
 After talking with him, in his room, for some time, on spirit- 
 ual subjects, he took leave of him, excusing himself for not 
 remaining longer, on the ground that it was the Festival of 
 a Saint of the Order, and he must assist at Matins that 
 night. In passing through the corridors to his cell, he hap- 
 pened to meet the procurator, who, hearing of the visit, said 
 that he had done wrong to leave the Bishop, as no one 
 could entertain him better than himself ; that as to Matins, 
 he could say them whenever he wished, but it was not every 
 day that they had prelates of such great merit in that des- 
 ert. " I believe you are right," replied the General. He 
 immediately went back to the Saint, related to him, with 
 great ingenuousness, what had just been said to him, and 
 asked pardon for the fault which he had committed, as he 
 said, without intending to. The Saint was astonished at 
 such great candor and simplicity, and said that he was more 
 amazed at it than if he had seen a miracle. 
 
 8. The chief point is to beware not of men, but to beware of dis- 
 pleasing the majesty of God.— St. Teresa. 
 
 This Saint once said that she used every effort to perform 
 every one of her actions in such a manner as not to dis- 
 please Him whom she clearly beheld always overlooking 
 her. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul said, one day, that from the time he 
 had given himself to the service of God, he had never done 
 anything which he would not have been willing to do in 
 the public squares ; for he performed every action with a 
 vivid recollection of the presence of God, whom he feared 
 more than men. 
 
234 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 9. When one thinks he has done all that God requires of him for 
 the success of any undertaking, whether the result be good or bad, 
 he ought always to remain in peace and great tranquillity of mind, 
 contenting himself with the testimony of his own conscience. — St. 
 V. d$ Paul. 
 
 When St. Ignatius had done what lie could to repair any 
 mistake that had been made, if he did not succeed, he 
 neither lost courage nor grieved over the time as wasted ; 
 but content with having exerted all his powers, he rested 
 in the unfathomable counsel of Providence. 
 
 10. If you happen to say or do something that is not well received 
 by all, you should not, on that account, set yourself to examine and 
 scrutinize all your words and actions ; for there is no doubt that 
 it is self-love which makes us anxious to know whether what we 
 have said or done is approved or not. Simplicity does not run af- 
 ter its actions, but leaves the result of them to Divine Providence, 
 which it follows above all things, turning neither to the right nor to 
 the left, but simply going on its way. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 This Saint himself acted in this manner, for he never 
 sought to know whether his words or act inns were accept- 
 able to others or not. When it was reported to him that a 
 certain action of his had beeu disapproval by some persons, 
 he answered, without any discomposure : " That is not to be 
 wondered at, for not even the works of Christ our Lord 
 were approved by all ; and there are many, even at this day, 
 who speak blasphemously of them." 
 
 11. Do not reason about afflictions and contradictions, but receive 
 them with patience and sweetness, feeling that it is enough to know 
 that they come from the hand of God.— St. F. de Salet. 
 
 It is told in the Life of a servant of God at Naples, 
 called Sister Maria di Sandiago, that, one day, when she was 
 reflecting upon a trial which she was suffering, she heard 
 these words from an interior voice : " Do you say that you 
 
JULY. — SIMPLICITY. 235 
 
 trust in Me, and yet debate with yourself so much upon 
 this ?" She then understood that she ought to receive a 
 trial with simple resignation, and not reflect upon it further ; 
 and changing her previous habit, she did so, and continued 
 to do so for the future, with great profit and contentment. 
 
 However great were the trials and adversities of St. 
 Vincent de Paul, he was never disturbed, neither did he 
 show, or even feel, anger against any one ; for he took all 
 from the hands of God without discussion. 
 
 12. These continual reflections upon ourselves and our actions, 
 are of no use except to consume time, which would be better em- 
 ployed in doing, than in scrutinizing so carefully what has been 
 done. For this constant watching as to whether we are doing well, 
 often causes things to be done b;idly. Those souls which make re- 
 flections about trifles, act like silk-worms, which impede and im- 
 prison themselves in their own work, — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 A nun having sent to this Saint an account of her inte- 
 rior, he wrote thus in answer : " Your path is excellent ; I 
 have only to say that you watch your steps too closely, 
 through fear of falling. You make too many reflectious 
 upon the movements of your self-love, which doubtless are 
 frequent, but which will never be dangerous, if, without 
 being vexed at their importunity, or frightened at their 
 numbers, you will say ' No. ; Walk simply, do not desire 
 so much spiritual rest. If you have not much, why do you 
 disturb yourself so greatly? God is good. He sees what 
 you are. Your inclinations can do you no harm, however 
 bad they may be ; for they are only left you to exercise 
 your will in making a closer union with the will of God. 
 Raise your spirit aloft with perfect confidence in the good- 
 ness of the Lord. Do not be troubled about Him, for He 
 said to Martha that He did not wish it, or, at least, that He 
 preferred she should not be troubled at all, not even in do- 
 
236 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 ing well. Do not examine your soul so much as to its pro- 
 gress. Do not wish to be too perfect, but go on smoothly. 
 Let your ordinary exercises and the actions you have to 
 perform from day to day, make up your life. Do not 
 take thought for the morrow. As to your course, God, 
 who has guided it until now, will guide it to the end. 
 Rest in perfect peace in the holy and loving confidence 
 which you ought to have in the kindness of Divine Provi- 
 dence." 
 
 A young monk, very desirous of perfection, set his heart 
 upon purifying himself from every fault, and therefore 
 kept his eyes upon all his aciions, looking at them again 
 and again, before and after their performance, and while 
 they were going on, — to do them well, and to see whether 
 they had been well done. Therefore, the more he sought 
 to avoid faults, the more he committed them ; and by guard- 
 ing himself from slight defects, he fell into grave ones. In 
 this way, he only filled his soul with fear and disquiet, to 
 very little advantage. Finally, he went to an old and very 
 spiritual monk to ask his advice. This holv man merely 
 suggested to him gently those woe niseis of the Holy Spirit: 
 " Filiy in mansxtetudineserva aniinam tuam; in mansuetudine 
 profice opera tua — Have a heart full of peace and confidence 
 in God, and work tranquilly, without so many reflections, 
 so you will accomplish your design." He took this ad- 
 vice and began to follow it, and by this new method of pro- 
 ceeding, he quickly regained peace, and in a short time made 
 progress in perfection. 
 
 13. When one aims at pleasing his God through love, as his mind 
 is always turned in that direction in which love urges him, he lias 
 neither heart nor opportunity to reflect upon himself, and to see 
 what he is doing, and whether he is satisfied with it. For such re- 
 flections are not pleasing in the eyes of God, and only serve to sat- 
 
JULY. — SIMPLICITY. 2§7 
 
 isfy that wretched love ana inordinate care that we have for our, 
 selves. This self-love, it must be said, is a great busy-body, which 
 takes up everything and holds to nothing. — St, F. de Sales. 
 
 This appears very plainly from what St. Catherine of 
 Genoa relates of herself. " Scarcely/' said she, " had my 
 Divine Love taken possession of my soul, when I entreated 
 Him to purify it from every interior and exterior imper- 
 fection. This He immediately began to do, but with such 
 exactness and so minutely, that, to my amazement, He 
 caused me to look upon things as wrong and imperfect, 
 which every one would have considered right and perfect. 
 Oh my God ! in everything He f >und defects, and in every 
 action something to blame. If I spoke of the interior 
 emotions I experienced in my heart, He said : ' This talk 
 aims at your own consolation/ If I was silent, and remained 
 grieving and lamenting interiorly, — ( Ah, this grief and 
 lamentation serves to give you some refreshment !' If I 
 turned my thoughts upon the course things were taking, — 
 ' All these reflections only serve to satisfy self-love/ If I 
 remained like an insensible thing, and only paid attention 
 when things like what I felt in my own mind, were spoken 
 of, — ( And is not this desire to listen, a form of seeking 
 self-gratification f When the inferior part of my soul thus 
 beheld itself revealed, and perceived that it could not deny 
 these imperfections, it finally owned itself to be conquered. 
 Then the superior part began to experience an unspeakable 
 peace, seeing that the inferior lay prostrate and could do no 
 harm, and that it would itself reap all the advantage. But 
 here again my Holy Love found something to reprove, and 
 said, ' What do you think to do ? I desire all for Myself. 
 Do not imagine that I will leave thee a single good of body 
 or of soul, or that I will ever rest until I have annihilated 
 in thee all that cannot abide in the Divine presence, and 
 
238 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 have fully revealed and utterly subdued these things 
 to Myself.' And so, not knowing what to gay or do in 
 view of His clear-sightedness, I gave myself wholly into 
 His hands, that He might strip me of all that was not pleas- 
 ing to His most penetrating eyes. Then I saw that Pure 
 Love wishes to be alone ; where It abides, It cannot bear 
 company ; and therefore when It wishes to draw a soul to 
 perfection, It marks as enemies all things beloved by it, and 
 intends to consume them without compassion for soul or 
 body, and if permitted, would take them all away at once. 
 But seeing the weakness of man, which could not support 
 so great and so sudden a work, He cuts them off little by 
 little, by which the soul constantly knows more and more of 
 the operation of God, and is every day enkindled with fresh 
 flames of His love, so that this divine fire is insensibly con- 
 suming her desires and imperfect loves, until she remains 
 stripped of every other love, and entirely possessed by the 
 pure love of God/ ' 
 
 14. That we may not be deceived by self-love, in considering mat- 
 ters that concern us, we ought to look at them as if they belonged to 
 others, and our only business with them was to give our judgment, 
 not from interest, but in the cause of truth ; and in the same way we 
 should look on others' affairs as our own.-^. lgn. Loyola. 
 
 Seleucus, King of the Locrians, acted on this principle, 
 when, after his son had committed a crime which by the 
 laws of the kingdom was punishable by the loss of both 
 eyes, he immediately condemned him, as if he had been an 
 ordinary subject. Nor can this be considered an act of 
 thoughtlessness or cruelty, or a proof that Seleucus had lost 
 the feelings of a father ; for he showed his sensibility to his 
 son's unhappy condition by his readiness to share the pen- 
 alty with him, commanding that one of his ow r n eyes should 
 be put out, and one of his son's. 
 
JULY. — SIMPLICITY. 239 
 
 In the Lives of the Fathers it is narrated, that a person 
 asked a holy abbot how he ought to act, when, in regulating 
 the conduct or affairs of others, he was in doubt whether he 
 should say or do certain things. The Saint replied : " Be- 
 fore saying or doing those things, reflect as to what your 
 own feelings would be, if some one else should say or do 
 them to you. And if you find that you would feel displeas- 
 ure or resentment, use that same moderation and charity 
 which you would desire to have practised towards you. In 
 such cases this is my rule." 
 
 It was the usual custom of St. Vincent de Paul to regard 
 his own interests as if they belonged to others, and those of 
 others as his own, as may be seen in various incidents 
 of his life. It will be sufficient to mention two. Some of 
 his relatives, who had been summoned before a high tribu- 
 nal on a grave charge, asked him for letters which might 
 exert an influence in their favor. But he, through zeal for 
 justice, would not interfere in the matter. On the other 
 hand, when some of his friends wished to interceed with the 
 judges on their behalf, he entreated them not to expose 
 themselves to the danger of hindering the course of justice, 
 but rather to wait until their innocence was made certain, 
 just as he would have done in any other similar case. In 
 the conferences which he had with members of his Congre- 
 gation, when any business affecting others was under con- 
 sideration, he would often say : " Let us keep our eyes 
 open to others' interests as to our own, and let us take care 
 to deal uprightly and honorably with all." Here surely 
 was a man who did not allow himself to be carried away 
 by natural inclinations, either in his own affairs or those of 
 others ! 
 
 15. The dissatisfaction we often feel when we have passed a 
 great part of the day without being retired and absorbed in God, 
 
240 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 though we have been employed in works of obedience or charity, 
 proceeds from a very subtle self-love, which disguises and hides it- 
 self. For it is a wish on our part to please ourselves rather than God. 
 — St. Teresa. 
 
 When we consider how many and how important were 
 the occupations of St. Vincent de Paul, on account of his 
 office of Superior General of his Congregation, the position 
 of counsellor which he was constrained to accept in the court, 
 the continual works of charity in which he voluntarily en- 
 gaged, the numbers of people who resorted to him, some for 
 advice, some for direction, some for help and relief, bo that 
 he was constantly engaged, continually absorbed, and almost 
 overwhelmed by these various avocations, — it seems that he 
 could have had no time to think of himself, and we wonder 
 how he found any, as lie did, to perform his ordinary exer- 
 cisesof piety. And yet, we do not read that he ever com- 
 plained of not being able to remain retired and absorbed in 
 God, although he certainly desired it as much as any one. 
 Nor can any reason be assigned fortius, except that all his 
 care was to pleas ■ God, and not himself. 
 
 Father Alvarez, once finding himself overwhelmed with 
 a multitude of occupations, complained lovingly to God, 
 that he had no time to converse with Him intimately. 
 Then he heard this reply in his heart : " Let it be enough 
 for thee that I make use of thy work, though I do not keep 
 thee with Me." With this he remained happy and con- 
 tented. 
 
 16. What a great benefit it would be to us if God would plant in 
 our hearts a holy aversion to our own satisfaction, to which nature 
 attaches us so strongly that we desire that others would adapt them- 
 selves to us, and all succeed well with us. Let us ask Him to teach 
 us to place all our happiness in Him, to love all that Fie loves, and 
 to be pleased only with what pleases Him. — St. V. de Paid. 
 
 St. Dorotheus, though he was a man of much learning 
 
JULY. — SIMPLICITY. 241 
 
 and prudence, confessed that in all matters not of a moral 
 nature, he willingly followed the opinion of others, though 
 it might often seem to him ill-judged • nor did he ever dis- 
 cuss in his mind circumstances over which he had no con- 
 trol ; but, after doing his part, he left the event to God, and 
 was contented with any result. For he did not seek to 
 have things arranged according to his desire, but he wished 
 them to be as they were, and not otherwise. 
 
 A young monk asked one old in religion, why charity 
 was not as perfect as in earlier times. " Because/' re- 
 plied the latter, " the ancient Fathers looked upward, and 
 their hearts followed their eyes; but now all bend towards 
 the earth, and seek only their own advantage." 
 
 17. With those who are perfect and walk with simplicity, there is 
 nothing small and contemptible, if it be a thing that pleases God ; 
 for the pleasure of God is the object at which alone they aim, and- 
 which is the reason, the measure, and the reward of all their occu- 
 pations, actions, and plans ; and so, in whatever they find this, it is for 
 them a great aud important thing. — Rodriguez. 
 
 This is the reason why St. Aloysius Gonzaga, St. John 
 Berchmans, St. Mary Migdalen di Pazzi, and so many 
 others, were so observant even of the least Rule, so exact 
 in all their ordinary occupations, and so careful to perform 
 well every work trusted to them, however trifling it might 
 be. 
 
 It is stated that the celebrated Father Ribera kept up 
 through his whole life the same exact observance which 
 marked his novitiate. 
 
 18. When any one has to choose a state of life, and wishes to know 
 what he should do for the good of his soul, let him first strip him- 
 self of every inclination of his own, aud place himself generously in 
 the hands of God, equally ready for whatever He may call him to. 
 Then let him apply some Gospel-truths to the matter, draw from 
 
242 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 them their legitimate consequence, and see how they relate to the 
 ultimate end for which God has created us. If he still remains un- 
 certain, let him imagine himself on his death bed, or before the judg- 
 ment-seat, which will teach him to do what he will then wish he 
 had done.— St. lgn. Loyola. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul was once obliged to send a man of 
 business to Tunis, on account of a commission entrusted to 
 him. He fixed upon a lawyer of high standing, and wrote 
 to him, explaining the advantages and disadvantages of the 
 position, and leaving him to decide whether he would ac- 
 cept it. The lawyer answered the letter in person, told his 
 objections, and begged St. Vincent to manifest to him the 
 will of God. The Saint preferred that he should take the 
 advice of some other person ; but as the lawyer insisted that lie 
 wished for no opinion but his, St. Vincent asked for a short 
 delay. The day after, he gave this answer : " I offered your 
 difficulties to God in the Mass, and after the Consecration I 
 threw myself at His feet, praying Him to enlighten 
 me. After this I considered attentively how I should wish 
 to have advised you, if I were at the point of death ; and 
 it seemed to me that if I were about to die, I should be 
 glad to have told you to go, and sorry to have dissuaded 
 you from going. Such is my sincere opinion ; but for all 
 this, you can go or stay." The lawyer was much edified by 
 such detachment. 
 
 A. pious lady, being asked by a poor man for some cloth- 
 ing, ordered her servant to bring him a shirt. When she 
 brought one that was coarse and torn, she told her to find 
 a better one, adding that it would cause her much sliame 
 if Christ, on the day of judgment, should show that shirt to 
 all the world. 
 
 19. There is a kind of simplicity that causes a person to close his 
 eyes to all the sentiments of nature, and to human considerations, and 
 
JULY. — SIMPLICITY. 243 
 
 fix them interiorly upon the holy maxims of the Faith, that he may 
 guide himself in every work by their means, in such a way that in 
 all his actions, words, thoughts, interests, and vicissitudes, at all 
 times and in all places, he may always recur to them, and do noth- 
 ing except by them and according to them. This is an admirable 
 simplicity.—^. V. de Paul. 
 
 Here this Saint, without perceiving it, described to the life 
 his own simplicity, which may even be called his special 
 characteristic. 
 
 20. In human life prudence is indeed necessary, that we may be 
 circumspect in our actions, and know how to adapt ourselves to 
 the dispositions of others. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 By this virtue, the same Saint regulated his actions so well 
 that he succeeded in eveiy undertaking, and therefore gained 
 such a reputation for prudence that he was commonly consid- 
 ered one of the wisest men of his time. As a result, persons 
 of every condition and state, even those most conspicuous for 
 rank or learning, had recourse to him as to an oracle, in all 
 affairs of importance, for direction and advice. 
 
 St. Jane Frances de Chantal was so remarkable for this 
 virtue, that many celebrated Bishops regulated their dioceses, 
 and many also their own consciences, by her wise counsels. 
 Even St. Francis de Sales, her beloved spiritual father, 
 and St. Vincent de Paul, her director after him, consulted 
 with her upon their most important business, and depended 
 much upon her wise decisions. 
 
 21. Prudence is of two sorts,— human and Christian. Human pru- 
 dence, which is also called the prudence of the flesh and of the 
 world, is that which has no other aim than what is temporal, thinks 
 only of arriving at its end, and makes use of such methods and sen- 
 timents alone as are human and uncertain. Christian prudence con- 
 sists in judging, speaking, and acting that way in which the Eternal 
 Wisdom, clothed in our flesh, judged, spoke, and acted, and in guid- 
 ing ourselves in all cases according to the maxims of the Faith, never 
 
244 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 according to the fallacious sentiments of the world, or the feeble 
 light of our own intellect.— St. V. de Paul. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales was a sworn enemy to human pru- 
 dence, as he declared to one of his penitents, writing to her 
 in these terms : " If I could be born over again with the 
 sentiments that I have now, I do not believe that any one 
 could make me waver in the certainty which I feel, that the 
 prudence of the flesh and of the sons of this world, is but a 
 mere chimera, and a most certain foil v." 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul never used any but the Christian 
 kind of prudence, BO that it is no wonder that he was con- 
 sidered to have a rare and solid wisdom. Though his in- 
 tellect was keen and clear enough to penetrate things to the 
 bottom, and discover all their relations, yet he never 
 trusted to his own light, till he had compared it and found 
 it to agree with the maxim- taught us by our Savior, which 
 are the only rule by which to form a sure and certain judg- 
 ment. So he never began to do anything of importance, 
 or gave answers or advice toothers, without first turning 
 his eyes upon Jesus Christ, to find some act or word of His 
 upon which he might Becurely rest the decision he was about 
 to make. Having collected a company of priests outside of 
 his Congregation, who were called the Ecclesiastics of the 
 Conference, and who were accustomed to give Missions in 
 the country under his direction, he was asked that they 
 might give one in a section of Paris. The Saiut saw no diffi- 
 culty in this ; but they saw much, and told him that in such 
 a place a very different sort of Mission would be required 
 from those they had been giving in the country, for the 
 simple and familiar discourses which had succeeded so well 
 there, would furnish little but subjects of ridicule among 
 more cultivated people. But he, who was little accustomed 
 to trust to means purely natural, answered that he felt sure 
 
JULY. — SIMPLICITY. 245 
 
 they ought to use the same method they had employed else- 
 where, and that the spirit of the world, so triumphant in 
 that quarter of Paris, could not be better conquered than by 
 attacking it with the spirit of Jesus Christ, which is a spirit 
 of simplicity. He added that to enter into the sentiments 
 of this Divine Savior, they ought to seek not their own glory, 
 but that of the Eternal Father ; that, in imitation of the Re- 
 deemer, they ought to be ready to suffer contempt, and to 
 bear, if it were the will of God, opposition and persecution ; 
 that, remembering the words of the Son of God, they might at 
 least be sure that Jesus Christ Avould speak by them, and 
 that so good and holy a disposition as he had described, 
 would make them fit to serve as instruments of His mercy, 
 which penetrates the most hardened hearts, and converts the 
 most rebellious spirits. His advice was received by them as 
 the advice of an angel, and laying aside all human considera- 
 tions, they followed it in giving their Mission, which proved 
 most fervent and successful. 
 
 22. Let us beware of worldly sentiments, for often by the pretext 
 of zeal or the glory of God, they cause us to adopt plans which 
 never proceeded from Him. and will not be prospered by His Divine 
 Majesty.— £*. V.dePaul. 
 
 One of his priests having expressed the opinion to this 
 Saint, that it would have been well to begin the Missions 
 on the estates of some well-known man of rank, he answered 
 thus : " Your idea seems to me human, and contrary to 
 Christian simplicity. May God keep us from doing any- 
 thing for such low ends. The Divine Goodness requires of 
 us that we should never do well to make ourselves esteemed, 
 but that all our actions should be directed to God alone." 
 To the Superior of a house recently established, who would 
 have been glad to begin the exercises with a Mission that 
 
246 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 would make a stir, he wrote this reply : " It seems disa- 
 greeable to every one to be obliged to begin so poorly ; 
 since to gain a reputation it would be necessary, as it seems, 
 to appear even at the beginning with a splendid Mission, 
 which would show what the Congregation can do. May 
 God keep you from entertaining such desires ! What is 
 suited to our poverty and to the spirit of Christianity, is to 
 avoid such ostentation, to conceal ourselves, and to seek 
 contempt and confusion as Jesus Christ did. If we have 
 this resemblance to Him, we shall have Him for the com- 
 panion of our labors." 
 
 23. Ah, how true it is that we love ourselves too much, and pro- 
 ceed with too much human prudence, that we may not lose an atom 
 of our consideration ! Oh, what a great mistake this is ! The Saints 
 did not act thus. — St. Teresa. 
 
 Father Martino del Rio, who in the world had been 
 eminent both for rank and learning, after becoming a priest 
 and a Religious, used to accompany the steward in a ragged 
 dress through the city, and carry home to the college what- 
 ever articles he bought. 
 
 St. Francis Xavier, when on his way to India, as Apos- 
 tolic Legate, used to wash his own linen <>n board the ship. 
 When some one told him that he was degrading his office 
 by such work, he replied : " I consider nothing contempti- 
 ble and unworthy of a Christian except sin." 
 
 24. When we have to deal with astute and crafty persons, the 
 best way to win them to God is to treat them with much candor 
 and simplicity, This is the spirit of Christ the Lord ; and whoever 
 is destined to glorify Him, must act according to His spirit. — *Si. V. 
 de Paul. 
 
 When this Saint was sending out one of his priests, he 
 addressed him thus : " You are going into a region where 
 
JULY. — SIMPLICITY. 247 
 
 the people are considered very crafty. If this is true, the 
 best way of gaining them for God will be to act with 
 great simplicity, since the maxims of the Gospel are utterly 
 opposed to those of the world ; and as you go for the ser- 
 vice of our Lord, you ought to behave in accordance with 
 His spirit, which is full of uprightness and sincerity." For 
 the same reason, when a house of the Congregation was es- 
 tablished some time after in that province, he purposely 
 selected for it a Superior who was remarkable for candor 
 and ingenuousness. And those in his Congregation who 
 were of that stamp, were always the most beloved by him. 
 
 25. May God keep us from vain praise, flattery, and everything 
 intended to attract the good- will and protection of others. These 
 are very low motives and far from the spirit of Jesus Christ, whose 
 love ought to be the principal aim of all we do. Let these, then, be 
 our maxims : To do much for the love of God, and not care at all 
 for the esteem of men ; to labor for their salvation, and not concern 
 ourselves as to what they say of us, — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 This Saint, though very courteous to all, never flattered 
 any one, saying that there was nothing so despicable and 
 unworthy of a Christian heart, and nothing more abhorred 
 by spiritual persons, than flattery. On the contrary, he re- 
 frained from praising people in their presence, except when 
 he judged it necessary to confirm them in some good thing 
 which they had begun, or to encourage the weak. He 
 neither did himself, nor permitted his priests to do, any- 
 thing to acquire the favor and protection of others ; and so, 
 in answering a letter written by one of them, he speaks thus : 
 " I am pleased to hear that you have gained the friendship 
 of those persons whom you mention, but not with the pur- 
 pose for which you say that you did it ; that is, that they 
 might protect and defend you on occasion. Ah, your 
 motive is very low, and very far from the spirit of Jesus 
 
248 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 Christ, whose love should be our aim in all we do. Now 
 you, on the contrary, are thinking of your own interests, and 
 wish to employ the friendship and good-will of these 
 persons to secure your reputation. But if this reputation 
 be not founded on truth, it is surely a vain thing ; and if it 
 be, what cause have you to fear ? Remember that du- 
 plicity does not please God ; and that to be truly simple, 
 we ought to have no other end than to please Him alone." 
 
 26. If one happens to forget anything he ought to do, he should 
 tell his fault candidly ; and if he is asked about anything which he 
 does not know, or does not possess, he should openly confess his 
 ignorance or poverty, leaving evasions to the prudent of this world. 
 —St. V.dePaul. 
 
 It was in this maimer that he acted himself. He some- 
 times happened to forget to do something that he had prom- 
 ised, and he then confessed his failure openly. He was 
 many times asked for favors, even by persons of rank, 
 which he did not consider it right to grant, and he told 
 them with equal sincerity and respect, that he could not 
 oblige them. He was also sometimes thanked by persons 
 for benefits which they were mistaken in supposing that he 
 had conferred upon them. In such cases, he frankly avowed 
 that he had nothing to do with these kindnesses. He was, 
 then, wholly opposed to craft and dissimulation, and said 
 that he had always prospered in telling things as they were, 
 because God had blessed him in it. 
 
 In the same way, St. Charles Borromeo never flattered 
 people with fine words, such as are used in courts, but, 
 when asked for an opinion, for advice, or for any favor, 
 simply stated his thoughts and intentions, and never made 
 a promise which he did not consider it advisable to fulfil. 
 On the contrary, he refused frankly, but at the same time 
 
JULY. — SIMPLICITY. 249 
 
 gave his reasons for the satisfaction of the person he was 
 obliged to disappoint, In this manner, he treated people 
 of all ranks, so that his word was trusted more than most 
 'men's bond, and the greatest personages came to ask his ad- 
 vice in grave and difficult affairs. 
 
 When a certain book, written by Fenelon, Archbishop of 
 Cambray, was condemned in Eome by Pope Innocent XII, 
 no sooner did the good prelate receive the condemnatory 
 brief, than, by an act of singular submission to the Supreme 
 Pontiff, he not only read it publicly from his own archie- 
 piseopal pulpit, but himself condemned and renounced his 
 own propositions, and forbade his people, (who tenderly 
 loved him, and who were weeping profusely) to read the book 
 in the future, or to keep it in their houses. 
 
 27. The female dove has this peculiarity, that she does everything 
 for her mate, so that when she sets, she leaves lo him the care of 
 herself and of whatever is needed, and thinks of nothing but cherish- 
 ing and protecting her dovelets, to please her mate and rear for him 
 new offspring. Oh, what a pleasing rule is this — never to do any- 
 thing except for God and to please Him, and to leave to Him all the 
 care of ourselves \—St. F. de Sales. 
 
 Such was the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul, who occu- 
 pied himself constantly in promoting the glory of God, and 
 in providing for the wants of others for His sake, without 
 thinking of his own wants or of his Congregation, which 
 he left entirely in the hands of the Lord. 
 
 Such also was St. Jane Frances de Chantal,* of whom St. 
 Francis de Sales said, on one occasion, that she was like those 
 loving doves, who bathe and plume themselves on the shore 
 of brooks, adorning themselves not so much for the sake of 
 being beautiful, as to please the eyes of their beloved mates ; 
 since she did not seek to correct herself in order to be pure 
 and adorned with virtues, but rather to please her Divine 
 
250 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 Spouse ; and if He had been equally pleased with ugliness 
 and beauty, she would have loved one as well as the other. 
 
 28. There is a certain simplicity of heart which is the perfection 
 of all perfections. This is found when our soul fixes her glance 
 solely upon God, and restrains herself that she may apply all her pow- 
 ers, simply and with complete fidelity, to the observance of her 
 Rules, and the methods prescribed to her, without turning aside to 
 desire or wish to undertake any other thing. In this way, as she 
 does not work by her own will, or do anything unusual or greater 
 than others, she has no great satisfaction or high opinion of herself, 
 but God alone greatly delights in her simplicity, by which she rav- 
 ishes His heart, and unites herself to Him. — St. F. de Sales, 
 
 St. Jane Frances de Chantal practised this simplicity 
 wonderfully well, and experienced its effects abundantly. 
 This was what she inculcated most, and most desired to see 
 implanted and established in the minds of her daughters. 
 And so, this was the advice she gave to one of them, who 
 asked her, by letter, for some counsel that would be useful 
 for her perfection: (< My daughter/' she replied, "if you 
 go on seeking every day to acquire perfection by so many 
 methods, you will do nothing but lose time, and perplex 
 yourself more and more. The best means that I can teach 
 you, is to put all your strength and diligence into the faith- 
 ful observance of your Rules, and to perform with exact- 
 ness what is assigned to you from day to day, banishing, 
 meanwhile, all thoughts and desires of arriving at the goal, 
 until God shall be willing to grant you that grace." 
 
 9. Oh how highly should we value a generous resolution to imi- 
 tate the common and hidden life of Christ our Lord ! It is easy to 
 see that such a thought comes from God, as it is so utterly opposed to 
 flesh and blood.— St. V. de Paul. 
 
 To imitate the hidden life of Christ, was one of the dear- 
 est and most frequent occupations of this Saint, as it was 
 
JULY. — SIMPLICITY 251 
 
 his lot to lead a life in appearance low and common, in 
 which nothing unusual or extraordinary could be -een ex- 
 teriorly, though interiorly it was admirable and altogether 
 heavenly. Christ could have made Himself known and 
 adored in everyplace as the Son of God, by making the 
 rays of His glory shine through all Judea as He did upon 
 Tabor, yet He chose to pass for the simple son of a carpen- 
 ter, and for a man of no account. St. Vincent <!e Paul 
 spoke of himself everywhere as the son of a poor peasant, 
 and sought to be considered as a simple country priest. 
 He concealed, as far as he could, the lofty gifts of nature and 
 of grace that he had received from God, and which rendered 
 him worthy of all veneration. He was an excellent theo- 
 logian, but called himself a poor ignorant beginner. He 
 avoided dignities and honors with greater care and earnest- 
 ness than the most ambitious employ in obtaining them. 
 He had a supreme abhorrence for ostentation, and found 
 his complete satisfaction in abasement and humiliation. 
 
 30. The continual study of those, who, like missionaries, are des- 
 tined to instruct others, ought to be this : to take care to put off them- 
 selves and to put on Jesus Christ. For, as things, for the most part, 
 produce results in accordance with their nature, — if he who gives the 
 spirit and form of life to others, is animated by a merely human spirit, 
 what can they do but imbibe the same spirit, aud learn from him the 
 appearance of virtue rather than its substance. —#£. V. dePaul. 
 
 This Saint endeavored above all things to divest himself 
 of the human spirit, and to clothe himself with that of 
 Christ. He sought to conform himself to Him, not only 
 in external actions, but also in his interior dispositions, es- 
 pecially in his desires and intentions. And so, he never de- 
 sired or aimed at anything except what Jesus Christ had 
 desired and aimed at ; that is, that God should be known. 
 
252 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 loved, and glorified by all, and that His most holy will 
 should be entirely and perfectly fulfilled. 
 
 31. God is a Being most simple in His essence, admitting no com- 
 position whatever. If, then, we desire to render ourselves as much 
 like Him as possible, we should endeavor to be by virtue what He 
 is by nature ; that is, we ought to have asimple heart, a simple soul, 
 a simple intention, a simple mode of action. We ought to speak 
 simply, and to act frankly, without deceit or artifice, always letting 
 our exterior reflect our interior, and never regarding anything in 
 all our actions except God, whom alone we endeavor and desire to 
 please. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 Such, in fact, was the simplicity of this Saint, for his ex- 
 terior was always in entire conformity to his interior. 
 Whoever heard his words could immediately know what 
 was in his heart, which lie always kept upon his lips. And 
 however numerous and varied might be his occupations, 
 they all had the same end. which was to please God alone. 
 It might be truly said that he possessed this virtue to such 
 a degree that the faculties of his soul were wholly steeped 
 in it, and whatever he said or did proceeded from this 
 source. 
 
AUGUST. 
 
 DILIGENCE. 
 
 He did all things well. — Mark, vii : 37. 
 
 1 . All our good and all our evil certainly lies in the character of our 
 actions. As they are, so are we ; for we are the tree, and they the 
 fruit, and, therefore, they prove what each one is. — St. Augustine. 
 
 A servant of God, at the point of death, once spoke 
 thus : " Now I know that totum opus nostrum in operatione 
 consistit — our actions are our sole concern." 
 
 St. Aloysius Gonzaga set down in writing a resolution 
 that he would do all in his power that every one of his 
 actions might be good, and bring him nearer to God. 
 
 St. Bonaventure used to excite himself and others to con- 
 stant occupation in good works, by often repeating this 
 beautiful sentiment : Every hour that we waste in sloth, 
 we lose a glory equal to the good works we might have 
 performed in it. 
 
 2. It is not enough to do good things, but we must do them well, 
 in imitation of Christ our Lord, of whom it was written Bene omnia 
 fecit— -He did all things well. We ought, then, to strive to do all 
 things in the spirit of Christ ; that is, with the perfection, with 
 the circumstances, and for the ends for which He performed His ac- 
 tions. Otherwise, even the good works that we do, will bring us 
 punishment rather than reward.— /$£. V. de Paul. 
 
