The Narrow Road

Luke 13:22-30

"'There are many who desire to make progress [in the spiritual way] and constantly entreat God to draw them and let them advance to this state of perfection [the state of union], but when it pleases God to begin to bring them through the first trials and mortifications, as is necessary, they are are unwilling to pass through them, and flee away, to escape from the narrow road of life and to seek the broad road of their own consolation.' (Living Flame of Love, 2, 27) This is the reason why many souls do not reach union with God; they are not willing to tread the way of the Cross, the only way which leads to it.

You also desire to arrive at divine union, but perhaps you, too, think to reach it by a broad, sunny, pleasant way, by way of success, where one goes from victory to victory, where one enjoys abundant spiritual consolations, where one finds the applause, support, and esteem of creatures. But by now you must certainly have understood that it is necessary to take quite another way: the narrow and obscure way where the soul discovers all its misery, experiences all wanting. You know, too , that you must accept having to walk this way for as long as it will please God. How many months or years will suffice? Only God knows. He often keeps souls a long time in the dark night of the spirit, and it might even be said that, in general, even after the principal stages have long passed, there is always a little of the night as long as one lives upon earth. The wisest course is to surrender yourself completely to the divine will of God, without setting limits either to the duration or the nature of the trials. God knows what is best for you; He, who knows so well the weaknesses and necessities of your soul, will know how to prescribe exactly the treatment to cure your evils. Do not be hasty, but, on the contrary, have much patience, and you will not expose yourself to deception. Let your patience be long-suffering and trustful because, although you truly suffer, these sufferings do not come to you from an enemy but from your greatest Friend, from God, who loves you much more than you could love yourself, who wills your good, your happiness, your sanctification much more than you could ever desire them. Hope in Him and you will never be confounded; entrust yourself to Him blindly and you will have nothing to fear."
From Divine Intimacy, 354, pp. 1068-1069

The Patience of God

Is 30:15
"By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust your strength lies. But this you did not wish."

Luke 13:6-9
"What was the reason for this bad harvest, when everything had been done to ensure that it would be a good one? St. Ambrose has written that the cause of spiritual sterility can frequently be traced to pride and hardness of heart.

In spite of the disappointments God returns with renewed generosity time and time again to look for results. This is the patience of God towards souls. He does not become discouraged...He knows how to wait. He sees our faults and failings but he also sees our capacity for doing good. The Lord never gives up on any soul."
--from In Conversation With God, vol. 5 p. 309

Is 40:26-31

"but those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength."

Waiting is hard work.

Father,
you illumine the night
and bring the dawn to scatter darkness.
Let us pass this night in safety,
free from Satan's power,
and rise when morning comes
to give you thanks and praise.

--from Evening Prayer tonight

Vigilance

Luke 12:35-38

"St. John Chrysostom once wrote to someone who had fallen away from the Faith: The worse thing is not that the warrior has fallen in battle. The worse thing would be that he remain down. It is bit the end when someone falls wounded in the fray. What is lamentable is when the wounded person does not go to get proper treatment for his wound.

Let us not forget that our 'struggle in little things' serves to strengthen the soul and enhance its docility to the action of the Holy Spirit. The other side of the coin is that our neglect of little things provides the breach in our defences where the enemy frequently has us at disadvantage: we may be neglectful or careless in matters of punctuality, in the quality of our prayer, in remembering the value of little mortifications at meals, in the guarding of our senses...The greatest danger for a Christian is to underestimate the importance of fighting skirmishes. The refusal to fight the little battles can, little by little, leave him soft, weak and indifferent, insensitive to the accents of God's voice."
--from In Conversation with God, vol.5, p. 288

The Harvest is Abundant

Luke 10:1-9

"Father, may your gifts from heaven free our hearts to serve you. May the sacrifice we offer on the feast of St. Luke bring us healing and lead us to eternal glory, where Jesus is Lord for ever and ever."
--prayer over the gifts for today's Mass.

"Jesus received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed to be cured." -- Lk. 9:11

St. Teresa of Jesus

Let nothing disturb you;
Let nothing frighten you.
All things are passing.
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Nothing is wanting
to him who possesses God.
God alone suffices.