Losing

From the Heart of Our Will

Painting: Lawrence Alma Tadema, The Blind Beggar

Even When This is Hard to Do

Painting: Potthast, Walking in the Hills

We Shall Not be Conquered by Distance

For Your Remaining Days

'Keep your eye on God's good pleasure and His eternal plan for you. Surrender all the remaining days of your life to Him and let Him use them for such activities and services as please Him, and not yourself.'

St. Jane de Chantal

Painting: John William Godward, in US public domain due to age

Such Good Preachers

In Each Moment

'Faithfully do what God expects of you in each moment, and leave 

the rest up to Him. I assure you that living in this manner will bring you great peace.'

St. Jane de Chantal

Painting: Peter Ilsted, Mother and Child in an Interior, 1898

How to Unite Your Will to God's Today

"During the activities of the day, spiritual as well as temporal, as often as you can ... unite your will to God’s ...

Do this either by a simple, loving glance at God, or by a few words spoken quietly and cast into His Heart; by assenting in words like:

‘Yes, Lord, I want to do this action because You want it,’ or simply, ‘Yes, Father,’ or ‘O Holy Will, live and rule in me,’ or other words that the Holy Spirit will suggest to you. You may also make a simple sign of a cross over your heart, or kiss the cross you are wearing. All this will show that above everything, you want to do the holy will of God and seek nothing but his glory in all that you do..." 

St. Jane de Chantal                                                                                      

Painting: William Merritt Chase, Wash Day, 1886

                                         

Notwithstanding Your Distractions

'Go to prayer, not to look
for what you fancy,
not to receive consolations,
but to remain in extreme reverence
and abasement in God's sight,
to pour out your misery
before His mercy,
to keep yourself,
notwithstanding
all your distractions,
in His holy presence,
wishing only and seeking only
His good pleasure
and His holy will.'

St. Jane de Chantal




Painting: Eduard Veith,
in US public domain due to age {{PD-1923}}

The Hour of Our Deliverance

'God is so good that He never ceases to work in our hearts to draw us out of ourselves, out of vain and perishable things, so that we can receive His grace...  When we feel urged to depart from a sin, to leave an imperfection, to correct a negligence, to grow in virtue,  to make rapid strides to the perfection of divine love, then the hour has come for us.

'Let us arise in haste, let us run to the divine Spouse, accept His grace, benefit by His inspiration.

'It is the hour of our deliverance.  Let us not delay; let us run....'

          St. Jane de Chantal   

Painting: George Frederick Watts, 1864

I am in a Dry Land

'O my Lord, 
I am in a dry land, 
all dried up and cracked 
by the violence 
of the north wind 
and the cold; 
but as You can see, 
I ask for nothing more.  
You will send me 
both dew and warmth 
when it pleases You.'

St. Jane de Chantal


Painting: Eastman Johnson, The Girl I Left Behind Me

A Most Useful Cross

 

'Sometimes it will be a cross... to keep silence, to receive correction, admonitions, penances, to be in want of something, to suffer little daily pains without speaking of them... 

It is a good and most useful cross to bear with our neighbor, to subject ourselves to great modesty, and a thousand other practices of daily occurrence.  

These are the crosses you have to carry and not only to carry, but to carry joyfully.' 

                                                                                                St. Jane de Chantal 

Painting:  Poynter, A Day Dream, in US public domain