 St. John Berchmans followed this precept in all his ac- 
 tions, however different and unequal they might be, so 
 that any one who saw him, and who considered the work 
 itself, and at the same time the manner and circumstances 
 
 * 253 
 
254 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 in which it was done, would be obliged to say that each 
 action was performed in the best way possible. This was 
 the case not only because his objects and aims were always 
 perfectly correct, but because certain little details in per- 
 formance were like an exquisite enamel, which made all 
 his actions perfect and finished in the eyes of God and men, 
 and precious and meritorious in themselves. So, whoever 
 should strip his actions of such adjuncts, would rob them 
 of their beauty and their value. For example, lie never 
 enjoyed games, but rather spiritual conversation or scientific 
 discussions. But if he was in the country in vacation, he 
 would play at billiards or quoits, when invited, so as to be 
 like the rest. In playii g, be would accent as a partner 
 a new-comer or an unskilful player, though he might be 
 sure it would make him lose the name. He played with 
 the greates* attention, neither noticed nor spoke of anything 
 else, and played well. When his turn came, he first made 
 the sign of the cross openly, as he did before every action. 
 He was never angry, and never raised his voice, whatever 
 success he had. If lie lost, he immediately knelt to say an 
 Ave Maria for the victors. If he won, lie was silent, showed 
 no particular pleasure, and he did not exult over the losers. 
 These circumstances, taken together, greatly elevated the 
 action, and made it spiritual, though, in itself considered, 
 it was indifferent and trivial. 
 
 St. Ignatius asked a lay-brother who was doing his work 
 with much negligence, for whom he did it. And when the 
 latter replied that it was for God, — " Now/' said the Saint, 
 u if you were working for men, it would not be so bad ; but 
 if you are working for so great a Lord as God, it is a very 
 great fault to do it as you do." 
 
 3. Many believe that they can do no true penance for their sins ex- 
 cept by giving themselves up to corporal austerities. But we know 
 
AUGUST. — DILIGENCE. 255 
 
 that he does a very good penance for his sins, who takes pains to 
 perform all his actions well, to please the Lord, which is a matter of 
 great perfection and great merit. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 St. John Berchmuns did no severe penances, but he placed 
 his whole perfection in performing his ordinary actions 
 well and with great exactness. To this effect he wrote 
 upon a slip of paper the maxim, Poenitentia mea max- 
 ima vita communis — My greatest penance is the common 
 life. And with this alone, how perfect and dear to God 
 he rendered himself ! The same thing is told of St. Stan- 
 islaus Kostka, St. Francis de Sales, and many others. 
 
 4. If man could see what reward he will have in the world above 
 for well-doing, he would never employ his memory, understand- 
 ing, or will, in anything but good works, without regarding at all 
 what labor or trials he might experience in them.— St. Catherine of 
 Genoa. 
 
 Blessed Boniface, a Cistercian monk, once desired, on a 
 Christmas Eve, to see the Holy Infant, and the Blessed 
 Virgin appeared to him and placed Him iii his arms. Then 
 the Child raised a veil which covered His face, at sight of 
 which the monk exclaimed in ecstasy : " If there were noth- 
 ing in Paradise but this blessed face, would it not be worth 
 while to suffer all the tribulations in the world, to gain a 
 sight of it?" 
 
 For this reason, St. Francis remained content in the 
 midst of sufferings, and said : " So great is the good which 
 I. expect, that every pain is a delight to me." 
 
 A servant of God, after her death, appeared to another, 
 and told her that the felicity and glory to which God had 
 brought her in heaven for her good works, was so great, 
 that if she could possess in addition only as much as is given 
 for an Ave Maria well said, she would be contented to re- 
 
256 A YEAE WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 turn to earth and suffer all sorts of trials to the day of 
 judgment. 
 
 5. Endeavor not to appear singular, but to be so. This is done by 
 leading, in all respects, the common life, doing till things that are en- 
 joined, but with exactness in the time, place, and manner prescribed. 
 We must do common things not in a common manner, but in a 
 manuer more sublime and perfect than that in which they are com- 
 monly doue. This is to appear externally like all the rest, and to 
 be interiorly siugular, which is a great virtue and a treasure of 
 merit. — St. Bernard. 
 
 This great praise is given to the same Saint himself: Erat 
 in ordinariis non orduiarius — In ordinary things he was 
 not ordinary. 
 
 It is said of St. Francis de Sales that be was the most 
 exact of men, not only at the altar and in choir, where he 
 observed even the smallest ceremonies punctually and faith- 
 fully, but also in private, in reciting the Othce, and in all 
 his duties. 
 
 6. Be not of those who think perfection consists in undertaking 
 many things, but of those who place it in doing well what little they 
 do. For it is much better to do little and do it well, than to undertake 
 much and do it ill. Yes, little aud good, this is the best. There- 
 fore, if we wish to advance, or when we wish to give some special 
 honor to our Lord, we have to redouble not our exercises, but the 
 perfection with which we perforin them.— St. F. de Sales. 
 
 A devout young nun recited every day the complete Rosary 
 of fifteen decades, but with little devotion, on account of its 
 length. One day, the Blessed Virgin appeared to her, and 
 told her to recite only the third part of it. " For," said 
 she, " a few prayers s:iid fervently, are more acceptable to 
 my Son and to m?, thin many said negligently and with- 
 out devotion." 
 
 7. The Lord measures our perfection not by the number and great- 
 
AUGUST. — DILIGENCE. 257 
 
 nessof the works we do for Him, but by our manner of doing them. 
 And this manner is only the love of God with which, and for which, 
 we do them. They are more perfect as they are done with more pure 
 and perfect love, and as they are less mingled with the thoughts of 
 pleasure or praise in this life or the other. — St. John of the Gross. 
 
 When St. Bernard was assisting one night at Matins, he 
 saw some angels who were carefully noting down the 
 merit of each of the monks. The merit of those who were 
 praying with much fervor, they set down in golden charac- 
 ters ; of those with less fervor, in silver characters ; of those 
 with good- will, but without aifection, in ink ; of those with 
 sloth and drowsiness, in water ; but as to those who were 
 in mortal sin or voluntarily distracted, they wrote nothing, 
 but, standing motionless, they lamented their blindness. 
 
 St. Francis Borgia said that though his sermons often 
 pleased neither himself nor others, through a wrong choice 
 or arrangement of subject, yet they always produced fruit, 
 because he did all he could for his own part, and always 
 purely for God. 
 
 The same truth is illustrated by the incident of the two 
 little copper coins which the widow in the Gospel cast 
 into the treasury. Our Lord declared that she had put in 
 more than the others, though perhaps there were some 
 who gave gold or silver pieces. There could be no reason 
 for this, except that she must have given that small amount 
 with more love than the rest, who, as the Lord Himself 
 added, gave out of their superabundance, while she, on 
 account of her poverty, was obliged to subtract the little 
 she gave, from her daily living. 
 
 8. Doing our work well, consists in a very pure intention and 
 strong purpose of pleasing God alone. This may be called the prin- 
 ciple or the soul of our actions, and it gives them all their value, and 
 renders them easy and pleasing to us.— St, F, de Sales, 
 
258 A YEAK WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 St. Thomas Aquinas appeared after death to one who 
 had much devotion to him, with a most beautiful star upon 
 his breast, and said that it was given him as a reward for 
 the perfectly pure intention with which he had performed 
 all his actions. 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi constantly taught her 
 novices to offer all their actions to God, even the smallest. 
 And to establish them firmly in this practice, she would 
 sometimes ask them unexpectedly why they were doing 
 whatever they were engaged upon ; and if they answered 
 that they were doing it without supernatural intention, she 
 added : " Do you not see that you are thus losing merit ? 
 God does not accept such actions." 
 
 We road in Ecclesiastical History that the Abbot Pambo, 
 seeing a dancing girl gaily dressed and adorned, began to 
 weep. Being asked why he did so, he answered : " Because, 
 alas ! I do not use as much care and diligence in seeking 
 to please God by my works, as this girl employs in adorning 
 herself to please nien." 
 
 9. What are the works upon which all our profit and all our per- 
 fection depends? All those which it is our lot to perform, but es- 
 pecially the ordiuary ones that we do every day. These are the most 
 frequent, ami therefore upon these, more than upon others, we 
 ought to fix our eyes, and to employ our attention and diligence. 
 The measure of their perfection will be the measure of our own. 
 If we do them perfectly, we shall be perfect ; if imperfectly, imper- 
 fect. Here, precisely, is the difference between the perfect and the 
 imperfect Religious. It is not that one does different things from the 
 other ; but one does ordiuary things with perfection, and the other 
 with imperfection and tepidity. — Rodriguez. 
 
 When St. Gertrude was young, she did nothing except 
 what her companions did ; indeed, she did less ; for there 
 were many things that she was not permitted to do, on ac- 
 count of her delicate health. Yet she was more perfect 
 
AUGUST. — DILIGENCE. 259 
 
 than they. Now, how did this Saint attain such lofty per- 
 fection ? In this way : The very things that she did at the 
 same time with the others, she did with greater perfection 
 than they. 
 
 It is said of St. Stanislaus Kostka, that though he did 
 only the same things that others did, yet the excellence 
 with which he did them, made it seem that he did more. 
 
 10. Among our daily works, those which we ought to have most 
 at heart are the spiritual. We should make every effort to perform 
 them well, and let everything else yield to them, when necessity or 
 obedience does not forbid ; for they regard God most directly, and 
 do the most to advance us in perfection If we act otherwise, we draw 
 upon ourselves the malediction fulminated by the Holy Spirit 
 agaiDSt those who do the work of God negligently. — St. V. de 
 Paul. 
 
 St. Vincent himself lived by this rule. Though he 
 was burdened with a great number and variety of impor- 
 tant and urgent affairs, yet he was most exact in his ordi- 
 nary spiritual exercises, which he performed always with 
 great devotion and fervor. 
 
 When St. Philip Neri was performing or assisting at any 
 spiritual exercise, such as a public ceremony or the reading 
 of devout books, he was so penetrated with emotion that 
 sparks of fire sometimes seemed to come from his face, and 
 a torrent of tears from his eyes. One day, while they were 
 singing Compline in the Dominican church, he was seen 
 to weep so profusely that the tears drenched his clothing ; 
 and in reading the Lives of the Saints, especially in his old 
 age, he wept constantly. 
 
 When the prophet Eliseus sent Gehazi with his staff, to 
 raise to life the son of the Sunamite by its means, he ordered 
 him not to give or return a salutation on the road. This 
 was intended to show that when we are occupied in any 
 
260 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 spiritual exercise, we ought not be diverted to other things, 
 even under pretext of civility. 
 
 11. The Mass is certainly a function the most excellent, the most 
 holy, the most acceptable to God aud useful to us, that can be im- 
 agined. Aud so, while it is going on, the angels assist in crowds, 
 with bare feet, with earnest eyes, with downcast brows, with great 
 silence, with incredible amazement and veneration. With what pu- 
 rity, attention, devotion, and reverence, then, ought the priest to 
 celebrate it ? He should approach the sacred altar as Jesus Christ, 
 assist there as an angel, minister there as a Saint, offer there the 
 prayers of the people as a high-priest, interpose there for reconcilia- 
 tion between God and men as a mediator, and pray for himself as a 
 simple human being.— St. Lawrence Justinian. 
 
 St. Cajetan prefaced the Mass always with a sorrowful 
 confession and a long preparation, which often lasted eight 
 hours, which he spent wholly in acts of love and contrition, 
 by way of preparation and thanksgiving. The face of St. 
 Ignatius used to glow while he was celebrating, and his 
 heart became bo inflamed, that in many cases he could not 
 stand after Mass, and was obliged to be carried to his room, 
 to the wonder of all. St. Conrad was so enkindled, that 
 the fingers with which he touched the body of the Lord, 
 remained bright and glowing, so that in the darkness of 
 night they served him for a lamp. The venerable Father 
 John Leonardi was, one morning, seen to come from the 
 sacristy with his head surrounded by rays. A lady who 
 saw him, turned to the bystanders and said, " Xow, surely, 
 I can say that I have seen a Saint !'' St. Thomas Aquinas, 
 St. Francis Xavier, and many others, were often rapt in 
 ecstasies at Mass. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul pronounced the words of the Mass 
 in a gentle voice, not very low nor very high, and in a 
 manner at once unconstrained and devout. He recited them 
 neither very slowly nor very rapidly, but as was suitable 
 
AUGUST. — DILIGENCE. 261 
 
 to the sanctity of the action, so that his Mass did not or- 
 dinarily exceed half an hour in length. But the interior 
 spirit which accompanied his words and actions was singu- 
 lar, on account of its unusual tenderness. He said the Con- 
 jiteor y In spiritu humilitatis, Nobis quoque peccatoribus, 
 Domine, non sum dignus, and similar prayers, with great 
 contrition and humility. His devotion rose especially while 
 reading the Holy Gospel. When he came to any word 
 spoken by Christ, he uttered it in a more tender and more 
 loving voice ; and when he met with the words Amen dico 
 vobis, he gave marked attention to what followed. In fine, 
 he did everything with such modesty, gravity, and tender- 
 ness, as moved all present to devotion ; and so, persons who 
 did not know him, were often heard to exclaim : " Ah ! 
 here is a priest who says Mass well ! He must surely be 
 a Saint \" After his own Mass, he would serve another, 
 from devotion, and he did this regularly, though over- 
 whelmed with business, up to the age of seventy -five years, 
 when he could no longer walk without a cane, or kneel 
 except with great effort. 
 
 But the glorious St. Philip Neri was conspicuous among 
 all for this virtue. While others need long preparation in 
 order to be recollected and say Mass devoutly, he, on the 
 contrary, needed first to amuse himself a little, so that 
 often before going to celebrate, he would have a book of 
 stories read to him. In the act of celebrating, he was 
 often noticed to heave deep sighs, and to melt into tears ; 
 sometimes he would pause, because he was unable to pro- 
 ceed ; sometimes he would shiver and tremble, so as to 
 shake the predella, and again, fall into such abstraction 
 that it was necessary to pull his vestments to rouse him. 
 When he reached the Offertory, the joy of his heart was 
 so great while he was young, that his hand would rise of 
 
262 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 itself, and he could not pour the wine into the chalice, un- 
 less he rested his arm firmly on the altar. In elevating 
 the Most Holy Sacrament, he would remain with his arms 
 stretched upward, unable for a time to lower them ; and at 
 other times he would rise a span and more from the ground. 
 In taking the body of the Lord, he enjoyed such 
 sweetness, that he seemed like a person who is tasting some 
 delicious beverage j and in taking the blood, he pressed the 
 chalice between his lips, so that lie not only nibbed off the 
 gold, but wore away the silver, upon which he left the 
 mark- of his teeth. For this reason, he was not willing 
 that any one should stand where his face could be seen, — 
 not even the server, whom he told to keep at a distance, 
 and not bring him the purificator until he should receive 
 a sign. If he was to give Holy Communion, his fervor 
 increased to such a degree that thrills were seen to run 
 through his whole body, to the great wonder of those pres- 
 ent ; and when he took theCiborinm in his hand, he trembled 
 so much that the sacred particles were shaken above the 
 edge; his face, meanwhile, seemed all on fire, and an abun- 
 dance of tears flowed from his eyes. In saying Mass, he 
 uttered the words with BO much devotion, that he often 
 made those weep who listened to liim. When he had fin- 
 ished, he withdrew immediately to his room, but with such 
 abstraction that he often passed close to persons without 
 perceiving them, and his face was s i pale that he se med 
 rather dead than alive. His Mass, when said in public, 
 was rather short than long, that he might not weary the 
 people, so that those who were in haste, were glad to see 
 him come out of the sacristy; but when it was in his pri- 
 vate oratory, it lasted not less than four hours. 
 
 12. The divine Office is one of the most excellent works in which 
 we can be engaged, as the divine praises are celebrated in it. It is 
 
AUGUST. — DILIGENCE. 263 
 
 an employment fit for angels, and therefore it ought to be recited 
 not by constraint or custom, but by choice, and with the applica- 
 tion of our whole soul. — St. M. M. di Pazzi. 
 
 When this Saint heard the Office bell, she was glad to 
 find herself summoned to praise God, and instantly laid 
 aside whatever she was doing • and while she was reciting 
 the Office, her face showed the attention and devotion of her 
 mind. St. Augustine, during its recitation, banished every 
 other thought, and gave up his whole soul to it. Father 
 Suarez says of himself, that on taking up the breviary, 
 every other thought vanished from his mind, and during the 
 whole time of Office nothing, however important it might 
 be, distracted him. 
 
 Father Alvarez never recited it in the streets, nor while 
 walking, but always in a retired place, usually kneeling in 
 the middle of his own room, and at the regular hours. He 
 did it with great calmness, with much reverence, and slowly. 
 He would stop from time to time to dwell upon those pious 
 sentiments which the Lord communicated to him, the great- 
 ness of which appeared in his exhortations and in the depth 
 of his soul. 
 
 The venerable Father Daponte, when saying the Proci- 
 damus ante Deum — Let us fall prostrate before God, — pros- 
 trated himself at full length upon the ground, with the same 
 feeling of devotion and veneration that he would have had 
 in the visible presence of God. During all the time of the 
 Office, he kept up the greatest attention and recollection, 
 and never interrupted it for any cause, nor answered any 
 one who asked him a question. 
 
 Father Faber, in order to be attentive at Office, often 
 imagined his guardian angel on one side, marking all the 
 words said well, and on the other side, a demon recording 
 all distractions of mind. At the beginning of every psalm he 
 
204 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 said : Pater ccdestis, da milii spiritum — Heavenly Father, 
 give me Thy Spirit. Then he bade his mind remain atten- 
 tive through that psalm. St. Francis Xavier said, with 
 fervor, before each Hour, Veni, sancte Spiribus. St. Bona- 
 venture imagined himself reciting it amid multitudes of 
 angels, joining in their choir. St. Vincent de Paul did the 
 same, and when he recited it privately, he assumed the 
 most humble and recollected posture that he could, by 
 kneeling, with uncovered head, until the last three years 
 of his life, wli !i, on account of his greal infirmity, lie was 
 obliged to remain sitting. But when he said it in choir/his 
 elevation of mind was bo great that he seemed as if uncon- 
 scious of all things, and wholly wrapt in God. 
 
 All these, and many others, said their Office with great 
 devotion, and, at the Bame time, with no ordinary consola- 
 tion and fruit Some ofthem were s • filled with celestial 
 delight- and sweetness, that they showed exterior signs of it. 
 It is told of St. Augustine that he was often bathed in 
 tears; of St. Ignatius, that he shed so many tears that he 
 nearly lost hissight ; of St. Julian the Monk, that he had 
 thus spoiled his breviary, and made it nearly illegible; of 
 two young monks whom St.Macariua saw, that at each verse 
 a flame darted from the mouth of one, and. a- it were, a 
 lighted torch from that of the other ; ofSt. Francis Xavier, 
 that his great fervor made his heart palpitate so violently 
 that he suffered frequent fainting-fits ; of St. Mary Magda- 
 len di Pazzi. that she had many ecstasies ; of St. Catherine 
 of Bologna, that she often remained immovable, with up- 
 lifted face, and eye- fixed on the crucifix, and that her ab- 
 sorption was so great that she would not feel it if any one 
 pulled her habit ; neither would she perceive any fault- 
 in the recitation, nor anything that happened in the chapel; 
 nor who passed in or out ; and she said, that it was not 
 
AUGUST. — DILIGEKCE. 26 £> 
 
 possible to remember that one was in the midst of angels 
 and singing praises with them, and at the same time to keep 
 the heart on earthly things. St. Philip Neri, on ac- 
 count of the great union with God which he experienced 
 while saying the Office, was always obliged to recite with 
 another, for he could scarcely know how to bring it to an 
 end alone. 
 
 13. The examination of conscience, which all good people are ac- 
 customed to make before going to rest, in order to see how they have 
 passed the day, and whether they have gone forward or backward, — 
 is of the greatest use, not only to conquer evil inclinations, and to up- 
 root bad habits, but also to acquire virtues, and to perform our or- 
 dinary duties well. We must, however, observe that its best use does 
 not lie in discovering the faults we have committed in the day, but 
 in exciting aversion for them, and in forming a strong resolution to 
 commit them no more. — Father M. d'Avila. 
 
 We read in monastic history that a holy monk said : 
 " I do not think the devils have twice entangled me in the 
 same fault." The cause of this was that in examining his 
 first fall, he was so penetrated with shame for his disloy- 
 alty, and with abhorrence for the sin committed, and he im- 
 pressed so deeply upon his heart the resolution of falling 
 into it no more, that no second temptation to it had any 
 power over him. All the Saints and masters of the spirit- 
 ual life have set a high value on this examination, practis- 
 ing it and recommending it as a most efficacious means to 
 eradicate any vice or fault, and to advance in perfection. 
 We may see this in reading the Lives of St. Dorotheus, 
 St. Basil, St. John Chrysostom, St. John Climacus, St. Ber- 
 nard, St. Bonaventure, St. Ignatius Loyola, and many 
 others. The last-named esteemed it so much that, in a cer- 
 tain way, he even preferred it to meditation ; " for, by 
 the examen," he said, " we put in practice what we draw 
 
266 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 from meditation." So at the beginning, he kept his com- 
 panions occupied for a long time in their examination of 
 conscience, and in frequenting the Sacraments, for he thought 
 if these things were well done, it would be enough to pre- 
 serve them in virtue. He testifies, too, of himself thai if 
 he had gained anything, he knew that it had been acquired, 
 in great part, by the diligence he had every day employed 
 in making his examen. 
 
 Even the heathen philosophers knew the great utility of 
 such an examen. St. Jerome relates of Pythagoras, that 
 among the instructions lie gave his disciples, the one that he 
 considered of the greatest importance was, that they should 
 have two times of day fixed, cue in the morning, the other 
 in the evening, when tiny- should examine themselves upon 
 three points : What have I done? how have I done it? 
 what have I omitted that I ought to have done? — and that 
 they should be pleased at the good which they discovered, 
 and displeased at the evil. We read that Seneca, Plutarch, 
 Epictetus, and others, recommended the same thing. 
 
 14. Flew can the sun and moon praise God, as the Prophet exhorts 
 them to ? By performing well that task which has been imposed 
 on them by the Lord. This is great praise which they give Him. 
 Behold, then, an excellent way in which you can praise God at all 
 times— by performing well your tasks and whatever you may have 
 to do. — St. Jerome. 
 
 St. John Berchmans was most diligent in every employ- 
 ment assigned to him. When he had the care of the Spir- 
 itual Father's room, he kept it so neat, and so well provided 
 with every little necessary, that the Father was astonished, 
 and never found another to equal him. And, what was 
 more, lie never disturbed him, or said an unnecessary word. 
 When he had charge of the lamps, he never once omitted 
 to look them over and trim them ; and if he was going out 
 
AUGUST. — DILIGENCE. 267 
 
 of town on a holiday, lie would either attend to them before 
 starting, or come back in time to have them ready before 
 it was dark. Once being afraid that he should lose this 
 charge, he begged the Father Rector to let hitn retain it. 
 
 Father Alvarez faithfully fulfilled all the charges imposed 
 on him, observing even the most minute rules, and con- 
 tinued this care and solicitude up to the last day and hour 
 that he held them. When he was Rector he never failed 
 to visit his subjects at the hour of prayer, and he did 
 this up to the day when he left the house to become Pro- 
 vincial. 
 
 15. Never allow yourself to believe that time lost, which is spent 
 in performing your charge well. For this is a thing so acceptable 
 to the Lord, that He gives in a little time what He would otherwise 
 be much longer in giving, and even doubles what has been aban- 
 doned in His service. — St. Teresa. 
 
 This Saint relates that she had known a number of per- 
 sons who had been long occupied entirely in works of obe- 
 dience and charity, and who had yet advanced so much 
 in the spiritual life that she was amazed. " I spoke 
 with one in particular," she added, " who told me that for 
 fifteen years in succession, obedience had kept her so much 
 engaged in the guidance of others and in various employ- 
 m-nts, that she did not remember having a day to herself ; 
 but she tried her best to snatch an hour for meditation, and 
 to act with purity of conscience. She was a soul more in- 
 clined to obedience than any other I have ever met, so 
 that she attracted to it all with whom she spoke. And 
 our Lord rewarded her richly, for, in the end, without 
 knowing how, she found herself with that liberty of spirit 
 which all the perfect have so earnestly prayed for, and 
 which includes all the felicity that can be found in this life." 
 
268 A YEAK WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 16. Do not fear that the occupations imposed by obedience will 
 draw you away from union with God ; for when they are performed 
 for His glon r , they have, instead, great power to unite us closely to 
 Him. For, how can those things separate us from God, which 
 unite our will to His ? The whole mistake arises from the failure 
 to distinguish between being drawn away from God, and being 
 drawn away from the sweetness found in the interior perception of 
 God. It is true that in occupation this sweetness is not always en- 
 joyed (though it is sometimes in the highest degree) ; but in depriv- 
 ing ourselves of this for the love of God, we gain instead of los- 
 ing, while we leave the weak for the strong. While to quit or 
 abandon our work to unite ourselves to God by prayer, reading, 
 or recollection, by solitude and contemplation, would be to with- 
 draw from God, and to uuite ourselves to ourselves and to our own 
 self-love.— £*. F. de Sales. 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi performed all her exterior 
 duties with bo much spiritual delight, and with so pure an 
 intention for (rod, that they were no hindrance to her interior 
 retirement, and did not distract her in the Least iVum God. 
 And so, on the instant after finishing any of them, she 
 would retire to prayer, and be wholly separated from all 
 earthly things, and completely wrapt in God. Even in 
 the midst of manual labor and employment, she often fell 
 into ecstasies, so that she once said : " It is the same to me 
 whether I am told to goto prayer in the choir, or to any 
 manual work, for I make no difference between them. Nay, 
 were I to say that sometimes I find God more in such work 
 than in prayer, I think I should tell the truth." 
 
 A Franciscan lay-brother who was cook, when he had 
 thoroughly perform* d the work of his charge, used to re- 
 tire to prayer, in which he enjoyed many heavenly conso- 
 lations. To enjoy more of these, he asked and obtained from 
 his Superior permission to give up his distracting occupa- 
 tion ; then giving himself entirely to prayer, he found in it 
 nothing but aridity and distractions. Seeing his mistake, 
 
AUGUST. — DILIGENCE. 269 
 
 he returned to his former work, when the lost consolations 
 immediately came back. 
 
 17. Even little actions are great when they are done well ; so that 
 a little action done with desire to please God, is more acceptable to 
 Him,' and gives Him more glory, than a great work done with less 
 fervor. We must, then, give particular attention to perform well the 
 little works, which are easiest, and are constantly within our reach, 
 if we wish to advance in friendship with God. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 St. Ignatius said of a lay-brother who was a mason, that 
 he wrought for himself in heaven as many crowns as he 
 laid bricks or gave strokes of the hammer, on account of 
 the pure and upright intention with which he animated 
 these works. 
 
 It is told of St. Francis Xavier that he was very careful 
 to do little things well, and that he used to say : " We 
 must not deceive ourselves, for he who does not take pains to 
 excel in little things, will never do so in great." 
 
 18. Much more is accomplished by a single word of the Pater 
 noster said, now and then, from the heart, than by the whole prayer 
 repeated many times in haste and without attention. — St. Teresa. 
 
 The Lord, one day, revealed to St. Bridget that He was 
 more pleased with one who would recite with perfect faith 
 and earnestness these three words : Jesu, miserere mei — 
 Jesus, have mercy on me, — than with another who might re- 
 cite a thousand verses without attention. 
 
 19. Whoever has not experienced it, will not be able to believe 
 how much we gain by being careful not to fail in little things ; for 
 the devil, by means of these, makes gaps and breaches through 
 which great things can enter. — St. Teresa. 
 
 When St. Louis Bertrand was Superior, he used to re- 
 prove and punish very severely, at the Friday Chapter, 
 
270 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 the very smallest faults, such as failing in silence, over- 
 sleeping a little, or making a mistake in choir, — only be- 
 cause he judged that advancement and religious discipline 
 depended on these little things. 
 
 St. Lawrence Justinian took more pains to guard him- 
 self from slight faults than from grave ones ; for he used 
 to say, that to beware of grave faults belonged not to Relig- 
 ious, but to seculars. 
 
 20. Be careful not to forget God in your occupations, from a be- 
 lief that in this way you will accomplish more ; for if He abandons 
 you, you will not be able to take a step without falling prostrate on 
 the ground. Rather imitate little children, who with one hand 
 cling to their fathers, while with the other they pluck strawberries 
 and mulberries along the hedges. Attend to what you are doing, 
 yet not without raising a glance, from time to time, to your Heavenly 
 Father, to see whether He is pleased witn your plan.-, and t<» ask His 
 help. In this manner, you will accomplish even the most difficult 
 business better and more easily. See how the Blessed Virgin quietly 
 employed one hand in work, while she was holding upon the other 
 arm our Infant Lord.— St. F. de Sales. 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi performed her exterior oc- 
 cupations with such abstraction, that, aa her companions 
 
 said, it seemed her body only was engaged inthem,and 
 
 Iter soul was rather where she loved than where she lived. 
 It was observed that at meal- in tin- refectory, at the time 
 when there is usually a pause in the spiritual reading, she 
 showed by her motions that she was absorbed in some de- 
 vout thought. 
 
 We read the same thing of the venerable Father John 
 Leonardi, who in the midst of business seemed so absorbed 
 in God, that he appeared, like St. Paul, to have his ^conver- 
 sation in heaven." 
 
 It is narrate! of St. Rose of Lima, that in all her em- 
 ployments she kept her mind uninterruptedly raised to God, 
 
AUGUST. — DILIGENCE. 271 
 
 so that in reading, embroidering, weaving, conversing with 
 others, providing for the wants of the family, or walking 
 in the street— in every action, in all times and places, she 
 was beholding, as in a clear mirror, and lovingly contem- 
 plating, .the fair countenance of her Beloved. What is more 
 wonderful, this continual presence of God occupied her in- 
 terior powers with much sweetness, without interfering at 
 all with the exercise of her senses, so that while she was in- 
 teriorly conversing with God, she was exteriorly conversing 
 with men, answering connectedly, giving advice or orders, 
 planning and executing whatever was necessary, with as 
 much ease and readiness as if she had no other thought in 
 mind. This was truly a wonderful gift granted to her by 
 the Lord. 
 
 It is related of St. Anthony, that while he was making 
 baskets, he used to repeat from time to time the verse, 
 " Miserere mei Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam 
 tuam" — Have pity on me, O God, according to Thy 
 great mercy. 
 
 We read of the venerable Monseigneur de Palafox, that if 
 a doubt occurred to him while writing, he would turn to an 
 image of the Infant Jesus and say, " O Lord, what can 
 we say about this ?" or again : " O Lord, teach me what I 
 have to say \" or : " O Lord, give me light !" Sometimes, 
 after he had written what he thought suited to the occasion, 
 he offered it to God, saying : " O Lord, let this be for 
 the good of souls. Give Thy spirit to it, O Lord ! Give 
 life to these characters, O Life of all created things !" If 
 at times he felt pleased with his reasoning or his expres- 
 sions, he held the paper near the lamp, and said : " My God, 
 is it Thy will that I should burn it ? Nothing here is mine. 
 Let every work and every feeling of my own be con- 
 sumed !" But then he received interior light, which showed 
 him that it would not be well to do so. and he refrained. 
 
272 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 21. Among the hindrances which prevent us from performing our 
 actions well, the foremost is that while we are doing one thing, we 
 are thinking of another w^hich we have to do, or which we have 
 done ; so that our occupations interfere with one another, and none 
 is well performed. The way to do them all well is to attend solely 
 to the one we have in hand, taking care to do it as perfectly as pos- 
 sible, and banishing for the time the thought of every other ; and 
 when this is finished, not to think of it any more, but to think of 
 what remains to be done. — Father M. ci Aula. 
 
 At a time when God was bIi dding His heavenly graces 
 in abundance upon the venerable Sister Maria Cracifixa, 
 and calling her to enjoy the contemplation of Himself in 
 solitude, her Superioress heaped upon her the offices of 
 sacristan, cook, refectorian, and in certain novenas of great 
 devotion, she had charge also of the door and oi the medi- 
 cine-room. She did everything with exactness and to the 
 satisfaction ofall, and yet found time for her contemplation. 
 This was her method : When she was in the sacristy, she 
 said to herself, "Now be nothing but a sacristan ;" and 
 when she came out of it, she would say, " Now do not he a 
 sacristan any longer ;" and the same with the rest of her 
 employments. 
 
 22. Perform faithfully what God requires of you each moment, 
 and leave the thought of every thing else to Him. I assure you that 
 to live in this way will bring you great peace. — St. J. F. de Chantal. 
 
 The Saint herself was an example of this course of conduct. 
 So was St. Francis de Sales also, of whom it was said that 
 when he was d<>ing any work or transacting any business, 
 he gave his whole mind to it, as if he had nothing else in 
 the world to think of. 
 
 Nazianzen relates of his mother, that she threw 7 herself 
 wholly into whatever she was doing, and did everything 
 perfection, so that seeing her in the midst of her household 
 
AUGUST. — DILIGENCE. 273 
 
 occupations, one would think she cared for nothing else ; but 
 when she was attending to her spiritual duties, she showed 
 that they were receiving her whole attention ■ and she felt 
 as much interest in every occupation, as if she had no 
 other. 
 
 23. The second hindrance is haste. Beware of it, for it is a deadly 
 enemy of true devotion ; and anything done with precipitation is 
 never done well. Let us go slowly, for if we do but keep advanc- 
 ing, we shall thus go far. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 It was thus that the Saint himself conducted all his opera- 
 tions. St. Philip Neri did the same, and recommended this 
 course to his penitents, often saying : " You need not try to 
 do every thing in a day, nor to become a Saint in a month. 
 Prudence does not advise it." 
 
 24. The works of God are performed, for the most part, little by 
 little, and have their beginnings and their progress. We ought not 
 to expect to do everything at once and in a hurry, nor imagine 
 that all is lost, if success does not come in an instant ; but we 
 must advance quietly, pray much to God, and make use of the means 
 suggested by His spirit, and never of the false maxims of the world. 
 —St. V. de Paul. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul had a habit of proceeding in all his af- 
 fairs, both in undertaking and prosecuting them, with such 
 tranquil lity that he was regarded as too slow. But experience 
 showed that his slowness did no harm, for, to the wonder of 
 ali, he brought to a successful issue so many and such diffi- 
 cult affairs, that many persons together would not. have 
 been able to do as much, even if they had given their whole 
 minds to the work. What is more, he succeeded in this 
 way in performing all his spiritual works with fervor, and 
 all the indifferent ones with success. 
 
 25. The third hindrance is anxiety and solicitude. Be diligent and 
 
274 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 accurate in all the affairs of which you have charge; but, if pos- 
 sible, do not let them cause you anxiety ami vexation ; that is, 
 do not mauage them with disquiet, solicitude, and eagerness. Do not 
 worry in attending to them, for worry disturbs the reason, and 
 hinders us from doing well even what does not trouble us. But 
 great affairs do not disturb us so much as a great number of little 
 ones ; therefore, receive these also with calmness, and try to at- 
 tend to them in order, one after another, without perturbation. Thus, 
 you will gain great merit by them, for the time spent peacefully is 
 doubtless most usefully employed. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 This Saint passed many hours with poor people who oc- 
 cupied him about things of little account. When it was 
 said to him, that it was not well for him to lose so much 
 time od trifles, he answered : " What do you think I ought 
 to do? These things appear great to them, and they desire 
 sympathy as much as if the case were really so. God knows 
 well that 1 desire no greater employment, and that every 
 occupation is indifferent to me, if only it regards 1 1 i- service. 
 While I am engaged in this work, small as it is, 1 am not 
 obliged to do any other. And is it not a sufficiently im- 
 portant employment to do the will of God ?" To encourage 
 one of his penitents to this practice, he wrote to her thus: 
 "Whoever can preserve interior sweetness in a multiplic- 
 ity of business, may be called perfect. Though few can be 
 found even in the Orders who have arrived at this degree 
 of felicity, yet there are some, and there have been some in 
 every age. We must aspire to this high standard." 
 
