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First, have a habitual desire to imitate Christ in all your deeds by bringing your life into conformity with His. You must then study His life in order to know how to imitate Him and behave in all events as He would.

In spirit adore Him! This is to have the heart and thoughts fixed on Him, a spirit fully knowing Him in the light of faith. Adore Him in truth, which is to say, by our works, for it is above all else by our actions that we prove true; to do always that which is pleasing to God our Father, for we are His children.

This is a test to discern the true lover of God. Is he satisfied with anything less than God? For the satisfaction of the heart is not found in possessions but in detachment from all things and poverty of spirit.

In all things I shall be content, knowing that the route I travel leads to Calvary. The thornier the path, the heavier the cross, the more consoled I shall be, because I desire to love you with a suffering love, a selfless love, an active love, with a firm, undivided, persevering love...I have promised you many things, but in no wise do I depend upon my own indolent spirit.

Human activities cannot help us, but only the suffering of Christ. It is my desire to share in it.

To live hidden in Christ it is necessary to die to self.

I find I am doing nothing to correspond to love... I feel within me a continual reproach of the Sovereign Good, and on the other hand everything seems to hinder me from simply rushing forward to God...I find no other remedy but to live by faith. I cannot imagine what painful fare living without love would be for one who burns with desire for this love.

Oh how desirable is this union with God's will! Happy is the soul that has reached it. Such a soul will live tranquilly in this life, and in the next as well. Nothing in earthly events afflicts it unless it finds itself in some danger of losing God or sees that He is offended: neither sickness, nor poverty, nor death...for the soul sees well that the Lord knows what He is doing better than it knows what it is desiring.

Because, however greatly the soul itself labors, it cannot actively purify itself so as to be in the least degree prepared for the Divine union of perfection of love, if God takes not its hand and purges it not in that dark fire, in the way and manner that we have to describe.

To seek God within ourselves avails us far more than to look for Him amongst creatures; Saint Augustine tells us how he found the Almighty within his own soul, after having long sought for Him elsewhere.

The sorrow which casts us down is the hurt to our self-love...To brood gloomily over our own imperfections paralyzes our soul.

...you must fight your moods of sadness and their causes, uproot your unfounded sorrows and get ready for the dreadful battles that the three enemies wage against this divine union. Live united with God and see to it that nothing, whether hunger or thirst, the sword, fortune or misfortune, nothing whatsoever disturbs your heart. Live united with God and everything else will vanish like smoke.