Imitation of Christ: OF ASKING THE DIVINE ASSISTANCE, AND OF CONFIDENCE OF RECOVERING GRACE
CHAPTER
30: OF ASKING THE DIVINE ASSISTANCE,
AND OF CONFIDENCE OF RECOVERING GRACE
SON, I am the Lord, Who giveth strength in the day of tribulation. Come to Me when it is not well with thee.
This is that which most of all hindereth heavenly comfort, that thou art too slow in betaking thyself to prayer.
For before thou earnestly prayest to Me, thou seekest in the meantime many comforts, and delightest thyself in outward things.
And hence it comes that all things avail thee little, till thou consider well that I am He Who delivereth those that trust in Me; nor is there out of Me any powerful help, nor profitable counsel, nor lasting remedy.
But now having recovered thy spirit after the storm, grow thou strong again, in the light of My mercies; for I am at hand, saith the Lord, to repair all, not only to the full, but even with abundance and above measure.
2. Is anything difficult to Me? Or shall I be like to one promising and not performing?
Where is thy faith? Stand firmly and perseveringly; practice endurance and manly courage; comfort will come to thee in due season.
Wait for Me, wait; I will come and cure thee.
It is a temptation that troubleth thee, and a vain fear that affrighteth thee.
What doth the solicitude about future contingencies bring thee, but only sorrow upon sorrow? Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof.
It is vain and useless to conceive either grief or joy for future things, which perhaps shall never come to pass.
3. But it is in human nature to be deluded with such imaginations; and it is the sign of a soul as yet weak to be so easily drawn away by the suggestions of the enemy.
For he careth not whether it be with things true or false that he abuseth and deceiveth thee; whether he overthrow thee with the love of things present or the fear of things to come.
Let not, therefore, thy heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Believe thou in Me, and trust in My mercy.
When thou thinkest I am far from thee, I am often nearest to thee.
When thou judgest that almost all is lost, then oftentimes it is that thou art in the way of the greatest gain of merit.
All is not lost when anything falls out contrary to what thou wouldst have it.
Thou must not judge according to thy present feeling, nor give thyself up in such manner to any trouble, whencesoever it comes, nor take it so as if all hope of deliverance were gone.
4. Think not thyself wholly forsaken, though for a time I have sent thee some tribulation, or withdrawn from thee thy wished-for consolation; for this is the way to the kingdom of Heaven.
And without doubt it is more expedient for thee and for the rest of My servants, that you be exercised in adversity, than that you should have all things according to your inclination.
I know thy most hidden thoughts, and that it is very expedient for thy salvation that thou sometimes be left without any savor of sweetness, lest perchance thou be puffed up with good success, and take complacency in thyself, imagining thyself to be what thou art not.
What I have given, I have the power to take away, and restore as it pleases Me.
5. When I have given it, it is still Mine; when I withdraw it again, I take not anything that is thine; for every best gift and perfect gift is Mine.
If I send thee affliction or any adversity, repine not, neither let thy heart be cast down.
I can quickly raise thee up again, and turn all thy burden into joy.
Nevertheless, I am just, and greatly to be praised, when I thus deal with thee.
6. If thou thinkest rightly, and considerest things in truth, thou oughtest never to be so much dejected and troubled at adversity.
But thou shouldst rather rejoice and give thanks, yea, account this as a special subject of joy, that afflicting thee with sorrows I do not spare thee.
"As the Father hath loved Me, I also love you," said I to My beloved disciples; whom certainly I did not send to temporal joys, but to great conflicts; not to honors, but to contempt; not to idleness, but to labors; not to rest, but to bring forth much fruit in patience. Remember thou these words, O My son.
PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS.
I AM the Lord, saith the Almighty, by the mouth of one of His Prophets, Who giveth strength to souls in the day of trouble, and delivereth those from danger who put their trust in Me. How consoling, how encouraging and supporting, are these words to a soul that, in the time of temptation and adversity, is faithful and constant to what God requires of it! This is what the Scripture calls to wait for and to support the Lord.
Believe in Me, says our Blessed Savior, and thy heart shall not be troubled nor fear. Wherefore, upon occasion of interior or exterior affliction, we should, in the first place, have recourse to God with confidence; secondly, we should resign ourselves to His blessed will; thirdly, we should not neglect any of our spiritual exercises; fourthly, we should subdue ourselves, restrain and renounce ourselves in all things, that we may act in concert with God; fifthly, we should consider it our welfare and our merit to be afflicted, tormented, and, as it were, annihilated for the honor of God's majesty; sixthly, we should be content to carry a crucified heart, a heart suffering and penetrated with bitterness and sorrow, in imitation of our crucified Jesus.
PRAYER.
NO, Lord, I will not give up all as lost when Thou seemest to withdraw Thyself from me; but, on the contrary, I will believe all gained when my soul, though sinking under fatigue, and withered with bitterness, shall resign itself to Thy holy will, and live only in Thee, saying with the Prophet: "I commit to Thee all my strength, for my soul is in Thy hands, and Thy mercy supports and encourages my heart to profit by the sense of my miseries." Abandon me not, o God, to the disorder of my passions, but be Thou their master by Thy grace, and keep me always in the possession of Thy love. Amen.
