"If you desire to be more quickly recollected, more immediately united to God, it is far better not to concentrate yourselves in yourselves, and not always to put your miseries between your soul and God. Be more desirous of seeing His goodness, His love, of contemplating Him in Himself and in His divine attributes. You [...]
"Behold, then, how you ought to love Him by referring all that you are, all that you have, your merits and sufferings, your entire life to Him, by love. Give Him your mind, in order to think only of Him and for Him; your will, that it may be happy in obeying and serving Him [...]
"The virtues of Our Lord are not acquired all at once. Their practice costs. Devote yourselves to them without fear, with courage and perseverance. They must be your adornment on the day on which He will present you to His Father for the celebration of the heavenly nuptials in Paradise in presence of His angels." [...]
"You must make the idea of unity predominate throughout your whole life by the thought of the Eucharist. Unity comprises Our Lord entirely: His past life, which prepared the Eucharist; His present life, which is passed under your eyes and of which you behold the virtues; His future life, which will be only the extension, [...]
"God's mercy is magnanimous. He pardons generously and forever, for He knows not how to forget only half. He restores the joy of innocence and the honor of the first state. He pardons not as a man, but as God. He wishes us still to remember our sins, but with a thought of love, of [...]
"The first (method for meditation) starts from the knowledge of our nothingness, our sins, our temptations, in a word, our misery. The soul that starts from this truth, that begins her meditation by it, always has, enough to occupy her. She has always a familiar point upon which to plant her foot, and from it [...]
"The sovereign end of Communion is to form unity of life and person between Jesus Christ and us. It is not perfect if we do not arrive at that,—for it is not our works alone that He desires when descending into us, but ourselves. It seems to me that Our Lord, on quitting the tabernacle [...]
"People do not like the examen. It is the most difficult and the most repugnant act of piety. Because no one likes to behold himself always guilty and always humiliated. It also costs much to reflect on one's thoughts, to analyze and discuss them. One would often prefer some great exterior mortification to some minutes [...]
"The conclusion of all this is that you be ready to die rather than commit a mortal sin, and ready to die, also, rather than commit a venial sin with deliberation. Rather endure all things, rather death itself than offend God! It would be better to let the whole world go to ruin rather than [...]
"Another characteristic of Our Lord's charity is humility. Our Lord looked upon Himself only as the servant of His Apostles. Never put yourself above others. Never esteem yourself more than they on account of your knowledge or virtues. Our Lord treated His Apostles with respect, for charity ought to be respectful... I repeat It, the [...]