 St. Jane Frances de Chautal faithfully followed this ad- 
 vice, by doing everything with the greatest attention, but 
 without any anxiety, and without ever losing peace of heart, 
 and so, all she did succeeded well ; and she spoke of this 
 freely to her daughters. To one of them she said, one day : 
 u Believe me, my dear daughter, I deeply love our poor 
 Congregation, but without anxiety, — without which, love 
 
AUGUST. — DILIGENCE. 275 
 
 ordinarily is not wont to live. But mine, which is not or- 
 dinary, lives without it." And to another who had sought 
 from her a remedy for the constant perplexities she experi- 
 enced in her employments, she wrote : " The origin of your 
 trouble and perplexity comes from nothing but the anxiety 
 you feel in seeking the good you aim at, and your want of 
 patience and submission to the will of Him who alone can 
 give it to you. So, if you desire your work to be better 
 and less burdensome, you must correct this anxiety and so- 
 licitude, striving to work with fidelity, but, at the same time, 
 with calmness and spiritual sweetness." 
 
 26. It is a characteristic of the spirit of God to work with gentle- 
 ness and love ; and the surest way of succeeding in whatever we un- 
 dertake, is to imitate Him. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 This Saint managed all his own affairs in this way, 
 whether they were important or indifferent, spiritual or 
 temporal, — with a great calmness and quiet, which appeared 
 even exteriorly. 
 
 27. The fourth hindrance is a desire to do too much. There is 
 no need of wearing ourselves completely out in the exercises of virtue, 
 but we should practise them freely, naturally, simply, as the ancient 
 Fathers did, with good/will, and without scrupulosity. In this con- 
 sists the liberty of the children of God ; that is, in doing gladly, faith- 
 fully, and heartily, what they are obliged to do. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 Such, in fact, was this Saint's manner of working — a man- 
 ner free, simple, ready, devoid of artifice, proceeding by or- 
 dinary and natural means, arising rather from the heart 
 than from the mind, and therefore pleasing to God, and very 
 easy and meritorious for the Saint himself. 
 
 Though St. Jane Frances de Chantal was most exact in 
 the observance of her Rules, and in all her employments, 
 she took precautions both for herself and others, that this 
 
276 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 exactness should not be accompanied by that spiritual con- 
 straint and oppression, which -elf-love often causes for faults 
 committed through ignorance, or inadvertence, and with- 
 out malice. In everything she went on lovingly, happily, 
 and in peace. 
 
 28. Among the many means of performing our actions well, one 
 is to do each of them as if it were to be the last of our lives. At 
 every action, then, say to yourself : " If you knew that you were to die 
 immediately after this Action, would you do it ? and would you do 
 it in tli is way ?*' — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 Whatever St. Francis de Sales did, he did it as if it were 
 his last act in the world. 
 
 A certain priest was accustomed to goto confession every 
 morning before Baying Ma—. ( mce, being dangerously ill, 
 he was advised to make hia confession in preparation for 
 death. But he answered: "Blessed be God ! J have made 
 my confession in that way every day tor the last thirty years, 
 as if I were immediately to die ; so I need do no more than 
 make my ordinary confession, as if I were going to say 
 Mass." 
 
 29. Another good method is to consider only the present day. One 
 of the arts which the devil employs to ruin souls, and to retard 
 many in the service of God, is to represent to them that it is a very 
 difficult and insupportable thing, to live for many years with so 
 much exactness, circumspection, and regularity. Now, to consider 
 to-day only, closes the pat h to this temptation , and, at the same time, 
 lends much support to human weakness. For, who is there that 
 canuot for one day make a strong effort to do all he can, that his 
 actions may be well performed ? Let one say to himself in the morn- 
 ing, " This day I mean to perform my ordinary actions well." So, 
 that becomes ea>y and tolerable, which might appear very difficult 
 if it were taken in a general way, and with the thought that this 
 effort was to be made for a life-time. Meanwhile, by proceeding 
 every day in this manner, little by little a good habit is formed, and 
 po farther difficulty is experienced.— Rodriguez. 
 
AUGUST. — DILIGENCE. 277 
 
 A certain monk is mentioned in the Lives of the Fathers, 
 who even early in the morning suffered intolerably from 
 hunger and weakness. In order not to transgress the holy 
 custom of the monks, which forbade any food to be taken 
 before three o'clock in the afternoon, he adopted the fol- 
 lowing device. In the morning he said to himself: " Hun- 
 gry, as you are, is it a great thing to wait until tierce?" 
 At tierce he said, " Truly I must make some effort, and not 
 eat until sext." At sext he put the bread into the water, and 
 said : " While the bread is s aking, I can wait till none ; 
 as I have waited so long, I do not mean, for the sake of 
 two or three hours, to transgress the good custom of the 
 monks." When the hour of none arrived, he said his 
 prayers, and took his breakfast. So he went on for some 
 days, beguiling himself by these short periods of time, until 
 one day, when he was eating at the regular hour, he saw a 
 smoke arise from the basket of bread, and go out of the 
 window of his cell. This was, no doubt, the evil spirit that 
 had tempted him. From that time forward, he no longer 
 felt hungry as before, so that, at times, he remained entire 
 days without food, and without feeling any need of it. 
 
 In the same book another monk is mentioned, who was 
 for some time tempted to leave his monastery. Every even- 
 ing he would say to himself, " To-morrow I will go ;" and 
 when morning came, he would say, " Now, for the love 
 of God, I will stay one day more." After continuing this 
 practice for nine years, he was, at last, freed from the temp- 
 tation. 
 
 30. It is a great error of certain souls otherwise good and pious, 
 that they believe they cannot retain interior repose in the midst of 
 business and perplexities. Surely there is no commotion greater 
 than that of a vessel in the midst of the sea ; yet those on board do 
 not give up the thought of resting and sleeping, and the compass re- 
 mains always in its place, turning towards the pole. Here is the 
 
278 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 point : we must be careful to keep the compass of our will in order, 
 that it may never turn elsewhere than to the pole of the Divine pleas- 
 ure. This is the third means of performing our actions well.— St. 
 F. de Sales. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul excelled in this. He was never per- 
 turbed by the multiplicity of business, nor by the difficul- 
 ties he encountered, but he undertook every thing with in- 
 exhaustible spiritual strength, and applied himself with 
 method, patience, and tranquillity, making the will of 
 God his constant aim. This was especially visible when 
 he had a seat in the king's Council and at the same time 
 the government of his own Congregation and <>!' many 
 other Communities, Assemblies, and Conferences, together 
 with other employments which almost overwhelmed him. 
 One might have BUpposed that he would have been in a 
 state of distraction, divided, a- it were, among a hundred 
 thoughts and cares, and with his mind, in consequence, har- 
 assed and agitated, lint n<>. In the midst of a constant 
 ebb and flow <>t' persons and employments, he appeared al- 
 ways recollected, self-possi — d, master of himself, with as 
 much evenness of temper, peace, and tranquillity, as if he 
 had only one thing to think about. 
 
 31. All that we do, receives its value from conformity to the will 
 of God. When I take food or recreation, if I do it because it is the 
 will of God, I merit more than if I went to >uffer death without that 
 intention. Plant this principle firmly in your mind, and then at 
 every action fix your eyes upon it, in imitation of ihe carpenter, who 
 brings every board under the square. Thus, you will do your work 
 with perfection. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 This truth was well understood by the good lav-brother 
 who said, that when he was sitting at table, he was preach- 
 ing Xavier's sermons in India ; for, the best thing about 
 
AUGUST. — DILIGENCE. 279 
 
 Xavier's preaching was, that he did the will of God by it, 
 which the lay-brother was also doing. 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi had this perfect conform- 
 ity, not only habitual and implied, but also actual. So that, 
 while it seems to most spiritual persons a very difficult 
 thing to direct every action actually to God, it was so easy 
 and familiar to her, that she thought it impossible for any 
 one to work without reflecting upon the will of God. 
 
SEPTEMBER. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Oportet semper orare et nondeficere — We must always pray, and not 
 faint.— Luke, xviii : 1. 
 
 I. There is certainly nothing more useful than prayer. Therefore, 
 we ought to entertain great esteem and love for it, and employ every 
 effort to make it well. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 All the Saints have shown great love for this exercise. 
 St. Cajetan used to Bpend in it eight hours in succession ; 
 St. Margaret, Queen of Scotland, and St. Stephen, King 
 of Hungary, almost all night ; St. Frances of Rome, all 
 the time that was left from her ordinary occupations; Si. 
 Rose of Lima, twelve hours a day. At a very early age, 
 St. Aloysius Gonzaga adopted the practice, which he never 
 gave up, of occupying in it one, two, or three hours a day. 
 When he was at court, he hid himself in the woods, that he 
 might not he interrupted, while praying, by his companion.-. 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi, while still in the world, 
 and only nine years old, dedicat d to this divine exercise 
 one hour, then from two to four hours, daily, and finally, 
 whole nights ; and after she entered religion, she spent in it 
 all the time which the novices had left at their disposal. 
 
 St. John Berchmans, from the age of eleven, gave to it all 
 the time that remained from his studies. Any corner of the 
 house served him for an oratory, and he was often found by 
 his family at midnight praying with bare knees upon the 
 ground. 
 
 280 
 
SEPTEMBER. — PBAYEE. 281 
 
 St. Philip Neri, from his childhood, gave himself to 
 prayer so earnestly, advanced in it so far, and acquired such a 
 habit of it, that wherever he might be, his soul was always 
 elevated to divine things. And so, when his room was full 
 of people, and various aifairs were under discussion, he 
 could not sometimes refrain from raising his eyes or hands 
 to heaven, or uttering some aspiration, though he watched 
 over himself carefully, that he might do nothing of the 
 sort in the presence of others. When he went out of the 
 house, he was so abstracted that some one had to warn him 
 when a salutation was to be returned ; and sometimes, 
 when his attention had been secured with great difficulty 
 and by pulling his robe, he would make a gesture like a 
 person who has just been roused from a heavy sleep. 
 
 2. Prayer well made gives much pleasure to the angels, and there- 
 fore it is much assisted by them ; it gives great displeasure to the 
 devils, and therefore is much persecuted and disturbed by them. — 
 St. J. Chrysostom. 
 
 The same Saint says that the angels have a high esteem 
 for him who renders himself intimate with God by prayer ; 
 that while he is making it, they stand beside him in perfect 
 silence ; and when he has finished, they praise and applaud 
 him. 
 
 St. Macarius, being present, one night, at the prayers of 
 the Community, saw the place filled with black children, 
 who went among the monks and mocked them. They 
 pressed two fingers on the eyes of some, and these immediately 
 fell asleep ; they laid a finger on the mouths of others, and 
 these yawned ; to some the y appeared in the form of women ; 
 to others, in that of laborers at work ; to these, of merchants 
 selling goods ; to those they seemed as if at play : and they 
 produced in the minds of all a vivid picture corresuonding to 
 
282 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 the outward appearance they assumed. But scarcely had 
 they approached some, when they fell to the ground, as if 
 violently repelled. When the Saint afterwards asked his 
 companions what had happened to them at that time, he 
 found they all had suffered the same temptations which he 
 had seen. 
 
 3. Souls that have no habit of prayer, are like a lame and paraly- 
 tic body, which, though it has hands and feet, caunot use them. 
 Therefore, to abandon prayer seems to me the same thing as to lose 
 the straight road ; for as prayer is the gate through which all the 
 graces of God come to us when this is closed, I do not know how 
 we can have any. — St. Teresa. 
 
 St. Teresa proved tin's by her own experience ; for, hav- 
 ing abandoned prayer for some time, she began to fall into 
 certain faults and defects, from which, though they were 
 slight, she could not free herself,— rather, she went daily 
 from bad to worse. She was herself obliged to say that 
 she was on the road to perdition, to which the Lord told 
 her she would have come, if she had not resumed prayer. 
 
 4. The soul that perseveres in the exercise of prayer, however 
 many sins, temptations, and falls of a thousand kinds the devil may 
 oppose to it. may hold it for certain , after all, that the Lord will 
 sooner or later rescue it from danger, and guide it into the harbor of 
 salvation— ££. Teresa. 
 
 St. Mary of Egypt confessed to the Abbot Zosjmns, that 
 for seventeen years after her conversion, she suffered con- 
 stant and frightful temptation, yet because she gave her- 
 self to prayer, she never fell. The same thing happened 
 to St. Augustine, to St. Margaret of Cortona, and many 
 others. 
 
 5. A man of prayer is capable of everything ; therefore, it is of 
 great importance that missionaries should give themselves to this 
 
SEPTEMBER. — PRAYER. 283 
 
 exercise with particular earnestness ; and as without it they will giiiu 
 little or no fruit, so with its help they will become much more 
 able to move hearts and convert souls to their Creator, than by 
 learning and oratorical skill.— St. V. de Paul. 
 
 St. Francis Borgia was a man of much prayer, in which 
 he would remain, as if in ecstasy, sometimes for six hours 
 in succession, which appeared to him but a moment ; and 
 the mere sight of him in the pulpit would rouse the people 
 to compunction. 
 
 St. Thomas, St. Bonaventure, and the Blessed Albertus 
 Magnus, confessed that they gained their learning more by 
 prayer than by study. We read of St. Thomas, in particu- 
 lar, that not being able to understand a text of Scripture, 
 he had recourse to prayer ; and while he was praying with 
 great fervor, there appeared to him the holy Apostles Peter 
 and Paul, and explained the difficulty, in a voice so clear 
 and distinct that it was heard by his companion Brother 
 Eeginald. 
 
 6. When we have to speak to others on spiritual matters, we ought 
 first to speak of them to God in prayer, and empty ourselves of 
 our own spirit, that we may be filled with the Holy Spirit, which 
 alone illuminates the mind and inflames the will. Superiors, espe- 
 cially, should do this, and endeavor to have continual communication 
 with God, having recourse to Him not only in doubtful and difficult 
 cases, but in everything that occurs, to learn immediately from 
 Him what they are to teach others, in imitation of Moses, who an- 
 nounced to the people only what the Lord had previously taught^him. 
 Hcec dicit Dominus— Thus saith the Lord.— St. V. de Paul. 
 
 When this Saint was about to deliberate on some busi- 
 ness, or take some resolution, or give some advice, he was 
 accustomed before speaking and even before thinking of 
 the matter, to raise his mind to God to ask light and help. 
 On such occasions, he usually raised his eyes to heaven, then 
 
284 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 dropped them, and kept them partly closed, as if consult- 
 ing with God in his own heart before replying. When 
 matters of importance were under consideration, he desired 
 that time should be taken, to recommend them to God. 
 And as he trusted wholly to the Divine wisdom, and not at 
 all to his own, he received from heaven great lights and 
 graces, by means of which he often discovered things which 
 could not have been penetrated by the human intellect 
 alone. 
 
 In grave matters, St. Ignatius never resolved upon any- 
 thing without first recommending them to God in prayer. 
 
 When the Abbot Pambo was asked for advice, he used to 
 reply, " Give me time to think." Then he made it a subject 
 of prayer ; and if he received any light from God, he com- 
 municated it ; otherwise, he did not answer at all. 
 
 7. Mental prayer consists in weighing and understanding what 
 we are saying, who it is to whom we are speaking, and who we are to 
 have the courage to speak to so great a Lord. To have these and 
 similar thoughts, is properly to make mental prayer. Their opinion, 
 however, is not to be followed who believe that its whole essence con- 
 sists in thinking, so that if they can keep i heir thoughts fixed by a great 
 effort , then they consider themselves very spiritual and men of prayer ; 
 but if they are able to do this no longer, and their attention wanders 
 a little, even to good thintr>, they imagine they are doing nothing. 
 No, the substance of mental prayer, in my opinion, consists in noth- 
 ing but conversing with God as with a friend. And so, to speak of 
 this thing or of that to Him, who, we know, loves us, is mental 
 prayer.—^. Teresa. 
 
 When St. Ignatius was once travelling with his compan- 
 ions, each with a bundle on his shoulders, a worthy man, 
 moved with compassion, offered to carry all their burdens, 
 and did so. "When they came to inns on their way, the 
 Fathers tried to find some nooks, each for himself, to make 
 their prayer ; and the good man, seeing this, found a cor- 
 
SE^TEMBEH.^— ABATER* 285 
 
 ner of his own, where he remained kneeling, like them* 
 When some one asked him what he was doing there > " I 
 am doing nothing," he replied, " but saying : i These are 
 Saints, and I am their ass* Whatever they are doing, I 
 would do.' And I stay there offering this to the Lord." 
 It is said that in this manner he succeeded in becoming 
 very spiritual, and attaining the gift of a very lofty con- 
 templation* 
 
 The venerable Monseigneur de Palafox, having frequently 
 considered in prayer who he was that was speaking, and 
 to whom he was speaking,— that it was the most unworthy 
 of men to the Divine Goodness, a wretched worm to God,— 
 was so filled with humiliation that he wept. It grieved 
 him that he had the temerity to speak. " What !" he 
 exclaimed, " a little dust of the earth, the worst, the most 
 miserable, the most abandoned, man in the world, speak to 
 the Eternal, the Infinite, the Boundless !" Then he was 
 afraid, and said : " O Lord, am I to speak to Thee ? Am 
 I to have the boldness to love thee ? a God infinite, a God 
 all-powerful, Creator of all that is created ! and I nothing, 
 and less than nothing, and, what grieves me most, wicked, 
 and more than wicked ! What is this ? How can this be 
 borne ?" But again he would say : " O Lord, is it not 
 just to love? Then ought I not to love Thee? O Lord, 
 the worms adore Thee, and I am a worm ; then I can 
 adore Thee ! O Lord, Thou earnest to seek sinners — I am 
 the greatest of sinners ! O Lord, if Thou didst abase Thy- 
 self that we might adore Thee, might speak to Thee, might 
 pray to Thee, why should 1 not adore Thee, speak to Thee, 
 pray to Thee ?" 
 
 8. If, while one is praying, he regards and considers the fact that 
 lie is conversing with God with more attention than the words that 
 he utters, he is making vocal and mental prayer at once, which may 
 
286 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 be of much advantage to him. But if he does not consider with 
 whom he is speaking, nor what he is saying, it may be thought cer- 
 tain that, however much he may move his lips, he prays very little. 
 — St. Teresa. 
 
 A certain bishop once saw an angel come down from 
 heaven, and collect the tears of a woman who was praying 
 in a corner of the church. Astonished at this, he asked 
 her, as they went out, what she had been doing at that time. 
 She replied that she was reciting the Pater noder, Ave Ma- 
 ria, and Credo. 
 
 9. After our affections have been moved in prayer, we need not 
 multiply considerations, but stop a little, and dwell upon those al- 
 ready made ; then, from time to time, say to our Lord some word of 
 compunction, love, or resitrnation, according as we feel ourselves 
 inclined. This is the best kind of prayer. — St. J. F. de Chantal. 
 
 St. Cyril of Alexandria made this clear and plain by a 
 comparison. " Meditation/' said the Saint, " is like striking 
 the Hint with the steel to draw out a spark ; but when the 
 spark has come and lighted the tinder, we lay aside the 
 steel. So, by considerations and the use of the intellect, 
 we strike the hard rock of our heart, until we kindle in it 
 the love of God, and the desire of humility, mortification, or 
 some other virtue ; and when tin- i> come, we rest upon it, 
 and seek to estal >iish ourselves in it firmly. This is certainly 
 a better and more useful prayer, than if we should make 
 very lofty and far-fetched considerations and arguments." 
 It was in this way that the Saint, and all others who have 
 profitted by prayer, conducted it. 
 
 This truth was well understood by a good servant of God, 
 who in his prayer, which was generally upon our Lord's 
 Pas-ion, did not go very fully into speculations and reason- 
 ings. But after representing to his mind the mystery upon 
 
SEPTEMBER. PRAYER. 287 
 
 which he was to meditate, — as soon as he felt any affection, 
 such as love or gratitude towards God, or sorrow for hav- 
 ing offended Him, with the intention to offend Him no 
 more, or perhaps a desire to imitate Christ in humility or 
 suffering, or any similar affection, — be rested upon it, and 
 endeavored to warm and cherish it in his heart. When he 
 perceived that it was growing cool, he tried to enkindle 
 it again, with the whole or a part of the consideration which 
 had lighted it up at first, saying : " What a great suffering 
 was this ! Who endured it ? The Son of God — the Son of 
 God ! And for whom did He endure it ? For me ; — and the 
 Son of God endured to suffer so much for me ! And I can- 
 not endure to suffer a word, a little slight, for love of Him ! 
 How much has Jesus Christ done for me ! and I never 
 cease offending Him ! ' Where are my ordinary human feel- 
 ings ? Ah, how sorry I am that I have grieved my God 
 in this way ! Surely I will offend Him no more ! Behold, 
 how much my good God has loved me ! and I do not love 
 Him, who loved me so much ! Ah yes, I mean to love 
 this God, who loves me so much !" So he continued dwell- 
 ing on these affections and bringing them up afresh, and 
 in this way became a man of great perfection. 
 
 10. Souls but little confirmed in piety, advance well and happily, 
 when the Lord gives them consolations in prayer. But if He after- 
 wards deprives them of these, they immediately become languid 
 and discontented, like children who thank their mother when she 
 gives them sweet things, and cry when she takes them away, because 
 they are children, and do not know that a long course of such things 
 is hurtful to them, and causes worms. Sensible consolations of 
 the soul often produce the worm of self-satisfaction and that of 
 pride, which is the poison of the soul, and corrupts every good 
 work. This is the reason why the Lord, who gives them to us at 
 first to encourage us, afterwards takes them away, that they might 
 not hurt us, and therefore merits no less thanks in taking them away 
 than in giving them. — St. F. cle Sales. 
 
288 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 A great servant of God said of himself : " For forty years 
 I have exercist d myself in prayer without any interior con- 
 solation, but with much advantage. My only comfort 
 is that I have served God at my own expense." 
 
 St. John Berchmans often experienced great consolation 
 in prayer, but, from time to time, also great aridity. In 
 such cases, he never lost his courage or cheerfulness. 
 
 11. "When the soul finds herself oppressed by aridity and sterility, 
 she ought to make the prayer of reverence, confidence, and conform- 
 ity to the Divine will, standing in the presence of God like a poor 
 man before his prince, making use of such words as express a loviug 
 submission to the Divine pleasure. — St. J. F. (k Chantal. 
 
 u 1 should never wish," said St. Teresa, "for any other 
 prayer than that which would cause me to grow in virtue. 
 So I should consider that a good prayer, which was at- 
 tended by many aridities, temptations, and desolations, that 
 
 loft me more humble. Can ho be .-aid not to pray, who is 
 in the midst of such trials? On the contrary, if he offers 
 them to God, and bears them with conformity to His holy 
 will, as he ought, this is prayer, and very often much better 
 than his who wearies his brain with various reflections, and 
 persuades himself that he has made a good prayer if he has 
 squeezed out four tears." 
 
 St. Philip Neri considered it an excellent remedy in 
 such case to imagine ourselves beggars, as it were, in the 
 presence of God and the Saints, and. as such, to go now to 
 one, now to another, to ask spiritual alms, with that feel- 
 ing and earnestness which the destitute usually exhibit. 
 He advised, too, that this should be done even corporally 
 at times, by visiting the churches of different Saints, to ask 
 some favor from each. 
 
 12. Whoever wishes to profit by prayers, should not take account 
 
SEPTEMBER. — PRAYER. 289 
 
 of spiritual consolations. I know by experience that the soul which 
 has started on this road with a full determination not to consider 
 whether the Lord gives or denies him consolations and tenderness, 
 and really acts on this determination, has already made a great part 
 of the journey. — St. Teresa. 
 
 St. John Berchmans, when asked what remedies he 
 made use of against aridity, replied, " I pray, I take care 
 to be occupied, and I have patience." 
 
 St. Francis de Sales was never angry with himself on ac- 
 count of the desolations, aridities, or interior abandonment 
 which he endured. He told St. Jane Frances de Chantal 
 that when he was at prayer, he was not in the habit of re- 
 flecting as to whether he was in consolation or desolation, but 
 if the Lord gave him any good sentiments, he received them 
 with profound reverence and simplicity ; and if He gave 
 none, lie did not reflect upon it, but remained still before 
 God, with great confidence, like a loving little child. 
 
 13. There is another thing which greatly afflicts those who give 
 themselves to prayer. It is the distractions which often come and 
 carry their thoughts, and their hearts too, hither and thither. These 
 come at times from the immortification of the senses ; at times from 
 the soul being distracted in itself, and often because the Lord wills 
 it, to try His servants. Now, in such cases, we must recall our 
 thoughts from time to time, by reviving our faith in the presence 
 of God, and by remaining before Him with reverence and respect. 
 If we do not succeed in fixing them on the prescribed point, we 
 must bear those annoyances and vexations with humility and pa- 
 tience. It will not be lost time, as at first sight it may appear, but 
 such a prayer will sometimes be more fruitful than many others 
 made with recollection and pleasure. For, all the actions per- 
 formed to banish or to endure these distractions, as they are done 
 in order not to displease God, and to become better qualified for 
 His service, are so many acts of the love of God.— St. Teresa 
 
 St. Jane Frances de Chantal gave this advice to her 
 daughters, which she surely also practised herself. " When 
 
290 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 one is disturbed by distractions in the time of prayer, 
 it is well to make the prayer of patience, and to say, if 
 possible, humbly and lovingly : O Lord, Thou art the 
 sole support of my soul, and all my consolation !" 
 
 St. John Chrysostom advised one who was easily carried 
 away by distractions, to arouse himself by this comparison : 
 "What ! I stand talking with a friend about news, trifles, 
 reports, and I am all attention ; now that I am conversing 
 with God about the pardon of my sins, and the way for 
 me to be saved, I am all torpor ! Though my knees are 
 bent, my mind goes wandering through the house and 
 through the streets ! Where is my faith ? where, my 
 reason?" 
 
 St. Aloysius Gonzaga possessed a gift of prayer that was 
 no less worthy of* wonder than of envy. We read of him 
 that he reached such a point that hescarcely ever suffered 
 from distractions. Once, when he Mas giving an account 
 of his interior, the spiritual Father asked him whether he 
 suffered many distractions in prayer. He paused to think 
 a moment, then answered that if lie should put together 
 all he had had for >i\ months, he did not believe they 
 would occupy as much time as one Ave Maria. — A great gift, 
 in truth! But the efforts he made to induce the Lord to 
 grant it were not slight. By practising continual morti- 
 fication of all his senses; by never occupying his mind 
 with any thoughts but such as might perfect him in piety 
 and learning; by throwing himself at the time for prayer, 
 wholly, with all his fervor, into it. — thus he had so closed the 
 way to distractions, that they did not dare, so to speak, to 
 approach him. 
 
 14. The whole aim of whoever intends to give himself to prayer, 
 ought to he to labor, to resolve, to dispose himself, with all possible 
 diligence, to conform his will to that of God. For in this consists 
 
SEPTEMBEE. — PEAYEE. 291 
 
 all the highest perfection that can be acquired in the spiritual way. 
 — St. Teresa. 
 
 It was the principal object of all the prayers of this Saint, 
 to conform herself in everything to the Divine will. This 
 also was the end that St. Bernard fixed for himself at the 
 beginning of his prayer, when he encouraged himself to 
 make it, as we read in his Life, by the hope of knowing 
 and doing the will of God. The same thing is related of 
 St. Vincent de Paul, and of many other servants of God. 
 
 15. Prayer ought to be humble, fervent, resigned, persevering, 
 and accompanied with great reverence. One should consider that 
 he stands in the presence of a God, and speaks with a Lord before 
 whom the angels tremble from awe and fear. — St. M. M. di Pazzi 
 
 St. Francis de Sales, even when he was alone, remained 
 before God, through the whole time of prayer, humble, 
 abased, composed, motionless, and with singular reverence, 
 like a loving son. 
 
 St. John Berchmans remained always on his knees, with 
 his eyes closed, his hands clasped on his bosom, without 
 support, motionless as a rock, with a countenance full of 
 joy and such ardor that others placed themselves near him, 
 that they might gain fervor by looking at him. 
 
 St. Kose of Lima kept herself recollected, and so great was 
 her attention and devotion, that any object that presented it- 
 self before her, distracted her no more than if she were in- 
 sensible. When she went to church, she placed herself in a 
 corner, with her eyes fixed upon the tabernacle. She would 
 remain thus for many hours immovable, while the sight of 
 persons passing near her, and the general buzz and mur- 
 mur of the crowd, did not disturb her at all. 
 
 At the close of their prayers, many Saints showed exterior 
 marks of their fervor. St. Gervasius, the Bishop, was often 
 
292 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 seen with rays around bis head ; the face of the vener- 
 able Father John Leonardi was so changed and glowing, 
 that he seemed transformed into a Seraph ; and the Abbot 
 Silvanus was transported to such a degree that all the 
 things of the earth seemed to him vile and abject, and he 
 covered his eves with his hands that lie might not see them, 
 saying : " Close, my eyes, and seek not to look at the things 
 of the world ; for there is nothing in it worthy to be gazed 
 upon." 
 
 St. Bernard, one morning, saw an angel going through 
 the choir with a censer full of perfumes, censing the monks 
 as they were at prayers. This censing produced in the 
 hearts of the fervent a very sweet fragrance, but in those 
 of the negligent and sleepy, a foul and sickening odor. 
 
 16. Try to disengage yourself from so many cares, and take a 
 little time to think of God and to rest in Him. Enter into the secret 
 chamber of your heart, and banish from it every thing save your 
 Creator alone and what can help you to find Him ; then having 
 closed the door, say to Him, with all your soul: " Lord, I seek Thy 
 divine countenance, — teach me to find it 1" — St. Augustine. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales called the centre of his soul the 
 sanctuary of God, where nothing enters save the soul and 
 God. This was the place of his retirement and his ordinary 
 abode ; and therefore, in his soul there was nothing but 
 purity, simplicity, humility, and union of the spirit with 
 its God. 
 
 When St. Bernard was entering a church to pray, he 
 would say to his thoughts : " Remain here outside, useless 
 thoughts and disorderly affections, and thou, my soul, enter 
 into the presence of thy Lord !" 
 
 17. Those who can shut themselves up in this little heaven of the 
 60ul, where He dwells who has created heaven and earth, may be- 
 lieve that they are walking in an excellent way, and that they shall 
 
SEPTEMBEE. — PEAYEE. 293 
 
 not fail to drink of the water of the fountain, for in a little time 
 they will make great progress. — St. Teresa. 
 
 St. Catherine of Sienna, who was very fond of retirement, 
 was loaded by her parents with cares and employments. 
 But she built for herself a cell in her own heart, where she 
 remained in constant retirement, even in the midst of the 
 most active occupations, contemplating God and convers- 
 ing familiarly with Him. Thus she succeeded in gaining 
 a firm and constant union with His Divine Majesty, and 
 she used to say that the kingdom of God is properly in our 
 hearts, where He fixes His abode. 
 
 A devout maiden having become a Keligious, devoted 
 herself to a peculiarly retired life, withdrawing herself more 
 than usual from all communication at the grate. For this 
 reason, her relatives endeavored to persuade her to rest and 
 refresh herself with some innocent conversation ; but she 
 replied that she was constantly engaged in intercourse 
 that kept her cheerful and happy, and it was communion 
 with Jesus Christ. 
 
 " How much it helps me," said St. Teresa, " to remember 
 that I have company in my heart, even God ! and I re- 
 main there truly with Him." 
 
 18. In mental prayer, we are not obliged to employ our intellect 
 all the time. We can occupy ourselves in the presence of God by 
 conversing and consoling ourselves with Him, without the weariness 
 of formal considerations and choice words. We can represent to 
 Hitn simply our necessities, and the cause He has for showing us 
 mercy. For example, when we think of some part of the Passion, 
 it is a good thing to make a consideration first, by meditating on the 
 pains which our Lord suffered in it. But let not the soul weary it- 
 self by seeking too long for this ; let it rather sometimes remain still 
 with Christ, and keeping the intellect inactive if possible, let it oc- 
 cupy itself, in thought, in looking upon Him ; let it accompany Him, 
 ask favors of Him, humble itself and console itself with Him, and 
 
294 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 remember that He did !2ot deserve to be there. This method of 
 prayer has many advantages. — St. Teresa. 
 
 This Saint testifies of herself that she frequently practised 
 this kind of prayer, and derived much advantage from it. 
 
 Gerson relates that a servant of God used to say : " For 
 forty years I have practised mental prayer with all possible 
 diligence, audi have found no better nor easier method uf 
 making it well, than that of presenting myself before God 
 as a child or a beggar, poor, blind, naked, and abandoned." 
 
 It was thus that St. Francis prayed, when he passed whole 
 nights repeating and dwelling upon these few words, " My 
 God, who art Thou, and who am 1 ?" Now exciting him- 
 self to love for so great a God, now to contempt for so vile 
 and ungrateful a creature, he would sink into confusion and 
 shame for his many failures, and ask pardon and help 
 from the Lord. 
 
 19. In prayer it is well to occupy ourselves sometimes in making 
 acts of praise and love to God ; in desires and resolutions to please 
 Him in all thiugs ; in rejoicing at His goodness and that He is what 
 lie is ; in desiring His honor aud glory ; in recommending out- 
 selves to His mercy ; also in simply placing ourselves before Him, 
 beholding His greatness and His mercy, and, at the same time, our 
 own vileness and misery, and then to let Him give us what He pleases. 
 whether it be showers or aridity ; for He knows better than we 
 what is most suitable for us. These acts do much to arouse the 
 will and the affections. Be careful, when these sentiments come, 
 not to leave them for the sake of finishing the ordinary meditation. 
 For, to profit greatly in this course, the chief point is not to think 
 much, but to love much. Therefore, whatever will arouse you to 
 love, do it.— St. Teresa. 
 
 Father Segneri the younger one day said, with tears, 
 to an intimate friend : " Do not act as I have done ; for, 
 from the time I began to study theology, I always spent the 
 hour for meditation in making various considerations to excite 
 
SEPTEMBER. — PRAYER. 295 
 
 the affections, so that I had little time left for recom- 
 mending myself to God. But finally the Lord deigned 
 to open my eyes. Ever since, I have always tried to spend 
 the whole time in recommending myself to Him ; and if 
 I have done any good either to myself or others, I think it 
 is all due to this holy exercise." 
 
 We read of St. Jane Frances de Chantai that she found 
 her delight and repose in the consideration of the vast per- 
 fections of God, and in the desire that this Supreme Good 
 might be known and loved by all His creatures. It is re- 
 lated, too, of the blessed Egidius, a companion of St. Francis, 
 that by meditating often upon the perfections, works, and 
 mercies of God, he became filled with such great love tow- 
 ards Him, that lie could not speak of Him, nor hear 
 Him spoken of, nor even think of Him, without immedi- 
 ately falling into an ecstasy. 
 
 20. It is well to imagine sometimes in prayer that insults or af- 
 fronts are inflicted upon us, or that misfortunes fall upon us, and 
 then to strive to accustom our hearts to pardon them and bear them 
 all with patience, in imitation of our Savior ; for in this, much spirit- 
 ual strength is gained. — St. Philip Neri. 
 
 When St. Ignatius was once confined to his bed by ill- 
 ness; he began to think whether anything could happen 
 which could disturb him. After having imagined many 
 troubles and trials, he found that nothing could afflict him 
 and take away his peace, except to see the destruction of 
 his Society. But after meditating several times upon the 
 point, he gained the mastery over himself to such a degree 
 that he thought, if this should happen, a quarter of an 
 hour spent in praying would suffice to make him tranquil 
 and resigned. 
 
