Resting always in His presence, like a little child, or even a beggar, who knowing nothing is due to him, still asks, loves, and awaits, feeling sure that hour by hour, in proportion to our need, God will provide all that is needful, and even over and above what is absolutely necessary. Live peacefully under the protection of Divine Providence; the more you feel your insignificance, weakness, sickness, misery, the more right you have to the pity and love of God.
Only pray fervently; let your prayer be thoughtful and reverent, sweet and full of hope. The poor have nothing left to them but prayer; but that prayer, so humble, so pleading, ascends to God, and is listened to with Fatherly love!
Do not have a number of varied [pg 151] prayers, but let the "Our Father" be ever on your lips and in your heart.
Love to repeat to God the prayer that Christ Himself has taught, and for His sake is always accepted.
Look upon yourself as a hired servant of God, to whom He has promised a rich reward at the end of the day He calls life; each morning hold yourself in readiness to obey all His commands, in the way He wills, and with the means He appoints.
The command may not always come direct from the Master; it would be too sweet to hear only God's Voice: but He sends it by means of His ambassadors; these go by the names of superiors, equals, inferiors, sometimes enemies.
Each has received the mission (without knowing it) to make you holy; one by subduing your independence, another by crushing your pride, a third by spurring your slothfulness.
They will, though fulfilling God's command, do it each in his own way, sometimes roughly, sometimes maliciously, sometimes in a way hard to bear ... what does it matter, so long as you feel that all you do, all you suffer, is the will of God?
Do your duty as well as you can, as you understand it, as it is given to you; say sometimes to God, "My Master, art Thou satisfied with me?" and then, in spite of ennui, fatigue, repugnance, go on with it faithfully to the end.
Then, whether praise or blame be yours, you will, good faithful servant, at least have peace.