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| Fr. Jean-Baptiste Chautard, O.C.S.O |
Taken from the book: "The Soul of the Apostolate"
"If the interior life did nothing more than procure for us
the advantage of realizing our incessant danger, it would already be contributing
very much to our protection against surprises along our way; for to foresee a
danger is half the battle in avoiding it. And yet the inner life has an even
greater utility than merely this. It becomes, the man engaged in the ministry,
a complete set of armor (Eph 6: 11-17). It is a divine armor which permits him
not only to resist the temptations and avoid the snares set before him by the
devil, but also to sanctify his every act (“and stand in all things perfect)…
[In those still in pursuit of sanctity], even fervent souls,
the supernatural life seems to suffer loss after more or less time spent in
exterior occupations. Their less perfect hearts, too preoccupied with the good
to be done to their neighbor, to absorbed with a compassion (for the woes to be
alleviated) that is not nearly Supernatural enough, seem to send up to God
flames less pure, darkened with the smoke of numerous imperfections.
God does not punish this weakness by a decrease of His
grace, and does not demand a strict account for these failings, provided there
is a serious attempt at vigilance and prayer in the midst of action, and that
the soul is ready, when its work is done, to return to Him and rest and regain
its strength. This habit of constantly beginning over again, which is
necessitated by the combination of the active with the interior life, gives joy
to His paternal Heart.
Besides in those who really put up a fight, these
imperfections become less and less serious and frequent in proportion as the
soul learns to return, tirelessly to Christ, whom we will always find ready to
say to us: “Come back to Me, poor panting heart, athirst with the length of the
course. Woe and find in these living waters the secret of new energy for other
journeys. Withdraw thyself a little from the crowd that is unable to offer thee
the nourishment required by they exhausted strength. Come apart and rest a
little. In the peace and quiet thou shalt enjoy being with me, not only wilt
thou soon recapture thy first vigor, but also wilt though learn how to do more
work with less expense of strength. Elias, disheartened, discouraged, found his
strength renewed in an instant by a certain mysterious bread. Even so, My
apostle, in this enviable task of co-redeemer that it has pleased Me to impose
upon thee, I offer the the chance, both by My word, which is all life, and by
My grace, that is by My Blood, to direct thy spirit once again towards the
horizons of eternity and to renew the pact of friendship between thy heart and
Mine. Come I will console thee for the sorrows and decptions of the journey.
And thou shalt temper once again the steel of thy resolutions in the furnace of
My love.
Come to me all you that labor and are heavily burdened and I will
refresh you (Matt 9:28)."
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| He knocks, but only you can answer! |
+Pray for Peter+
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