 21. We should set a high value on meditation upon the Passion 
 
296 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 of our Redeemer. For, a simple remembrance or meditation upon 
 this, is worth more than if for a whole year one should take the 
 discipline to blood, or fast on bread and water every week, or re- 
 cite the whole psalter every day. — Bl. Albertus Magnus. 
 
 This was an ordinary subject of meditation with St. 
 Francis Xavier, and a continual one with St. Casimir, even 
 when hearing Mass, and lie applied himself to it with so 
 much intensity that he frequently became insensible. St. 
 Bridget, too, made it almost always, and never without 
 tears. 
 
 The Empress Leonora, from long meditations on the Pas- 
 sion, conceived bo tender a love for Jesus ( Jrucified, that if 
 she had been equally sure, as Bhe said, of being saved in the 
 midst of ease and honors, she would have chosen in prefer- 
 ence the way of the' cross, hat -he might in some degree re- 
 semble her Lord. Thence she drew that generosity which 
 enabled her toe mceal her illnesses and bodily pains, and re- 
 frain from complaint or lamentation. And if any one, in 
 Buch cases, seemed t<> sympathize with her, ihe humble ser- 
 vant of God would say : " This cross is very light and very 
 dear t«> me ; without it I could not be contented. I have 
 very great n< ed vl' it — I should otherwise be too presump- 
 tuous.' 5 
 
 The venerable Monseigneur dePalafox often practised the 
 same exercise. Sour time- he represented his soul under 
 the figure of a bird flying, and then becoming weary, and 
 resting upon the nail which fastened our Lord's feet to the 
 cross; then contemplating Him, and drinking with the 
 greatest consolation the bio d that flowed from His wounds. 
 Again, he would take the figure of a bee, going as, from 
 flower to flower, to one or another wound of our Lord — to 
 those of the head, the hands, the feet, and especially to that 
 of the side, into which he would enter and bathe himself. 
 
SEPTEMBER. — PRAYER. 297 
 
 Sometimes, when weary of temporal things, snch as writ- 
 ing or study, he would turn to the feet of Jesus, saying, 
 " My Jesus, let me rest here !" 
 
 This devotion rose to a singular height in St. Philip Neri, 
 who could not meditate, nor read, nor speak, nor hear, 
 of the Passion of our Savior, without becoming pale as ashes 
 and shedding a flood of tears. This was especially the 
 case in Holy Week, and still more, if any mention was made 
 of the love with which He suffered for us. One day, 
 when he was preaching on this topic, he was overcome by 
 extraordinary fervor, and began to weep and sob so violently 
 that he could not recover his breath, and was obliged to de- 
 scend from the pulpit and leave the church. As this occurred 
 many times, and could not be prevented, he was obliged, for 
 some years before his death, to give up preaching on this 
 subject ; and he could not speak of it even in private. He 
 even became so sensitive that at times, if he only heard the 
 words Passion of Christ, he would weep so as to be unable to 
 utter a word. 
 
 A similar thing is said to have happened, on a Good Fri- 
 day, to the venerable Father Louis de Grenada, when he went 
 into the pulpit to preach on the Passion. Scarcely had 
 he uttered the words, " Passio Domini nostri Jesu Christi" 
 when he burst into a torrent of tears. After he had re- 
 covered his breath a little, he repeated the same words, 
 but with the words the tears came back, and more abun- 
 dantly than at first. Finally he made a vigorous effort 
 to begin the sacred words for a third time ; but a third 
 time the fit of weeping returned, with such force and violence 
 that it excited universal commotion through the audience, 
 so that for a long time nothing was to be heard in the church 
 but sobs and cries. And so the sermon ended without hav- 
 ing begun. 
 
298 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 22. As one friend often visits another, going to bid him good-morn- 
 ing and good-night, and looking in upon him at times during the day ; 
 so should you often visit Jesus in His Sacrament, and offer His pre- 
 cious blood many times in each visit to the Eternal Father, and you 
 will see that your love will increase marvellously by these visits. — 
 St. M. M. di Pazzi. 
 
 St. Francis Borgia made seven such visits daily, and 
 acquired by them such familiar affection that on entering a 
 church he could tell by the sense of smell where the Blessed 
 Sacrament was. 
 
 Every time St, John Berchmans wont out to take a walk, 
 he was careful to visil some church, whether it was a time 
 of Exposition in it or not. On such occasions, his recollec- 
 tion was bo profound thai ho did n«»t notice when his com- 
 panion arose to go out, so that the latter was often obliged to 
 comeback from the church-door and arouse him, und even 
 call him aloud by name, so greai was his abstraction. 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi visited the Blessed Sacrament 
 thirty-three times a day, to her great happiness and advan- 
 tage; and St. Wenceslaus, Duke of Bohemia, used to pay 
 visits to the churches bare-footed, by night, through snow 
 and ice, so that the pavements were stained with his blood. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul made visits as often as he was able, 
 and the rest that lie took from his grave occupa ions con- 
 sisted in staying, sometime- for hours, before the sacred 
 Tabernacle. He remained there with an aspect St) humble, 
 that it seemed as if he would willingly have sunk to the 
 centre of the earth, and with an exterior as modest and de- 
 vout as if he were beholding the person of Je-us Christ 
 with his own eyes, so that he inspired with devotion all who 
 beheld him. When he had difficult business to transact, 
 he had recourse, like Moses, to the sacred Tabernacle, to: 
 consult the oracle of truth. On leaving his house, he went' 
 to the chapel to ask a blessing, and on his return, to give 
 
SEPTEMBER. — PRAYER. 299 
 
 thanks for the graces received, and to humble himself for 
 the faults he had perhaps committed. He did this not as 
 a matter of form, but with true religious feeling. 
 
 23. We must not neglect to exercise ourselves in self-knowledge, 
 for this is of great importance in the contemplative way. But this 
 should be done with due regard to time and measure, I mean, that 
 after a soul has yielded and surrendered itself, and clearly under- 
 stands, that of itself it has no good thing, and is ashamed and con- 
 founded to stand before so great a King, and sees how little it re- 
 turns for so many gifts, — what necessity is there, under these circum- 
 stances, to occupy it, and make it spend more time, iu this ? We 
 must let it pass to other things which the Lord places before it, so 
 that it may come forth from itself, and fly to consider the greatness 
 of its God.— St. Teresa. 
 
 From the time St. Francis Borgia first applied himself 
 to prayer, he spent two hours every morning in self-exam- 
 ination. By this he arrived at so humble an opinion of 
 himself, that he was astonished that every one did not treat 
 him with contempt. 
 
 St. Bonaventure tells of St. Francis that he used to pass 
 whole days and nights in this brief prayer : " My Lord 
 and my God, who art Thou, and who am I ?" and on such 
 occasions he was often seen to be lifted from the ground, 
 and surrounded by a bright halo. 
 
 A story is told in the Lives of the Fathers, of a young 
 monk, who said to an old one : " Father, my heart tells 
 me that I am good." But the old man answered : " Who- 
 ever does not see his sins, always thinks himself good ; but 
 when one sees them, his heart cannot persuade him of any 
 such thing. It is necessary, then, to strive to know our- 
 selves/' 
 
 We read of the Abbot Isidore that one of his disciples 
 entered his cell one day, and finding him in tears, asked 
 the cause. " I am weeping/' he answered, " for my sins." 
 
300 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 "But, Father, you have no sins/' said the disciple. " My 
 son," returned the Abbot, •' if God should reveal my sins 
 to men, the world would be filled with terror." 
 
 A vision recorded by the venerable Sister Maria Cruci- 
 fixa, is well adapted to illustrate this point. " It was per- 
 mitted me to enter," she writes, " by a spiritual glance, 
 into the most secret recesses of the human heart. I was amazed 
 at the sight of wonders of human ugliness and deformity, as 
 I was shown the birth-place of sin. It appeared like a 
 horrible subterranean cavern, wherein swarmed con- 
 stantly vast troops of animals and insects, great and small, 
 all frightful and Loathsome. These typified mortal and 
 venial sins and imperfections. l>y this terrible sight, I pene- 
 trated th<' deep abyss of knowledge of myself and of my ex- 
 treme misery, 90 thai J perceived myself to be deserving only 
 of scorn and ignominy, for I appeared like a mass of black 
 and greasy soot, like foul and corrupt refuse, or an ugly and 
 dangerous monster, which no one could behold without tak- 
 ing to flight." She had this vision on the day of her profes- 
 sion, and this sight of herself made so strong an impres- 
 sion upon her soul, that it la-ted a whole year. All this 
 time she believed that her companions saw her as she saw 
 herself, and wis astonished at their self-control and virtue, 
 and could not understand why they did not all abhor and fly 
 from her. "I would willingly have buried myself alive," 
 she writes, " if I could thus have hidden from their eyes 
 my intolerable appearance. Therefore, when I received 
 wrongs and insults, I thought they rather praised and hon- 
 ored me, for I felt that they were treating me better than 
 I deserved, and it was impossible for me to think other- 
 wise. So that if they had told me that I was ugly, stupid, 
 without talent or wit, I should certainly have wondered 
 and said : ' Oh how little you know of my miseries ! 
 
SEPTEMBER. — PRAYER. SOI 
 
 I am insufferable in the eyes of God by my extreme destitu- 
 tion, and you wonder that I am not rich in good qualities ! 
 What would a beggar do, who, whiie barely covered with 
 rags, should hear himself reproved for not having a gold 
 chain and a badge of knighthood ? What would he do on 
 hearing such reproofs ? Instead of being angry, he would 
 be amazed, and would say : I have not so much as a shirt, 
 and you wonder that I am without a gold chain and a 
 badge ! In charity, give me a bit of bread, for I have noth- 
 ing to do with chains and badges/ " 
 
 24. The great work of our perfection is born, grows, and main- 
 tains its life by means of two small but precious exercises, — aspirations 
 and spiritual retirement. An aspiration is a certain springing 
 of the soul towards God, and the more simple it is, the more val- 
 uable. It consists in simply beholding what He is, and what He has 
 done and is doing for us ; and it should. excite the heart, as a con- 
 sequence, to acts of humility, love, resignation, or abandonment, 
 according to circumstances. Now, these two exercises have an in- 
 credible power to keep us in our duty, to support us in temptation, to 
 lif i us u p promptly after falls, and to unite us closely to God. Besides, 
 they can be made at any time or place, and with all possible ease ; 
 therefore, they ought to be as familiar to us as the inspiration and ex- 
 piration of air from our lungs.— St. F. de Sales. 
 
 Every time that the clock struck, St. Ignatius collected 
 his thoughts, and raised his soul to God. 
 
 Though he might happen to be in the company of men of 
 rank, St. Vincent de Paul always uncovered his head when 
 the clock struck, and raised some devout aspiration to 
 heaven. At other times, he often uttered some devout ejacu- 
 lation or aspiration, most frequently this one : " O my 
 Lord ! O divine Goodness ! when wilt Thou give me the 
 grace to be entirely Thine, and to love only Thee ?" 
 
 St. Bartholomew the Apostle adored God by making a 
 hundred genuflections each day, and as many in the night. 
 
302 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 St. Thomas of Aquin used this kind of prayer many 
 times a day, — when he was at Mass, when he was studying, 
 when he left his cell or returned to it, and at all odd mo- 
 ments. 
 
 Cassian says that the monks of Egypt frequently employed 
 this brief ejaculation, which is full of humility and con- 
 fidence : " Dcus, in adjutorlum meum intends. Domine, ad 
 adjuvandum me festina" — O God, incline unto mine aid. 
 O Lord, make haste to help me. 
 
 Monseigneur de Palafox, the Bishop, practised It on all 
 occasions. When anything seemed doubtful, he turned to 
 God and said, ft O Lord, what shall we do in this matter ? 
 counsel me, guide me Thyself, iu danger. () Lord, rule me ; 
 let me not be presumptuous, but humble ; do nol permit me 
 to stray a hair's breadth from what pleases Thee." When 
 through human frailty he fell into some fault, or said or 
 did some thing that was not suitable, he would say, " O 
 Lord, raise me up ! What is this, O Lord ' Is it possible 
 that I am to be always the same? Hold me, that I may 
 hold to Thee !" Often, too, h< i would say in his heart : " I 
 desire nothing, I wish for nothing, I clingto nothing, except 
 Thyself, my God and my All ! Glory ? it is Thine, and I 
 seek it only for Thee ! Honor ? all my honor, my J> BUS, is 
 Thy honor. Satisfaction ? my only satisfaction ai d pleas- 
 ure is that Thou art satisfied and plea-ed f and so on. 
 
 25. It is a great help to humility to accustom ourselves to draw 
 from all things reflections suited to raise our hearts to God, by be- 
 holding in them all His perfections, or el-e the love He bears us, 
 and our obligation to serve Him faithfully. — Scupoli. 
 
 Such was the practice of St. Francis de Sales. On be- 
 holding a beautiful landscape, he would say, " We are fields 
 cultivated by God." If he saw magnificent and richly- 
 
SEPTEMBEE. — PEAYEE. 303 
 
 adorned churches, — " We are the living temples of God ; then 
 why are our souls not as well adorned with virtues ?" If he 
 looked at flowers, — " When will the time come that our 
 flowers shall change into fruit ?' ? If he saw rare and 
 valuable pictures, — " Nothing is as beautiful as the soul 
 made in the image of God." If he walked in a garden , 
 — " When will that of our soul be dotted with flowers, filled 
 with fruit, well arranged, and free from dust and rubbish ?" 
 If he came to a fountain, — " Oh, when shall we drink our 
 fill from the fountains of the Savior ?" If to rivers, — 
 "When shall we go to God, as these waters do to the sea ?" 
 Thus he made use of all visible things to raise his soul to 
 God. 
 
 26. There is a certain method of prayer which is both very easy 
 aud very useful. It consists in accustoming our soul to the presence 
 of God, in such a way as to produce in us a union with Him which 
 is intimate, simple, and perfect. Oh what a precious kind of prayer 
 is this !— St. F. de Sales. 
 
 In all his actions and exercises, Kusbruchio kept his mind 
 elevated to God, so that, he confessed, he had obtained 
 from the Lord this special favor, that he could without dif- 
 ficulty immerse himself at will in a most sweet contempla- 
 tion of the Divinity, whether he was alone in his room, or 
 abroad in company with others. 
 
 St. Aloysius Gonzaga found nothing easier than to keep 
 his mind constantly united to God, so that he had as much 
 difficulty in turning his thoughts from Him, as others have 
 in keeping them fixed in that direction. 
 
 27. If we persist in walking for a year in the presence of God, at 
 the end of the year we shall find that we have reached unconsciously 
 the summit of perfection. — St. Teresa. 
 
 It is narrated in the Lives of the Fathers, that a holy 
 Abbot instructed one of his novices that he should take 
 
304 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 care never to lose sight of God, and think of Him as always 
 present. Sl For," said he, '• this is the rule of rules, and 
 the one which the Lord taught to Abraham, when He said, 
 " Ambitla coram Me> et esto perfectus" — Walk before Me, 
 and be perfect. This was so impressed on the mind of 
 the young man, that he practised it wonderfully well ; and 
 from the reckless youth that he was, he became a monk so 
 perfect, that when he died, a few years after, he was seen to 
 fly directly, and with great glory, into heaven. 
 
 28. The greater part of the faults which Religious commit against 
 their Rules, and in all the exercises of piety, arise from easily losing 
 sight of the presence of God.— St. F. de Sales. 
 
 It is said of St. John Berchmans that he never lost sight 
 of the presence of God, that he practised it with rare facil- 
 ity and naturalness, and, what is more wonderful, he was 
 free from absence of mind, so that he was always attentive 
 to whatever he was doing, and ready and prompt to assist 
 others. He performed his spiritual exercises, too, with so 
 much devotion, that he was never seen to transgress the 
 smallest of his Rules, nor commit a fault of any kind. 
 
 29. There is a certain method of practising the presence of God, 
 by which, if the soul chooses, she may remain always in prayer, and 
 constantly enkindled and inflamed with the love of God. This con- 
 sists in realizing, in the mid<t of our occupations, that we are doing 
 the will of God in each, and in rejoicing and being glad that it is so. 
 — Rodriguez. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales, for many years before his death, had 
 scarcely any time for prayer, as he was overwhelmed with 
 other occupations. One day, St. Jane Frances de Chantal 
 asked him whether he had made his meditation. ' ■ Xo," he 
 replied, "but I am doing what is worth as much." In 
 fact, he endeavored to keep himself continually united with 
 
SEPTEMBEE. — PRAYER. 305 
 
 God, and lie u.-ed to say that in this world we must make 
 a prayer. of works and activities. Thus, his life was a con- 
 tinual prayer, for he did not content himself with merely 
 enjoying a delicious union with God in prayer, but equally 
 loved to do His will. 
 
 30. The highest and most perfect prayer is contemplation. But 
 this is altogether the work of God, as it is supernatural and above 
 our powers. The soul can only prepare itself for this prayer, and 
 can do nothing in it. The best preparation is to live humbly, and to 
 give ourselves in earnest to the acquisition of virtues, and especially, 
 of fraternal charity and the love of God ; to have a firm resolution 
 to do the will of God in all things ; to walk in the way of the cross, 
 and to destroy self-love, which is a wish, on our part, to please our- 
 selves rather than God.— St. Teresa. 
 
 This Saint fulfilled all this with great perfection, and for 
 that reason she was endowed with such lofty contempla- 
 tion and rare gifts. 
 
 When St. Anthony the Abbot was asked how he could 
 pass whole nights in prayer, he answered : " I never knew 
 in what true contemplation consists as long as I had regard 
 to myself. But when I succeeded in purifying my mind 
 from every disorderly motion, and separating my heart from 
 every earthly affection, then I began to enjoy that admi- 
 rable fruit of the Divine will, which purified souls are wont 
 to taste in contemplation." 
 
 The following words came from a soul that had received 
 much light : " I know by experience that to learn mys- 
 tic theology, it is more useful to study the crucifix than 
 books ; that is, instead of occupying ourselves, with much 
 reading, we ought to labor in the practice of virtue, in the 
 imitation of Jesus Christ, in attention to purity of life, to 
 prayer, and to fidelity in doing and suffering whatever 
 God requires of us, as well as in dying to ourselves." 
 
OCTOBER. 
 
 CONFIDENCE. 
 
 Ecce ego vobiscum sum— Behold I am with you. — Matt., xxviii : 20. 
 
 1. As the omnipotence of God is infinite, nothing is impossible to 
 Him ; as His wisdom is infinite, nothing is difficult to Him ; as His 
 goodness is immeasurable, He has an infinite desire for our well- 
 being. Now, should this not be enough to make us repose all our 
 confidence in Him \—SkupoU. 
 
 This though] musl have taken strong hold of a certain 
 servant of God in Rome, who, as it La recorded, once ad- 
 dressed this prayer to Him : " O Lord ! I desire that 
 there may be no delay ; think of the matter Thyself, for I 
 mean to be heard. Thou art my Father, and if Thou wilt 
 not do this for me, there is no one else who can do it. Con- 
 sider, if through the merits of Thy Christ I d<> not deserve 
 it, do not grant it, and 1 will be content.' 1 
 
 St. Francis de Sale- was filled with so much confidence 
 in God, that lie was in perfect tranquillity amid the great- 
 est disasters; for he could not persuade himself, as he often 
 said, that anyone who tru-ts in a Providence infinite in 
 all respects, has not cause to hope for a good result from 
 whatever it permits to happen to him. 
 
 The Lord once appeared to St. Gertrude, and said to her : 
 " "When any one has complete confidence in Me, and be- 
 lieves that I have the power, the wisdom, and the desire to 
 aid him on all occasion-, this ravishes My heart, and does 
 Me such violence, that I cannot help favoring such a soul, 
 on account of the pleasure I experience in seeing it so 
 306 
 
OCTOBEE.— CONFIDENCE. 307 
 
 dependent upon Me, and to satisfy the great love I bear to 
 it." 
 
 2. God certainly desires our greatest good more than we ourselves 
 desire it. He knows better than we by what way it can come to us ; 
 and the choice of ways is wholly in His hands, as it is He who gov- 
 erns and regulates all that occurs in the world. It is, then, most cer- 
 tain that in all chances that can befall, whatever may happen, will 
 always be best for us. — St. Augustine. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales, knowing that all events succeed one 
 another according to the disposal of Divine Providence, rested 
 upon it more tranquilly than an infant upon its mother's 
 bosom. He said that the Lord had taught him this lesson 
 even from his youth, and that if lie were to begin life again, 
 lie would despise worldly prudence more than ever, and al- 
 low himself to be governed entirely by Divine Providence. 
 
 3. Do you desire security ? Here you have it. The Lord says to 
 thee, "I will never abandon thee, I will always be with thee !" If a 
 good man made you such a promise, you would trust him. God makes 
 it, and do you doubt ? Do you seek a support more sure than the word 
 of God, which is infallible ? Surely, He has made the promise, He 
 has written it, Be has pledged His word for it, it is most certain.— £2. 
 Augustine. 
 
 It is related in the Life of St. Eose of Lima, that she had 
 inherited from her mother, who was very timorous and ap- 
 prehensive of danger, such great timidity that she did not 
 dare, in the night, to go from one room in the house to an- 
 other without a candle, except for prayer, for the sake of 
 which she conquered every terror. One evening, she lin- 
 gered longer than usual in the little arbor which had been 
 built for her oratory in the garden. Her mother, afraid 
 that some harm might have come to her, resolved to go in 
 search of her ; but not having courage to go alone, she 
 asked her husband to accompany her. When Kose saw 
 
308 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 them, she immediately ended her prayer, and went to meet 
 them; then excusing herself for her tardiness, she went 
 back with them to the house. But on the way, she began 
 to say to herself : " How is this ? My mother, who is as 
 timid as 1, feels safe in the company of her husband. And 
 ;im I afraid, accompanied by my Spouse, who without evex 
 leaving me, is continually at my side and in my heart !" 
 This reflection made such an impression on her mind that 
 it banished every terror, so that, from that time, she was 
 no longer afraid of anything ; and in any appearance of 
 danger, she would say : " Xon timebo mala, quoniam Tume- 
 cum es" — I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me. 
 
 Surius relates of St. Hugo, Bishop of Lincoln, that he 
 was, one night, grieved and disturbed by the thought of a 
 disaster, which he believed to be impending. Then, re- 
 collecting himself, he smote his breast, and said : u Wretch 
 that thou art ! God has promised to aid us in all tribula- 
 tions, and art thou afraid of anything that may happen ?" 
 
 4. We are firmly convinced that the truths of faith cannot deceive 
 us, and yet we caunot bring ourselves to trust to them ; nay, we 
 are far more ready to trust to human reasonings and the deceitful 
 appearance of this world. This, then, is the cause of our slight pro- 
 gress in virtue, and of our small success in what concerns the glory of 
 God.— St. V. de Paul. 
 
 St. Anthony and St. Francis arrived at the highest per- 
 fection only by confiding obedience to these words of 
 the Gospel : "If thou wilt be perfect, sell what thou hast, 
 give to the poor, and then follow Me." 
 
 5. Both for our own profit and the salvation of others, it is ab- 
 solutely necessary to follow in everything the bright light of faith, 
 which is accompanied by a certain unction secretly diffused in our 
 hearts. Truly, there is nothing but eternal truth capable of filling our 
 hearts and leading us in a safe path ! Believe me. it is enough to be 
 
OCTOBER. — CONFIDENCE. 309 
 
 well established upon this divine foundation, to be sure of quickly 
 reaching perfection, and being able to do great things. — St. V. de 
 Paul. 
 
 St. Philip Neri always prefaced any business of im- 
 portance by prayer, by means of which he acquired such 
 great confidence in God, that he used to say : " As I have 
 time for prayer, I have sure hope of obtaining from ihe 
 Lord whatever grace I ask of Him ; for I rest entirely 
 upon the promise of the Lord, that we shall receive what- 
 ever we ask in prayer with lively faith." 
 
 It is told of St. Francis that his brother, seeing him 
 barefooted and thinly clothed in the depth of Avinter, sent 
 a boy to ask him, in mockery, to sell him a drop of his 
 sweat. The Saint replied joyously : " Tell my brother 
 that I have already sold it all to my God and Lord, and 
 at a very good price.' ' 
 
 Father d'Avila took a vow of poverty, that he might 
 preach the Gospel more freely, and said that he found great 
 support in this promise of Christ : "Qucerite primum reg- 
 num Dei et hcec omnia adjicientur vobis"' — Seek the king- 
 dom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you, — ■ 
 for it had never deceived him. 
 
 6. O Lord of my soul, who can find words to tell what Thou giv- 
 est to those who trust in Thee, and how much, on the other hand 
 those lose, who, though they may have attained to ecstasies and 
 rapture, yet confide in themselves ! — St. Teresa. 
 
 This Saint said she had known persons eminent in vir- 
 tue, and who had even attained to the prayer of union, who 
 afterwards fell into the power of the demon, because of 
 their overweening self-confidence. For, when the soul sees 
 herself so near to God, and perceives the vast difference be- 
 tween the good things of heaven and those of earth, and 
 
310 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 experiences the great love the Lord manifests for her, there 
 springs up from these favors such security of nevermore 
 foiling from the happiness she enjoys, that it seems to her 
 impossible that so delightful a life should ever be exehang- 1 ! 
 for the baseness of sensual delights. With this confidence, 
 she begins to expose herself to labors and dangers, without 
 discretion or regard to proportion, not considering that bIic 
 is not yet in condition to leave the nest and fly, as her vir- 
 tues are not confirmed, and she has no experience of dan- 
 ger. 
 
 7. To rely upon our own talents is a cause of great loss For, 
 when a Superior, a preacher, or a confessor, places confidence in his 
 own prudence, knowledge, and intelligence, God, to make him know 
 and see bis insufficiency, withdraws from him Bia help, and leaves 
 him to work by himself. Whence it happens that all his pl;ms and 
 labors produce little or no fruit. This is often the cause why our 
 undertakings i&W.—St. V. de Paul. 
 
 This is clearly seen in the crossing of the Red Sea by 
 the Israelites and the Egyptians. The former placed all 
 their confidence in God, and crossed successfully. The 
 latter placed theirs in their horses, and were drowned. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales managed all the affairs that God en- 
 trusted to him, with success. The cause of this was that 
 he trusted never to his own ability, but wholly to Divine 
 Providence; and he never hoped to succeed in a business 
 if he had any other re'.ian e than this. 
 
 St. Philip Neri used to say : " If a person voluntarily 
 puts himself in the way of sin, saying, ' I shall not fall, I 
 shall not commit it,' it is an almost certain sign that he will 
 fall to the ruin of his soul." 
 
 8. Let us endeavor to conceive a very great diffiderjce of our- 
 selves, and to establish ourselves firmly in this virtue ; for, of our- 
 selves we are good for nothing, except to spoil the designs of 
 
OCTOBER. — CONFIDENCE. 311 
 
 God. This will keep us in entire dependence upon His guidance, 
 and make us have recourse constantly to His help. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 The venerable Father Daponte said of himself, that those 
 things that frequently furnish a motive for dejection, such 
 as human frailty, or one's own weakness and sins, rather 
 produced in him a greater confidence, for he fixed his eyes 
 upon the goodness and mercy of God, to whom he had en- 
 tirely committed himself and his interests. 
 
 St. Vincent, King of Bohemia, was asked how he felt 
 when his army had been routed, and he himself had been 
 taken prisoner. He replied : " I never felt more encour- 
 aged than I do now. When I was well provided with hu- 
 man aids, I had not time to think of God. Now that I 
 am quite destitute of them all, I think only of God, and 
 that He will not abandon me." 
 
 St. Philip Neri exhorted his penitents to follow his ex- 
 ' ample in sometimes saying to God : " O Lord, do not leave 
 anything to me, for if Thou help me not, I shall surely 
 fail ;" or, " O Lord, expect nothing from me !" He also 
 said that in speaking of future contingencies, we ought 
 never to say, " I shall do," or " I shall say ;" but rather, 
 with humility, " I know what I ought to do or say, but I 
 do not know what I shall do or say." 
 
 9. Be careful not to depend or rely much upon the friendship and 
 protection of men. For they cannot sustain us by themselves ; and 
 when the Lord sees us leaning upon them, He withdraws from us. 
 — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 This holy man not only refrained from seeking human 
 support, but even refused it when spontaneously offered to 
 him. One day, the governor of a city asked his influence 
 at court, in favor of a certain affair, and promised that he 
 would in return protect his missionaries against any who 
 
ol2 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 might molest them. But the Saint made this reply * 
 " Whenever I can do it with justice, I will serve you will- 
 ingly. As for the interests of my Congregation, I beg you 
 to leave them in the hands of God and justice." It was a 
 rule with him not to seek anything by the influence and 
 favor of men. 
 
 St. Jane Frances de Chantal was of the same opinion. 
 Her brother, the Archbishop of Bruges, once wrote to her 
 that in an interview he had just had with the Queen of 
 France, she showed a desire for her prayers and those 
 of her Order. He urged her, therefore, to write to the 
 queen, who, lie said, would be much pleased with the at- 
 tention. The same advice was given her by many persons, 
 both inside and outside of the convent ; but she would not 
 receive it. and wrote to her brother a letter of excuse, beg- 
 ging him to assure the queen that she and all her nuns 
 would not fail to recommend her to the Lord. She spoke 
 of the matter In this way to her Religious : '• I cannot and 
 must not do it, for we ought to keep ourselves too much 
 abased and hidden, to seek by human invention to retain 
 a place in the heart- of the great. If we Btudy to do OUT 
 duty in regard to 'them before God, by praying for their 
 safety, their prosperity, and, above all, their salvation ; God, 
 who has undertaken the charge of us, will bring us to their 
 minds when we need their help, and will incline their 
 hearts towards us." 
 
 St. Teresa once said: " I am very sun- that there is no 
 safety in relying upon men ; for they are all like so many 
 stalks of dried rosemary — they break under the least weight 
 of disappointment or c >ntradiction. The true friend in 
 whom alone we can trust, is Jesus Christ. AVhen I rely 
 upon Him, I am conseious of such power, that I feel able 
 to resist the whole world, were it opposed to me." 
 
OCTOBER.— CONFIDENCE. 313 
 
 10. Whoever manages his affairs with artifices and subterfuges, 
 offends the providence of God, and renders himself Unworthy of 
 His paternal care* — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 This glorious Saint kept always at a distance from all 
 artifice in everything he said and did, and left scheming, as 
 he often said, to the prudent of this world. 
 
 The same is true of St. Thomas, St. BonaventUre, St» 
 Charles, St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi, Sister Maria Cruci- 
 fixa, and others, as we have elsewhere shown. All of 
 these prospered in their affairs, and were much esteemed and 
 favored for their frankness, not only by God, but also by 
 men. 
 
 11. When one puts all his care on God, and rests wholly upon 
 Him, being careful, meanwhile, to serve Him faithfully, God takes 
 care of him ; and the greater the confidence of such a one, the more 
 the care of God extends over him ; neither is there any danger of 
 its failing, for God has an infinite love for those souls that repose in 
 Him.— St. F. de Sales. 
 
 The same thing was once said by our Lord to St. Cath- 
 erine of Sienna : " Think of Me, and I will think of you, 
 and take care of all your interests." 
 
 St. Hugo, the Bishop, said that it was his experience that 
 the more he attended to performing well and diligently all 
 that pertained to the worship of God, the more God pro- 
 vided for him in all necessary things. 
 
 More than any other, St. Francis manifested, and still 
 manifests, this truth, by the wonderful protection of Divine 
 Providence which he experienced, and which sustains his 
 sons even to this day. And so, the Viaticum which he gave 
 his companions when they were going to a distance, was 
 this verse of the Psalms : Jacta super Dominum cur am 
 tuam, et ipse te enutriet — Cast thy care upon the Lord, and 
 
314 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 He will sustain thee. And when the Pope asked him about 
 his means of living, he replied: " Holy Father, we have a 
 mother truly poor, but a very rich Father." 
 
 Taulerus relates that a servant of God, being often asked, 
 by various persons to pray for different objects, promised 
 to do so, but sometimes forgot, and in such cases these 
 people always obtained what they desired, and came back 
 to thank her. Astonished at this, she said, one day, to the 
 Lord : " How is it, O Lord, that Thou grantest these favors 
 which I never asked?" And the Lord replied : " See, Mv 
 daughter, on the day you gave Me your will, I gave you 
 Mine, so that sometimes if you do not ask for a particular 
 thing that I know you would be pleased with, I do it as 
 if you had asked Me." 
 
 12. Whoever serves God with a pure heart, and, setting aside 
 all individual and human interests, seeks only His glory, has reason 
 to hope for success in all he does, and especially under circumstances, 
 when, according to human judgment, there is no help ; for the di- 
 vine works are above the sight of human prudence, and depend 
 upon a loftier principle.— St. Charles Borromeo. 
 
 This holy Cardinal was accustomed to have reeourse to 
 God in all his affairs, and commenced, continued, and com- 
 pleted nil his undertakings with prayer. The more arduous 
 and important anything was, the more prayer he gave to it. 
 
 And if it happened that something appeared not only dif- 
 ficult but even hopeless, he did not recoil in the least, hut 
 urged himself forward with greater spirit and redoubled 
 prayers. It was thus that he succeeded, to the wonder of 
 all, in so many great affairs, that seemed to human judg- 
 ment impossible. The Saint was once talking with a per- 
 son of rank, whom he was trying to persuade to have con- 
 fidence in God in all circumstances, because He never aban- 
 dons, even in the smallest things, those who put their trust 
 
OCTOBER.^ — CONFIDENCE. 315 
 
 in Him ; and by way of proof, he related the following in- 
 cident, which had happened to him a little while before. He 
 said that his honse-steward complained of being without 
 money, and did not know how to provide for the urgent 
 needs of the house, and therefore requested him to be more 
 sparing in alms and pious works, as it was by expenditure 
 of that kind that the house was reduced to such extremity. 
 But he replied only that he ought to trust in God, and hope 
 for help from His Divine Majesty. This advice failed to 
 satisfy him, and he went away much discontented. "Within 
 two hours, there arrived a bundle of letters, among which 
 was a bill of exchange for three thousand crowns remitted 
 to the Saint, from Spain. Sending for the steward, he gave 
 them to him, and said : " Take them, O thou of little faith ! 
 Behold ! the Lord has not abandoned us." He added that 
 this was truly a work of Divine Providence, for he was not 
 expecting such a remittance, nor should it have been sent 
 unt'l two months later. 
 
 We read also in the process of his canonization, that at 
 the time of the great conflicts with the king's ministers on 
 the question of jurisdiction, and on account of the ex- 
 communications fulmina' ed against them, the Governor of 
 Milan, with some of the secret council opposed to the Car- 
 dinal, often thought of taking rigorous measures against his 
 person, as they knew no other way to hinder him from de- 
 fending the rights of his Church. But every time that they 
 assembled in the king's council to settle upon something, the 
 thoughts changed in their minds, and the words upon their 
 lips, so that they could come to no resolution against him. 
 They themselves were bewildered and greatly amazed at 
 this, not knowing to what they should ascribe their change 
 of purpose. But doubtless it was the result of his great 
 confidence in God, in reward of which God blessed all his 
 
316 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 enterprises, removed all obstacles, and brought them to a 
 happy ending. It ought, however^ to be noticed, as the 
 writer of the Life well observes, that this confidence of the 
 Saint was altogether regulated by Christian prudence. He 
 was most watchful in keeping himself from the vicious ex- 
 treme of presumption. He never exposed himself to un- 
 necessary dangers, or entertained extravagant plans, of little 
 advantage to the service of God, and not Weighed deliber- 
 ately and wisely. He employed due diligence and precau- 
 tion, and on certain occasions, he did not refuse human aid, not 
 taking it, however, as his chief reliance, but in subordina- 
 tion to Divine Providence. All this is clearly to be seen in 
 the prudent regulations that he made when the city of Milan 
 was desolated by the plague, and on a thousand other well- 
 known occasions. 
 
