Abandonment To Divine Providence

 BOOK I ON THE VIRTUE OF ABANDONMENT TO DIVINE PROVIDENCE ITS NATURE AND EXCELLENCE.

 CHAPTER I. SANCTITY CONSISTS IN FIDELITY TO THE ORDER ESTABLISHED BY GOD, AND IN SUBMISSION TO ALL HIS OPERATIONS.

 SECTION I.—Hidden Operations of God.

 SECTION II.—The Duties of Each Moment.

 SECTION III.—The Work of our Sanctification.

 SECTION IV.—In what Perfection Consists. 6

 SECTION V.—The Divine Influence alone can Sanctify Us.

 SECTION VI.—On the Use of Mental Faculties.

 SECTION VII.—On the Attainment of Peace.

 SECTION VIII.—To Estimate Degrees of Excellence.

 SECTION IX.—Sanctity Made Easy.

 CHAPTER II. THE DIVINE ACTION WORKS UNCEASINGLY FOR THE SANCTIFICATION OF SOULS.

 SECTION I.—The Divine Action.

 Section II. By Faith the Operation of God is recognised. 17 SECTION II.—By Faith the Operation of God is recognised.

 Section III. How to Discover what is the Will of God. SECTION III.—How to Discover what is the Will of God.

 Section IV. The Revelations of God. SECTION IV.—The Revelations of God.

 Section V. The action of Jesus Christ in the Souls of Men. SECTION V.—The action of Jesus Christ in the Souls of Men.

 Section VI. The Treatment of the Divine Action. SECTION VI.—The Treatment of the Divine Action.

 Section VII. The Hidden Work of Divine Love. SECTION VII.—The Hidden Work of Divine Love. 26

 Section VIII. Experimental Science. 27 SECTION VIII.—Experimental Science.

 Section IX. The Will of God in the Present Moment is the Source of Sanctity. SECTION IX.—The Will of God in the Present Moment is the Source of Sancti

 Section X. God Makes Known His Will Through Creatures. SECTION X.—God Makes Known His Will Through Creatures.

 Section XI. Everything is Supernaturalised by the Divine Action. SECTION XI.—Everything is Supernaturalised by the Divine Action.

 Section XII. The Divine Word our Model. SECTION XII.—The Divine Word our Model. 34

 BOOK II ON THE STATE OF ABANDONMENT.

 CHAPTER I. ON THE NATURE AND EXCELLENCE OF THE STATE OF ABANDONMENT.

 Section I. The life of God in the soul. SECTION I.—The life of God in the soul.

 Section II. The most perfect way. SECTION II.—The most perfect way.

 Section III. Abandonment a Pledge of Predestination. SECTION III.—Abandonment a Pledge of Predestination.

 Section IV. Abandonment as a Source of Joy. SECTION IV.—Abandonment a Source of Joy.

 Section V. The Great Merit of Pure Faith. SECTION V.—The Great Merit of Pure Faith.

 Section VI. Submission a Free Gift to God. SECTION VI.—Submission a Free Gift to God.

 Section VII. Divine Favours Offered to All. SECTION VII.—Submission a Free Gift to God.

 Section VIII. God Reigns in a Pure Heart. SECTION VIII.—God Reigns in a Pure Heart.

 CHAPTER II. THE DUTIES OF THOSE SOULS CALLED BY GOD TO THE STATE OF ABANDONMENT.

 Section I. Sacrifice, the Foundation of Sanctity. SECTION I.—Sacrifice, the Foundation of Sanctity.

 Section II. The Pains and Consolations of Abandonment. SECTION II.—The Pains and Consolations of Abandonment.

 Section III. The Different Duties of Abandonment. SECTION III.—The Different Duties of Abandonment. 52

 Section IV. God Does All for a Soul of Goodwill. SECTION IV.—God Does All for a Soul of Goodwill.

 Section V. The Common Way of all Souls. SECTION V.—The Common Way of all Souls.

 Section VI. The Duty of the Present Moment the Only Rule. 57 SECTION VI.—The Duty of the Present Moment the Only Rule.

 Section VII. Trust in the guidance of God. SECTION VII.—Trust in the guidance of God.

 Section VIII. Great Faith is Necessary. SECTION VIII.—Great Faith is Necessary.

 CHAPTER III. THE TRIALS CONNECTED WITH THE STATE OF ABANDONMENT.

 Section I. Unwise Interference. SECTION I.—Unwise Interference.

 Section II. Unjust Judgments. SECTION II.—Unjust Judgments.

 Section III. Self-Contempt. SECTION III.—Self-Contempt.

 Section IV. Distrust of Self. SECTION IV.—Distrust of Self. 68

 Section VI. The Life of Faith. SECTION V.—The Life of Faith.

 CHAPTER IV. CONCERNING THE ASSISTANCE RENDERED BY THE FATHERLY PROVIDENCE OF GOD TO THOSE SOULS WHO HAVE ABANDONED THEMSELVES TO HIM.

 Section I. Confidence in God. SECTION I.—Confidence in God.

