He will return with his immense heart, with his heart of fire, his poor man's soul
and his smile. He will return! And the Immaculate Heart of Mary will triumph!

THE LIGHT IN THE NIGHT

SCHOOL OF HOLINESS

Then there is another series of little sacrifices that we can and, to a certain extent must, offer to God. The fact that they are small in themselves does not make them any less pleasing to God, and also very meritorious and advantageous to ourselves, because by means of them we prove the delicacy of our fidelity, and our love for God and for our neighbour. Making such little sacrifices enriches us with grace, strengthens us in faith and charity, ennobles us before God and our neighbour, and frees us from the temptation to egoism, covetousness, envy and self-indulgence.

It is generosity in ordinary little things that are constantly happening; it is making perfect the present moment. Hence:

1) To make our prayer with faith and attention, avoiding distractions as far as possible; praying respectfully, remembering that we are speaking to God; praying with confidence and love, because we are in the presence of Someone who we know loves us and wants to help us, like a father who takes his small son’s hand in order to help him to walk: in God’s eyes we are always small fragile children who are weak in the practice of virtue, who are constantly tripping and falling, which is why we need our Father to give us His hand to help keep us on our feet and walking in the ways of holiness.

Whether we make our prayer in church, at home, during a journey, out in the fields or walking along the street, God is everywhere and is listening to our petitions, our praise and thanksgiving. This is what Jesus Christ has taught us in His reply to the Samaritan woman who put this question to Him: « “Our fathers worshipped on this mountain; and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship”… Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, The hour is coming when you shall neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem adore the Father. You adore that which you know not. We adore that which we know. (...). But the hour comes, and now is, when the true adorers shall adore the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father also seeks such to adore Him. God is a spirit, and they that adore Him must adore Him in spirit and in truth.” » (Jn 4.19-24)

God wants us to pray with truth, recognising what we are, our poverty, our nothingness before God; realising what it is we are asking for and promising with sincerity, ready to keep our promises. Let our praise and thanksgiving to God express the truth that is in our heart, in a spirit of faith, love and confidence; God is not content with fine words that are foolish and meaningless, or with formulas designed to win applause from creatures. No, our prayer must be humble and accompanied by a spirit of sacrifice.

Many times, it will be necessary to sacrifice a little of our time for relaxation; perhaps getting up a little earlier in order to go to church and attend Mass; or at night, before going to bed, to set aside some time in which to recite the Rosary, making the sacrifice of turning off the radio or television in order to do so. It is the renunciation of our own likes and fancies that God requires of us; and, as has already been said, if we do not want to deny ourselves in this life, we shall find ourselves being sacrificed in the life to come, because if we cannot hope for salvation through our innocence, only by prayer and penance shall we be saved.

2) To offer to God the sacrifice of some little act of self-denial in the matter of food, but not to the extent of impairing the physical strength we need in order to do our work. Thus, for example, to choose a fruit, a dessert, a drink that we do not particularly like rather than one that we do; to endure thirst for a while and then slake it, but with a drink that we do not particularly like; to abstain from alcohol, or at least avoid drinking it to excess.

When we are serving ourselves at table, not to take the best bit. But if we cannot avoid doing so without drawing attention to ourselves, to take it with simplicity and without scruple, thanking God for spoiling us, because we must not think that God, good Father that He is, is only pleased with us when He sees us practising self-denial. God created good things for His children, and likes to see us making use of them, without abusing them, and then fulfilling our duty of working to deserve them, and making use of them with gratitude and love for the One who heaps His gifts upon us.

3) The sacrifice that we can and must make in the matter of clothing: putting up with a little cold or heat without complaining; if we are in a room with other people, let them close or open the doors and windows as they wish. Dress decently and modestly, without becoming enslaved to the latest fashion, and refrain from adopting it whenever it is not in accordance with those two virtues, so that we ourselves may not be, by our way of dressing, a cause of sin for others, bearing in mind that we are responsible for the sins that others commit because of us.

Hence, we must dress in accordance with Christian morals, personal dignity and solidarity with others, offering to God the sacrifice of exaggerated vanity. As regards the question of vanity, to know how to offer to God the sacrifice of dispensing with exaggerated external adornment with jewels, which we can well do without, and the money from the sale of which we can use to help our brothers and sisters in need. Instead of wearing clothes made of a rich and expensive material, let us be content with something much simpler and less costly, thus economising in order to be able to help our brothers and sisters who have nothing to cover themselves with.

4  To endure uncomplainingly whatever little annoyances we may encounter on our path: sometimes, it may be a disagreeable, irritating or unpleasant word; at others, it may be an ironic smile, a look of disdain, a contradiction; or we are passed over or set aside as of no account; yet again, it may be a misunderstanding, a reproof, a rejection, when we are passed over, forgotten, an act of ingratitude, etc.

Thus, it is necessary to know how to endure all things, offering our sacrifice to God and letting things drop: to let all these things pass as if we were blind, deaf and dumb, so that we may in fact see better, speak with greater certainty and hear the voice of God.

Let others seem to have their way; I say “seem” because in reality the one who prevails is the one who knows how to keep silent for the love of God

Cheerfully to allow others to occupy the first places, whatever is best for them, let them enjoy and take credit for the fruit of our labours, of our sacrifices, of our activities, of our ability, of things that have been taken from us, I would even say of our virtue, as if it belonged to them, and let us content ourselves with being humble and self-sacrificing for the love of God and of our neighbour.

To endure with a good grace the company of those we do not like or whom we find disagreeable, of those who go against us, upset us and torment us with indiscreet or even unkind questions; let us repay them with a smile, a little kind deed done for them, a favour, forgiving and loving, with our eyes fixed on God.

This denial of ourselves is often the most difficult for our human nature, but it is also the one most pleasing to God and meritorious for ourselves.

5) Then there are exterior penances and sacrifices, some obligatory, the others voluntary.

Obligatory penances are, for example, the fast and abstinence imposed by the Church. But we can and we must go beyond this limit, which is in fact very little as compared with the need we all have to do penance for our own sins and for those of others.

There are certain instruments of penance which have been used by many Saints, such as disciplines, hair shirts, etc. Such penances are undertaken in union with Christ scourged at the pillar, bound with cords, crowned with thorns. If Christ suffered thus for us, it is more than just that we should do something for Him and for His redemptive work.

Another practice is to pray, in a spirit of penance, with one’s arms outstretched in the form of a cross, in union with Christ crucified, or to pray prostrate with one’s forehead touching the ground, thus abasing ourselves before God Whom we have dared to offend, we who are nothing in His presence. Although such penances are not obligatory, they are necessary in many cases; for example, to help overcome fiery natures which cause people to sin, or the violent temptations of the world, the devil, pride and the flesh.

Jesus Christ, who was divine, could not sin, yet He gave us a splendid example of a life of penance. Before beginning His public life, He spent forty days in the desert, praying and fasting. The Gospels tell us that throughout His public life, Jesus frequently withdrew from the crowd in order to pray to the Father in a place apart. And before delivering Himself to death, He spent a long time in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.

And do we, poor weak creatures that we are, not need to pray? We do indeed. It is in prayer that we meet God; it is in this meeting with God that He gives us the grace and strength we need in order to deny ourselves by offering up whatever it is that is required of us: « Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few. » (Mt 7.13-14).

Here Jesus Christ points out to us our great need for self-denial because, without a spirit of renunciation, we shall not enter into eternal life.

« Offer prayers and sacrifices constantly to the Most High ». Ave Maria!

(Calls, pp. 105-109)