“Thou shalt send forth Thy spirit and they shall be created; and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth” (Ps. 103, 30).
First Prelude: Reverently join the holy assembly in the Supper Room, preparing for the reception of the Holy Ghost.
Second Prelude: O Holy Ghost, Thou Light of hearts, enlighten my interior with Thy grace, that I may discover my most secret faults, and tolerate nothing in me that is displeasing to Thee.
First Point
Pride, particularly, resists the Holy Ghost
Among all the passions of the human heart, pride is the most hidden, the most deep-seated and the one which we most frequently seek to satisfy. Now we are tempted to glory in advantages, real or imaginary; now to conceal, to belittle, or palliate our faults. How often do religious give evidence of pride, with whom as with the rebellious angels, it has its source in spiritual goods! Let us, therefore, be on our guard, for whereas other evil inclinations assert themselves only in connection with sinful actions, pride manifests itself even in the good we do. How many, who for years had led a penitential life and apparently reached the pinnacle of perfection, fell deeply because, ruled by pride, they banished the Holy Ghost and His grace from their hearts and thus suffered the loss of a life-time of merit! We will, therefore, scrutinize every fibre of our heart and pray the Holy Ghost for true self-knowledge, which makes us humble and properly disposed to receive His bountiful visitations. We will seek humiliations, by acknowledging our faults not only to ourselves but also to others; by endeavoring to conceal the little good there may be in us, and desiring to be known and loved by God alone.
How often and on what occasions have I failed through pride? What must I do in particular to combat this vice?
Second Point
The Holy Ghost has nothing in common with the spirit of the world
To all Christians, our Divine Saviour has said: “If anyone will be My disciple, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.” The majority, however, live in exact contradiction with this sublime doctrine. Desiring to enjoy life, they deny themselves nothing, gratify their every passion and utterly lose sight of the inevitable law of penance, a consequence of the fall of our first parents. Such is the spirit of the world, diametrically opposed to the spirit of God, which St. James straightway designates as enmity of God: “Know ye not that the friendship of this world is an enemy of God?” Nothing is so detrimental to religious perfection as a worldly spirit, which, unfortunately, only too often seeks to gain access to the house of the Lord. In some, it manifests itself in a certain carelessness, which hinders their striving earnestly for perfection by enticing them to seek unnecessary worldly intercourse or to perform their spiritual exercises superficially. Others are slaves of sensuality, seek personal comfort and convenience, and even go so far as to complain when some of their wishes remain unfulfilled; others, again, are ruled by the spirit of sensitiveness; a little lack of attention, an innocent jest at their expense, a serious mien, the mere shadow of an insult, suffice to annoy them for days and induce them even to manifest their want of virtue outwardly. What a pitiful sight to find such as would be disciples of Christ without mortification, and spouses of the Crucified without crosses?
I will pray the Holy Ghost incessantly to grant me no rest until, with His grace, I shall have banished the spirit of sensuality and worldliness, and shall have made the spirit of Jesus Christ the sole Ruler of my heart.
Affections:
O my God, prostrate at Thy feet in profound humility and shame, I acknowledge my numerous faults and sins and my infidelities in Thy holy service. Alas, how seriously must the unclean dwelling of my heart displease Thy holy eye! But who other can cleanse it than Thou, through the power of Thy love, the strength of Thy grace? To whom else could I cry: “Create a clean heart in me, O God, and renew a right spirit within me?” Forsake me not, in the struggle against my evil inclinations, especially pride, sensuality and levity. Sustain me in this earnest endeavor, that, supported by Thy grace, I may attain to that new life in virtue of which I can say in very truth: “I live, now not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Gal. 2, 20).
Resolution:
I will struggle with renewed energy against my predominant fault.
Spiritual Bouquet:
“Bend the stubborn heart and will; melt the frozen, warm the chill; guide the steps that go astray.”
Prayer:
Soul of Christ. . .
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