 IB. The pressure of necessity gives occasion to show whether we 
 truly trust in God. Believe me, three strokes will do more than 
 ten ordinarily, if God puts His hand to the work ; and he always 
 does when lie takes away human help, and obliges us to perform 
 work above our strength. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 When this Saint was once told by his house-steward that 
 he had not a Bon for daily expenses without considering 
 the special ones for approaching ordinations, he replied with 
 a tranquil heart and cheerful face, full of confidence 
 
 in God : " What good news ! Blessed be God ! Now is 
 
 the time to show whether we trust; in Him. Oh, how in- 
 finite are the treasures of Divine Providence, which we dis- 
 honor by our want of trust !" 
 
 King Josaphat, finding himself assailed by a great num- 
 ber of enemies, turned to his men, and said : " AVe have no 
 power to resist so many ; let us, then, raise our eyes to God, 
 and trust in Him, and all will be well with us." And so, in- 
 deed, it was. 
 
OCTOBEB.— COHFlDEttCE. Si 7 
 
 14. If a dry slick could possess humility and self-annihilation, 
 and then be chosen to office, God would give it sensitive and in* 
 telligentlife, rather than permit His servants to be without good gov- 
 ernment.—^. J. F. de ChantaZt 
 
 The story of the Blessed Berengaria, a Poor Clare, fitr^ 
 nishes an illustration of this. She lived for a long time in 
 a Portuguese convent, employed in the lowest offices in the 
 kitchen ; for, on account of her love of humility, she made 
 herself appear like a peasant and a half-idiot, so that she 
 had become the laughing-stock of the Sisters, and was con- 
 sidered unfit for anything but the meanest position in the 
 Order. After a time, the Abbess died, and all the nuns 
 assembled to choose a successor. They had no decided pref- 
 erence for any of their number, and thought the first ballot 
 would show who was most likely to obtain the place. 
 Each of them, therefore, without informing any one else, 
 gave her vote to Berengaria, considering that this would 
 aff jrd her the desired opportunity, as she was sure not to 
 be chosen. And so, when the Father presiding at the cere- 
 mony had received and read the folded ballots of the nuns, 
 he found that Berengaria had been legally elected. There- 
 fore, he bade her, in the name of God, take the seat of the 
 Superioress, to receive from the others, according to cus- 
 tom, the first token of homage. The humble maiden was 
 constrained, though with very great repugnance, to take 
 this position. But still greater repugnance was felt on the 
 part of the nuns, who murmured against such an unex- 
 pected election, and refused to recognize as their Superior 
 one who was quite inexperienced, and wholly unfit, for such 
 an office. Seeing this, the new Abbess, interiorly moved 
 by the Holy Spirit, turned towards the tomb, there placed 
 in the centre of the chapter-house, and called upon the dead 
 nuns to rise and render her the prescribed homage, to 
 
Si 8 a YEAR WITH THE SAIXTS. 
 
 teach their living sisters what obedience they owed. And 
 behold ! the sepulchre instantly opened, and seven nuns 
 came forth, one after another. Kneeling, they offered hom- 
 age and obedience to Berengaria, and then remained on their 
 knees at her feet, in presence of the whole convent, until she 
 bade them return into the sepulchre and rest in peace, 
 which they reverently did. Amazed and affrighted at 
 this sight, the nuns all threw themselves at the iot of their 
 Mother, humbly asked her pardon for their fault, and prom- 
 ised and always observed most perfect submission and obe- 
 dience to her. 
 
 15 When we are to undertake anything for the service of God 
 utter invoking His holy light, and discovering His will, though we 
 should employ the human means which we consider necessary and 
 suitable in carrying out the orders of Divine Providence, yet we 
 should not depend on them, but on the Divine assistance alone 
 and from it expect success, with the firm persuasion that whatever 
 happens will be best for us, whether it appears good or bad, accord- 
 lug to our individual judgment.— St F. de Paul. 
 
 This Saint, when some one asked to be remembered in 
 his prayers, once answered thus : " I have been occupied in 
 business all this morning, so I have spent very little time 
 
 in prayer, and tliat with many distractions. You may judge 
 how much can be hoped for to-day from my prayers. ' But 
 this docs not discourage me, for I put my trust in God, 
 not, certainly, in my preparation, nor in all my efforts; for 
 I am sure that the throne of God's goodness and mercy 
 is raised upon the foundation ot our miseries." 
 
 Whatever business St. Ignatius Loyola undertook, he 
 did everything as if all depended upon himself, and trusted 
 in God as if all depended upon God. 
 
 16. In attending to ordinary business and dailv needs, we should 
 not allow ourselves to be transported bv eagerness and anxietv, but 
 
OCTOBER. — CONFIDENCE. 319 
 
 take reasonable and moderate care, and then leave everything com- 
 pletely and entirely to the disposal and guidance of Divine Provi- 
 dence, giving it scope to arrauge matters for its own ends, and to 
 manifest to us God's will. For, we may consider it certain that when 
 God wills that an affair should succeed, delay does not spoil it ; and 
 the greater part He takes in it, the less will be left for us to do. — 
 St. V. de Paul. 
 
 Before making use of human means, though honorable 
 and necessary, it was the usual custum of this Saint to have 
 recourse to the Divine, and while recommending the matter 
 to God, he would remain quiet and wait until God should give 
 - it an impulse to His own ends, and for His greater glory. 
 He used to say that Providence gives good success to the 
 plans of those who are willing to follow it, and not run in 
 advance of it. For example, when many charitable ladies 
 importuned him to search for some young girls with whom 
 he might lay the foundation of his Congregation of the 
 Sisters of Charity, and he found it difficult 'to meet with 
 suitable ones, he was not at all discouraged, but contented 
 himself with having recourse to God in prayer, and waiting 
 until His Providence should deign to reveal to Him some 
 method of providing for this need. 
 
 17. So much earnestness and trouble in seeking means and helps 
 to fortify ourselves in advance against the accidents of this life, and 
 to remedy its ills, is a great failure in confidence towards God. For 
 by this going in advance of the order of His providence, we show 
 that we trust more in our own devices than in His holy guidance, 
 and that we rest more upon human prudence, than upon His holy 
 word. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 Wh n Father Alvarez was rector of a poor college, he 
 had a steward who often came to tell him of the daily 
 wants, and \vh;it was necessary to support the house. Once 
 he asked him whether he had recommended the matter to 
 God. The steward replied that he had no time to pray. 
 
320 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 " This," rejoined the good Superior, " ought to be the first 
 thing. Go into some room, and make a little prayer to the 
 Lord. Do you think ihis flock has no master, or such a 
 one as has no regard for their lives ? Go in peace, and re- 
 member that this depends not on your efforts." The 
 steward obeyed, and often afterwards found means of sup- 
 port which he considered miraculous. 
 
 18. When the will of God is clearly seen in any affair, no matter 
 how difficult, it should he undertaken with intrepidity, and pursued 
 with constancy even to the end, however many and great may he 
 the obstacles which oppose it. For the providence of God never 
 fails those things that are undertaken by His order. — St. V. de Paul, 
 
 When this Saint had begun an undertaking and fell Bure 
 that it was the will of God, he never abandoned it, for any 
 opposition that might intervene. Instead oi becoming dis- 
 heartened, he only showed the greatest constancy and re «»- 
 lntion. the more he was harassed and opposed by creatures. 
 
 When St. Charles had weighed any enterprise he was 
 about to commence, prudently and maturely, and judged it 
 good for the service of God, though it might seem to others 
 sure to fail, he began and prosecuted it with great courage, 
 and always with suco 38. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales says that St. Jane Frances de Chan- 
 tal showed a most courageous and generous soul in continu- 
 ing undertakings with which God had inspired her. 
 
 When St. Francis Xavier saw that the In. nor of God 
 called him. he went without fearing difficulties or dangers 
 of any kind. And so he attempted nothing which he did 
 not continue, and began nothing which he did not pursue 
 to the end. 
 
 19. Let us put our confidence in God. and establish ourselves in an 
 entire dependence upon His providence. Then we need not fear 
 
OCTOBER. — CONFIDENCE. 321 
 
 whatever men can say or do against us, for all will turn to our good. 
 Nay, were all the world to rise against us, nothing would come of 
 it except what was pleasing to God, in whom we have placed our 
 hopes. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 One of his priests having written to this Saint that plans 
 were on foot to supplant his Congregation, and that persons 
 of influence were supporting these evil designs, he gave this 
 reply : " Let us establish and settle ourselves firmly in total 
 dependence upon God's providence, and then not allow our 
 minds to be overshadowed by these useless apprehensions, 
 for nothing will happen contrary to His holy will." 
 
 While St. Gregory the Bishop had gone down, one night, 
 into the choir for Matins, some of his rivals placed a 
 woman in his bed, and after the office made some excuse 
 for accompanying him to his chamber. Then the woman, 
 as had been preconcerted, began to cry out and accuse the 
 Bishop of sacrilege. By this he was disgraced through all 
 the city, and condemned to imprisonment by the Pope. But 
 God took care of him; for, the holy Apostles Peter and 
 Paul visited and consoled him in his prison, and he per- 
 formed many miracles. The woman, meanwhile, was pos- 
 sessed and tormented by the devil, until she appeared before 
 a council of bishops, and revealed the plot. She was then 
 cured by the Saint, the wicked accusers condemned to the 
 severest penalties, the Bishop exonerated by the Pope, and 
 his holiness publicly declared. 
 
 20. Souls that are weak and too much attached to their own 
 reputation, make a great stir and commotion, and can have no peace, 
 if any calumny is spread against them. It is not thus with generous 
 souls who aim at nothing except to please God. They know very 
 well that He sees their innocence, and has it at heart more than they 
 themselves, and therefore He will not neglect to defend them, as 
 their greatest good requires. — St. Augustine. 
 
322 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 In a letter to Monsignor Camus, St. Francis de Sales 
 says : " I hear that they are all tearing me to piece? in 
 Paris, but I hope God will patch me up again as good as 
 new, if it is necessary for His service. I dc not care for 
 any more reputation than I need for this. For, provided 
 God be served, what does it matter whether it be by good 
 or evil report, by the exaltation or lowering of our reputa- 
 tion ? Let Him dispose of my name and honor as He will, 
 since all is His. And if my abjection increases His glory, 
 ought I not to rejoice in being cast down?" At anothei 
 time, when an enormous calumny had been invented against 
 him, his friends, seeing that he made do attempt tojustify 
 himself, said that he ought to do so, because his reputation 
 was most necessary to his ministry. But he told them that 
 the Lord knew how much credit he required for his ministry, 
 and he did not wish for more. 
 
 Bishop Palafox, having been accused of maladministra- 
 tion in his office, would not defend himself when an ex- 
 amination into his methods was ordered, but left his cause 
 entirely in the hands of God, Baying that lb- well knew his 
 good intentions, and that he expected to be defended by 
 His providence as the glory of God required, whom he 
 desired to serve. And in this way he prospered. 
 
 21. Wheu auy one reposes all his confidence in God, God contin- 
 ually exercises a special protection over him, and in this state of 
 things he can be assured that no evil will happen to him.— St V. de 
 Paul. 
 
 For this reason, St. Vincent de Paul was never cast down 
 or discouraged in all the afflictions, crosses, and vexatious 
 accidents which befell him or his priests ; but he remained 
 always full of confidence in God, with a perfect evenness 
 of temper, and constant abandonment to Divine Providence. 
 
 
OCTOBEE. — CONFIDENCE. 323 
 
 And, what is more, he rejoiced to find himself in such diffi- 
 culties, as they gave him opportunity to exercise a more 
 perfect, absolute, and total dependence on the Divine will. 
 The Emperor Ferdinand II, hearing some remarks 
 about the bad state of the times, said : " Let us do our part, 
 and then leave ourselves and our affairs to the government 
 of God, who will dispose everything well." And when 
 any disaster was feared, he would say, " The Lord will pro- 
 vide." 
 
 22. When once we have placed ourselves totally in the hands of 
 God, we have no cause to fear misfortune ; for, if any should come 
 to us, He will know how to make it turn to our good, by ways which 
 we do not know now, but which, one day, we shall know.— St. V. de 
 Paul. 
 
 Two singular events which happened, one to St. Francis 
 de Sales, and the other to St. Ignatius Loyola, prove the 
 truth of this statement. When a young secular, St. Francis 
 once visited Rome, and returning, one evening, to an inn 
 near the Tiber, where he lodged, he found his servants -in 
 a dispute with the landlord, who wished them to find some 
 other house, as he hoped to receive more profit from another 
 party, whose luggage he had already taken in, and for whom 
 he wished to dispossess the holy baron. Nor would the quarrel 
 have ended with angry words alone, if St. Francis, with his 
 usual meekness, had not ordered his servants to do as the 
 landlord wished. He agreed, then, to find another lodging, 
 but scarcely had he done so, when a heavy rain swelled 
 the Tiber, and made it overflow its banks, causing an in- 
 undation, which carried away the unhappy inn, and all its 
 occupants, so that not one escaped, nor was there a trace left 
 of the building, which had been considered one of the best 
 of its kind in Home. 
 
 When St. Ignatius had arrived in Cyprus on his return 
 
324 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 from visiting the holy places, he found three vessels ready 
 to sail for Italy. The first belonged to Turkey ; the second 
 was a Venetian ship, strong and well equipped, and appar- 
 ently able to struggle successfully with the most furious 
 gales ; the third was a little old boat, leaky and worm-eaten. 
 Many urged the master of the Venetian ship to receive 
 Ignatius on board for the love of God, praising him and 
 extolling him as a Saint. But when the man heard that 
 Ignatius was poor and had no money for his passage, he 
 answered that if [gnatius was a Saint, he did not need a 
 vessel to cross the sea, for he could go on foot, as so many 
 other Saints had done. As he would not receive him, Ig- 
 natius w;i> obliged to take the old ship, where they wel- 
 comed him freely and with much liberality. The three 
 vessels set sail en the same day ; but alter tiny were all well 
 out at sea, in tie' darkness of the night a fierce tempest 
 arose, in which the Turkish ship foundered with all its crew 
 on board, the Venetian ran aground, her passengers barely 
 escaping with their lives, and the old craft alone gained 
 the port. We <ee in these two examples how the Lord 
 gave His protection to two faithful servants, making use 
 even of the wickedness of men to expel one, and exclude 
 the other, from places doomed to disaster. 
 
 It is true that Joseph and Job in the Old Testament suf- 
 fered great trials, but how incredibly greater were the ad- 
 vantages they derived from them ! 
 
 23. When we find ourselves in any danger, even a grave one, we 
 ought not to lose courage, but to trust much in the Lord ; for where 
 the peril is greater, there also is greater aid from Him who chooses 
 to be called the Helper in dangers and tribulations.— &£. Ambrose. 
 
 St. Ignatius Loyola was once on board a ship in a severe 
 storm, when the mast was broken off, and all were weeping 
 
OCTOBER. — CONFIDENCE. 325 
 
 and trembling in expectation of death. He alone was cheer- 
 ful and fearless, remembering that the winds and sea 
 obey God, and that without His permission, tempests rise 
 not, neither- can they sink any ship, and choosing for him- 
 self whatever fate God might choose for him. 
 
 24. There are some who so cling to their confidence in God, that 
 they cannot abandon it even in extreme cases which appear quite 
 hopeless. Oh how dear they are to God, and how much help they 
 receive from Him ! 
 
 The Emperor Ferdinand II once saw the whole North 
 combined against him. But when he was informed of de- 
 feats, and of the loss and devastation of provinces, he was 
 not at all disturbed, and answered always, " God will deliver 
 me from this tempest." Nor was he mistaken, for, when the 
 case appeared desperate, he gained a signal victory, by which 
 he discomfited all his enemies. 
 
 What could be more desperate than the situation of Susanna, 
 accused, condemned, and led out to death ? Yet she trusted 
 in the Lord, and w r as set free. 
 
 25. Whoever does not lose courage in unexpected difficulties, but 
 immediately has recourse to God with confidence, shows that this 
 virtue is well rooted in his heart.— Rodriguez. 
 
 We read in the Lives of the Fathers that St. Columban, 
 standing, one day, without any thought of danger, suddenly 
 saw twelve wolves coming up to him. They surrounded 
 him, and finally began to nibble at his garments. He was 
 not, however, at nil alarmed, and did nothing but invoke God 
 in these words : " Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. Dom- 
 ine, ad adjuvandum mefestina" upon which the wolves im- 
 mediately fled. 
 
 The Abbot Theodore was asked whether he should be 
 afraid if he heard on a sudden a loud crash and a terrible 
 
326 A YEAR WITH THE SALNTS. 
 
 tumult. " No ;" he answered, " if the world should fall in 
 ruins, and earth and sky be blended together, Theodore 
 would not be afraid." 
 
 26. The confidence of the Christian soul rests in perfect abandon- 
 ment to God, above and beyond every consideration of human pru- 
 dence. Oh, what happiness to walk in this perfect dependence upon 
 a sovereign providence, remaining continually under the Divine pro- 
 tection!— St. J. F. de Chantal. 
 
 Such was the confidence of Abraham, who hoped th it his 
 posterity would spread over the whole world, according to 
 the Divine promise, though by the order of God Himself he 
 should sacrifice to him the Life of his only son at a time when 
 he could not expect to have another. 
 
 Equally great was thai ofholy Job, who, afflicted in body, 
 bereft of his sons, deprived of his property, and ridiculed 
 by his friends, still said, " Though He should slay me. yet 
 will I always hope in Him." 
 
 27. Whoever casts himself into the arms of God's providence and 
 allows himself to be ruled, is borne to heaven in a chariot with all 
 his crosses, so that he scarcely feels their weight. He who acts 
 otherwise, goes on foot, dragging them with labor and weariness. — 
 
 St. Bernard. 
 
 The Emperor Ferdinand II said of himself : " Trials 
 and troubles would have worn me out long ago, if I had 
 not abandoned all my affairs, and myself as well, to Provi- 
 dence." 
 
 In a city of Italy there lived a poor young girl who was 
 bed-ridden and afflicted by many infirmities ; yet, those 
 who visited her found her always cheerful, and even the re- 
 port of a threatened famine caused her no alarm. Being 
 asked how she kept up her cheerfulness in the midst of so 
 many miseries, she replied that all her thoughts rested upon 
 
OCTOBEE. — CONFIDENCE. 327 
 
 God ; that she was like a little bird under the wings of Di- 
 vine Providence, and therefore she was neither afraid nor 
 anxious about anything. 
 
 28. The servant of God ought to fear nothing, and to give himself 
 but little concern even as to the devils themselves ; for, every time 
 they fail to terrify us, they lose strength, and the soul masters them 
 more easily. If the Lord is powerful and they are His slaves, what 
 harm can they do to those who are servants of so great a King 
 and Lord ?— St. Teresa. 
 
 This Saint testifies of herself that she was so timid that 
 she often did not dare to go into a room alone, even in the 
 day. But finally she began to consider what a shame it was 
 for a soul to be alarmed and affrighted at anything but of- 
 fending God, when we have so great and powerful a Lord, 
 who rules everything. Then she thought how all creatures, 
 even the devils, are subject to Him, and how she desired to 
 serve this Lord, and aimed at nothing but to please Him 
 and do His will. In conclusion, she said to herself, " What 
 am I afraid of ? What do I fear ?" and, taking a cross in 
 her hands, she began to challenge the demons, saying, 
 " Come now, all of you, for I am a servant of God : I wish 
 to see what you can do to me !" After that, she said that she 
 felt full of courage, and all her fears vanished ; so that, 
 though she saw the demons many times afterwards, she had 
 no fear of them at a]l, and it seemed to her, on the contrary, 
 that they feared her, because she felt such superiority over 
 them that she regarded them no more than so many flies. 
 
 A servant of God, who was much tormented by the devils, 
 constantly sang with joy the psalm, Laudate, pueri Domi- 
 nion, The devils, being angry at this, increased her torments. 
 But she mocked them, and said : " I count you as nothing, 
 vermin ! I have my Lord with me, and do not fear you in 
 the least." 
 
328 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 29. Though one should fall iuto many and grievous sins and im- 
 perfections, he ought never to despair of his salvation, nor lose con- 
 fidence in God, for the Divine clemency is infinitely greater than 
 human malice.— St. J. Chri 
 
 When St. Bernard was severely ill, he had a rapture, 
 in which he seemed to be led to judgment, and there 
 tempted to despair by the devil, to whom he gave this an- 
 swer : " I confess that I do not deserve Paradise for my 
 works, for I know that I am unworthy of so great a good. 
 Nevertheless, my Lord has two claims to it — one, that He 
 is the Sod of God, the other, that He died upon the cross. 
 The first is sufficient for Bim, and the other lie gives to 
 me. For this reasoD I have hope." 
 
 St. Vincent Ferrer was remarkable for his confidence in 
 God, which was Btrikingly illustrated by the following in- 
 cident. One day, he was informed thai a dying man had 
 fallen into despair, through considering his great sins, and 
 that he had therefore refused to make his confession. He 
 hastened to his bedside with much hope of winning him 
 over. " My brother," hesaid to him, " will yon who know 
 that Jesus Christ died for yon, despair of His mercy? 
 Von would thus grievously slight the great kindness He 
 has shown you." These words made the sick man very 
 angry, and he answered, "Just for that I mean to he 
 damned,— in spite of Christ !" " And in spite of yourself 
 you shall he saved," replied the Saint. Then, turning to 
 the bystanders, he said : " Let us recite the Rosary to the 
 Blessed Virgin, to obtain from her the conversion of this 
 m<»st obstinate sinner." The Lord was pleased to Bhow 
 how acceptable to Him was the generous confidence of His 
 servant, for, before the Rosary was ended, the room was 
 filled with a brilliant light, and the great Mother of God 
 appeared, with the Infant upon her arm all stained with 
 
OCTOBEE. — CONFIDENCE. 329 
 
 blood. The hardened sinner was moved with love, grief, 
 and compunction at this sight. He made his confession 
 with heart-felt contrition, and, a little while after, with a 
 look of heavenly joy upon his face, breathed forth his 
 spirit into the hands of God. 
 
 Blosius relates of St. Gertrude that she was one day con- 
 sidering which of the many things she had learned from 
 the Lord, she might most usefully reveal to men, when 
 she heard His voice in her heart speaking in this manner : 
 " It would be of the greatest use to them to know and re- 
 member that I am continually interceding before My Father 
 for their salvation, and that as often as they stain their 
 hearts through human frailty by evil thoughts, I offer to 
 Him in expiation My most pure heart ; and when they com- 
 mit sinful deeds, I offer to Him My pierced hands ; and so, 
 however they err, I instantly seek to appease the Divine 
 Father, that they may obtain pardon on their repentance. 
 
 30. Finally, if we wish to perform our actions well and to provide 
 for all our needs, we ought, from time to time, to look to God in imi- 
 tation of the example of navigators, who direct their course to the 
 point they seek rather by looking upwards to the sky than down- 
 wards where they are floating. 
 
 To prove the truth of this sentiment, it is sufficient to cast 
 a glance upon the example of so many Saints already cited 
 for this month, without referring to any new ones. 
 
 31 . We have yet to speak of the confidence to be practised in temp- 
 tations and spiritual aridity. But since this is a point of the highest 
 importance, which cannot be treated briefly, it seems more desirable 
 to make it the subject of a separate treatise which will afford much 
 consolation and help to those who suffer from such trials. 
 
NOVEMBER. 
 
 CHARITY. 
 
 This is the first and greatest commandment : Thou shalt love the Lord 
 thy Ood with thy whole heart ; but the second is like unto it : Thou 
 shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.— Matt., xxii : 38. 
 
 1. My God and my Lord .' what need was there of commanding us 
 to love Thee? Art Thou not most lovely in Thy infinite perfections ? 
 and for the infinite love Thou bearest to us, dost Thou not deserve 
 our love ? How, then, is it possible that any one should not love 
 Thee ? If there is such a person, it must be because he has not de- 
 served to know Thee. For, a soul that knows God, cannot liclp 
 loving Him, and loving Him in proportion to his knowledge of linn ; 
 so that if he loves Him but little, it is a sign that he knows Him but 
 little ; and the more his knowledge increases, the more bis love will 
 go on growing. — St. Teresa. 
 
 A very elevated soul once gave her director the following 
 account of her interior : " A greal flame of love springs up 
 in my heart, Father, when 1 clearly perceive, in the time 
 of meditation, how the most holy Humanity of the Lord 
 shows how much He deserves our love, by that which He 
 bears to us. while He loves us even as He loves Himself. 
 He manifests this to us : 1. By the great things Hehasdone, 
 and is doing, for us. 2. By the great desire He has to be loved 
 by us, which He proves by so many extraordinary devices 
 of love, and by remaining, as it were, in a state of violence, 
 because He wishes to communicate Himself and make Him- 
 self known to us, that He may be loved by us ; but as He 
 finds no access, by reason of our want of proper dispositions, 
 He cannot do it. 3. By the patience with which He bears 
 330 
 
NOVEMBER. — CHARITY. 331 
 
 the coolness He meets with from creatures He has loved so 
 much, and which has no effect upon His unalterable con- 
 stancy of love. Under these beams of light, the soul sends 
 forth various affections, — sometimes of wonder that the Di- 
 vine Majesty should be willing that the creature be ioved 
 with an infinite love, and the Creator and Lord with a fi- 
 nite and limited love ; sometimes of love, but an excessive 
 love, which devours and consumes it, and it would desire the 
 heart of a Seraph to blaze and burn with the love of its God ; 
 nay rather would desire to love Him with that same love 
 with which it sees itself loved by Him ; and again of in- 
 sufferable affliction, at seeing itself destitute of the knowl- 
 edge and love of God, which are the height of its perfection, 
 and which would raise it to the Divine Majesty whom it so 
 earnestly desires. This pain is increased by the new per- 
 ception with which the Lord makes it understand that not 
 loving Him is a positive slight to His power, wisdom, love, 
 goodness, and so many admirable things which He has done 
 and suffered for it. Oh, where can it rest and how not 
 sink into nothingness beneath this light ! I assure you, 
 Father, that when God placed before my eyes the great con- 
 tempt I had shown to my Love, when I did not love Him, 
 I do not know how I remained alive. Surely, if He had not 
 suspended my consciousness, I should have died on the spot. 
 Finally, the soul is enkindled with ardent longings and de- 
 sires that its Beloved may be known, and sends up aspira- 
 tions :md ejaculations to that Infinite Goodness, that it may 
 make itself known in order to be loved. It professes its 
 readiness to co-operate in the aid and advancement of souls, in 
 whatever way may be pleasing to the Divine Majesty. It 
 was thus that the loving Lord revealed Himself to me, His 
 most vile and unworthy servant. And when He mercifully 
 imparted to me any of these graces outside of the time of 
 
332 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 prayer, as when I was conversing with others, or at work, 
 I fell into a trance, and was so far unconscious that when 
 the Sisters spoke to me, I did not know what they said, 
 though I always understood the Superioress if she required 
 anything as matter of obedience." 
 
 The blessed Jacopone was so much affected at seeing so 
 many lose their souls by offences against God in the 
 Carnival-time, that he went about crying, " Amor non ama- 
 tur, amor non amafur, quia non cognitur" — Love is not 
 loved, Love is not loved, because it is not known. 
 
 St. Philip Xeri, too, often exclaimed : " O Lord, I do 
 not love Thee, because I do not know Thee." 
 
 2. When one has succeeded in placing his heart wholly upon God, 
 he loses his affection for all other things, and no longer finds conso- 
 lation in anything, nor clings to anything except God, forgetting his 
 own honor and every interest of his own. — St. Teresa. 
 
 " While there is any created thing which can give me 
 consolation and delight," says St. Bernard, " I do not 
 dare to say that the love of God is ardent and fervid in my 
 heart." 
 
 Holy Queen Esther, in the midst of her regal pomp 
 and splendor, could say : " O Lord, Thou k no west well 
 that I have never taken delight in dignity and royal ap- 
 parel, nor in the banquets of the king, nor in anything have 
 I found consolation until this day, save in Thee, my Lord 
 and God." 
 
 St. Catherine of Genoa, after she had been struck by the 
 arrow of divine love, often cried out, u Xo more world ! no 
 more pleasures !" And if she had been mistress of a thou- 
 sand worlds, she would have thrown them all away, to give 
 her whole heart to God. 
 
 St. Ignatius Loyola went so far as to have lost all at- 
 
NOVEMBER. — CHARITY. 333 
 
 tachment to anything that was not God, and he had noth- 
 ing at heart, but to please Him and to gain his love. He 
 said, one day, that if God should give him the choice of 
 going that moment directly to Paradise, or remaining longer 
 in the world to serve Him and advance His kingdom, even 
 with the uncertainty of his own salvation, he would choose 
 the latter alternative. 
 
 3. Alas ! we have not as much love as we need ! I mean, that it 
 would require an infinite amount, to have enough to love our God 
 according to His due ; and yet, miserable that we are, we throw it 
 away lavishly upon vile and unworthy objects, as if we had a super- 
 fluity.—-^. F. de Sales. 
 
 This good Saint could not endure to have an affection for 
 anything remain in his heart. He once said : " Truly, if 
 I knew that there was one thread of affection in my soul, 
 Avhich was not of God or for God, I would instantly sever 
 it. I would rather be nothing than not belong wholly to 
 God without any exception." 
 
 St. Philip Neri, burning with these flames of love, often 
 cried : " How is it possible that any one who believes in God 
 can love anything but Him !" and then addressing to God 
 a loving complaint, he would exclaim : " O Lord ! since 
 Thou art so lovely and hast commanded me to love Thee, 
 why didst Thou give me but a single heart, and that so 
 small?" 
 
 St. Augustine, to animate his soul to centre all its love 
 upon God, employed such incentives as these : " What can 
 please thee in this world, O my soul, or what can 
 gain thy love? Wherever thou turnest, thou seest only 
 heaven and earth. If in both thou hndest what is worthy 
 of praise and love, of how much praise and love must He be 
 worthy, who has made these things thou praisest and lovest ? 
 
334 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 My soul, till this time thou hast been long occupied and 
 tossed hither and thither by many and various desires, which 
 have ensnared thy heart, and divided it among many loves, 
 leaving thee always disturbed and never secure. Recollect 
 thyself now a little, and ask those things that please thee, 
 who is their maker ; and since you admire the form, love 
 its Former, and do not lose thyself in what is made, sons 
 to forget Him who made it. Indeed, indeed, my God, 
 Thou art truly worthy to be revered and loved above every- 
 thing on earth or in heaven. Nay rather, all transitory things 
 do not deserve to be loved at all, lest we should lose Thy 
 love." 
 
 4. When a soul that truly loves God, knows that a thing is of 
 greater perfection, and more for God's service, it pursues it immedi- 
 ately and without difficulty, on account of the pleasure it finds in 
 pleasing Him. Ah my God, what else is needed hut to love Thee 
 truly, and truly ahandon everything for Thy love, for then Thou 
 wilt render all easy !— St. Teresa. 
 
 Sueh was the conduct of St. Teresa herself, and so she once 
 said : " Though I desired the new reform (ofthe Carmelite 
 Order), that I might be apart from everything, and follow 
 my vocation with more perfection ; yet I desired it in such a 
 way that if I had clearly perceived it was more for God's 
 service to abandon it, I should certainly have done SO with 
 perfect peace and tranquillity. For when J am sure that 
 a thing is more perfect and more for God's service, I am at 
 rest ; and in the contentment which I experience in pL 
 ing Him, I instantly lose the pain of leaving something 
 which had given me satisfaction." This was so true that 
 in order never to fail in it, she wished to bind herself by a 
 vow to do watever she might know to be most perfect and 
 most pleasing to the Lord. A similar vow was also taken 
 by St. Andrew Avellino and by St. Jane Frances de Chantal. 
 
NOVEMBEK. — CHAEITY. 335 
 
 In regard to St. Ignatius Loyola, it is well known that 
 he sought in everything not only the glory of God, but His 
 greatest possible glory. For this reason, the Church, in the 
 prayer assigned for his Feast, sets it down as his distinguish- 
 ing mark, that God chose him to spread His greater glory. 
 
 5. When the love of God obtains the mastery of a soul, it produces 
 in it an insatiable desire to labor for the Beloved ; so that, though it 
 may perform many and great works, and spend much time in His 
 service, all seems nothing, and it constantly grieves at doing so little 
 for its God, and if it could annihilate itself and perish for Him, it 
 would be well pleased. And so it considers itself unprofitable in all 
 that it does, and regards its life as idle ; for, as love teaches it what 
 God merits, by this clear light it sees all the defects and imperfec- 
 tions of its actions, and thus derives confusion and grief from them 
 all. And as it feels that its work is very poor to be offered to so 
 great a Lord, it is at the greatest distance from vain-glory and pre- 
 sumption, and from condemning others. — St. J. Chrysostom. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul was equally unwearied and insati- 
 able in laboring for God, and rendering himself acceptable in 
 His sight, nor did he think he had ever done enough for 
 so great a Lord. In imitation of the Apostles, he forgot the 
 good works which were behind him in the past, and put all 
 his thoughts and efforts upon advancing daily in God's ser- 
 vice. 
 
 St. Charles was remarkable for this virtue. As long as 
 he lived, he had an insatiable desire to honor God, and to 
 spread and promote His worship, which spurred him on to 
 labor without weariness. He seemed to grow T fresher every 
 day, under labors that succeeded one another without inter- 
 mission. While those who attended him were often pros- 
 trated by fatigue, he never gave the least token of it, as if 
 labor were rest and recreation to him. What is more, 
 after all the great undertakings he performed in the service 
 of God, he was never satisfied with what he had done, but 
 
336 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 was always inventing new methods ; nor did he ever think 
 or speak of anything but God, and what might conduce to 
 His service and honor. 
 
 6. When one has arrived at the perfect love of God, he becomes 
 as if he were the only man on earth. He cares no more for glory or 
 ignominy • he despises temptations and sufferings ; he loses taste and 
 appetiie for all things. Finding no support, consolation, or repose 
 in anything, he goes constantly in search of his Beloved, withoutever 
 being weary ; so that at work or at table, waking or sleeping, in 
 every employment or conversation, his whole though! and his whole 
 aim is to find the Beloved, for his heart is where his treasure is. 
 In one word, he is like a lover who sighs only for the sight of his 
 love, and whose love is his all . — *?^. J. Chrysostom. 
 
 Zeno the Monk, being absorbed in contemplation, wont 
 about, (mi' day, crying aloud like a madman. He happened 
 to moot the Macedonian emperor, and being asked by him 
 what he was doing, he returned the question. " I am going 
 
 to hunt," s;»id the emperor. " And J," replied Z<'ii<», am Lin- 
 ing to seek God, and I will net Btop until 1 have found 
 Him." With these words he turned away and left him. 
 
 The blessed Raymond Lullo was so absorbed in divine 
 love that his sole concern was love, and he could think and 
 speak of nothing rise. It* any one said to him : " Whose 
 are you?" he answered : " Love's." " Whence do you come?" 
 "From Love." "Whither are yon going?" " To Love." 
 " Who has brought yon here ?" " L"\< ."' 
 
