How to converse continually and familiarly with God - 4

When you are afflicted with sickness, temptation, persecution, or any other trouble, go at once to God, and beseech Him that His hand may help you. He will not, indeed, be displeased if in your desolation you go to your friends and find some relief. But after you have applied to creatures, and they have been unable to comfort your heart, have recourse to your Creator, and say to Him: Lord, men are full of words. They cannot comfort me. Thou art all my Hope and all my Love!

I. When you are afflicted with sickness, temptation, persecution, or other trouble, go at once to God, and beseech Him that His hand may help you. It is enough for you to present the affliction before Him; to come and say: Behold, O Lord, I am in distress–(Lam. i. 20). He will not fail to comfort you, or at least to give you strength to suffer that grief with patience; and it will turn out a greater good to you than if He had altogether freed you from it. Tell Him all the thoughts of fear or of sadness that torment you; and say to Him: My God, in Thee are all my hopes; I offer Thee this affliction, and resign myself to Thy will; but do Thou take pity on me,-either deliver me out of it, or give me strength to bear it. And He will truly keep with you that promise made in the Gospel to all those who are in trouble, to console and comfort them as often as they have recourse to Him: Come to me, all you that labour and are burdened, and I will refresh you--(Matt. xi. 28).

He will not be displeased if in your desolation you go to your friends to find some relief; but He wills you chiefly to have recourse to Himself. At all events, therefore, after you have applied to creatures, and they have been unable to comfort your heart, have recourse to your Creator, and say to Him: Lord, men have only words for me; My friends are full of words–(Job xvi. 21); they cannot comfort me, nor do I any more desire to be comforted by them; Thou art all my hope, all my love. From Thee only will I receive comfort; and let my comfort be, on this occasion, to do what pleaseth Thee. Behold me ready to endure this grief through my whole life, through all eternity, if such be Thy good pleasure. Only do Thou help me.

II. Fear not that God will be offended if you sometimes gently complain, and say to Him: Why, O Lord, hast Thou retired afar off?-(Ps. ix. 1). Thou knowest, Lord, that I love Thee, and desire nothing but Thy love; in pity help me and forsake me not. And when the desolation lasts long, and troubles you exceedingly, unite your voice to that of Jesus in agony and dying on the Cross, and beseech His mercy: My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?-(Matt. xxvii. 46). But let the effect of this be to humble you yet more at the thought that he deserves no consolation who has offended God; and yet all the more to enliven your confidence, knowing that God does all things, and permits all, for your good: All things work together unto good-(Rom. viii. 28). Say with great courage, even when you feel most troubled and disconsolate: The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?-(Ps. xxvi. I). Lord, it is Thine to enlighten me; it is Thine to save me; in Thee do I trust: In thee, O Lord, have I hoped; let me never be confounded-(Ps. xxx. 2). And thus keep yourself in peace, knowing there never was anyone who placed his hopes in God and was lost: No one hath hoped in the Lord and hath been confounded-(Eccius. ii. 11). When you consider your God loves you more than you can love yourself, what do you fear? David comforted himself, saying: The Lord is careful for me-(Ps. xxxix. 18). Say to Him: therefore: Lord, into Thy arms I cast myself; I desire to have no thought but of loving and pleasing Thee; behold me ready to do what Thou requirest of me. Thou dost not only will my good, Thou art careful for it; unto Thee, then, do I leave the care of my salvation. In Thee do I rest, and will rest for evermore, since Thou willest that in Thee I should place all my hopes: In peace, in the self-same, I will sleep and I will rest; for thou, O Lord, hast singularly settled me in hope-(Ps. iv. 9).