A Year With the Saints: Daily Meditations With the Holy Ones of God. by Paul Thigpen

Author:Paul Thigpen [Thigpen, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
ISBN: 9781618902009
Publisher: Saint Benedict Press, LLC
Published: 2013-09-22T04:00:00+00:00

— St. Frances de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, IV, 4

IN GOD’S PRESENCE, CONSIDER …

What temptations are assailing me today by making sin look attractive? Despite the assault, have I exercised my will by refusing to consent to them?

CLOSING PRAYER

Lord Jesus, Satan himself tempted you in the wilderness, and yet you never sinned. Teach me to follow your example as I refuse to give my consent both to the temptation and to its attraction.

DAY 183

A meditation on God’s purpose in creating me

St. Francis de Sales offers several meditations designed to help us break our attachment to sin. This meditation has us reflect on the purpose for which God created us.

God didn’t bring you into the world because he had any need of you or any use for you. He created you solely so that he might show forth his goodness in you, giving you his grace and glory. And for this purpose he gave you understanding so you might know him, memory so you might think of him, a will so you might love him, imagination so you might realize his mercies, sight so you might behold the marvels of his works, speech so you might praise him, and so on with all your other abilities.

Since we’ve been created and placed in the world for this reason, all actions contrary to this purpose should be shunned and rejected. And whatever doesn’t promote this purpose should be avoided as idle and unnecessary.

Consider how unhappy are those who don’t keep all this in mind. They live as if they were created only to build and plant, to heap up riches and amuse themselves with trifles.

Humble yourself in the realization that before now, you too have thought so little about all this. Oh, no, my God, what was I thinking of when I didn’t think of you? What was I remembering when I forgot you? What was I loving when I failed to love you? Oh, no! When I ought to have been feeding on the truth, I was only filling myself with vanity, and serving the world—the world that was made to serve me by pointing me to you.

With all this in mind, reject your past life and turn to God.

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