MARY, OUR MOTHER

SECOND CONVERSATION

   Love the motive of all. * Once in fear, now in joy. * Diligence and love.
   Simplicity the key to Divine assistance. * Business abroad as at home. *
   times of prayer and self-mortification not essential for the practice. *
   All scruples brought to God.

 That he had always been governed by love, without selfish views; and that
 having resolved to make the love of GOD the end of all his actions, he had
 found reasons to be well satisfied with his method. That he was pleased when
 he could take up a straw from the ground for the love of GOD, seeking Him
 only, and nothing else, not even His gifts.

 That he had been long troubled in mind from a certain belief that he should
 be damned; that all the men in the world could not have persuaded him to the
 contrary; but that he had thus reasoned with himself about it: I did not
 engage in a religious life but for the love of GOD, and I have endeavored
 to act only for Him; whatever becomes of me, whether I be lost or saved, I
 will always continue to act purely for the love of GOD. I shall have this
 good at least, that till death I shall have done all that is in me to love
 Him. That this trouble of mind had lasted four years; during which time he
 had suffered much.

 That since that time he had passed his life in perfect liberty and continual
 joy. That he placed his sins betwixt him and GOD, as it were, to tell Him
 that he did not deserve His favors, but that GOD still continued to bestow
 them in abundance.

 That in order to form a habit of conversing with GOD continually, and
 referring all we do to Him; we must at first apply to Him with some
 diligence: but that after a little care we should find His love inwardly
 excite us to it without any difficulty.

 That he expected after the pleasant days GOD had given him, he should have
 his turn of pain and suffering; but that he was not uneasy about it, knowing
 very well, that as he could do nothing of himself, GOD would not fail to
 give him the strength to bear them.

 That when an occasion of practicing some virtue offered, he addressed
 himself to GOD, saying, LORD, I cannot do this unless Thou enablest me; and
 that then he received strength more than sufficient.

 That when he had failed in his duty, he only confessed his fault, saying to
 GOD, I shall never do otherwise, if You leave me to myself; ’tis You must
 hinder my falling, and mend what is amiss. That after this, he gave himself
 no further uneasiness about it.

 That we ought to act with GOD in the greatest simplicity, speaking to Him
 frankly and plainly, and imploring His assistance in our affairs, just as
 they happen. That GOD never failed to grant it, as he had often experienced.

 That he had been lately sent into Burgundy, to buy the provision of wine for
 the society, which was a very unwelcome task for him, because he had no turn
 for business and because he was lame, and could not go about the boat but by
 rolling himself over the casks. That however he gave himself no uneasiness
 about it, nor about the purchase of the wine. That he said to GOD, It was
 His business he was about, and that he afterwards found it very well
 performed. That he had been sent into Auvergne the year before upon the same
 account; that he could not tell how the matter passed, but that it proved
 very well.

 So, likewise, in his business in the kitchen (to which he had naturally a
 great aversion), having accustomed himself to do everything there for the
 love of GOD, and with prayer, upon all occasions, for His grace to do his
 work well, he had found everything easy, during the fifteen years that he
 had been employed there.

 That he was very well pleased with the post he was now in; but that he was
 as ready to quit that as the former, since he was always pleasing himself in
 every condition, by doing little things for the love of GOD.

 That with him the set times of prayer were not different from other times:
 that he retired to pray, according to the directions of his Superior, but
 that he did not want such retirement. nor ask for it, because his greatest
 business did not divert him from GOD.

 That as he knew his obligation to love GOD in all things, and as he
 endeavored so to do, he had no need of a director to advise him, but that
 he needed much a confessor to absolve him. That he was very sensible of his
 faults, but not discouraged by them; that he confessed them to GOD, and did
 not plead against Him to excuse them. When he had so done, he peaceably
 resumed his usual practice of love and adoration.

 That in his trouble of mind, he had consulted nobody, but knowing only by
 the light of faith that GOD was present, he contented himself with directing
 all his actions to Him, i.e., doing them with a desire to please Him, let
 what would come of it.

 That useless thoughts spoil all: that the mischief began there; but that we
 ought to reject them, as soon as we perceived their impertinence to the
 matter in hand, or our salvation; and return to our communion with GOD.

 That at the beginning he had often passed his time appointed for prayer, in
 rejecting wandering thoughts, and falling back into them. That he could
 never regulate his devotion by certain methods as some do. That
 nevertheless, at first he had meditated for some time, but afterwards that
 went off, in a manner that he could give no account of.

 That all bodily mortifications and other exercises are useless, but as they
 serve to arrive at the union with GOD by love; that he had well considered
 this, and found it the shortest way to go straight to Him by a continual
 exercise of love, and doing all things for His sake.

 That we ought to make a great difference between the acts of the
 understanding and those of the will; that the first were comparatively of
 little value, and the others all.

 That our only business was to love and delight ourselves in GOD.

 That all possible kinds of mortification, if they were void of the love of
 GOD, could not efface a single sin. That we ought, without anxiety, to
 expect the pardon of our sins from the Blood of JESUS CHRIST, only
 endeavoring to love Him with all our hearts. That GOD seemed to have
 granted the greatest favors to the greatest sinners, as more signal
 monuments of His mercy.

 That the greatest pains or pleasures, of this world, were not to be compared
 with what he had experienced of both kinds in a spiritual state: so that he
 was careful for nothing and feared nothing, desiring but one only thing of
 GOD, viz., that he might not offend Him.

 That he had no scruples; for, said he, when I fail in my duty, I readily
 acknowledge it, saying, I am used to do so: I shall never do otherwise, if I
 am left to myself. If I fail not, then I give GOD thanks, acknowledging that
 it comes from Him.

    [From 'THE PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD']