Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Principles and Practices - February 18

My True End

I am God's, and I am for God: here is my true greatness. God wills to raise me to Himself, to unite me to Himself, to make me participate in His glory. Apart from God, nothing is great enough to be my end. He Himself is infinitely above me, and He wishes me to rise to Him in the measure in which it is given me to attain unto Him. There is the whole object of my life: to go to God while making use of His creatures. My God, how wonderful Thou art! - How great is man in Thy thoughts! But how little is he in his own! For man, enriched with all these honours, has never understood them; he has lowered himself to the level of creatures without reason, and has become like unto them. And when at last I get to understand my dignity, shall I appreciate it enough never to lower it? - Called to rise to God, how can I descend towards the level of the brute?

-J. Tissot.
_________________
From Principles and Practices
Compiled by Rev. J. Hogan of The Catholic Missionary Society
Published by Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., Publishers To The Holy See
Nihil Obstat; Eduardus J. Mahoney, S.T.D. Censor deputatus.
Imprimatur; Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius generalis.
First printed in 1930

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