Be fervent therefore in thy spiritual progress, for thou shalt shortly receive the reward of thy labours; and then grief and fear shall no more come near thee.
Thou shalt labour now a little, and thou shalt find great rest, yea, everlasting joy. If thou continue faithful and fervent in working, God will doubtless be faithful and liberal in rewarding. The greater violence thou offerest to thyself, the greater progress thou wilt make.
-Bk. I, ch. xxv.
She had unusual courage. From the time she entered Carmel at the age of fifteen she kept the Rule, apart from fasting, in all its rigour. Her companions in the novitiate, noticing her pallor, would sometimes beg for her to be excused from Matins or the early morning Office, but the Prioress would refuse, saying: "She is not the type who wants dispensations; God is her support, and we must leave her to Him, and not treat her like a child. Besides, if she is ill she should come and say so herself."
But the Saint's maxim was not to give way or complain until she had reached the limit of her strength. Many a time she went to Matins feeling giddy, or with a severe headache. "I am still able to walk," she would say, "so I ought to be at my duties."
Her energy gave her the strength to perform these heroic acts quite simply.
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme).
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For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
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