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...it is not enough for me to give to the one who asks, I ought to anticipate the wish; I should show myself honored by the request for service, and if anything set apart for my use be taken away I should appear glad to be rid of it.

He should not go seeking after new things which can only satisfy the desires in a superficial manner (and even here cannot satisfy fully) while leaving the spirit weak and empty, without deep inner virtue.

This is the measure of the holiness of the children of God: to be holy as God, to be holy with the holiness of God: and we do this by living close to Him in the depths of the bottomless abyss within.

Don't be terrified by the new life that is opening up to you, for being a child of Mary, she will cover you with her mantle.

Let the soul, then, be 'enclosed' without anxiety.  He who, when the doors were shut, entered bodily among His disciples and said 'Peace be with you' in an unexpected and inconceivable way, will enter spiritually into the soul when it keeps the door of its powers closed-that is, memory, understanding and will.

Just as the Lamb had to be killed to be raised upon the throne of glory, so the path to glory leads through suffering and the cross for everyone chosen to attend the marriage supper of the Lamb. All who want to be married to the Lamb must allow themselves to be fastened to the cross with him. Everyone marked by the blood of the Lamb is called to this, and that means all the baptized. But not everyone understands the call and follows it.

When the soul reflects that God is the guide of its blind self, then its main preoccupation will be to see that it sets no obstacle in the way of its Guide, the Holy Spirit, upon the road by which God is leading it.

To secure a hearing there is no need to recite set prayers composed for the occasion. . . . I have not the courage to search through books for beautiful prayers; they are so numerous, that it would only make my head ache, and besides, each one is more lovely than the other. Unable either to say them all or to choose between them, I do as a child would do who cannot read-I say just what I want to say to God, quite simply and He never fails to understand.

When night comes, and you look back over the day and see how fragmentary everything has been, and how much you planned that has gone undone, and all the reasons you have to be embarrassed and ashamed, just take everything exactly as it is, put it in God's hands, and leave it with Him. Then you will be able to rest in Him - really rest - and start the next day as a new life.

I saw that He was a man, even though He was God; that He wasn't surprised by human weaknesses; that He understands our miserable make-up, subject to many falls on account of the first sin which He came to repair. I can speak with Him as with a friend, even though He is Lord.

God always enriches the soul He visits. This is certain, for although the favor and consolation may pass away quickly, it is detected later on by the benefits it has left in the soul.

They must not be anxious about their meditation, being content simply with directing their attention lovingly towards God; and all this without anxiety or effort, or any desire to feel and taste His presence.