AND OF CONFIDENCE OF RECOVERING GRACE
SON, I am the Lord, Who giveth strength in the day of tribulation. Come to Me when it is not well with thee.
This is that which most of all hindereth heavenly comfort, that thou art too slow in betaking thyself to prayer.
For before thou earnestly prayest to Me, thou seekest in the meantime many comforts, and delightest thyself in outward things.
And hence it comes that all things avail thee little, till thou consider well that I am He Who delivereth those that trust in Me; nor is there out of Me any powerful help, nor profitable counsel, nor lasting remedy.
But now having recovered thy spirit after the storm, grow thou strong again, in the light of My mercies; for I am at hand, saith the Lord, to repair all, not only to the full, but even with abundance and above measure.
2. Is anything difficult to Me? Or shall I be like to one promising and not performing?
Where is thy faith? Stand firmly and perseveringly; practice endurance and manly courage; comfort will come to thee in due season.
Wait for Me, wait; I will come and cure thee.
It is a temptation that troubleth thee, and a vain fear that affrighteth thee.
What doth the solicitude about future contingencies bring thee, but only sorrow upon sorrow? Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof.
It is vain and useless to conceive either grief or joy for future things, which perhaps shall never come to pass.
3. But it is in human nature to be deluded with such imaginations; and it is the sign of a soul as yet weak to be so easily drawn away by the suggestions of the enemy.
For he careth not whether it be with things true or false that he abuseth and deceiveth thee; whether he overthrow thee with the love of things present or the fear of things to come.
Let not, therefore, thy heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Believe thou in Me, and trust in My mercy.
When thou thinkest I am far from thee, I am often nearest to thee.
When thou judgest that almost all is lost, then oftentimes it is that thou art in the way of the greatest gain of merit.
All is not lost when anything falls out contrary to what thou wouldst have it.
Thou must not judge according to thy present feeling, nor give thyself up in such manner to any trouble, whencesoever it comes, nor take it so as if all hope of deliverance were gone.
4. Think not thyself wholly forsaken, though for a time I have sent thee some tribulation, or withdrawn from thee thy wished-for consolation; for this is the way to the kingdom of Heaven.
And without doubt it is more expedient for thee and for the rest of My servants, that you be exercised in adversity, than that you should have all things according to your inclination.
I know thy most hidden thoughts, and that it is very expedient for thy salvation that thou sometimes be left without any savor of sweetness, lest perchance thou be puffed up with good success, and take complacency in thyself, imagining thyself to be what thou art not.
What I have given, I have the power to take away, and restore as it pleases Me.
5. When I have given it, it is still Mine; when I withdraw it again, I take not anything that is thine; for every best gift and perfect gift is Mine.
If I send thee affliction or any adversity, repine not, neither let thy heart be cast down.
I can quickly raise thee up again, and turn all thy burden into joy.
Nevertheless, I am just, and greatly to be praised, when I thus deal with thee.
6. If thou thinkest rightly, and considerest things in truth, thou oughtest never to be so much dejected and troubled at adversity.
But thou shouldst rather rejoice and give thanks, yea, account this as a special subject of joy, that afflicting thee with sorrows I do not spare thee.
"As the Father hath loved Me, I also love you," said I to My beloved disciples; whom certainly I did not send to temporal joys, but to great conflicts; not to honors, but to contempt; not to idleness, but to labors; not to rest, but to bring forth much fruit in patience. Remember thou these words, O My son.
PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS.
I AM the Lord, saith the Almighty, by the mouth of one of His Prophets, Who giveth strength to souls in the day of trouble, and delivereth those from danger who put their trust in Me. How consoling, how encouraging and supporting, are these words to a soul that, in the time of temptation and adversity, is faithful and constant to what God requires of it! This is what the Scripture calls to wait for and to support the Lord.
Believe in Me, says our Blessed Savior, and thy heart shall not be troubled nor fear. Wherefore, upon occasion of interior or exterior affliction, we should, in the first place, have recourse to God with confidence; secondly, we should resign ourselves to His blessed will; thirdly, we should not neglect any of our spiritual exercises; fourthly, we should subdue ourselves, restrain and renounce ourselves in all things, that we may act in concert with God; fifthly, we should consider it our welfare and our merit to be afflicted, tormented, and, as it were, annihilated for the honor of God's majesty; sixthly, we should be content to carry a crucified heart, a heart suffering and penetrated with bitterness and sorrow, in imitation of our crucified Jesus.
PRAYER.
NO, Lord, I will not give up all as lost when Thou seemest to withdraw Thyself from me; but, on the contrary, I will believe all gained when my soul, though sinking under fatigue, and withered with bitterness, shall resign itself to Thy holy will, and live only in Thee, saying with the Prophet: "I commit to Thee all my strength, for my soul is in Thy hands, and Thy mercy supports and encourages my heart to profit by the sense of my miseries." Abandon me not, o God, to the disorder of my passions, but be Thou their master by Thy grace, and keep me always in the possession of Thy love. Amen.