Page:Stalphonsuspraye00ligu.djvu/15

 have lost  their  souls;  their  greatest  suffering  in  hell is and  always  will  be  the  thought  of  how  easily  they might have  saved  their  souls  by  asking  the  necessary graces from  God,  whereas  now  they  are  no  longer able to  do  so. Therefore,

St. Teresa  was  accustomed  to  say  that  she  would have wished  to  place  herself  on  the  summit  of  a mountain,  whence  she  could  be  heard  by  all  living souls, solely  that  she  might  cry  out  to  them,

e have here,  then,  given  a  summary  of  St. Alphonsus'  magnificent  and  consoling  doctrine concerning  prayer. He did  not  content himself  with  recording  this  salutary  teaching in  numerous  parts  of  his  writings,  but  he  also put his  teaching  in  practice  by  composing  a  great number of  formulas  equally  admirable  for  their  substance and  their  form,  and  all  of  them  bearing  the impress of  the  Spirit  of  God. A heavenly  unction will always  impart  a  singular  charm  to  them. The Saint wrote  them  from  his  heart;  one  might  even say he  dipped  his  pen  in  the  blood  of  the  burning Heart of  Jesus. Many of  them  were  written  immediately after  his  having  been  in  a  state  of  ecstatic prayer before  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  or  the  crucifix, or the  venerated  image  of  Mary. They speak  the language of  the  heart,  of  a  heart  wounded  by  divine love, a  heart  that  fully  recognizes  how  worthy  is  its own well-beloved  of  being  loved  by  all  men. Who is there  that  in  hours  of  solitude,  or  when  prostrate at the  feet  of  his  God,  has  not  felt  his  heart  melted and inflamed  when  repeating  and  reiterating  the