 St. Honoratns the Abbot was so full of the love of God, 
 and so desirous to serve and glorify Him, that not only by 
 day, but even by night, all his thoughts and affeet ions were 
 directed to Him. While asleep, he made short and fervent 
 instructions upon the obligation and the manner of loving 
 God, and his very dreams were filled with the love of God, 
 piety, and devotion. 
 
NOVEMBER. CHARITY. 337 
 
 Similar was the course of life of the glorious St. Vincent 
 Ferrer, whose heart and mind were full of God. He was 
 always thinking of God; he never spoke but of God, or 
 with God. Whether walking, sitting still, studying, 
 or conversing, he always seemed absorbed in God, whose 
 love appeared upon his lips, in his face, in his eyes, in all 
 his sentiments, in all times and places, even when he was 
 asleep ; so that, through the cracks in his door, his room 
 was often seen illuminated by the splendor that beamed from 
 his face as he slept. 
 
 The excessive heat which many souls suffered from this 
 sacred flame, would seem incredible. St. Aloysius Gon- 
 zaga experienced it to such a degree that his face appeared 
 all on fire ; St. Catherine of Sienna, so that natural fire 
 seemed to her cold rather than warm ; St. Peter of Alcan- 
 tara, so that if he plunged into an icy pond, the water 
 would boil as if red-hot iron had been put into it ; St. 
 Francis di Paula, so that he could light lamps with a touch 
 of his finger, as well as with a blazing taper ; the Venerable 
 Sister Maria Villani, so that on turning her thoughts inte- 
 riorly to God, or her eyes exteriorly towards some object of de- 
 votion, she w T ould feel as if on fire, and she drank upwards 
 of twenty quarts of cold water a day, without being able to 
 extinguish this flame ; and the water, as she swallowed it, 
 seemed as if falling upon glowing iron. She was obliged, 
 on this account, to give up vocal prayers and her usual pri- 
 vate devotions, as they all served to fan this interior con- 
 flagration. St. Philip Neri, on one of the nights which he 
 passed in the catacombs, threw himself on the ground, ex- 
 claiming, " I cannot, I cannot bear it any longer !" when he 
 recovered a little, he found that two of his upper ribs were 
 bent as if by heat. 
 
 Two remarkable incidents deserve special mention at 
 
038 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 this point. St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi frequently ex- 
 perienced this holy ardor, and one day she was un- 
 usually inflamed by it. She began to hurry through the cor- 
 ridors and the garden, and seizing the hand- of the Sisters 
 whom she met, she clasped them closely, and said : " Sisters, 
 do you love our Love ? How can you live'.' do you not 
 feel yourselves consumed by love?" She next went to the 
 bell-tower, and began to ring a great peal upon the chimes. 
 The Sisters came in a crowd, and asked her why she was 
 ringing. "Iamrin. answered, " thai people may 
 
 coin-' t<> love that Love, by whom they are loved po much." 
 The - orred in the time of St. Louis of France. 
 
 One of his ambassadors met one day, in a city to which he 
 had beeu sent, a woman who was going through the -t: 
 with a vase i>f water in her right hand, and a lighted torch 
 in her left, and who cried out with de ep sighs, k> < >h God ! 
 oh God ! is it possible !" When the ambassador asked her 
 what she wished, she answered : k * I would wish, if it were 
 according to the will of God, to extinguish the fires of hell 
 with this water, and to burn up Paradise with this torch, 
 that God might be loved purely for love's sake." 
 
 7. It should be observed that perfect love of God consists not 
 in those delights, tears, and sentiments of devotion that we generally 
 seek, but in a strong determination and keen desire to please God in 
 all things, and to take care, as far as possible, not to offend Him, and 
 to promote His glory . — 8t. Teresa. 
 
 St. Jane Frances de Chantal showed how well she under- 
 stood this great truth, by a letter she sent to the Superior of 
 a Religious who was looked upon as a soul filled with the 
 love of God. beeau^ she enjoyed extraordinary consolations. 
 "T; girl," she wrote, " greatly needs to be unde- 
 
 ceived. She believes herself highly elevated in the love of 
 God, yet she is not much advanced in virtue. I believe 
 
NOVEMBEE. — CHARITY. 339 
 
 that these fervors and exaltations which she feels, are the 
 work of nature and self-love. Therefore, she should be 
 shown that the real strength of love consists not in en- 
 joying the divine sweetness, but rather in exact observance 
 of the Rules, and the faithful practice of solid virtue, — that 
 is, in humility, the love of contempt, patient endurance of 
 insults and adversities, self-forgetfulness, and a love that 
 seeks not to be known except by God. This alone is true 
 love, and these are its unerring tokens. May God preserve 
 us from that sensible love which allows us to live in our- 
 selves, while the true leads us to die to ourselves." 
 
 Such was the love of St. Thomas of Aquin, of whom it 
 is recorded that he kept his soul always as pure and true as 
 that of a child five years old. 
 
 8. The love of God is the tree of life in the midst of the terres- 
 trial paradise. It has, like other trees, six parts,— roots, trunk, 
 branches, leaves, flowers, and fruit. The roots are the virtues by 
 which love itself is acquired, and the principal are nine in number : 
 1. True penitence, and reception of the Sacraments ; 2. Observance 
 of the Commandments and Rules ; 3. Fear of God; 4. Mortification 
 of the passions and appetites ; 5. Retirement, and avoidance of the 
 occasion of sin ; 6. Examination of conscience ; 7. Humility ; 8. 
 Obedience ; 9. Charity to our neighbors. The trunk of the tree is 
 surrender of self-will to the will of God. We may discover what the 
 branches are by those words, Sub umbra illius quern desideraveram, 
 sedi — Under the shadow of Him whom I had longed for, I rested. 
 The first of these is lively faith, by which the soul can view the Sun 
 of Justice closely without being dazzled. The second, true confidence 
 in the Divine protection, by means of which one can Escape being 
 cast down in the midst of adversities. The third, ardent desires, and 
 firm resolutions, and other interior acts, continually directed towards 
 obtaining true love . The fourth, constancy in remaining seated 
 beneath this tree. The leaves are : 1. New graces freely given; 2. 
 Interior sweetness, joy, spiritual gladness, tenderness, or tears ; 3. 
 Raptures and ecstasies, referred to in those words : lntroduxit me 
 rex incellam vinariam. All these things are called leaves, because 
 they serve as an ornament to the tree, and help to mature the fruit ; 
 
340 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 and in the winter of aridity and tribulation they fall, as the leaves 
 do from a tree, while the love of God remains. The flowers are the 
 works and heroic virtues which the loving soul produces, and are 
 what the Bride asked for in the words, Fulcite me floribus— Sus- 
 tain me with flowers, The fruits are the trials, afflictions, and per- 
 secutions, which the soul bears with patience, when God gives them 
 to her, or which she even procures for herself of her own accord, 
 to serve Him better, or to imitate Jesus Christ in suffering.— £2. Teresa. 
 
 It is no wonder that the Saint knew 80 well how to de- 
 scribe this holy tree, for she kept it planted in her heart, 
 and well developed in every respect, 
 
 The same idea of love was entertained by a good nun of 
 Naples, called Sister Maria de Santiago,in whose life we 
 read, that she thought it resembled a beautiful tree planted 
 in the good soil of the Boulsthat possess it, and producing 
 abundantly the flowers and fruits of holy works. One of the 
 principal of these, she said, was love of our neighbor, for 
 which she was herself remarkable, because she kept this 
 fair tree of divine love rooted in her soul. 
 
 9. Some torment themselves in seeking means to discover the art 
 of loving God, and do not know— poor creatures— that there is no 
 art or means of loving Him but to love Him,— that is, to begin to 
 practise those things which are pleasing to Him. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul devoted himself nobly to this holy 
 practice, observing God's law with so much exactness, that 
 those who watched him closely, assented that no one who 
 was merely a man, could fail le-s than he. He was con- 
 stantly elevated above himself, upright in his judgments, 
 circumspect in his words, prudent in his conduct, punctual 
 in the practices of piety, and so perfectly united to God, 
 so far as could be judged from the exterior, that it was plain 
 that the love of God was what animated his heart, and ruled 
 in all the powers and sentiments of his soul, to regulate 
 
NOVEMBER. — CHARITY. 341 
 
 every motion and act. It might be said that his whole life 
 was a sacrifice to God, not only of honors, comforts, pleas- 
 ures, and all other earthly blessings, but even of what he 
 had received more directly from His most liberal hand, 
 such as lights, affections, and holy desires. Nor did he 
 ever wish for anything except that God should be known 
 and glorified, in all times and places, and by all kinds of 
 people. To this end alone he directed all that he thought, 
 said, and did. 
 
 10. The love of God is acquired by resolviDg to labor and suffer for 
 Him, and to abstain from all that displeases Him, and by carrying this 
 resolution into practice as occasion arises. But to be able to do it 
 well in great things, it is necessary to attend to it in small. — St. 
 Teresa. 
 
 When this Saint was much opposed in regard to her Foun- 
 dations, she said that she never did anything without the 
 advice of experienced persons, that she might not in any 
 degree fail in obedience. " For," she added, " rather than 
 commit the least of those faults they charge me with, I 
 would most certainly have abandoned not one, but a thou- 
 sand convents." 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul was remarkable for this virtue. 
 Because he would not consent to anything in the least con- 
 trary to justice, simplicity, and charity, he was obliged to 
 bear many unfavorable remarks, indiscreet questions, re- 
 proofs, affronts, importunities, and other unpleasant treat- 
 ment from members of his own Order, as well as from 
 others. In such cases, he was never observed to give a 
 sign of impatience, or to utter a word of complaint, but 
 rather, in order to show the strength of his love for God, 
 he spoke and acted with more than his usual sweetness and 
 tranquillity. 
 
342 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 11. A very good way of exercising ourselves in the love of Christ, 
 is to acquire the habit of keeping Him present to our minds as far 
 as possible. This maybe done in three ways : 1. When we have to 
 perform any action, to represent to ourselves the manner in which 
 He did it while dwelling in the world, as well as the spirit and in- 
 tention with which lie animated it, that we may imitate Him. "2. To 
 think how He is continually looking down upon us from heaven, 
 and shedding upon us the abundance of His graces and counsels. 3. 
 To recognize Him in the person of our neighbor, lu this way, we 
 shall perform our actions with more ease and perfection ; we shall 
 avoid many faults as well as much anxiety and impatience, and in 
 every service that we perform for our neighbors, we shall merit as 
 much as if we did it to our Lord Himself. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 This was St. Vincent's own practice, and it raised him very 
 high in the love of Jesus. He undertook no business, gave 
 no advice, performed no action, without first fixing his eyes 
 mentally upon the example or words of Christ,, and on the 
 rewards which He keep- prepared, and freely dispenses to 
 such as labor well. And in his dealings witli others, lie 
 beheld in each the very person of Christ. Phrases like 
 these were often on hi- lips : " As< Jhrisl -aid ;'' " As Christ 
 did ;*' " We ought t«» recognize Christ in all men." 
 
 12. Would you know how you stand in regard to the love of God ? 
 Here are the signs by which you may discover : As much as the 
 soul grows in divine love, so much do the desires of suffering and of 
 being humbled grow in it. Tbese are the sure tokens of the sacred 
 tire ; every tuing eke is but sm^ke. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 St. John of the Cross proved ho\y firmly he was per- 
 suaded of this. \Yhen Jesus Christ appeared t<> him one 
 day, and asked him what reward he desired for the many 
 trials and labors he had borne for love of Him, — " No 
 other, O Lord." he replied, " but to snffer and be de- 
 spised." 
 
 One day, while they were chanting the words of the 
 
NOVEMBER. — CHARITY. 343 
 
 Gospel, Simon- Joannis, diligis Me plus his f — Lovest thou 
 Me more than these ? — St. Matilda fell into an ecstasy, and 
 heard Christ saying to her : c - Matilda, lovest thou Me more 
 than all things in the world ?' ; She replied : " Thou knowest, 
 Lord, that I love Thee." Christ continued : " But lovest 
 thou Me so as to be willing to bear all sorts of trials, suffer- 
 ings, and humiliations for My sake ?" " Thou knowest 
 well," she answered, " that no torments can separate me 
 from Thee." Then Christ said : "But if these torments 
 were terrible, would you bear them gladly and readily for 
 love of Me ?" And Matilda replied, li Yes, Lord, most 
 readily !" This great love pleased God so much that it 
 gave her the same merit as if she had suffered all in reality. 
 
 13. A sure proof that we love God alone, is that we love Him 
 equally in all cases. For, as He is always equal to Himself, the inequal- 
 ity of our love for Him can arise only from the consideration of some- 
 thing which is not Himself. — St. F. « 
 
 By this test we may perceive how pure was the love of 
 this Saint ; for, it never increased in prosperity, nor di- 
 minished in adversity, but in everything was directed 
 equally to the Lord, and through everything he thanked and 
 blessed Him. 
 
 St. Jane Frances de Chantal, also, gave this excellent proof 
 of her perfect love of God, by feeling equally contented in 
 consolations and in desolations, of which she suffered many, 
 and for a long time. The reason was, as she said, because 
 in both she desired and sought only the fulfilment of the 
 Divine will, by which she knew that both prosperity and 
 adversity were sent to her. 
 
 " True lovers of God," said a holy soul, " are like the sun, 
 which, though it is sometimes covered with clouds, yet 
 always possesses in itself the same light and the same 
 warmth." 
 
344 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 14. Theraeasure of charity may be taken from the want of desires. 
 As desires diminish in a soul, charity increases iu it ; and when 
 it no longer feels any desire, then it possesses perfect charity.— St, 
 Augustine. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales used to say of himself : " I wish for 
 very few things, and those few I wish for very little. I 
 have almost no desire, and if I were to begin life again, I 
 should wish to have none at all." 
 
 St, Teresa was so fully persuaded of this truth that she 
 exclaimed : " < >li Love, that lovest me more than I love my- 
 self, and more than I can understand ! How shall I be able, 
 O Lord, to desire more than Thou art willing to give me?" 
 
 15. The surest way to discover whether we have the love of God, is 
 to nee whether we love our neighbor ; for the two things are never 
 separated. Be sure, too, that the more you perceive yourself to ad- 
 vance in the love of your neighbor, the more you will do so in that 
 of God. To see how much we love our neighbor, is the surest rule 
 by which to find out how much we love God. It is important, then, 
 to notice with great attention how we walk in this holy love of our 
 neighbor ; for if it is with perfection, all is done. And so we ought to 
 examine ourselves carefully as to the little things that are constantly 
 happening, without making much account of certain high-flown 
 ideas about the great things we mean to say and do for our neigh- 
 bors, which sometimes come to us iu prayer, but which are never 
 put into execution. — ^. Teresa. 
 
 The blessed Angela di Foligno prayed to the Lord to give 
 her some sign by which she might know whether she truly 
 loved Him, and was loved by Him. " The clearest sign/' 
 He answered, " of mutual love between Me and My ser- 
 vants, is that they love their neighbors." 
 
 Tertullian relates that the mutual love of the first Chris- 
 tians was so manifest that even the heathens were much as- 
 tonished at it, and said among themselves : " See how these 
 Christians love one another ! how much respect they have 
 
NOVEMBER. — CHARITY. 345 
 
 for each other ! how ready they are to render any service, 
 or even to suffer death, for each others' sake I" 
 
 St. Jerome says, that in his old age St. John the Evan- 
 gelist was not able to come to the sacred assemblies, except 
 supported by the arms of his followers • nor could he preach 
 long sermons, on account of the weakness of his voice, but 
 he would constantly repeat these few words : " Little chil- 
 dren, love one another." After a time, those present became 
 weary, and asked him why he always gave them the same 
 instruction. " Because," he replied, " this is the precept 
 of the Lord ; and if you observe this, it alone will be 
 enough." 
 
 In order that her nuns might be sure whether their ac- 
 tions proceeded from the spirit of charity, St. Frances de 
 Chantal kept inscribed upon the wall of a corridor through 
 which they were constantly passing, a list of the distinguish- 
 ing marks which the Apostle assigns to this sublime vir- 
 tue : " Charity is patient, mild, without jealousy, without 
 ambition, without self-interest, without aversions. It be- 
 lieves all, hopes for all, bears with all." When any one 
 in chapter accused herself of a fault against charity, she sent 
 her to read these sentences, which she called the mirror of 
 the convent. She often read them herself, in presence of 
 her daughters ; then, turning towards them with a glowing 
 countenance, she would add : " Though I speak with the 
 tongue of angels and have not charity, I am nothing ; and 
 though I give my body to torture and to fire, and have not 
 charity, this profits me nothing." 
 
 16. It is worth while to reflect that God, who has commanded us 
 to love our neighbor, has also prescribed the manner in which we 
 are to love Him, that is, as ourselves. This is the rule which cannot 
 be transgressed without fault ; and it is so essential that unless our 
 love comes up to this measure, it is not sufficient. 
 
346 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 St. Wenceslaus spent a great part of his wealth in pur- 
 chasing the children of heathen parents, whom he after- 
 wards caused to be brought up in the Catholic faith. 
 
 17. Fraternal charity is the sign of predestination. It makes u a 
 known as the true disciples of Christ, for it was this diviue virtue that 
 moved Him to live a life of poverty and to die in destitution upon 
 the cross. Therefore, when we find opportunities of suffering for 
 charity, we ought to bless God for them. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 St. Euphrasia, a nun in the Thebaid, was so full of 
 charity that she spent whole weeks without taking food, 
 on account of her excessive occupation in the service of 
 others, and because she devoted to prayer any little time she 
 had left. It was noticed that for a whole year she never 
 sat down ; and her active kindness made her dear and 
 lovely in the eves of the whole convent, so that she seemed 
 to them not an earthly creature, but an angel incarnate. 
 Finally, God revealed to the Abbe— that He should soon 
 take Euphrasia from her. When this came to the ears of 
 one of the Saint's companions, Bhewept day and night, and 
 Euphrasia, discovering the cause, was herself grieved at the 
 prospect of losing the opportunity of Berving God in her 
 neighbor. 
 
 Eulogius, a very learned man, resolved to abandon study 
 and give himself entirely to the divine service. He first 
 distributed the greater part oi his property among the poor, 
 but not knowing what kind of life to choo-e, in which he 
 might best please God, he went into the public square, and 
 there found a leper without hands or feet. Touched with 
 a lively compassion, he made a sort of compact with God, 
 that he would take care of this man, and support him till 
 death, in the certain hope of obtaining mercy from the 
 Lord. He took him then to his house, and took' care of 
 him with his own hands, for fifteen years. At the end of 
 
NOVEMBER. — CHARITY. 347 
 
 this time, the man, instigated by the devil, began to insult 
 Eulogius, saying that he must have committed many thefts 
 and rascalities, and so made use of him as a means of expi- 
 ating his sins, but that he did not wish to stay with him 
 any longer, and desired to be carried back to the square, for 
 he was tired of a vegetable diet, and wished for meat. Eu- 
 logius brought him some meat, and tried to quiet him. But 
 he would not be pacified, saying that he liked to see plenty 
 of people, and nothing would suit him but to be carried 
 back to the square. Eulogius, not knowing what to do, 
 took him, by ship, to see St. Anthony, who first reproved 
 them both, and then said that God had visited them with 
 this temptation, because they were near the end of their 
 days ; therefore, they must be patient for a little while, and 
 not separate, for the Lord had permitted this trial, that they 
 might receive a greater reward. They returned home, and 
 at the end of forty days Eulogius died first, and then his 
 patient. 
 
 18. God loves our neighbors so much that He gave His life for 
 them ; and He is glad even to have us leave Him to do them good. 
 How grateful to Him, then, may we believe the services we render 
 them ! Ah, if we understood well how important is this virtue of the 
 love of our neighbor, we should give ourselves entirely to the pursuit 
 of it. — JSt. Teresa. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul showed how fully he was persuaded 
 of this truth, for he took this practice so much to heart that 
 he seemed to have nothing else to do. And it may be truly 
 said that there was never a miser who took so much advan- 
 tage of opportunities to preserve and increase his wealth, 
 as he to do good to his neighbors. This charity, too, had 
 neither restriction nor limitation, but extended to all times 
 and places, and to all persons capable of enjoying its effects. 
 
 One morning, before Communion, St. Gertrude was 
 
348 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 grieving that the lateness of the priest prevented her from 
 confessing some slight faults, when the Lord comforted her 
 by a sight of her own soul decked with rich and resplendent 
 jewels, and said to her : " Why are you sad about this, 
 when you are adorned with the mantle of charity, which, 
 you know, covers a multitude of sins ?" 
 
 Moses asked to be blotted out of the Book of Life, if so he 
 might obtain from the Lord the pardon of his brothers ; St. 
 Paul was ready to be an anathema; and St. Paulinus even 
 became a slave in place of another. 
 
 19. Oil, how great must be the love that the Son of God bears to 
 the poor ! for He chose the state of poverty, He wished to be called 
 the teacher of the poor, and counts most especially as done to Him- 
 self whatever is done for His poor. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 Though this Saint loved all men, yet it may be said that 
 He loved the poor above all ; he bore tliem all in his heart ; 
 he had more than a father's love for them : so that this most 
 tender affection gave rise in him to a keen sympathy with 
 their miseries, and a constanl effort to relieve them. When 
 ho met with any case of want, liis heart was immediately 
 filled with compassion, and, without waiting to be entreated, 
 he thought of some method of relief j so that his chief care 
 seemed to be to help the needy and assist the poor. He 
 showed this while talking, one day, about the bad weather, 
 which threatened to cause great scarcity of food. " Ah V 
 he exclaimed with a sigh, "how anxious I feel, — not so 
 much for my Congregation, as for the poor ! We will go out 
 and ask food for our houses, or serve as vice-curates in the 
 parishes ; but what will the poor do ? where can they go ? I 
 say with truth, that this is my greatest affliction and trial." 
 
 The same may be said of St. Francis de Sales, with the 
 addition that he showed a positive preference for the poor 
 
NOVEMBEK. — CHAEITY. 349 
 
 over the rich, in both temporal and spiritual things, for he 
 looked upon them, as he said, as people abandoned by the 
 Lord to our care. Many other Saints were remarkable for 
 their tenderness to the poor. Sister Maria Crucifixa often 
 told her Abbess that if it should ever be necessary to re- 
 fuse alms to the poor, she would contrive not to be present, 
 as she could not bear it. St. Margaret, a Dominican nun, 
 put so much refinement, delicacy, and courtesy into her acts 
 of charity, that the expression " This is not a leaf from Sis- 
 ter Margaret's book" became a proverb to characterize 
 anything that was not well arranged. St. Hedwig, Queen of 
 Poland, served the poor on her knees, and washed their feet. 
 St. Stephen, King of Hungary, and others, did the same. 
 
 20. We should love the poor with peculiar affection, beholding in 
 them the very person of Christ, and showing them the same con- 
 sideration that He did.— St, V. de Paul. 
 
 The venerable Monseigneur de Palafox, after he was a 
 bishop, gave a dinner every Thursday to twelve poor men, 
 and was present at it himself. But one day, reading the 
 Life of St. Martin, he found that that Saint gave food to the 
 poor with his own hands, and washed their feet. He de- 
 cided to do the same, and carried out his plan inflexibly on 
 every Wednesday and Saturday, distributing to all who came, 
 the contents of two large pots, and doing this with his own 
 hands, remaining, in the mean time, on his knees, and with 
 his head uncovered. At the close of the distribution, he 
 washed the feet of the poor ; and he did all this with the 
 same pleasure and earnestness that he would have felt in do- 
 ing it to Jesus Christ visibly present. This produced in 
 his heart a great respect for the poor, for he thought every 
 time he met a poor man that he beheld God himself. 
 
 21. To visit and relieve the sick, cannot fail to be a thing very , 
 

 350 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 pleasing to God, since He has so greatly commended it. But to do 
 it with the greatest ease and merit, we must regard the sufferer not 
 simply as a man, but as Christ Himself, who testifies that He receives 
 iu His own person all such service. 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi showed wonderful charity 
 t( Awards all the sick. She visited them every day, and in se- 
 vere cases many times a day, remaining as long as necessary, 
 and serving them in all their need-, for which she provided 
 herself, or through the Superioress or others in charge. By 
 first tasting it herself, she sometimes encouraged them to 
 take food. She bathed them, arranged their beds, and swept 
 their rooms, performing the humblest offices of her own 
 accord. She read spiritual books to them, exhorted them 
 to patience, or gave them consolation, and did everything 
 with so much affection and cheerfulness, that she was of 
 the greatest assistance. This charity was universal, free 
 from self-interest, prompted solely by the love ol God, re- 
 garding the side now as temples of the Holy Ghost, now 
 as sisters of the angels, a id herself always as serving God 
 alone. When medicine was to be given at Inconvenient 
 hours, she (.Hired to help the infirmarian. When any re- 
 quired unusual care, she took the whole charge of serving 
 them. She did this in the case of a blind consumptive, ol' 
 a leper, and of one who had a frightful nicer, to which >\u> 
 more than once applied her lip-. She waited on them all 
 with as much attention as if she had been their servant, 
 bathing them, washing their clothes, and performing all 
 other services through the whole course of their illn 
 which, in the case of the consumptive, lasted for a year. 
 "When the sick were near their end, she remained with them 
 all night, without lying down, sometimes staying beside 
 them for fifteen days and night- in succession, now praying 
 for them, now encouraging them with so much feeling and 
 
NOVEMBER. — CHARITY. 351 
 
 charity, that she gave them the greatest comfort. And so 
 all the dying wished to have her present at their passage 
 from this world. 
 
 St. John Berchmans bestowed similar care upon the sick, 
 in whatever house he was living. He visited them many 
 times a day, and consoled them with spiritual conversation. 
 In summer, he brought them cool water from the fountain, 
 at the hottest part of the day, to moisten their lips and 
 hands. However numerous they might be, he went to see 
 them all every day, and spent most time with those who 
 required the most aid, or received the fewest visits. From 
 the rooms where he found many gathered, he quickly hast- 
 ened, to go to those who were alone. He always told some 
 anecdote of the Blessed Virgin to the sick lay-brothers, who 
 watched eagerly for the hour of his visit, and if anything 
 had hindered him, they a-ked the Father in charge to send 
 him later, — so much were they consoled by his presence. 
 When he was not able to visit any brother, he did not 
 fail to inquire of the infirmarian in regard to him. 
 
 St. Felix the Capuchin showed no less pity for the sick 
 of his Order. At his return to the convent, when he had 
 been out to solicit alms, he went around distributing among 
 them any little delicacies and refreshments he had obtained, 
 consoling them, at the same time, with amiable words, and 
 showing his readiness to render them whatever service they 
 required. 
 
 Many, too, even persons of high rank, have had a voca- 
 tion for visiting and serving hospitals. St. Stephen, King 
 of Hungary, went to them by night, alone and in disguise. 
 St. Louis, King of France, served the inmates on his knees 
 and with uncovered head, looking upon them as members 
 of Christ and united with Him upon the cross. And so 
 with many others, 
 
352 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 When St. John Gualberto was Abbot, he was so rigorous 
 in regard to the observance of the Rule, that he had no 
 mercy on the sick, but desired them to keep it like the 
 well. But this was not pleasing to the Lord, so He per- 
 mitted him to fall grievously ill, and learn from his own 
 experience how to compassionate sufferers, 
 
 22. To have that live for our neighbor which is commanded by 
 the Lord, we must entertain gocd and amiable feelings towards him, 
 especially when he is disagreeable and annoying to us on account of 
 any defect, natural or moral ; for then we find nothing in him to 
 iove, except in God. The maxim of the Saints was, that in per- 
 forming works of charity and kindness, we oughl to consider not 
 the person who receives them, but Him for whose Bake they are 
 done. Nor let us be discouraged if we sometime- feel repugnance ; 
 for, an ounce of this solid and reasonable love is of much greater 
 value than any amount of that tender and sensitive love which we 
 share with the animals, and which often deceives and betrays our 
 reason.— &. F. de Sales. 
 
 St. Jane Frances de Chantal possessed this love in abun- 
 dance, for, as we read in her Life, Bhe never losl an op- 
 portunity of showing it for any one, whatever faults and de- 
 ficiencies she might observe in him. She often exhorted her 
 Sisters to do the same, saying to them ■ k> We ought to bear 
 with our neighbors, miserable and ill-conditioned though 
 they may be, even in their follies and trivialities, supporting 
 their tediousness and those littles vexations which do no 
 harm beyond wearying us ; their want of harmony, too, their 
 weakness, and thoughtlessness occasioned by their deficient 
 knowledge, and all tlmse defects, which only regard the 
 person who suffers from them. It is certainly necessary to 
 suffer something, and if our neighbor had no defects and 
 gave us no trouble, how could we have occasion to bear with 
 him ?" Having heard that one of her Religious found it 
 very difficult to bear with the imperfections of another, she 
 
NOVEMBER. — CHAEITY. 353 
 
 wrote thus to hear : " My daughter, often consider how 
 it is said in the Gospel that Jesus Christ loved us, and 
 washed us in His blood, and observe that He did not wait 
 to love us until after we were washed from our impurities ; 
 but He loved us when we were vile and impure creatures, 
 and then washed us. Let us, then, love this dear neighbor of 
 ours without examination, though he be poor and ill-condi- 
 tioned, and whatever he may be. And if it were possible 
 to wash away his imperfections with our blood, we should 
 desire to give even the last drop of it for this purpose." 
 
 The venerable Sister Maria Crucifixa loved all her neigh- 
 bors, but she showed special kindness for those who were 
 of an unhappy disposition, or who exhibited any dislike to 
 her. Once she was much disobliged by a person in minor 
 orders, who, as she afterwards heard, could not receive ordi- 
 nation, because he had not sufficient fortune. She thereupon 
 prevailed upon his mother, who was a duchess, to make 
 a settlement of this requisite amount of property upon him. 
 
 23. Let us beware of complaints, resentments, and evil-speaking 
 against those who are ill-disposed to us, discontented with us, or 
 hostile to our plans and arrangements, or who even persecute us 
 with injuries, insults, and calumnies. Rather let us go on treating 
 them as cordially as at first, or more so, as far as possible showing 
 them esteem, always speaking well of them, doing them good, serv- 
 ing them on occasion, even to the point of taking shame and dis- 
 grace upon ourselves, if necessary to save their honor. All this 
 ought to be done, first, to overcome evil with good, according to the 
 teaching of the Apostles ; and secondly, because they are our al- 
 lies rather than our adversaries, as they aid us to destroy self-love, 
 which is our greatest foe ; and since it is they who give us an op- 
 portunity to gain merit, they ought to be considered our dearest 
 friends.— ££. V. de Paul. 
 
 It was thus that he himself treated those who offended 
 him. He not only pardoned them willingly, and obtained 
 pardon from the government for them when required, but 
 
354 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 compassionated them, excused them, showed for them the 
 same esteem, affection, and respect as if nothing had hap- 
 pened, and did them all the good that was in his power. 
 Still more, as he was very sensitive regarding fraternal 
 charity, he took care to extirpate from their hearts the root 
 of rancor, and to gain their affection by exonerating them, 
 humbling himself, and bending to them so much that they 
 were obliged to yield to his humility and charity. He was 
 never heard to complain of any one, whatever offence lie 
 had given, and still less to blame or accuse any, so long as 
 his own interests were the only ones involved. One day, a 
 missionary of his Congregation told him that some people, 
 moved, as he thought, by envy, were putting obstacles in 
 the way of the ordination of some new priests. " Yes," he 
 answered. " this function frequently excites emulation and 
 envy. Bui those who arc now in opposition, may have a 
 good and upright motive. So, we ought to preserve all 
 our esteem and respect for them, and believe with them 
 that we are unworthy of such a charge, and that others 
 would execute it better than we. Let us profit by this 
 sentiment, and give ourselves to God in truth, to serve Him 
 faithfully." 
 
 St. Francis de Sales was once talking with an intimate 
 friend, who said that, in his opinion, one of the most difficult 
 precepts of Christianity was that of love towards enemies. 
 " For my part," said St. Francis, u I do not know what 
 my heart is made of, or whether God has been graciously 
 pleased to give me one quite peculiar. For I do not find 
 the fulfilment of this precept in the least difficult ; on the 
 contrary, I experience so much pleasure in it, that if God had 
 forbidden me to love my neighbors, I should have the great- 
 est difficulty in obeying Him." The following incident 
 shows how truly he spoke. 
 
NOVEMBEE. — CHAKITY. 355 
 
 A lawyer of Annecy hated the holy prelate for no visible 
 cause ; and was constantly speaking ill of him, injuring and 
 persecuting him, so that he even tore down one of his 
 notices which was fastened upon the church door, and 
 scrawled a thousand disgraceful figures on his confessional. 
 The Saint, who knew all this, met him one day, and made him 
 a friendly bow ; then taking him by the hand with great 
 politeness, he said whatever he thought most likely to make 
 him change his course ; but, seeing that his words produced 
 no eifect, he added : " I clearly perceive that you hate me, 
 though I do not know why. But assure yourself that if 
 you were to put out one of my eyes, I would look at you 
 with the other as amicably as if you were my best friend." 
 His heart, however, was not softened by this, nor by the 
 efforts of his friends to lead him to re-consider his actions. 
 On the contrary, after firing pistol-shots at his windows, he, 
 one day, fired at the Bishop himself in the street, but by 
 mistake wounded his vicar. For this act he was i mprisoned 
 by the senate, and, notwithstanding the interposition of the 
 Saint, he was condemned to death. But the holy Bishop, 
 having obtained a reprieve, used his influence with the king 
 so successfully as to obtain his pardon. He went himself to 
 the prison to bring the good news, and to entreat him to aban- 
 don a hostility for which he had no j ust cause. Finding him 
 hardened as ever, and ready with c ilumnies and insults, he 
 knelt and asked his pardon. Finally, perceiving that noth- 
 ing would move him, he left by his side the pardon he 
 had obtained for him, and took leave, saying : " I have res- 
 cued you from the hands of man's justice, and you are not 
 converted. You will fall under the justice of God, from 
 which you cannot escape." This soon happened ; for, a 
 little while after, his life came to an unhappy end. 
 
 In the Lives of the Fathers we read of a monk, who, when 
 
356 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 he knew that another was speaking ill of him, was much 
 pleased, and often visited him when such a one was in the 
 neighborhood, and sent him presents when at a distance. 
 
 Tuere was also another, who always showed the greatest 
 love to any who insulted him, saying to those who were as- 
 tonished at it : " Those who insult us give us the means of 
 perfecting ourselves ; and those who praise and honor us, put 
 stumbling-blocks before our feet, and give us subjects of 
 pride." 
 
 An old monk, too. is mentioned, whose cell was often 
 entered Becretly by another monk, who robbed him of any- 
 thing good that he had, particularly in the way of food. 
 This the good old man noticed in silence, and worked 
 harder than before, and ate less, Baying to himself, " This 
 poor brother must be in want." When the holy old man 
 lay on hisdeath-bed, Burronnded by the monks, he saw among 
 them the robber, and begging him to approach, he clasped 
 his hands and kissed them. Baying : '' Dear hands ! how 
 much am I obliged to you ! I thank you with all pos- 
 sible earnestness, for by your means I am now going to 
 Paradise !" 
 
 St. Teresa was accost >med to red< >uble her charity towards 
 those who offended her. 
 
 St. Francis Borgia used to call those who brought upon 
 him any mortification or trial, his assistants nnd friends. 
 
