Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twenty-eighth Day.
Peace is a gift of the Holy Ghost, somewhat similar to joy; if we have peace nothing can disturb our soul; even if we are afflicted we are not out of humor, for we see that it is the will of God, Who is our kind Father, and that everything is for our special benefit. We are at peace with our fellow-creatures, for we are not actuated by inordinate ambition, nor by grasping avarice, so that we are loved by all. Patience is a gift of the Holy Spirit by which we endure the ills of the flesh without a murmur and with resignation. What a beautiful virtue and gift we have in this. We love the virtue in others, and we must endeavor to possess it also in ourselves, so as to be a spectacle of patience to men and angels. With benignity, goodness, and mildness, we meet others and charm them with our kindness; they are virtues that result from the thorough practice of charity; it is the combination of these virtues that makes true Christian politeness. What a beautiful world this would be if every one in it would be imbued with these sentiments.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twenty-ninth Day.
Faith is a holy gift of trust in God, in His holy revelation, in the Church, her precepts and teaching, her discipline, and her devotions. We realize and form our conduct on these matters of faith, so that they become the foundation of our hope and our consolation in trials. God becomes to us a living reality, not a vague speculation; and the Church the representative of God on earth, the spouse of Jesus Christ. The just man lives by faith and in the faith; he is full of the trust, the justice, and the mercy of God. Modesty is a fruit of the possession of the Holy Ghost, because by it we are retired, unassuming, caring nothing for the show and allurements of the world. Prayer, meditation, and pious reading should be our favorite occupations, in which we would find a great deal of pleasure; our duties would be well performed, because we would set our whole mind on them in all the quietness of our soul. Continency and chastity are also the result of the presence in our soul of the Holy Spirit; we abhor the pleasures of sensuality, and keep ourselves pure from all contamination, according to the state of life which we have chosen or in which we find ourselves.
Prayer.