Page:Thecompleteascet01grimuoft.djvu/92

 tity animates  and  encourages  the  soul  to  perform  acts of ordinary  and  easy  virtue. Hence it  is  of  great  importance to  propose  in  the  morning  to  labor  as  much  as possible  for  God  during  the  day;  to  resolve  to  bear patiently all  crosses  and  contradictions;  to  observe  constant recollection;  and  to  make  continual  acts  of  the love of  God. Such was  the  practice  of  the  seraphic  St. Francis. "He proposed,"  says  St.  Bonaventure,  "with the  grace  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  do  great  things." St. Teresa asserts  that  "the  Lord  is  as  well  pleased  with good  desires  as  with  their  fulfilment." Oh! how much better is  it  to  serve  God  than  to  serve  the  world. To acquire goods  of  the  earth,  to  procure  wealth,  honors, and applause  of  men,  it  is  not  enough  to  pant  after them with  ardor;  no,  to  desire  and  not  to  obtain  them only renders  their  absence  more  painful. But to  merit  the riches and  the  favor  of  God,  it  is  sufficient  to  desire  his grace and  love. St. Augustine  relates  that  in  a  convent of hermits  there  were  two  officers  of  the  emperor's  court, one of  whom  began  to  read  the  life  of  St  Anthony. "He read,"  says  the  holy  Doctor,  "and  his  heart  was stripped  of  the  world." Turning to  his  companion, he said:  "What  do  we  seek?  Can  we  expect  from  the emperor  anything  better  than  his  friendship?  Through how  many  dangers  are  we  to  reach  still  greater  perils? and  how  long  shall  this  last?  Fools  that  we  have  been, shall  we  still  continue  to  serve  the  emperor  in  the  midst of  so  many  labors,  fears,  and  troubles?  We  can  hope  for nothing  better  than  his  favor;  and  should  we  obtain  it, we  would  only  increase  the  danger  of  our  eternal  reprobation. It  is  only  with  difficulty  that  we  shall  ever procure  the  patronage  of  Caesar,  but  if  I  will  it,  behold