Page:Meditations For Every Day In The Year.djvu/334

 fuse the  office  of  being  our  Director;  for  it  is  recorded  of Joseph  in  Egypt,  "  The  Lord  was  with  him,  and  made  all that  he  did  to  prosper." (Gen. xxxix.  23.)

II. Christ, as  we  read  in  the  Gospel,  directed  His Apostles, who  were  fishing,  and  they  immediately  caught a great  quantity  of  fish. He will  visit  your  soul  to-day, to direct  your  spiritual  concerns,  so  that  you  have  great reason to  hope  for  much  spiritual  profit  if  you  will  follow His  directions  and  obey  His  divine  inspirations.

III. You must  prepare  your  heart  to  receive  your heavenly director  in  a  proper  manner. You must  first divest it  of  all  sinful  affections;  and  therefore  St.  Peter says in  the  Gospel,  "  Depart  from  me,  O  Lord;  for I  am  a sinful  man,"  knowing  that  Christ  could  have  no  connection with  sin. You must,  in  the  second  place,  earnestly entreat Him  to  do  you  the  favor  of  remitting  your  sins, and directing  you  in  the  way  of  virtue;  for  of  King  Ozias it is  written,  "And  when  he  sought  the  Lord,  he  directed him  in  all  things." (2 Paralip.  xxvi.  5.)  Wherefore  say with the  Psalmist,  "  Look  upon  Thy  servants,  and  upon their  works:  and  direct  their  children;  and  let  the  brightness of  the  Lord  our  God  be  upon  us;  and  direct  Thou the  works  of  our  hands  over  us;  yea,  the  work  of  our hands  do  Thou  direct." (Ps. lxxxix.  16,  17.)

I. Jesus,  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  returned  from  the Jordan "  and  was  led  by  the  Spirit  into  the  desert." (Matt. iv.  1.)    Learn  from  this  fact  that  the  soul  which