All For Jesus: Or the Easy Ways of Divine Love - Tapa blanda

This work begins: “Jesus belongs to us. He vouchsafes to put Himself at our disposal. He communicates to us everything of His which we are capable of receiving. He loves us with a love which no words can tell, nay, above all our thought and imagination; and He condescends to desire, with a. longing which is equally indescribable, that we should love Him, with a fervent and entire love. His merits may be called ours as well as His. His satisfactions are not so much His treasures as they are ours. His sacraments are but so many ways which His love has designed to communicate Him to our souls. Wherever we turn in the church of God, there is Jesus. He is the beginning, middle, and end of every thing to us. He is our help in penance, our consolation in grief, our support in trial.” Father Faber tells us that all of the Saints had three things in common: “1. Eagerness for the glory of God; 2. Touchiness about the interests of Jesus; and 3. Anxiety for the salvation of souls.” He then expands on these three points essential to sanctification and salvation. Father Faber gives some good advice to atone for the sins of others in those seasons when people sin most, which today is always: “1. To abstain at that season with more than common care from some particular fault which ordinarily besets us. 2. To increase our time of prayer by adding at least half an hour to it. 3. To read longer than usual, say for an hour, some spiritual book, not one which will feed curiosity, but one which will excite pious affections toward God, such as the Confessions of St. Augustine, the Imitation of Christ, and the Lives of the Saints. 4. To afflict our bodies with some new penance, or to prolong some customary penance beyond its usual time. 6. Every time the clock strikes, to make a brief but affectionate act; of sorrow for the sins of the season: this may be done in any way, walking, or at meals, &c. 7. At least three times in the day, with a most profound genuflexion, and with great feeling, to adore the Divine Majesty toward the four quarters of the world, all which God is at this time being so grievously offended, desiring in some sort of way to compensate by this loving adoration, for the sins which are then being committed in those regions, grieving for them, and asking for their remission and for the conversion of sinners, and for that end offering up the Precious Blood and merits of Jesus Christ, which and most dear to God and most profitable to sinners. It was thus St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi obtained the conversion of many sinners. 8. To do our ordinary good works on these days more perfectly, diligently, and fervently, especially those which relate to the immediate worship of God. For, as at these seasons worldly men and the servants of the devil arc more diligent and fervent in offending God, it is but right that souls loving God should be at least in the same proportion more diligent and fervent in well-doing and in divine worship. 9. To make an additional communion in order to appease God, and to worship Him by our loving reparation. 10. As God is especially offended on these days by excesses in eating and drinking, to mortify our appetite somewhat more than usual either in quantity or quality. 11. As God is also especially offended at such times by immodest conversations, to agree with some pious friend to meet and spend a short time daily in spiritual conference, simply to give pleasure and consolation to our good God. 12. As men are especially guilty at such times of sinful idleness, to take more than common care about the spending of our time, so that apart from innocent and proper recreation, no part of it should pass in idleness and inutility, but rather to be more industrious than usual. 13. Those who are under any vows should on these days renew them with fresh acts of love to God, a devotion suggested to us by our Lord's fixing the Thursday before Quinquagesima for espousing St. Catherine of Siena.