Untitled - Saints' Books

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466 Appendix.
solations that he cried out: "It is
enough, O Lord, it
is enough!"
I read of the Blessed John Francis Regis,
the great missionary of France, that after having spent
the whole day in preaching and hearing confessions,
instead of resting, he went before the door of the
church, which was closed, and conversed there with his
God during the whole night. You know what were the
labors of a St. Philip Neri, and what was his love for
prayer. St. Vincent Ferrer, the apostle of Spain, used
to make before preaching an hour s meditation. All
evangelical laborers have only imitated in this their
model and chief, Jesus Christ, who spent sometimes the
whole night in prayer: He passed the whole night in the
prayer of God?
Undoubtedly, when God commands us to leave men
tal prayer in order to labor for the salvation of souls
we must obey by leaving God for God. Let us then
apply ourselves to the good of our neighbor as much as
it is necessary; but let us not lose time: let us avoid
useless conversations, and not listen to vain discourses.
The time lost is a thing that God does not command.
As soon as we are free let us return to prayer. And
even in the midst of our occupations, while hearing
confessions, preaching, or doing anything else, we
must always preserve in our hearts the little cell of St.
Catharine of Sienna, where we may be anxious to enter
from time to time in order to speak to God by an act
We must also take
of love or some ejaculatory prayer.
care not to lose sight of holy solitude, and not cease to
love it. We should imitate the Spouse of the Canticles,
who said to his Well-beloved: Flee away, O My beloved,
. .
upon the mountains of aromatical spices? She did not
wish that the divine Spouse should depart from her and
1 "Sat est, Domine, sat est!"
2 "
"
3
Erat pernoctans in oratione Dei." Luke, vi. 12.
Fuge, Dilecte mi ... super monies aromatum." Cant. viii. 14.