 A certain good nun, whenever she received an injury 
 from any one, always hastened to the Most Holy Sacrament, 
 and made an offering of it, sayimr : " O Lord, for love of 
 Thee I pardon her who has done me this wrong ! Mayest 
 Thou pardon her for love of me !" 
 
 One of her nuns once told St. Jane Frances de Chantal, 
 that another Sister had revealed some of her faults, but she 
 had resolved, for the love of God, not to do the same to her 
 
NOVEMBER. — CHAEITY. 357 
 
 in return. The good Mother embraced her tenderly, saying : 
 " May it please my God that this resolution shall never pass 
 away from your mind ! I should consider myself most 
 happy if I could find it in the hearts of all our Sisters." 
 
 24. Let us endeavor to show ourselves full of compassion towards 
 the faulty and the sinful. If we do not show compassion and 
 charity to these, we do not deserve to have God show it towards us. 
 — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 This Saint was never astonished at any fault that he 
 saw committed ; for he said that to commit faults was the 
 characteristic of man, as he was conceived and born in sin. 
 This acquaintance that he had with the common miseries 
 of man, was what made him behave with so much sweetness 
 and compassion to all sinners. He avoided harshness, and 
 used only mild and compassionate words and ways, even 
 with the most guilty, endeavoring to conceal and make 
 little account of their faults, with a marvellous prudence 
 and charity, and desiring to have his missionaries follow the 
 same course. 
 
 When St. John Berchmans had charge of the Novitiate, 
 if the Father Rector ordered him to impose a penance upon 
 any novice, he felt such great compassion that he would 
 kneel and ask the favor of performing it in his place. But 
 when this was not granted, he imposed it with such suavity, 
 that no one ever showed any hesitation about accepting it. 
 
 St. Francis once said to the Blessed Cataneus, his General : 
 " By this I shall know whether you love God and me, His 
 and your servant ; that is, by your showing mercy to delin- 
 quents. When you find one, do not let him go without his 
 feeling the effect of your kindness ; and if you see him fall a 
 thousand times, love him always more than myself, that 
 you may attract him to good, and never fail to be merciful 
 to all such." 
 
358 A YEAR AVITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales had a heart so tender towards evil- 
 doers that he often said, " There is no one bat God and my- 
 self who truly loves wicked men." He gave proof of ex- 
 traordinary charity towards them, by ascribing their mis- 
 deeds to human frailty. 
 
 25. Among all those who are included under the title of neighbor, 
 there are none who deserve it more, in one sense, than those of out- 
 own household. They are nearest of all to us, living under the 
 same roof, and eating the same bread. Therefore, they ought to be 
 one of the principal objects of our love, and we should practise iu 
 regard to tliem all the acts of a true charity, which ought to be 
 founded not upon flesh and blood, or upon their good qualities, but 
 altogether upon God. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 St. Yiihvnt do Paul bore greal love to all the members 
 <>f hi- Congregation. He showed esteem and veneration 
 for all, and welcomed them all with such tokens of affec- 
 tion, that each felt sure of being tenderly loved by him. 
 lie provided for their needs with great solicitude, for he 
 could not bear to see any of them suffer. He was often seen 
 to rise from the table to set aside dish s lor the lay-brothers, 
 who came after the rest, and if it happened that the cook 
 had nothing for any one, or delayed in serving him, he 
 would give him his own portion, and constrain him to take it. 
 lie was most attentive in providing relief and comfort for 
 the sick, often going himself to inquire into their condition 
 and their need- ; he advised the infirmarians to take all 
 possible care of them, and the Superiors of houses to spare 
 no fatigue or expense in providing for them. He tried to 
 soothe their sufferings by special marks of love and atten- 
 tion, and offered his prayers to God on their behalf. If 
 he perceived that any one of them had a particular desire 
 to speak to him, he left everything to listen to him, and 
 gave him all the time he needed. When he belonged to 
 
NOVEMBER. — CHARITY. 359 
 
 the king's council, the importance of the business there 
 transacted, prevented him from leaving it in the midst to 
 go to them, so that he deferred this work of charity until 
 the evening, after the general examen, and denied him- 
 self the necessary repose that he might not deprive them 
 of this satisfaction. When he saw that any one was troubled 
 by interior trials or temptations, he made every effort to 
 free or else to relieve him ; and if any one seemed hardened, 
 he did his best to win him by gentleness and mildness, 
 sometimes even throwing himself at the feet of such, and 
 begging them not to yield to their besetting sin. Prostrat- 
 ing himself once before one who was unwilling to yield, he 
 said to him : " I will not rise from this spot till you have 
 granted what I am asking for your good, nor am I will- 
 ing that the devil should have more influence with you 
 than myself." 
 
 St. Jane Frances de Chantal had great charity towards all 
 her neighbors. Greater, however, more intense, and more 
 tender, was that which she bore to her Religious, and she 
 strove to have them feel the same towards one another. In 
 an exhortation which she made one day to lead them to 
 this, she said : " Observe, that when Jesus Christ gave the 
 commandment of fraternal charity to His Apostles, He did 
 not speak in the same way of the love which they were to 
 bear to all men and of that which they were to bear to one an- 
 other. Speaking of the former, He said, ' Love your neigh- 
 bors as yourselves f but of the latter, ' Love one another as 
 I have loved you, and as My Father loves Me/ Now, the 
 love with which Jesus Christ has loved us, and, still more, 
 that love with which His Divine Father loves Him, is a dis- 
 interested love, a love of equality, a love of inseparable union ; 
 therefore, you ought to love one another with this love, to 
 fulfil to perfection the divine commandment." She herself 
 
360 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 loved her daughters in this way, with a disinterested love, 
 which had no advantage or pleasure of her own for its aim ; 
 with a love of equality, which made her equally affable and 
 kind to all, accommodating herself to the feelings, desires, and 
 inclinations of each, and making herself all tilings to all 
 with admirable condescension, as far as she lawfully could ; 
 and finally, with a love of inseparable union, for no defect, 
 imperfection, or had quality of theirs, could remove them a 
 hair's breadth from her loving heart, 
 
 rtain union of heart and tender love 
 for our neighbor, which is one of the greatest and most excellent 
 gifts that His divine- bounty bestows on man. — St. F. deSalet, 
 
 The Saint himself had received this beautiful gift. One 
 day, conversing with a confidential friend, he spoke thus : 
 " 1 think there is ao1 a soul in the world that loves more 
 cordially, more tenderly, or, so to speak-, more amorously, 
 than I. f>r so it has pleased God to form my heart." 
 
 St. Ajnbroee relates how this love was shown by a holy 
 contention which took place between St. Theodora the 
 Virgin and a soldier. The Saint was put in a position of 
 great danger on account of her faith in Christ, when 
 the soldier came to her, and begged her to change clothes 
 with him, that >ho might (—-ape and save hoi- honor. This 
 she did ; lmt when the holy virgin saw her preserver led to 
 martyrdom, she could not endure the thought that her 
 cue should cost him his life, and publicly exclaimed, that 
 it was she who had been condemned, not the one in custody, 
 who was iii reality not a woman, but a man. The soldier, 
 on the contrary, asserted that the judge had not condemned 
 her to death. This friendly struggle to save ench other 
 from death, ended in both receiving the grace of martyr- 
 dom. 
 
NOVEMBER. — CHARITY. 361 
 
 27. It is not enough to have love for our neighbor — we should no- 
 tice of what sort it is, and whether it is true. If we love our neigh- 
 bor because he does us good, that is, because he loves us, and brings 
 us some advantage, honor, or pleasure, this is what we call a love of 
 complacency, and is common to us with the animals. If we love him 
 for any good that we see in him, that is, on account of beauty, style, 
 amiability, or attractiveness, this is love of friendship, which we share 
 with the heathens. Therefore, neither of these is a true love, and they 
 are of no merit, because purely natural and of short duration, being 
 founded upon motives which often cease to exist. In fact, if we love 
 any one because he is virtuous, or handsome, or our friend, what 
 will become of this love if he should cease to be virtuous, or hand- 
 some, or to love us, or, still worse, if he should become our enemy ? 
 When the foundation upon which our love rested, sinks, how 
 can it support itself ? The true love which alone is meritorious and 
 lasting, is that which arises from the charity which leads us to love 
 our neighbor in God and for God ; that is, because it pleases God, or 
 because he is dear to God, or because God dwells in him, or that it 
 may be so. There is, however, no harm in loving him also for any 
 honorable reason, provided that we love him more for God's sake 
 than for any other cause. Yet the less mixture our love has of 
 other motives, the purer and more perfect it will be. Nor does this 
 hinder us from loving some, such as our parents and benefactors, 
 or the virtuous, more than others, when such preference does not 
 arise from the greater good they do to us, but from the greater re- 
 semblance they have to God, or because God wills it. Oh how rare 
 is the love of this sort, which deserves to be called true love ! 
 
 Nolite amare secundum carnem, sed secundum spiritum sanctum — 
 Love not according to the flesh, but according to the Holy Spirit. — 
 St. F. de Sales. 
 
 For this reason, he entertained great love and universal 
 respect for all his neighbors — because he saw God in them, 
 and them in God ; and this made him very exact in all the 
 duties of courtesy, in which he was never known to fail tow- 
 ards any one. He felt, indeed, great tenderness for his 
 friends, but because he loved them with relation to God, 
 he was always ready to deprive himself of them. Writing 
 to the Superioress of a convent, he gave her this warning : 
 
362 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 " Hold the balance evenly among your daughters, that their 
 natural gifts may not cause you to divide your affection 
 and your good offices unjustly. How many persons are 
 there exteriorly polished, who are very pleasing in the eyes 
 of God ? Beauty, grace, agreeable conversation and manners, 
 suit the taste of those who still live according to their in- 
 clinations. Charity regards true virtues and beauty of 
 soul, and diffuses itself over all without partiality." 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul made it one oi his chief practices to 
 regard God alone in all men, and to honor in them the 
 divine perfections ; and from this most pure sentimenl tip re 
 sprang up in his heart a respectful love for all, and espe- 
 cially for ecclesiastics, in whom he most clearly recognized 
 the image of the power and holiness of the Creator. There- 
 fore, he charged his missionaries to love and honor them all, 
 and never to say anything but good of them, especially in 
 preaching to the people. He provided for their needs with 
 particular care, as he was unwilling to seethe dignity of the 
 priesthood lowered in their persons. 
 
 Among the acts of charity which St. Mary Magdalen di 
 Pazzi resolved to perform, was this— that she would rev- 
 erence and love creatures only b I Loves them, 
 and that she would rejoice in the love He bears them, and 
 the perfections He communicate- to them. At the point of 
 death, she said that though she had borne great love to all 
 her Sisters, she had loved them only in fulfilment of the 
 precept of love left us by Jesus Christ, and because He had 
 loved them so much, and that outside of this, she had never 
 had the slightest attachment to any creature. 
 
 28. Ah ! when shall we see ourselves steeped in sweetness and 
 suavity towards our neighbors ! "When shall we see their souls in 
 the sacred bosom of Jesus ! "Whoever looks upon his neighbor in 
 any other position, runs a risk of loving him neither purely nor per- 
 
NOVEMBER. — CHARITY. 363 
 
 severingly, nor impartially ; but in such a place, who would not love 
 him ? Who would not bear with him ? Who would not be pa- 
 tient with his imperfections ? Who would consider him an object 
 of dislike ? Now, our neighbor is truly there in the bosom and 
 within the heart of the Divine Savior. He is there as one most be- 
 loved and altogether amiable, so that the loving Lord dies from 
 pure love of him. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 This was the principal reason why this holy prelate was 
 so mild, so tender, so respectful, so patient, to every one — 
 because he saw them all in the heart of Jesus. He mani- 
 fested this one day, when Monsignor di Bel lei, his penitent, 
 complained to him of the great respect he showed him. 
 " What respect," he answered, " do you show Jesus Christ, 
 whom I honor in your person ?" 
 
 It was one of the chief maxims of St. Vincent de Paul, 
 not to regard his neighbor according to exterior appearance, 
 but as he was in the sight of God. " I must not regard," 
 he said, " a poor peasant or country girl as to their exterior 
 or their natural gifts, for often one can hardly recognize 
 in them any resemblance to a rational creature, so rude and 
 earthly are they ! But when we look upon them with the 
 eye of faith, we shall find them so deeply graven on the 
 heart of the Son of God, that He even gave His life for each 
 of them. How desirable it is to view our neighbor in God 
 Himself, that we may make the account of him which Christ 
 our Lord made !" 
 
 29. When Raguel saw the young Tobias without knowing him, 
 he exclaimed : " Oh how much this young man resembles my cousin !" 
 And when he heard that he was the son of that cousin, he embraced 
 him warmly, and gave him a thousand benedictions, weeping over 
 him for love. Now, why was this ? Not, certainly, on account of his 
 good qualities, for he did not yet know what his disposition was ; 
 but because, as he said," thou art the son of an excellent man, and 
 resemblest him greatly. " See what love does, when it is true. If 
 
364 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 we loved God truly, we should do as much for all our neighbors, 
 who are all sons of God, and resemble Him much. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 This reflection made the Saint show great respect to all. 
 One day, some one criticised him for showing too much 
 honor to the servant of a nobleman, who had brought him 
 a message. " I do not know how to make these distinc- 
 tios," he answered. " All men bear the image and 
 likeness of God, and that furnishes me with a sufficient 
 motive for respecting them." "When he met persons or 
 even animals heavily loaded, he stood aside that they might 
 pass more easily, and never permitted his servants to make 
 them stop or go back, saying, " Are they not men like 
 we? and do they not at this moment deserve more considera- 
 tion than we V" 
 
 St. Maiv MagdaL n di Pazzi often looked upon the im- 
 age of God as seen in her Sisters, which excited in her heart 
 great love for them ; and when any one of them seemed to 
 her imperfect and unworthy, she thought perhaps she had 
 some hidden girl which caused God to find pleasure in her. 
 
 A holy Religious once wrote this resolution : " I will 
 love God for Himself, and for love of Him I will serve those 
 who bear His image. I will give my heart to Him, and 
 my hands to my neighbor, that he may be united to God." 
 
 The Venerable Maria Semphina di Dio said of herself, 
 that she consoled herself under trials, in associating with her 
 neighbors, by the thought that she was beholding in them 
 the image of God, and that therefore she could not do less 
 than treat them with benevolence and cordiality. 
 
 When Theodosius was extremely provoked, and resolved 
 to punish severely the inhabitants of Antioch, who hud in- 
 sulted the statue he had raised to Flacilla, whom he had 
 greatly loved for her rare virtues, St. Macedonius begged one 
 of his courtiers to say these words to him in his name : 
 
NOVEMBER. — CHARITY. 365 
 
 " O Emperor, truly you would do right in punishing these 
 insolent men, but, I p ay you, remember that they are the 
 loving images of God, and if you dare to let loose your 
 rage against the images of the Lord, you may draw down 
 upon yourself His anger. For, if ill-treatment to the image 
 of your dear consort displeased you so much, how can you 
 suppose that God will not be equally displeased with what 
 you may inflict upon His images, so dear to Him that to 
 re-cast them He had not spared to shed all His blood ?" 
 These words, uttered with great simplicity and reported to 
 the emperor, did much to pacify him. 
 
 30. Among the means best fitted to acquire and preserve union 
 and charity with God and our neighbor, none can be found better 
 and more efficacious than holy humility, in abasing ourselves be- 
 neath all, esteeming ourselves the least, the worst, and lowest of all, 
 and thinking evil of no one. For, self-love and pride are what lead 
 us to sustain our opinions against those of our neighbor, and thus 
 cool the love we owe him. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 A Franciscan preacher once severely reproved in a sermon 
 a vice of which a marquis present in the congregation was 
 guilty. The latter went to the monk after the sermon, 
 loaded him with insults, and ended by saying, " Do you 
 know me ?•" " Yes," replied the Father, " and I consider it 
 a great honor to be acquainted with such a nobleman, for 
 me, whom am but a rustic by birth, and the humblest of 
 men," adding other things in his own disparagement. The 
 Marquis was pacified by this reply, and went away with 
 tears in his eyes, and full of veneration for the priest. 
 
 The Abbot Motues removed to a cell in a place called 
 Eradion. But being much troubled there by another monk, 
 and fearing that there could be no harmony between them, 
 he returned to his former abode. The monks of Eradion 
 grieved much at his departure, and after a while went after 
 
366 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 him, taking with them the one with whom there had been 
 difficulty. When they came near the Abbot's cell, they 
 took off their outer garments, and left them in charge of 
 this brother. Motues, on seeing the monks, welcomed them 
 kindly, and ask* d what had become of their cloaks. Hear- 
 ing that they were near at hand, in the care of his former 
 companion, he was much pleased, and instantly hast aed 
 out to meet him. Then, throwing himself at his feet, he 
 asked his pardon, and embraced him, and took him to his 
 cell with the rest. He kept them all for three days, and 
 afterwards went back with them to Eradion. 
 
DECEMBER. 
 
 UNION. 
 
 Qui manet in eharitate, in Deo manet, et Deus in eo — Whoabidethin 
 charity, abideth in God, and God in him. — I John, iv : 16. 
 
 1. The object of all virtues is to bring us into union with 
 God, in which alone is laid up all the happines that can be enjoyed 
 in this world. Now, in what does ibis unioa properly consist ? In 
 nothing save a perfect conformity and resemblance between our 
 will and the will of God, so that these two wills are absolutely 
 alike — there is nothing in one repugnant to the otber ; all that one 
 wishes and loves, the other wishes and loves ; whatever pleases or dis- 
 pleases one, pleases or displeases the other. — St. John of the Cross. 
 
 The Blessed Virgin possessed this perfect union, and St. 
 Bernard says of her that she kept her eyes on the watch, and 
 her consent fully prepared for every token of the Divine 
 will. 
 
 The Venerable Mother Seraphina di Dio had advanced 
 far on this road, for, in an account which she gave of herself 
 to her director, she was able to say : " My soul seems to 
 be so much in harmony with our Lord, that whatever He 
 operates in it, always appears most fitting, for it is the very 
 thing which it wills for itself. Whatever comes to my 
 soul, is a sweet morsel made on purpose for it, and it seems 
 unable to desire anything else, so that it never experiences 
 bitterness or troubl"." Once, when sheaccusedkerselfof want 
 of conformity to the Divine will, she received at that mo- 
 ment a ray of light by which she saw how beautiful is the 
 will of God so clearly that she remained for some time over- 
 
 367 
 
368 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 come with astonishment that a creature, sprang from 
 nothing, should fail to love the most holy and beautiful 
 will of its Creator. 
 
 2. Those deceive themselves, who believe that union with God con- 
 sists in ecstasies or raptures, and in the eujoyment of Him. For it 
 consists in nothing except the surrender and subjection of our will 
 with our thoughts, words, and action?, to the will of God and it is 
 perfect when the will finds itself separated from everything, and ;n- 
 tached only to that of God, so that every one of its movements is 
 solely and purely the volition of God. This is the true and essential 
 union which 1 have always desired, and which I constantly iskof the 
 Lord. Oil, how many of us there are who say this, and who think 
 we desire only this ! But, wretched that we are, how few are ever to 
 attain it ! — St. Teresa. 
 
 This Saint never ceased to wonder at the great privilege 
 which man possesses in being able t<> unite himself to his 
 Creator, and at the wonderful d sire which bo great a sov- 
 ereign entertains t<» see him united t<> Himself. This, there- 
 fore, was the object of her keenest desires, and for this she 
 strove more ardently than for anything else, 
 
 St. John the Baptist abode in the desert for twenty-four 
 years. God know- how his heart was touched with love 
 for his Savior even from his birth, and how earnestly he de- 
 sired to enjoy His presence; and yet, devoted to the simple 
 will of God, he remained there discharging his duty, with- 
 out even once seeing Him. And after he had baptized 
 Him, he did not follow Him, but continued in his office. 
 What can we say of all this, if not that his was a spirit de- 
 tached from all things and from God Himself, to perform 
 His will? " This example," said St. Francis de Sales. 
 " overwhelms my soul with its grandeur." 
 
 3. Union with God takes place in three ways : by conformity, by 
 uniformity, and by deiformity. Conformity isacomplete subordina- 
 tion of our will to the Divine will in all our actions, and in all oc- 
 
DECEMBEK. — UNION. 369 
 
 currences and events, so that we will and accept all that God wills 
 and sends, however painful and repulsive it may be. Uniformity is 
 a close union of our will with the Divine will, by which we will not 
 only all that God wills, but we will it solely because He wills it ; and 
 so all repugnances are banished. Deiformity is a transformation 
 which renders our will one with that of God, so that it is no longer 
 conscious of itself, as if it were no longer in existence, but only feels 
 in itself the Divine will, and, as if it were changed into it, no longer 
 desires in any of its acts and operations, anything, even what is 
 most holy, with orthrough the created will, but only in the uncreated, 
 made its own by transformation. — Fr. Achilles Gagliardi. 
 
 St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi attained to all three de- 
 grees of union. As to the first, she often said, with great 
 feeling : " If I should see hell open, and believe that it 
 was the Lord's will that I should suffer eternally in those 
 flames, I would plunge into them instantly, of my own ac- 
 cord, to accomplish His divine will." For the second, 
 she said, in an ecstasy that she had at Pentecost, " I pro- 
 test that I do not seek or desire the Holy Spirit, except ac- 
 cording to the will of God. I desire His presence, and I 
 do not desire it, because I do not wish to desire it of my- 
 self as of myself ; so that if God should give it to me to do my 
 will, and not His as His, but as mine, even though His will 
 were to be found in this, yet not primarily and totally His, 
 I should be in no wise content. So much does it concern 
 me not to wish to possess or make my own, what I have 
 given to Him, and what I wish should be wholly His, that 
 I may be able to say with perfect truth in everything, 
 Fiat voluntas Tua. For the third, she lived as one dead to 
 herself, without any intention or will of her own. In an- 
 other ecstasy, the Lord showed her her own soul in this con- 
 dition, under the form of another soul, which she described 
 in these terms : " She follows her Spouse without under- 
 standing, without speaking, without hearing, without tast- 
 ing, and, so to speak, without acting, and as if dead. She 
 
370 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 thinks only of following the interior attraction of the Di- 
 vine Word, that she may not offend Him." 
 
 4. Conformity to the Divine will is a most powerful means to 
 overcome every temptation, to eradicate every imperfection, and to 
 preserve peace of heart. It is a most efficacious remedy for all ills, 
 and the treasure of the Christian. It includes in itself in an emi- 
 nent degree mortification, abnegation, indifference, imitation of 
 Christ, uniou with God, and in general all the virtues, which are 
 not virtues at all, except as they are in conformity with the will of 
 God, the origin and rule <>f all perfection. —St. V. de Paul. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul was himself so much attached to 
 this virtue, that it might be called his characteristic and 
 principal one, or a kind of general virtue which spreads Its 
 influence over all the rest, which amused all his feelings and 
 all his powers of mind and body, and was the mainspring of 
 all his actions. Ifhe placed himself in the presence of God 
 in his prayers or other exercises, hi- first impulse was to 
 say with St. Paul, u Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do ?" 
 Ifhe was very attentive in consulting and hearkening to 
 God, and showed great circumspection in distinguishing be- 
 tweentrue inspirations pi \ from the Holy Spirit, and 
 
 false ones which come from the devil or from nature, this 
 was in order to recognize the will of God with greater cer- 
 tainty, and he in a better position to execute it. And, finally, 
 if he rejected so resolutely the maxims of the world, and at- 
 tached himself solely to those of the Gospel / if he re- 
 nounced himself so perfectly ; ifhe embraced crosses with 
 so much affection, and gave himself up to do and suffer all 
 for God, — this, too. was to conform himself more perfectly 
 to the whole will of his divine Lord. 
 
 The blessed Jacopone being astonished that he no longer 
 felt any disturbances and evil impulses, as he did at first, 
 heard an interior voice saying : " This comes from your 
 
DECEMBEE. — UNION. 371 
 
 having wholly abandoned yourself to the Divine will, and 
 being content with all it does." 
 
 5. So great is the delight which the angels take in executing the 
 will of God, that, if it were His will that one of them should come 
 upon earth to pull up weeds and root out nettles from a field, he 
 would leave Paradise immediately, and set himself to work with all 
 his heart, and with infinite pleasure. — Bl. Enrico >! 
 
 He himself was so satisfied with the will of God, so 
 completely attached and submissive to it, that he said, " I 
 would rather be a bat at the Divine will, than a seraph at 
 my own." 
 
 So great was the love and tenderness which St. Mary 
 Magdalen di Pazzi entertained for the Divine will, that 
 at the mere mention of it, she would be lost in an ocean of 
 spiritual joy, and sometimes rapt into ecstasies. One even- 
 ing, after most of the others had retired to sleep, some 
 one said of a certain Sister that she had a great desire to do 
 the will of God. The Saint replied joyously, " She is right, 
 for to do the will of God is a thing most lovely" — and with 
 that she remained bereft of sense, for she could not bear 
 the flood of sweetness that flowed over her at the thought 
 of the loveliness of the Divine will. She then ran through 
 the dormitory, exclaiming, " How amiable is the Divine 
 will !" and calling upon the rest to come and confess this 
 with her. She excited such a tender emotion in them all, 
 that they arose and went with her to the chapel, where they 
 all unitedly confessed with a loud voice that the Divine 
 will was worthy of all love, and the hearts of all were deeply 
 stirred. 
 
 6. A soul truly resigned to God has no affection for any created 
 thing, for it sees clearly that all its possessions, except God, are vain 
 and a nullity. So its single object and aim is to die to itself, and to 
 resign itself actually and always in all things.— 5?. Enrico Susone. 
 
372 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul excelled in this, for he lived quite 
 apart from all creatures, and even from himself, taking no 
 care but to depend in everything upon the will of God and 
 the disposal of His holy providence. 
 
 The soul of the Venerable Mother Seraphina had arrived 
 at this happy state, as appears from an account she gave 
 of herself to her director in these terms : " The state in which 
 I find my soul at present, is, that I wish for nothing except 
 what God wills. The will and pleasure of( rod has so pene- 
 trated me, and has become go wrought into my own will and 
 pleasure, that it has made itself mine, and 1 desire that alone 
 which God wills, and not only do I will it, but I am not 
 able to will otherwise, nor to have any pleasure or will but 
 His. This is my Bole and complete will, nor have I need 
 to produce or repeat acta of it, for I have it deeply im- 
 pressed upon my soul ; I love and esteem it, and rejoice in 
 it supremely." 
 
 7. As the Lord knows for what we all are adapted, He gives to all 
 their positions as he sees to be most for His own glory, for their 
 salvation, and the good of their neighbors. Our mistake, then, is in 
 not submitting ourselves totally to whatever lie wishes to do with 
 us. — St. Teresa. 
 
 When her*director expressed a donbt as to the spiritual 
 
 courseshe was following, and bade her try another, St. Teresa 
 was only able to place herself in the hands of God, that 
 He, who knew what was best for her, might wholly ac- 
 complish His holy will in her heart. 
 
 The Lord, one day, gave St. Francis Borgia the choice of 
 life or death for his wife, who was seriously ill. But he 
 replied with emotion, " Why, O Lord, commit to my 
 judgment what lies solely in Thy power ? What concerns 
 jne is to follow Thy holy will in all things, since no one 
 
DECEMBEE. — UNION. 373 
 
 knows better than Thou what is best for me. Do, then 
 what is most pleasing to Thee, not only with my wife, but 
 with my children also, and with myself. Fiat voluntas 
 Tua I" 
 
 A blind man earnestly entreated St. Vedastus, on the day 
 of his festival, to give him sight, and obtained it. Then, con- 
 tinuing his prayer, he said that he would not have asked it, 
 except as a help towards his salvation, when it was imme- 
 diately taken away again. The same thing happened to an- 
 other, who was cured of a painful infirmity by the interces- 
 sion of St. Thomas of Canterbury, but who protested to the 
 Saint that if health was not best for him, he did not desire it. 
 Upon this, his previous illness instantly returned, at which 
 he felt no disappointment. 
 
 8. We ought to submit to the will of God, and be content in what- 
 ever state it may please Him to put us ; nor should we ever desire to 
 change it for another, until we know that such is His pleasure. This 
 is the most excellent and the most useful practice that can be adopted 
 upon earth.— St. V. de Paul. 
 
 The venerable Father Daponte told an intimate friend 
 that he was glad of all his natural defects of appearance and 
 speech, since it had pleased the Lord to mark him with 
 them ; that he was glad also of all his temptations and mis- 
 eries, both interior and exterior, since God so willed it, and 
 that if it were the will of God that he should live a thou- 
 sand year-, oppressed by far greater trials, and in the deep- 
 est darkness, provided that he should not offend Him, he 
 would be quite content. 
 
 When the news of her husband's death in the war was 
 brought to St. Elizabeth, she instantly raised her heart to 
 God, and said : " O Lord, Thou knowest well that I pre- 
 ferred his presence to all the delights of the world ! But 
 
374 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 since it has pleased Thee to take him from me, I assent so 
 fully to Thy holy will, that if I could bring him back by 
 plucking out a single hair from my head, I would not do it, 
 except at Thy will." 
 
 9. Never believe you have attained such purity as you should, 
 whilst your will is not freely and gladly submissive to the holy will 
 of God, as to all, and in all, even in things the most repugnant.— 
 St. F. dc Saks. 
 
 St. Jane Frances de Chantal said thai he arrived at such 
 purity, as she knew from himself, for in his deepest afflic- 
 tions he experienced a Bweetness a hundred times greater 
 than usual. This came from the intimate union with God 
 that be enjoyed, which made the bitterest things most de- 
 licious to him. 
 
 The Congregation of St. Vincent de Paul having met 
 with a serious loss of property, he informed a friend of it 
 in this way : " As you are one of our best friends, I can- 
 not do less than let you know of the loss we have met 
 with — uot, indeed, as a misfortune that has befallen us, but 
 as a favor which tin- Lord ha- bestowed on us, and in the 
 intention that you may help us to render Him due thanks. 
 Favors and benefits are the name I give to the afflictions 
 tint Ih- sends us, especially when they are well received. 
 And as His infinite- goodness has ordained this los3,Hehas 
 made us accept it with perfect and entire resignation, and, 
 I can safely say, with a- much gladness as we should have 
 felt at any prosperous event. " 
 
 10. One act of resignation to the Divine will, when it ordains what 
 is repugnant to us, is worth more than a hundred thousand successes 
 «.ccording te our own will and plea-ure. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 How much, in the midst of all his disasters, did holy Job 
 
DECEMBER. — UNION. 375 
 
 merit before God, by his Dominus dedit, Dominus abstulit 
 — The Lord hath given, and the Lord hath taken away ! 
 
 11. Perfect resignation is nothing else tban a complete moral an- 
 nihilation of thoughts and affections, when one renounces himself 
 totally in God, that He may. guide him as He wills and pleases, as 
 if one no longer knew or cared for either himself or anything else ex- 
 cept God. It is thus that the soul, so to speak, loses itself in God, 
 not, indeed as to its nature , but as to the appropriation of its powers. — 
 Bl. Enrico Susone. 
 
 St. Catherine of Genoa was one of those happy souls 
 who attained to a share in this holy annihilation, in which, as 
 she herself attests, she had no longer thoughts, affections, or 
 desires as to anything, except to leave God to do with her, 
 and in her, all that He might will, without any choice or 
 resistance on her part, and that this gave her in all circum- 
 stances and occasions, a delight like that of the blessed, 
 who have no will but that of their God. And so she was 
 able to say : " If 1 eat, if I drink, if I speak, if I am silent, 
 if I sleep, if I wake, if I see, if I hear, if I meditate, if 
 I am in the church, if I am in the house, if I am in the street, 
 if I am sick or well, in every hour and moment of my 
 life, I would do only God's will, and my neighbor's for His 
 sake ; or rather, I would not wish to be able to do, to 
 speak, or to think anything apart from the will of God ; and 
 if anything in me should oppose itself to this, I would 
 wish that it might instantly become dust and be scattered to 
 the winds." 
 
 A young girl, whom she had never seen, once appeared to 
 St. Aldegonde, and told her, in the name of the Blessed 
 Virgin, that she might ask what she chose, and it would be 
 given her. But the Saint replied cheerfully, that she de- 
 sired nothing, except that in all things the holy will of God 
 should be accomplished, to which she would be resigned 
 with all possible satisfaction and pleasure. 
 
376 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 12. When shall it be that we shall taste the sweetness of the Di- 
 vine will in all that happens to us, considering iu everything only 
 Ilis good pleasure, by whom it is certain that adversity is sent with 
 as much love as prosperity, and as much for our good ? When shall 
 we cast ourselves unreservedly into the arms of our most loving 
 Father in heaven, leaving to Him the care of ourselves and of our 
 affairs, and reserving only the desire of pleasing Him, and of serving 
 Him well in all that we can ? — St. J. F. de Chantal. 
 
 When St. Peter was about to hold a disputation with 
 Simon Magus, lie received word from his opponent, that, 
 on account of important business, lie should be obliged to 
 dolor the debate for thnr days. St, Clement, who had just 
 been converted, and who was with St. Peter, was grieved at 
 this delay. But St. Peter consoled him by saying: " My 
 sou, it is to be expected of the heathens that they will be 
 troubled when things do not turn according to their wishes ; 
 but for us. who know that the Lord guides and disposes 
 all things, we ought in all eases to abide in great peace and 
 consolation. 1 will show you that this event which dis- 
 pleases you, is in reality foryour good, for if the discussion 
 hud taken place now, you would have understood but little 
 of it, but later you will understand it better; for, in the 
 mean time, I will instruct you, so that you will be able to 
 derive greater advantage from it. So, for the future, beware 
 of separating yourself from the Divine will, and always be 
 sure that whatever happens will be for the best." 
 
 We read of the wife of a soldier, who u-<-<\ to say, when 
 a misfortune happened to any one, " It will be the best 
 thing for him."' She made the same remark on the occasion 
 of her husband's losing an eye. Si >me time after, it happened 
 that the king was near death, and, according to the custom 
 of the country, some one was chosen to honor his death by 
 dying with him. It happened that this soldier was chosen, 
 but when he was informed of his ill-fortune, he immediately 
 
DECEMBER.— UNION. 377 
 
 said : " But no ! it is not proper that so great a king should 
 have a one-eyed man for his companion in death !" This 
 was approved by all, so that the loss of an eye was no evil, 
 but a great piece of good fortune* 
 
 13. To lose ourselves in God, is simply to give up our own will to 
 Him. When a soul can say truly, " Lord, I have no other will than 
 Thine," it is truly lost in God, and United to Him.—vSfc. F. de Sales. 
 
 The venerable Father Daponte made this prayer, and re- 
 peated it every day : " Mat, Domine de me, in me, pro me, 
 ei circa me et omnia mea, sancta volunats Txia, in omnibus et 
 per omnia et in odernum"^— Concerning me, in me, for me, 
 in regard to me, and all that I have, may Thy holy will, 
 O Lord, be done, in all things, and through all things, 
 and to eternity. 
 
