Page:PracticeOfChristianAndReligiousPerfectionV1.djvu/28

 the little  relish  we  have  for  piety,  that  hinders  us  from  performing these  things. St. Basil (Bas.  Ser.  Per.)  says,  we  ought to be  very  exact  in  giving  to  Almighty  God  the  time  allotted for our  spiritual  exercises. And as,  whenever  it  happens,  that we have  not  bad  time  to  eat  and  sleep  in  consequence  of  our being obliged  to  watch  with  a  sick  person,  and  to  assist  him in dying  well,  we  take  great  care  to  refresh  immediately  our wearied bodies,  and  will  be  sure  to  find  time  for  doing  so;  in like  manner,  in  case  we  are  hindered  from  making  our  prayer or examination  of  conscience  at  the  usual  hour,  we  must  ardently desire  to  supply  that  omission,  and  to  acquit  ourselves of these  duties  as  soon  as  we  possibly  can.

Whenever, during  the  time  of  the  spiritual  exercises,  we  are, through necessity,  employed  otherwise  by  our  superiors,  their intention is  not  that  we  neglect,  but  only  that  we  defer  for  a while  these  spiritual  exercises,  and  afterwards  resume  and  fully perform them,  according  to  the  saying  of  the  Wise  Man: — w Let  nothing  hinder  you  from  praying  always."  (Ecclus.  xviii. 22.)  He  does  not  say,  "  hinder  no  man,"  but  "  let  nothing  hinder you t. e.,  let  no  business  make  you  omit  your  prayers;  and certainly nothing  can  make  a  good  religious  man  omit  them, because he  will  always  find  sufficient  leisure  for  them.

In the  book  called  Bibliotheca  Patrum,  it  is  written  of  St. Dorotheus,  that  though  he  was  often  obliged  to  go  very  late  to bed,  and  occasionally  to  rise  in  the  night  in  order  to  entertain strangers and  passengers  of  whom  he  had  the  care,  yet  he  never omitted rising  to  prayer,  at  the  same  hour  with  the  other  religious of  the  convent. When he  perceived  that,  in  consequence of his  great  fatigues,  the  brother  whose  office  it  was  to  call  up the  rest  of  the  religious  did  not  knock  at  the  door  of  his  cell, he requested  of  one  of  his  companions  to  do  him  that  kindness, though he  lately  had  a  violent  fever,  and  was  not  quite  recovered from it. Thus indeed  he  showed  a  real  desire  of  not  omitting his spiritual  duties,  and  by  not,  on  every  trifling  indisposition, dispensing with  himself  in  them,  he  was  enabled  to  observe  his rule during  the  rest  of  the  day. We read  likewise  in  the  same book, that  an  aged  holy  monk  saw  once  an  angel  incensing  all the religious  who  made  haste  to  come  to  prayer,  and  incensing the very  seats  of  those  other  religious,  who,  by  reason  of  lawful avocations, could  not  be  present  at  this  duty :  but  the  angel  did not incense  the  seats  of  such  as,  through  sloth,  neglected  to  come to choir. This is  very  proper  both  to  comfort  those  who,