Page:The Catholic prayer book.djvu/362

 the service  of  God,  but  make  progress  in  the  way  of Christian  virtue.

“ Let us  learn  to  love  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  our Saviour, our  God,  and  all  our  good. For this  end. I beseech thee  to  give  every  day  some  time  to  reflection on  his  Passion. In it  thou  wilt  find  every motive to  hope  for  eternal  life  and  to  love  God,  on which  depends  our  salvation. All the  saints  have made it  their  delight  to  meditate  on  Jesus  Christ  in his  Passion,  and  by  this  means  alone  they  become saints.” — St. Alphonsus.

Resolve, therefore,  now  and  again  to  pray  like St. Augustine  for  the  grace  of  devotion  to  the  Passion, and to  recite  daily  some  prayer  in  gratitude  to  Jesus Christ for  all  he  has  done  and  suffered  to  save  your soul from  everlasting  torments,  and  prepare  for  it  a place  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.

[Every day,  about  noon  (at  your  work  or  employment if  you  like),  say  five  Paters  and  Aves  in  honour of the  sufferings  of  Jesus  and  the  sorrows  of  the Blessed Virgin. This devotion  is  an  easy  one,  and quite within  the  reach  of  every  Christian,  no  matter how much  occupied; moreover,  it  has  great  indulgences attached  to  it; and  lastly,  it  will  help  you  to be  habitually  mindful,  not  only  of  the  sufferings of our  Blessed  Redeemer,  but  also  (and  this  too  is  of much  importance)  of  the  sorrows  of  his  most  afflicted Mother.]