 The Lord appeared one day to St. Gertrude and said to 
 her : " Daughter, behold, I bring you in one hand health, 
 and in the other sickness. Choose which you please !" The 
 Saint, throwing herself at His feet, with her hands crossed 
 upon her bosom, answered : " O Lord, I pray Thee not to 
 consider my will at all, but solely Thine own, and to do 
 with me whatever will result in Thy greatest glory and 
 satisfaction ; for I have no desire except to have whatever 
 Thou wishest me to have." The Lord was much pleased 
 with this reply, and added : " Let those who desire that I 
 should often visit them, give Me the key of their will, and 
 never take it back." Instructed by these words, the Saint 
 composed for herself this aspiration, which she frequently 
 repeated ever after : " Non mea, seel Tua voluntas fiat, Jesu 
 amantissime !" — Not my will, but Thine be done, O most 
 loving Jesus ! 
 
 14. There are many who say to the Lord, " I give myself wholly 
 to Thee, without any reserve," but there are, few who embrace the 
 
378 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 practice of this abandonment, which consists in receiving with a cer- 
 tain indifference every sort of event, as it happens in conformity 
 with Divine Providence, as well afflictions as consolations, contempt 
 and reproaches as honor and glory. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul was a brilliant example of this. In 
 all places, times, occupations, and circumstances, in tribula- 
 tion and consolation, in illness, in cold and heat, in en- 
 countering reproaches, calumnies, the loss of friends or 
 property, he was never troubled or disturbed, but, as if all 
 these events had been similar, he remained in great peace 
 and tranquillity of soul, which he manifested by the sweet- 
 ness of his words and the serenity of his countenance : for 
 he never lost sight of his maxim, that nothing happens in 
 this world excpt as ordained by Divine Providence, into 
 whose hand- he had entirely abandoned himself. This once 
 made a priest say in astonishment, "M. Vincent is always 
 M. Vincent !" 
 
 Particular examples may be of use to illustrate this. 
 When he received news that parties were endeavoring to 
 bring law-suits and disturb his missionaries in their p 
 sions and in houses and lands which they had acquired, his 
 usual reply was, that nothing would succeed except what 
 God pleased, and that as He was master of all their goods, 
 it wasjusi that He should dispose of them according to His 
 divine will. When one of the most important and useful 
 members of his Congregation was seriously ill, he wrote 
 thus to a person who was much grieved at the misfortune: 
 " It seems as [four Lord wished to take IIi< portion of our 
 little company. It is, I hope, entirely Hi-, and so He has 
 a right to make use of it as He - For myself, the 
 
 chief desire that I have is to wish nothing except the ful- 
 filment of His divine will." In fact, though the preserva- 
 tion of his Congregation was so dear to him, he never desired 
 
DECEMBEK. — UNION. 379 
 
 either that or its increase and progress, except in so far as 
 he was sure that God willed it, so that, as he once said, he 
 would not have taken a step or uttered a word to that end, 
 except in entire dependence on the Divine will. His prac- 
 tice was the same in what regarded himself personally, for 
 he bore his many and great infirmities with much peace and 
 tranquillity of soul. In the last year of his life, lie per- 
 ceived clearly, and often said, that he was gradually failing, 
 but always with a perfect indifference, which proved that 
 living and dying, suffering and relief, were the same to 
 him. He was indifferent as to the food and the remedies 
 given him, and though he would sometimes express the 
 opinion that one thing or another did him harm, still he 
 always took what the physicians ordered him, and seemed as 
 well pleased with bad results as with good. In everything 
 he regarded only the accomplishment of God's good pleas- 
 ure, as the sole object of his desire and of his joy ; nor was 
 there ever observed in him, either in s : ckness or health, the 
 least token of a feeling opposed to this holy disposition. 
 
 St. Jane Frances de Chantal had attained the same height; 
 for we read of her that she received with equal indifference 
 whatever occurred, whether adverse or prosperous, as she had 
 no desire but that God would do with her and in her regard 
 whatever He might please. For this reason, she never cared 
 to think about what might happen to herself or others in 
 the future ; that is, about what she should do in such or 
 such circumstances ; as, for example, if she were in extreme 
 want, whether she would go out and beg, or wait for help 
 from Divine Providence ; she said that in such a case, she 
 would ask the Lord with fresh confidence what she was to 
 do, leaving herself, meantime, in His hands. She was once 
 asked whether, in the various dangers she had encountered 
 by land and water in her frequent journeys, she had always 
 
380 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 hoped that Go<l would rescue her from them. She replied 
 that she had hoped not for rescue, but only that the Lord 
 would do what might be for His greater glory, by freeing 
 her from the danger, or by leaving her to perish in it, and 
 that in this total dependence on the divine disposal, her 
 heart remained peaceful, tranquil, and at rest. 
 
 To conclude, a holy and learned man said that a soul 
 perfectly resigned, is like a body that form's a perfect square, 
 which stands firmly on whichever side it may be thrown. 
 
 15. if you give yourself to the practice of holy abandonment, 
 though you may not perceive that you gaiu at all, you will, in fact, 
 advance greatly, Bfl i; i- with those who sail upou the open sea with 
 favorable winds, trusting wholly to the care of the pilot. — St. F. de 
 Sales. 
 
 There was in a certain monastery a Religious whose 
 
 power of working miracles was BO great, that the sick were 
 cured by merely touching his garments or his cincture. 
 The Abbot wondered at this, a- ho Baw nothing remarkable 
 about him, and one day asked him for what cause God 
 worked so many miracles by his moans. " I do not know," 
 lie replied, " for I do not fast, nor use the discipline, nor 
 watch, nor pray, nor labor, any more thin others. This 
 only I perceive in myself — that nothing which happens 
 disturbs or disquiets me, but my soul remains in equal 
 tranquillity in the midst of all events, however unfortunate 
 they may be for m\ self or others, because I have left every- 
 thing in the hands of God. And so, whether it be pros- 
 perity or adversity, whether it be little or much, I take 
 all as coming from His hands." (i Then were you not 
 trouble] the other day," rejoined the Abbot, " when the 
 enemy burned our granary?" "Not in the least," was 
 his answer. " Here, then, is the cause of your miracles," 
 returned the Abbot. 
 
DECEMBER. — UNION. 381 
 
 A farmer who always had larger and better crops than 
 his neighbors, was once asked the reason by one of them. 
 " Why, I always have the weather to suit me," he an- 
 swered, " for I always wish it to be as God wishes it, and 
 not otherwise." 
 
 16. One of the principal effects of holy abandonment in God, is 
 evenness of spirits in the various accidents of this life, which is cer- 
 tainly a point of great perfection, and very pleasing to God. The 
 way to maintain it, is, in imitation of the pilots, to look continually 
 at the Pole Star, that is, the Divine will, in order to be constantly in 
 conformity with it. For it is this will which, with infinite wisdom, 
 rightly distributes prosperity and adversity, health and sickness, riches 
 and poverty, honor and contempt, knowledge and ignorance, and 
 all that happens in this life. On the other hand, if we regard creat- 
 ures without this relation to God, we cannot prevent our feelings 
 and disposition from changing, according to the variety of accidents 
 which occur. — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 Taulerus relates that there was once a great theologian, 
 who for eight years in succession prayed to God to show 
 him some one who would teach him the way of truth, and 
 that, finally, when he was one day offering this prayer with 
 great fervor, he heard a voice from heaven saying to him, 
 " Go to the temple, and there you shall find him !" He 
 went, and found a poor beggar on the church steps, half- 
 clothed with a few rags, and covered with sores. Moved 
 with compassion, he saluted him kindly with the words, 
 a God give you good day, my good man V " I never have a 
 bad day," said the beggar, with a cheerful look. " God give 
 you good fortune !" went on the theologian. " I have 
 never experienced any misfortunes," answered the other. 
 " How is this !" exclaimed the theologian ; " you have 
 never had bad days, and never experienced misfortunes, 
 loaded as you are with woes and miseries !" "I will tell 
 you," replied the mcndieant. " I have cast myself wholly 
 
382 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 upon the Divine will, to which I so conform my own, that 
 whatever God wills, I will also. So when hunger, thirst, 
 cold, heat, or sickness molest me, I do nothing but praise 
 God, and whatever happens to me, whether it be pros- 
 perous or adverse, whether it be pleasing or unpleasant, I 
 take all from the hand of God with great gladness, as 
 that which can but be good, since it comes from a Tanse 
 which can produce only what is best." <k But," went on the 
 theologian, u if God should choose to send you to hell, what 
 would you do?'' " I would immediately plunge into it," 
 returned the beggar. "For, see ! I have two arms : one is 
 humility, by which I ke< j> myself always attached to His 
 most sacred humanity ; the other is love, which attaches me 
 to His divinity. Now, it' He were to cast me into bell, I 
 would cling to Him bo tightly with these two arms, that 
 He would be obliged to come with me, and with Midi com- 
 panionship it would not grieve me much even to be in hell." 
 " Who can you be?" wondered the theologian. " 1 am 
 a king," was the answer. " And where is your kingdom V'' 
 "In my soul, for I know so well how to rule my facul- 
 ties both interior and exterior, that all the powers, in- 
 clinations, and affections ofmy soul are completely subject 
 to me." " Tell me, how did you learn snch great perfec- 
 tion ?" " By recollection, meditation, and union with God; 
 I was never able to find peace in anything less than God, 
 before I succeeded in finding Him, and since then I enjoy 
 continual peace." "And where did yon find Him?" 
 " Where I left affection for all other things." 
 
 17. In this holy abandonment springs up that beautiful freedom of 
 spirit, which the perfect possess, and in which there is found all the 
 happiness that can be desired in this life ; for in fearing nothing, and 
 seeking and desiring nothing of the things of the world, they pos- 
 sess all.— St. Teresa. 
 
DECEMBEK. — UNION. 383 
 
 One of these beautiful souls was that of St. Francis de 
 Sales. In whatever happened to him, he always showed as 
 much satisfaction as if all had gone according to his wishes. 
 For example, when a fierce persecution had been raised 
 against him and the Order he had founded, he wrote thus to 
 St. Jane Frances de Chantal : " I leave all these opposing 
 blasts to the providence of God. Let them blow or cease, 
 as shall please Him • tempest and calm are equally dear to 
 me. If the world did not speak ill of us, we should not be 
 the servants of Christ." 
 
 The Emperor Ferdinand II made this prayer every day : 
 " O Lord ! if it be indeed for Thy glory and my salvation 
 that I retain the position in which I am, keep me in it, and 
 I will glorify Thee. If it be to Thy praise and my good 
 that I sink to a lower place, abase me, and I will glorify 
 Thee." 
 
 Father Alvarez never thought about what was to happen 
 to him, and if any thought of the kind offered itself, he 
 would say, " It will be as God wills." Then, raising his 
 heart to God, he would add : " O Lord, I wish for noth- 
 ing but to please Thee and satisfy Thee !" 
 
 18. How beautiful it is to behold a person destitute of all attach- 
 ment, ready for any act of virtue or charity, gentle to all, indifferent 
 as to any employment, serene in consolations and tribulations, and 
 wholly content if only the will of God be done ! — St. F. de Sales. 
 
 Behold how this Saint, without intending it, has depicted 
 himself to the life ! For he was precisely such a person as 
 is here described, as may be seen from many incidents re- 
 corded in this work. 
 
 19. When we have totally abandoned ourselves to the pleasure of 
 God, submitting without any reserve our will and affections to His 
 dominion, we shall see our souls so united to His Divine Majesty, 
 
384 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 that we shall be able to say with that perfect model of Christians?, St. 
 Paul : " In myself I no longer live, but Jesus Christ in me." — St. F. 
 de Sales. 
 
 This Saint, according to the testimony of one who knew 
 him intimately, in the last years of his life had reached such 
 a point that he desired, loved, or regarded <>nly God in all 
 things. A.- a result, he seemed always absorbed in God, 
 and said that there was nothing in the world which could 
 satisfy him except God. I !<• frequently uttered with ecstatic 
 feeling these words of the Psalmist : " Lord, whal is there in 
 heaven for me, or what d<> I desire upon earth save Thee? 
 Thou art my portion and my inheritance forever." All 
 that was not God was nothing for him, and this was one of 
 his principal maxims. 
 
 20. When one seeks to unite himself to God, he should endeavor 
 to discover, by self-examination, whether there is anything which 
 
 forms a barrier between his soul and God, and whether in anything 
 he seeks himself or turus back to himself. — Bl. Enrico Susone. 
 
 St. John Berchmans, after examining himself to see 
 
 whether he had an attachment to any thing whatever, found 
 that there was nothing on earth for which he felt or could 
 feel affection. This he expressed In a sentence found among 
 his manuscripts : " Nulli rei sum affectus, <t nihil habeo cui 
 officiary 
 
 A gentleman of very high family, who had passed most 
 of his life at court, guiding himself by the maxims of the 
 world, was filially gained over for God by St. Vincent de 
 Paul, and applied himself so earnestly to the pursuit of per- 
 fection, that he became a model to all. Desiring still to 
 advance, and feeling sure the more he separated himself 
 from, creatures, the more he would be united to God, he 
 often examined himself as to whether he had any attach- 
 
DECEMBER. — UNION. 385 
 
 ment for relatives, friends, honors, property or comforts, 
 and, whenever he discovered anything that was an entangle- 
 ment to him, he immediately broke or cnt it away. One 
 day he made his usual examination while riding on horse- 
 back, and could think of nothing for which he specially 
 cared until he finally perceived that be had a fononess for 
 his sword, which had saved his life in many duels. In- 
 stantly springing from the horse ? he went up to a large stone, 
 upon which he shivered it to pieces. Afterwards, he told 
 the incident to St. Vincent, and assured him that this act 
 gave him such complete freedom, that he never after felt 
 affection for any perishable thing. 
 
 21. The condition of union seems to be nothing else than dying, 
 so to speak, entirely to all the things of the world, and living in the 
 enjoyment of God. — St. Teresa. 
 
 This was the blessed state of St. Catherine of Genoa, who 
 confessed that she once had a vision in which it was shown 
 her how all good proceeds from God, without any previous 
 cause except His pure and simple goodness, by which He was 
 moved to do us good in so many ways and forms. " From 
 that sight," she said, " there rose in my heart such an 
 interior flame of love, that I lost all understanding, 
 thought, wish, or love for anything except God ; so that 
 my soul neither knows nor can wish for anything more 
 or other than it is enjoying at present, and is more pleased 
 and satisfied with this than with anything it could obtain 
 by all its efforts and exertions. And if I should ask my- 
 self what I desire or aim at, I could only answer, ' Noth- 
 ing except what Love gives me F He keeps me so occupied 
 and satisfied with Himself that I have no need to plan or 
 seek for anything to sustain my powers, supported and 
 sustained as they are/' 
 

 386 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 22. The soul which remains attached to anything, even to the least 
 thing, however many its virtues may be, will never arrive at the lib- 
 erty of the divine union. It matters little whether a bird be fastened 
 by a stout or a slender cord, — as long as he does not break it, slender 
 as it may be, it will prevent him from flying freeiy. Oh what a pity 
 it is to see some souls, like rich ships, loaded with a precious freight 
 of good works, spiritual exercises, virtues and favors from God, 
 which, for want of courage to make an end of some miserable lit- 
 tle fancy or affection, can never arrive at the port of divine union, 
 while it only needs one good earnest effort to break asunder that 
 thread of attachment ! For, to a soul freed from attachment to any 
 creature, the Lord cannot fail to communicate Himself fully, as the 
 sun cannot help entering and lighting up an open room when the 
 sky is clear. — 9fc. J. Chryscsiom. 
 
 It is related In the Life of St. Gregory, that a rich man 
 left the world and retired into a wood, taking with him, 
 to afford him some recreation in that solitude, only a little 
 eat. a- he loved it and often caressed it. After living thus 
 for some years in a constant courseof prayers and penano s, 
 he prayed the Lord to be pleased to show him what reward 
 was prepared for him. Then God revealed to him that he 
 might hope for a place in heaven, equal to that which Pope 
 Gregory would receive. The good hermit was much grieved 
 at this information, and could not understand why one who 
 had left all he had for God, and had served Him with such 
 austerity, should not receive a greater reward than one who 
 was living in the midst of riches and luxury. But the 
 Lord opened his eyes by showing him that he was more at- 
 tached to his cat, than Gregory to all the riches and honors 
 he enjoyed ; and that perfection consists precisely in de- 
 tachment from all that is not God. 
 
 The nuns of the Visitation make special profession of 
 detachment from everything, as they cannot appropriate to 
 themselves the smallest article, not even a needle. To 
 maintain this excellent spirit in its full vigor, and prevent 
 
DECEMBER. — TJNION. 38*7 
 
 them from becoming attached to any object, their Rule re- 
 quires them to exchange with one another every year the 
 articles of which they make use — their rooms, books, furni- 
 ture, everything, even the crosses they wear upon their 
 bosoms. 
 
 23. See why we never afriVe at sanctification after so many Com- 
 munions as we make ! It is because we do not suffer the Lord to 
 reign in us as He would desire. He enters our breasts and finds our 
 hearts full of desires, affections, and trifling vanities. This is not 
 what he seeks. He would wish to find them quite empty, in order 
 to render Himself absolute master and governor of them.— St. F. de 
 Sales. 
 
 The Saint himself possessed a heart of this latter kind. 
 His confessor testifies of him that he would permit no affec- 
 tion to remain in it, that was not of God and for God. 
 And so, if he saw anything alien to this springing up, he 
 was ready to extirpate it, as it were, with steel and fire. 
 
 The Lord once said to a good soul that the best disposi- 
 tion for receiving abundant graces in Holy Communion is 
 to empty the heart of everything. For, if a great noble 
 goes to the house of one of his retainers, with the intention 
 of filling all his boxes and chests, but finds them* full of 
 chaff and earth and sand, he is forced to retire with regret. 
 
 This is the reason why holy souls have been so earnest in 
 making good Communions. The Empress Leonora, who 
 received three times a week, spent two hours in previous 
 meditation, and wore a girdle of hair- cloth and chains, 
 with sharp points wound several times about her arms. # 
 After receiving, she remained for a quarter of an hour pros- 
 terate with her face upon the ground, conversing with her 
 Divine Guest in sweet and tender welcome. Then, to re- 
 tain the warmth of devotion through the day, she remained 
 in silence and solitude in her room. St. Aloysius Gonzaga 
 
388 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 gave the whole week to his Communion. He offered the 
 actions of the three days preceding it, as a preparation, and 
 so endeavored to do them well ; and those of the three fol- 
 lowing days he intended for a thanksgiving. 
 
 The venerable Monseigneur de Palafox, after his conver- 
 sion, and while still a secular, communicated often, that 
 is, once a week. He took up the practice of asking God 
 for one virtue at each Communion, and resolving to extirpate 
 some particular fault, occupying in this sometimes days, 
 sometimes whole weeks. He thus endeavored, by the aid of 
 divine grace, to conquer his evil inclinations and to change 
 his long-established habits, with a success that could be no- 
 ticed from day to day. 
 
 St. John Berchmans was unwilling to receive Commun- 
 ion on holidays, because, as he said, he could not preserve 
 the necessary quiet and devotion on such days; and if he 
 was to communicate, he asked permission to remain in the 
 house. He said, on one occasion, that each time he received 
 Holy Communion he felt his soul perceptibly revived and 
 invigorated. 
 
 24. To arrive at perfect union, there is needed a total and perfect 
 mortification of the senses and desires. The shortest and most ef- 
 fectual method of obtaining it is this : As to the senses, what- 
 ever pleasing object may offer itself to them, unconnected with pure 
 love to God, we should refuse it to tbem instantly, for the love of 
 Jesus Christ, who in this life neither had, nor desired to have, any 
 pleasure except to do the will of His Father, which He called His 
 food. If, for example, there should arise a fancy or wish to hear or 
 see things which do not concern the service of God, or lead espe- 
 cially to Him, we should deny this fancy, and refrain from beholding 
 or hearing these things ; but if this is not possible, it is sufficient not 
 to consent with the will. Then as to the desires, we should endeavor 
 to incline always to what is poorest, worst. mrs: laborious, most dif- 
 ficult, most unpleasant, and to desire nothing except to suffer and be 
 despised.— St. John of the Cross. 
 
DECEMBER. — UNION. 389 
 
 Such, in truth, was the life of this Saint, which he passed 
 in the continual exercise of interior and exterior mortifica- 
 tion, of which he never seemed to have enough, and in this 
 way he attained to great union with God. 
 
 St. Francis Borgia often prayed the Lord to make all 
 the pleasures of this life painful to him, and he strove to 
 render them so himself, as far as he was able. And so he 
 desired with avidity, sought with solicitude, and embraced 
 with gladness, all that was contrary to self-love, in food, cloth- 
 ing, and habitation. By this means he made great progress 
 in virtue and holy union. 
 
 25. If you desire to arrive at union with God, let your conversa- 
 tion and manner of life be as interior as possible. Do not reveal your- 
 self, or come forth from yourself, either by words, gestures, or man- 
 ners, but strive to keep yourself within yourself, turning to God 
 alone, who is present within you, and excluding from your heart all 
 that you shall see or hear. — Bl. Enrico Susone. 
 
 Father Alvarez, being asked the reason why he had 
 seemed unusually thoughtful for some days, answered : " I 
 am trying to live as if I were in the deserts of Africa, and to 
 keep my heart as much at a distance from all creatures as 
 if I were really in a desert." And in this he succeeded. 
 
 St. Rose of Lima made unusual efforts to conceal not only 
 the good works and penances that she performed, but even 
 the spiritual gifts which she received from the Lord, — never 
 revealing them without necessity, even to her directors. A 
 person of high rank once had a great desire to know the spe- 
 cial favors this Saint enjoyed, and pressed her spiritual Father 
 to elicit an account of them from her. Though he foresaw 
 that it would be very difficult, yet he was so desirous to 
 grant the favor, that he tried to accomplish it under various 
 pretexts, and with much persuasion. The pious maiden 
 soon perceived the object of these artifices, and, in the hum- 
 
390 
 
 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 blest words, entreated him not to question her about the mat- 
 ter. She said that from her earliest years she had most 
 frequently supplicated her Spouse that no one might ever 
 discover what He had wrought in her out of His pure good- 
 ness ; and as the good God had granted this, His minister 
 should not take away a favor which He had bestowed. 
 
 St. Thomas Aquinas, from his earliest youth, was con- 
 stantly seeking to know God. When he had become a 
 Religious, his sole gratification was to think, to speak, and 
 to hear of God ; so that, if anything was introduced in gen- 
 eral conversation, which was not connected with God, he 
 paid no attention to it, as a matter which did not concern 
 him. He so directed to God and His ijood pleasure all his 
 works and actions, that when the Lord Himself asked him 
 what reward he would desire for the many works he had 
 written for Him, " No other," he replied, " but Thyself 
 alone, my Lord and my Love !" 
 
 
 26. Be immovable in this resolution, to remain simply in the pres- 
 ence of God, by means of an entire renunciation and abandonment 
 of yourself into the arms of His most holy will. Every time that 
 you find your spirit outside this dear abode, lead it back gently, 
 without making any formal acts of the understanding or will. For 
 this love of simple confidence, and this reliance and repose of the 
 sonl upon the paternal bosom of the Divine Goodness, includes all 
 that can be desired to please God.— St. F. de Sales. 
 
 This was the favorite exercise of St. Jane Frances de 
 Chantal, which she practised by means of a simple glance 
 towards God, a simple acquiescence in His most holy will, 
 by resting simply in it, as a little child in the arms and 
 upon the bosom of its mother, without seeking to do any- 
 thing else, or trying to examine what the Lord was working 
 in her, or why He was doing it. In this she found her 
 most complete repose, as she confessed in an account that 
 
DECEMBER. — UNION. 391 
 
 she gave of herself to her director. " I feel my soul," she 
 said to him, " much inclined to sustain itself by a simple 
 glance raised to God and His divine goodness. Though I 
 no longer feel that total abandonment and sweet confidence 
 which I once felt, and though I cannot even make an act of 
 it, yet it seems to me that by this glance alone these virtues 
 become more firm and solid than ever, and if I were to fol- 
 low my interior impulse, I should practise nothing else." 
 To check any disposition to a redundancy of words, she wrote 
 upon a card a long prayer, including many petitions, praise?, 
 and thanksgivings for her friends and relatives, and all for 
 whom she was under obligation to pray, whether living or 
 dead. She hung this card around her neck, and wore it 
 night and day, having previously stipulated with our Lord 
 that whenever she pressed it to her bosom she should be con- 
 sidered as offering all the prayers it contained. 
 
 Among the many practices of devotion which the venerable 
 Sister Maria Crucifixa employed in thanksgiving after Com- 
 munion, one was to place Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament at 
 rest in her soul, as if He were sleeping there, while she 
 stood at His side, watching Him in humble silence, and 
 obliging all her faculties, both interior and exterior, to re- 
 frain from all exercise which was not directed to Him, and 
 from every act except such as showed reverence for Him, 
 that by an ill-timed activity they might not awake her 
 Beloved. Thus, she kept all her powers long abased in 
 silent reverence, occupied only with Jesus lying in her heart. 
 She confessed that she had derived greater profit from this 
 exercise than from any other. She took care, however, in 
 her previous preparation, to furnish the place well for Him, 
 with devout affections and various acts, that He might rest 
 with less discomfort. 
 27. When I see some persons very anxious about being attentive in 
 
392 ^ YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 prayer, and keepiug their heads bowed while occupied in it, as if they 
 did not dare to stir in the least, or to move even in thought, that the 
 joy and sensible devotion they have may not leave them even in 
 the slightest degree,— this shows me how little they understand the 
 road which leads to union, while they imagine that the whole affair 
 consists in keeping their thoughts fixed. No, no, the Lord desires 
 works. Therefore, when things present themselves to be done, to 
 which obedience or charity obliges you, do not at all regard losing 
 that devotion and enjoyment of God, that you may give Him pleas- 
 ure by doing these things ; for they will lead you more quickly than 
 the others to holy union. — St. Teresa. 
 
 The blessed Clara di Montefalco willingly employed her- 
 self in the work of the convent, and said that in it the gift 
 of prayer even comes to its perfection. 
 
 When St. Mary Magdalen di Pazzi was a novice, she 
 sometimes had permission from the Mistress to spend in 
 prayer the time which was allotted to her companions for 
 work. But she did not accept this favor, saying that she 
 was more willing to be occupied in any exercise of obe- 
 dience, however laborious and humble, than in the very 
 loftiest contemplation. When asked the reason, she replied : 
 " Because in performing the duties of the Order and of 
 obedience, I am sure of doing the will of God, of which I 
 am not sure when I engage in prayer or other exercises, no 
 matter how good and holy, which have been chosen by my 
 own will." She had the same feeling in regard to charity 
 to her neighbor, and preferred it to contemplation, dear as 
 that was to her. For to aid her neighbor in spiritual or 
 temporal employments, she was ever ready to leave prayer, 
 contemplation, and every other spiritual delight. 
 
 28. Self-will, as God says by the Prophet, is what spoils and cor- 
 rupts our devotions, labors, and penances. Therefore, not to lose time 
 and trouble, we must endeavor never to act from the impulse of 
 nature, interest, inclination, temper, or caprice, but always from the 
 pure and single motive of doiDg the will of God, and accustom our- 
 
DECEMBER. — UNION. 393 
 
 selves to this in all things. This is the most effectual, nay rather 
 the only means of arriving safely and quickly at union with God. — 
 St. V. de Paul. 
 
 It was the great and only anxiety of this Saint not to un- 
 dertake anything to which he might not seem impelled by 
 the Divine will. And so he made it a rule never to en- 
 gage by himself in new enterprises even for the glory of 
 God, which he had so much at heart, but always waited un- 
 til the will of the Lord should be manifested to him by Su- 
 periors, or at least by the opinion of others, or the prayers 
 which lie made or asked; for his humility made him 
 always distrust his own light, and fear to be deceived. 
 
 This most important truth was well understood by St. 
 Catherine of Genoa, who spoke thus on the subject : " There 
 is no pest more malignant than that of self-will, which is so 
 subtle, so malicious, so deeply seated, which conceals itself 
 in so many ways, and defends itself by so many reasons, 
 that it seems indeed a demon. When it cannot gain direct 
 obedience, it knows well how to win its way in some other 
 form, and under various excuses and pretexts, such as 
 health, necessity, charity, justice, perfection, suffering for 
 God, giving good example, finding spiritual consolation, 
 condescending to the weakness of others, while we are all 
 the while seeking, contriving, and cherishing our own in- 
 terests. I behold in it a sea of malice so envenomed, so op- 
 posed to God, that He alone can rescue us from it, and since 
 He sees this better than we, He has great compassion on us, 
 and never ceases to send us inspirations, contradictions, and 
 helps of all sorts to deliver us." 
 
 29. To attain union with God, all the adversities that He sends us 
 are necessary ; for His only aim is to consume all our evil inclinations 
 from within and from without. Therefore, slights, injuries, insults, 
 infirmities, poverty, abandonment by friends and relatives, humilia- 
 
394 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 tions, temptations of the devil, and many other things opposed to 
 our human nature, — all are extremely needed by us, that we may 
 fight until by means of victories we have extirpated all our evil in- 
 clinations, so that we may feel them no longer. Nay more, until all 
 adversities no longer seem bitter to us, but rather sweet for God, we 
 shall never arrive at the divine union. — St. Catherine of Genoa. 
 
 " That such is the truth in this matter," added the Saint, 
 " I have proved by my own experience. For Divine Love 
 sees that we hold so tenaciously to what we have chosen, be- 
 cause it seems to us g<»od, and right, and beautiful, and that 
 we will not listen to a word against it, as we are blinded by 
 self-love, and so it makes a ruin of all that we love, by means 
 of death, illness, poverty, hatred, discord, and detractions, 
 together with seandals, lies, and disgrace falling upon our 
 relatives, our friends, or ourselves, so that we do not know 
 what to do with ourselves, as we are thus drawn away from 
 everything we had cared for, and receive from all only pain 
 and confusion, and know not why the Lord permits these 
 event-. \\ bich seem quite contrary to reason, both as regards 
 God and the world ; therefore, we torment ourselves, and 
 strive and seek and hope to escape from so many ills, but 
 can find no outlet. When Divine Love has held the soul 
 for a time in this suspense, and in despair and disgust with 
 all she had hitherto l< »ved, then He reveals Himself to her 
 with a countenance full of beauty and splendor. And as 
 soon as the soul, stripped and destitute of every other help, 
 beholds Him, she casts herself into His arms, and, after 
 aonsidering the divine operations of pure love, she says to 
 herself: ' O blind one! with what wast thou occupied? 
 What didst thou seek ? What didst thou desire ? Seest thou 
 not that here is all thou seekest and desirest, and all the 
 delights thou would st possess ? Dost thou not find here more 
 than thou couldst ever desire ? O Divine Love ! with what 
 sweet art Thou hast drawn me to put aside all love of self, 
 
DECEMBER. — UNION. 395 
 
 and to clothe myself with a love pare and full of all true 
 joys. Now that I see the truth, I no longer complain ex- 
 cept of my ignorance and blindness. And now I leave to 
 Thee all care of myself, seeing clearly that Thou doest for 
 me far better than I have the skill or power to do for my- 
 self. I no longer wish to regard anything but Thy opera- 
 tions, which only aim at what the soul truly wishes and 
 desires, though from her blindness she knows not how to 
 gain it.' " 
 
 St. Elizabeth, daugnter of the King of Hungary, after 
 being left a widow, was expelled from her home, abandoned 
 by all, and tried by detraction, affronts, and contempt. She 
 endured all with much patience, or rather, she was most 
 happy to be able to bear such sufferings for the love of God, 
 who rewarded her abundantly with the most precious gifts. 
 
 30. To acquire perfection in general and all the virtues in particu- 
 lar, even to attaining union with God. it is necessary to set before 
 ourselves an example, which may serve as a guide for all our actions 
 and all our progress. Now, it is certain that we can find no safer or 
 grander example than that which God Himself has offered us in the 
 person of His Divine Son, and happy is he who shall make the best 
 copy of it. This, then, should be our book and our mirror, in which 
 we ought to look, whatever circumstances may occur •, that is, we 
 should consider in what manner our Lord behaved in similar cases, 
 and what instruction He has left us in regard to them, and then fol- 
 low generously His sentiments and example. — St. V. de Paul. 
 
 It was the constant practice of this Saint to guide him- 
 self thus in all affairs, by the example and teaching of the 
 Savior, which he kept before his eyes as a pattern in every 
 action ; so that, when he had to make any decision, to give 
 any advice or recommendation, he instantly sought in the life 
 and words of Christ some ground upon which to base it. 
 And so he scarcely ever spoke without bringing in some 
 word or action of the Son of God, which he would intro- 
 
396 A YEAR WITH THE SAINTS. 
 
 duce in a wonderfully apposite maimer. But if he could 
 think of nothing which had any bearing upon the point, he 
 would meditate a little before acting, and say to himself, 
 " How would Christ speak or act in this case ?" and then 
 immediately did what he thought the Lord would have 
 done. 
 
 In the Chronicles of St. Francis we are told that one of 
 his Religious had a vision in which he saw a path thickly 
 set with briars, and at the opening of it stood St. Francis 
 with- many of his followers. In their midst was Jesus 
 Christ, who said to them, " This is the way we must go," 
 and He immediately began to advance into it. The Re- 
 ligious were alarmed, and considered the undertaking too 
 difficult ; but the Saint encouraged them, Baying that it 
 should be enough for them to walk in the footprints of the 
 Lord. He then set the example, and they all followed with 
 much ease. 
 
 31. Oh what remorse we shall feel at the end of our lives, when 
 we look back upon the great number of instructions and examples 
 afforded by God and the Saints for our perfection, and so carelessly 
 received by U9 1 If this end were to come to you to-day, how would 
 you be pleased with the life you have led this year ?— St. F. de Sales. 
 
 St. Vincent de Paul used often to say : " Oh wretched 
 me ! what an account I shall have to render at the tribunal 
 of God, where I am so soon to appear, of the many graces 
 His divine goodness has bestowed upon me, if I have de- 
 rived no fruit from them !" 
 
 St. John Berchmans was so attentive to his own perfec- 
 tion that whatever he learned in regard to it remained im- 
 pressed upon his mind, and he put it into practice with the 
 greatest exactness. 
 
 Thomas a Kempis tells of a pious person who one day 
 fell into great anxiety in regard to his final perseverance. 
 
DECEMBER. — UNION. 397 
 
 Prostrating himself before an altar, he raised his eyes, and 
 exclaimed : " Oh, if I only knew that I was to persevere in 
 good to the end \" He instantly heard an interior voice 
 that replied, " Well, if you knew, what would you do ? Do 
 now what you would wish to have done in that hour, and 
 you will be in perfect security." Consoled by this, he 
 abandoned himself entirely into the hands of God, without 
 further inquiry as to the good or bad state of his conscience, 
 and rather endeavored to discover and fulfil the will of 
 God to the best of his ability. 
 
 In the Lives of the Fathers we read of an old monk, 
 who, when asked what exercise should be employed to at- 
 tain perfection, made this answer : " From the day I left 
 the world, I have said to myself every morning : ' To-day 
 thou art born again ! Begin now to serve God, and to live 
 in this holy place ! Commence thy life each day as if the 
 following one were to end it !' This I have done without 
 missing a day." 
 
 Monseigneur de Palafox, as we read in his Life, at the 
 very beginning of his conversion had a light from on high, 
 by which he understood that he ought to live day by day, 
 that is, to take all possible care to live as if he believed each 
 day that he was then to die, and render his account to God. 
 He acted in this manner through the whole remainder of 
 his life, and he confessed that a method so sure to give him 
 satisfaction at the hour of death, had also been of great 
 value during his life. It is thus that we should profit in 
 our lives by the lights that God gives us, if we desire in 
 death to rejoice at having received them. 
 
 THE END,