Page:Thecompleteascet01grimuoft.djvu/499

 ways acquire  merit. But the  tepid  and  negligent  fabricate cobwebs;  for  they  labor  and  toil  through  earthly motives, and  thus  lose  all.

My Jesus,  grant  that  I  may  love  Thee  ardently  during  the remainder of  my  life,  and  that  I  may  be  entirely  Thine. I curse the days  in  which  I  have  loved  creatures  so  as  to  displease  Thee. Henceforth I  wish  to  love  nothing  but  Thee. I entreat  Thee to give  me  strength  to  detach  my  heart  from  all  things  that divert me  from  Thy  love. Grant that  my  heart  may  be  employed in  regarding  only  Thee  as  the  only  object  worthy  of love. O Incarnate  Word! Thou hast  come  into  the  world  to dwell  in  our  souls  that  Thou  hast  redeemed  with  Thy  blood. Let my  heart,  then,  be  all  Thine. Take possession  of  it  and watch over  all  my  wants;  illuminate  my  soul,  inflame  me,  and make me  promptly  obey  all  Thy  wishes. My Jesus,  my  Sovereign Good,  I  love  Thee  and  I  esteem  Thee  above  every  good. I give  myself  entirely  to  Thee:  accept  me  to  serve  Thee  forever but to  serve  Thee  not  through  fear,  but  through  love. Thy majesty deserves  to  be  feared,  but  Thy  goodness  deserves  still more to  be  loved.

O Mary,  my  Mother  and  my  refuge,  obtain  for  me  the  grace to belong  entirely  to  Jesus.

The practice  of  the  presence  of  God  is  justly  called by spiritual  masters  the  foundation  of  a  spiritual  life, which consists  in  three  things:  the  avoidance  of  sin,  the practice of  virtue,  and  union  with  God. These three effects the  presence  of  God  produces:  it  preserves  the soul from  sin,  leads  it  to  the  practice  of  virtue,  and moves it  to  unite  itself  to  God  by  means  of  holy  love.

I. As  to  the  first  effect,  the  avoidance  of  sin,  there  is no  more  efficacious  means  of  subduing  the  passions,  of