Chapter XI: Renewal of Good Intention

WELL, now, suppose the day begun in this way, and that with a cheerful and, so to speak, sweetened heart you go about your daily labor or occupation. Many a long hour stretches out before you, and many a distracting thing will happen before the day closes. What shall we do in order not to forget or lose sight of those pious morning resolutions?

The holy Apostle St. Paul tells us we must “pray without ceasing.” And if we could carry out his precept we should surely be in no danger, since the Lord has promised, and His promise will surely be fulfilled: “Ask and ye shall receive,” “Call on me and I will help you.”

But who can pray without ceasing when work must go on? When that work takes up one’s time and attention completely, when one can hardly think of anything else, sometimes, for a good while together? That certainly seems asking too much, and more than we can do. Now I do not ask any more than you can do, nor any more than I know you will be glad to do, if you have made a good prayer in the morning.

I said that one should make a good intention in the morning to please God by all one’s actions or sufferings during the day. That is beautifully expressed in some such words as these: “O my God! I offer to Thee all the thoughts, words, actions, and sufferings of this day, in union with those of Jesus Christ, with the intention of doing everything only to please Thee.”

You see how beforehand, by a pious intention and desire of the heart, you have offered all that may happen during the day to the Lord, and joined all your actions to those of Jesus Christ; that is, you desire to behave in all things just as Jesus Christ would wish you to behave, or, what is the same thing, to please Him and His heavenly Father.

Now, that good desire is accepted by God and laid to your credit. And although afterwards you may do many things without actually thinking of God, such as eating, drinking, cooking, sewing, standing beside the noisy machine, scrubbing, taking care of children, or any other duty, yet that morning’s good intention spreads over them, covers them all with the virtue of holy prayer, and makes them good in His sight.

We “pray without ceasing” through these good intentions. Our sleep is a prayer, if we make an intention to rest ourselves for God’s glory, that we may be in better health and strength to serve Him and do our duty. So our eating and drinking, by the same kind of intention, is sanctified and made holy in the sight of God.

Then, always make that good intention in the morning, and renew it from time to time during the day; saying, “Let all my actions be to please my God,” or something else like it. This will soon become natural to you, for having set out to talk with God, He will want to talk with you.

God, the Holy Ghost, will in His still and quiet way put many a good thought and many a good desire in your heart, many a holy sigh and devout prayer on your tongue. All you will have to do will be to listen to that still voice, which will continually be saying to you, “Do this, it is pleasing to God”; “Let that alone, it will hurt your soul”; “Pray now a little, that you may keep your soul fixed on your God,” and many other such things.

These short prayers, which the Holy Ghost will put in your mind from time to time, will keep your soul awake to God and attentive to please Him, so that you may with truth be said to pray without ceasing, even if for some time you are not conscious of making an actual prayer.

Especially in any time of temptation, when sin of any sort seems pleasant or good to you, will the voice of the Holy Ghost be heard in your soul. “Child of God, beware! that is a sinful thing; pray, oh, pray! for grace to avoid it.” Make a habit of attending to that voice within you, of shutting your eyes and ears and your whole mind to that evil temptation. Raise your soul quickly to God, and cry out, “Lord Jesus, help me! let me not fall into this or any sin!” or simply repeat with devout mind the holy names, Jesus! Mary!

That cry will quickly reach heaven, and God will send His help and put the temptation to flight.

It is exceedingly important to get in the habit of praying short and fervent prayers at such times. By them we get a great victory over the enemies of the soul, and great strength to persevere, instead of being taken captive and led away in chains, to suffer all that the wicked enemy chooses to put upon us.