The advantage of a retreat made in solitude and silence - 7

When, then, you have entered upon the Retreat, as I hope you will, I beg of you to follow the advice I now give you.

1. The sole intention you should have in making these Exercises is that you may know what God will have you to do; and, therefore, in going to that silent Retreat-house, say to yourself: I will hear what the Lord God shall speak in me (Ps. lxxxiv. 9). I go into Retreat to know what the Lord will tell me and what He wishes me to do.

2. Besides, it is necessary that you have a determined will to obey God and to follow without reserve the vocation He will make known to you.

3. It is, moreover, necessary that you pray earnestly to the Lord, that He may make known to you His will, no matter what the state of life He wishes you to live. But remember that in order to obtain this light you must ask it with holy indifference. He who prays to God to enlighten him on the choice of a state of life, but does so without this indifference, and, instead of wishing to conform to God's will wishes rather that God should conform to his, is like a pilot who feigns to will, but indeed wills not, that his vessel should advance, since he begins by casting anchor and then hoists the sail! God does not enlighten or speak to such a person. But if you will supplicate God with this holy indifference and the resolution to accomplish His will, He will make you see clearly the state which is best for you. And if you should then feel any repugnance, place before your eyes the hour of your death, and think of the choice you would in that hour wish to have made, and act accordingly.

4. Take with you to your house of Retreat a book containing the meditations which are commonly made during the Exercises; read these meditations, and let them take the place of sermons, reflecting on them for half an hour in the morning and in the evening. Bring also with you the Life of some Saint or some other spiritual book for your spiritual reading; and these ought to be your only companions in solitude during the eight days of your Retreat. In order to obtain light and to hear what the Lord will speak to you it is necessary to avoid every distraction: Be still, and see that I am God (Ps. xlv. 11). To hear the Divine voice, we must cease all intercourse with the world. To a sick man no remedies will be of any use if he does not take them with the proper precaution, as, for example, avoiding exposure to the cold air, unwholesome food, or too much application of mind. In like manner, in order that the Exercises may be useful for the health of your soul, you must remove hurtful distractions, such as the receiving of visits from friends, messages from without, letters, etc. When St. Francis de Sales was engaged in the Exercises he laid aside all the letters he received and did not read them until after the Retreat. You must avoid books of amusement, and do no study; for you ought then only to study the Crucifix. Therefore, have in your room none but spiritual books, and read not for curiosity's sake, but only for this one end—namely, to help you to follow the state of life which God will make known to you as the one He wishes you to embrace.

5.—Moreover, it is not enough to avoid distractions from without, you must also avoid those from within; for if you should deliberately allow your mind to think on worldly matters, or of your studies, or the like, the Exercises and the solitude will be of little use to you. St. Gregory says: "What will solitude of the body avail if solitude of the heart be wanting?" Peter Ortiz, a minister of the Emperor Charles V, went to make a Retreat at the monastery of Monte Cassino. Having arrived at the gates of the monastery he addressed to his thoughts the words our Lord spoke to His disciples: Sedete hic, donec vadam illuc et orem (Matt. xxvi. 36). "Worldly thoughts, stay you here outside the gates, and when I have ended my Retreat I shall return to you." When one is engaged in making the Spiritual Exercises, one should occupy the time solely for the good of one's soul without losing or wasting a single moment of it.

Finally, when you are in your Retreat, I would beg of you to use the following short prayer:—O my God, I am that miserable one who in the past despised Thee; but now I esteem and love Thee above everything, nor will I love any other but Thee. Thou wishest me to belong entirely to Thee; to Thee I will belong entirely. Speak, O Lord; for thy servant heareth (1 Kings 10). Let me know what Thou wishest from me, and I will do all. Let me especially know in what particular state Thou wishest me to serve Thee: Make thou known to me the way in which I should walk (Ps. cxlii. 8).

During the Exercises recommend yourself also in a special manner to the Divine Mother Mary, praying her to obtain for you the grace to accomplish perfectly the will of her Son.

And do not forget, when you make the Exercises, to recommend me to Jesus Christ, as I will not omit to do so in a particular manner for you, that He may make you a saint, as I wish with all my heart. Your most devoted and obliged servant, ALPHONSUS MARY, Bishop of St. Agatha.