Page:Meditations For Every Day In The Year.djvu/335

 is once  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  is  always  led  to prayer,  contemplation,  and  solitude. Besides, our  Lord retired to  avoid  the  applause  of  the  people,  which  was the natural  consequence  of  the  wonderful  signs  which had been  seen  at  His  baptism. Before He  commenced His preaching,  He  retired  forty  days  from  the  conversation and  ways  of  men,  to  teach  you  to  love  solitude  and retirement, and  when  you  have  it  in  your  power  to  separate yourself  from  your  ordinary  occupations,  and,  for  a short  time  at  least,  to  enter  into  spiritual  retreat,  to  converse with  God  on  the  important  affair  of  salvation.

II. Christ is  said  after  His  baptism  to  have  followed the conduct  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  intimating  that  all who are  baptized  ought  to  follow  the  direction  of  the Divine Spirit  and  not  their  own  judgments. Examine what spirit  guides  you  in  your  actions,  whether  it  be  the spirit of  perfection  or  of  vanity. If you  be  a  child  of God,  you  must  be  led  in  everything  by  the  Divine  Spirit; for according  to  the  Apostle,  "  whosoever  are  led  by  the Spirit  of  God,  they  are  the  sons  of  God." (Rom. viii.  14.)

III. St. Mark says  of  Christ,  "And  He  was  with  beasts." (Mark i.  13.)  Admire  the  humility  of  the  Son  of  God, who, although  He  was  creator  of  all  things,  did  not  disdain for  forty  days  to  live  among  brute  beasts. He might truly  have  said  with  Job,  "  I  was  the  brother  of dragons,  and  companion  of  ostriches." (Job xxx.  29.)  Be confounded  at  your  want  of  virtue,  when  you  cannot  live contentedly except  with  companions  of  your  own  choice and humor. Learn to  bear  patiently  with  the  crosses arising from  troublesome  associates;  for,  as  the  great  St. Gregory  says,  "No  one  is  perfect  who  is  impatient among  bad  or  troublesome  neighbors."