02-21-2021, 04:06 PM
CONVERSION
CHAPTER 9
Frailty of Human Nature
CHRIST: MY CHILD, all human beings are weak. Do not think that you are stronger than
others. Circumstances do not create the weakness of a man. They simply draw it out and
show what he really is. You must be convinced of this fact. Your will is weak, and your
blind human desires are strong.
2. It should not be too hard for you to admit your frailty. See how often you are troubled by
a small matter! At times you resolve to become a better man. Then along comes a small
temptation, and away goes your resolution. just when you think you are safe, when you
least expect it, you find yourself pushed over by a slight temptation. Even when you do not
give full consent to it, your feelings and desires confuse you. Hateful imaginations rush in
on you and refuse to leave.
3. Before you can become serious about self-perfection, you must be convinced of its
necessity. See how weak you are! You often tend toward what is wrong. You confess your
sins today, and tomorrow you commit the same faults again. You resolve to be on your
guard, and an hour later you act as though you had never made the resolution. You are so
weak and unsteady. It is only right, then, that you should humble yourself and refuse to
think too highly of yourself.
4. You are more inclined to go backward than forward. You do not remain in the same state
of mind for any length of time. Your moods and attitudes change with the changing hours
of the day. If you would only turn to Me! I can help you rise above these changing moods.
Let your heart turn to Me and find its rest in Me.
THINK:
My human nature is like a spirited horse. It must be controlled at every step. It would like
to run free and uncontrolled. Therefore, I need not be surprised at my changing feelings
and moods. They are not the higher self within me. God will honor me only for what I am
trying to be. I would improve much faster if I begged His help more frequently by prayer
and the sacraments. Too often I fail to put up a fight against my unreasonable feelings and
blind desires. At other times I try to fight them alone. Only with God's help can I make any
permanent progress. With the knowledge He gives me through His holy Church, and with
the strength He offers me in His sacraments, I can live a holy life in spite of the restless
lower self within me.
PRAY:
Dear Lord, my smallness and weakness are perfectly known to You. Have pity on me. Pull
me out of the mud of self, so that I may not be stuck in it forever. Consider the labors and
trials of my daily life. Please stand by me in my efforts. Strengthen me in my resolutions. I
have often failed because I depended on myself alone. Now, however, I shall seek advice
and direction as often as I need it. Only in this way can I hope to make progress in true and
solid virtue. Make me wise and honest in my daily efforts, so that I may no longer waste
valuable time. I hope to become at last the kind of person You want me to be. Without You
I can do nothing. Lord, help met. Amen.
CONVERSION
CHAPTER 10:
Daily Renewal of Intention
CHRIST: MY CHILD, progress in virtue depends on My grace and your own
determination. My grace is always at your disposal. It is your determination that wavers
and changes. Your intention would be more firm if you obtained more grace to help you.
By prayer and sacrifice, and with an increased use of My sacraments, seek more grace.
Then you would find your will stronger to follow your intention throughout the day.
2. It is not always enough to make good intentions in the morning. You must also recall
and renew them during the day. Examine how faithfully you are following your intention,
and seek to improve yourself in this effort. When you break your resolution, begin again.
This is far better than abandoning your good intention altogether. Anyone can make good
resolutions, but keeping them and renewing them is the work of a real man.
3. If you are afraid to start again or are discouraged by failure, it is because you do not
understand what goes on in your daily life. Without Me you can do nothing. Put your trust
in My help, Then confidently do your best to follow your resolutions. If you fail, renew
your intention at once and begin again. I will judge you more by your efforts than by your
failures. It is your natural pride that makes you afraid to begin, or discourages you when
you fail. Pride wants immediate success.
4. Be honest, and you will be humble. Make a sincere effort, but do not be surprised at your
weakness and unexpected failures. Beg for My grace, and go on trying. Leave all else in
My hands. He who keeps trying to please Me will never be abandoned by Me.
THINK:
Am I brave enough to renew my intentions and good resolutions each day, and to make an
honest effort to follow them? God's help will not fail me. My old faults will slowly
disappear as I advance in the practice of the opposite virtues. Thus, if I have a fault of
laziness, I can best conquer it by seeking more opportunities to perform good deeds. And
so will it be with my other faults.