 Section II. Diversity of Grace. SECTION II.—Diversity of Grace.

 Section III. The Generosity of God. 78 SECTION III.—The Generosity of God.

 Section IV. The Most Ordinary Things are Channels of Grace. SECTION IV.—The Most Ordinary Things are Channels of Grace.

 Section V. Nature and Grace the Instruments of God. SECTION V.—Nature and Grace the Instruments of God.

 Section VI. Supernatural Prudence. SECTION VI.—Supernatural Prudence.

 Section VII. Conviction of Weakness. SECTION VII.—Conviction of Weakness.

 Section VIII. Self-guidance a Mistake. SECTION VIII.—Self-guidance a Mistake.

 Section IX. Divine Love, the Principle of All Good. SECTION IX.—Divine Love, the Principle of All Good.

 Section X. We Must see God in all His Creatures. SECTION X.—We Must see God in all His Creatures.

 Section XI. The Strength of Simplicity. SECTION XI.—The Strength of Simplicity.

 Section XII. The Triumph of Humility. SECTION XII.—The Triumph of Humility.

SECTION V.—The Divine Influence alone can Sanctify Us.

No reading, nor any other exercise can sanctify us except in so far as they are the channels of the divine influence.

Our whole science consists in recognising the designs of God for the present moment. All reading not intended for us by God is dangerous. It is by doing the will of God and obeying His holy inspirations that we obtain grace, and this grace works in our hearts through our reading or any other employment. Apart from God reading is empty and vain and, being deprived for us of the life-giving power of the action of God, only succeeds in emptying the heart by the very fullness it gives to the mind.

This divine will, working in the soul of a simple ignorant girl by means of sufferings and actions of a very ordinary nature, produces a state of supernatural life without the mind being filled with self-exalting ideas; whereas the proud man who studies spiritual books merely out of curiosity receives no more than the dead letter into his mind, and the will of God having no connexion with his reading his heart becomes ever harder and more withered.

The order established by God and His divine will are the life of the soul no matter in what way they work, or are obeyed. Whatever connexion the divine will has with the mind, it nourishes the soul, and continually enlarges it by giving it what is best for it at every moment. It is neither one thing nor another which produces these happy effects, but what God has willed for each moment. What was best for the moment that has passed is so no longer because it is no longer the will of God which, becoming apparent through other circumstances, brings to light the duty of the present moment. It is this duty under whatever guise it presents itself which is precisely that which is the most sanctifying for the soul. If, by the divine will, it is a present duty to read, then reading will produce the destined effect in the soul. If it is the divine will that reading be relinquished for contemplation, then this will perform the work of God in the soul and reading would become useless and prejudicial. Should the divine will withdraw the soul from contemplation for the hearing of confessions, etc., and that even for some considerable time, this duty becomes the means of uniting the soul with Jesus Christ and all the sweetness of contemplation would only serve to destroy this union. Our moments are made fruitful by our fulfilment of the will of God. This is presented to us in countless different ways by the present duty which forms, increases, and consummates in us the new man 8until we attain the plenitude destined for us by the divine wisdom. This mysterious attainment of the age of Jesus Christ in our souls is the end ordained by God and the fruit of His grace and of His divine goodness.

This fruit, as we have already said, is produced, nourished and increased by the performance of those duties which become successively present, and which are made fruitful by the same divine will.

In fulfilling these duties we are always sure of possessing the “better part” because this holy will is itself the better part, it only requires to be allowed to act and that we should abandon ourselves blindly to it with perfect confidence. It is infinitely wise, powerful and amiable to those who trust themselves unreservedly to it, who love and seek it alone, and who believe with an unshaken faith and confidence that what it arranges for each moment is best, without seeking elsewhere for more or less, and without pausing to consider the connexion of these exterior works with the plans of God: This would be the refinement of self-love.

Nothing is essential, real, or of any value unless ordained by God who arranges all things and makes them useful to the soul. Apart from this divine will all is hollow, empty, null, there is nothing but falsehood, vanity, nothingness, death. The will of God is the salvation, health and life of body and soul, no matter to what subject it is applied. One must not, therefore, scrutinize too closely the suitability of things to mind or body in order to form a judgement of their value, because this is of little importance. It is the will of God which bestows through these things, no matter what they may be, an efficacious grace by which the image of Jesus Christ is renewed in our souls. One must not lay down the law nor impose limits on this divine will since it is all-powerful.

Whatever ideas may fill the mind, whatever feelings afflict the body; even if the mind should be tormented with distractions and troubles, and the body with sickness and pain, nevertheless the divine will is ever for the present moment the life of the soul and of the body; in fact, neither the one nor the other, no matter in what condition it may be, can be sustained by any other power.

The divine influence alone can sanctify us. Without it bread may be poison, and poison a salutary remedy. Without it reading only darkens the mind; with it darkness is made light. It is everything that is good and true in all things, and in all things it unites us to God, who, being infinite in all perfections, leaves nothing to be desired by the soul that possesses Him.