PRAY:
Lord, let me do whatever is necessary to fight my faults and to advance in the opposite
virtues. If I need to avoid some person or place, if I have to take some particular step, let
me do so without any foolish delay. It is for Your glory and for my own greater good.
Lord, now I begin, and shall keep on beginning again and again because I desire to please
You. Amen.
CHAPTER 9
Frailty of Human Nature
CHRIST: MY CHILD, all human beings are weak. Do not think that you are stronger than
others. Circumstances do not create the weakness of a man. They simply draw it out and
show what he really is. You must be convinced of this fact. Your will is weak, and your
blind human desires are strong.
2. It should not be too hard for you to admit your frailty. See how often you are troubled by
a small matter! At times you resolve to become a better man. Then along comes a small
temptation, and away goes your resolution. just when you think you are safe, when you
least expect it, you find yourself pushed over by a slight temptation. Even when you do not
give full consent to it, your feelings and desires confuse you. Hateful imaginations rush in
on you and refuse to leave.
3. Before you can become serious about self-perfection, you must be convinced of its
necessity. See how weak you are! You often tend toward what is wrong. You confess your
sins today, and tomorrow you commit the same faults again. You resolve to be on your
guard, and an hour later you act as though you had never made the resolution. You are so
weak and unsteady. It is only right, then, that you should humble yourself and refuse to
think too highly of yourself.
4. You are more inclined to go backward than forward. You do not remain in the same state
of mind for any length of time. Your moods and attitudes change with the changing hours
of the day. If you would only turn to Me! I can help you rise above these changing moods.
Let your heart turn to Me and find its rest in Me.
THINK:
My human nature is like a spirited horse. It must be controlled at every step. It would like
to run free and uncontrolled. Therefore, I need not be surprised at my changing feelings
and moods. They are not the higher self within me. God will honor me only for what I am
trying to be. I would improve much faster if I begged His help more frequently by prayer
and the sacraments. Too often I fail to put up a fight against my unreasonable feelings and
blind desires. At other times I try to fight them alone. Only with God's help can I make any
permanent progress. With the knowledge He gives me through His holy Church, and with
the strength He offers me in His sacraments, I can live a holy life in spite of the restless
lower self within me.
PRAY:
Dear Lord, my smallness and weakness are perfectly known to You. Have pity on me. Pull
me out of the mud of self, so that I may not be stuck in it forever. Consider the labors and
trials of my daily life. Please stand by me in my efforts. Strengthen me in my resolutions. I
have often failed because I depended on myself alone. Now, however, I shall seek advice
and direction as often as I need it. Only in this way can I hope to make progress in true and
solid virtue. Make me wise and honest in my daily efforts, so that I may no longer waste
valuable time. I hope to become at last the kind of person You want me to be. Without You
I can do nothing. Lord, help met. Amen.
CONVERSION
CHAPTER 10:
Daily Renewal of Intention
CHRIST: MY CHILD, progress in virtue depends on My grace and your own
determination. My grace is always at your disposal. It is your determination that wavers
and changes. Your intention would be more firm if you obtained more grace to help you.
By prayer and sacrifice, and with an increased use of My sacraments, seek more grace.
Then you would find your will stronger to follow your intention throughout the day.
2. It is not always enough to make good intentions in the morning. You must also recall
and renew them during the day. Examine how faithfully you are following your intention,
and seek to improve yourself in this effort. When you break your resolution, begin again.
This is far better than abandoning your good intention altogether. Anyone can make good
resolutions, but keeping them and renewing them is the work of a real man.
3. If you are afraid to start again or are discouraged by failure, it is because you do not
understand what goes on in your daily life. Without Me you can do nothing. Put your trust
in My help, Then confidently do your best to follow your resolutions. If you fail, renew
your intention at once and begin again. I will judge you more by your efforts than by your
failures. It is your natural pride that makes you afraid to begin, or discourages you when
you fail. Pride wants immediate success.
4. Be honest, and you will be humble. Make a sincere effort, but do not be surprised at your
weakness and unexpected failures. Beg for My grace, and go on trying. Leave all else in
My hands. He who keeps trying to please Me will never be abandoned by Me.
THINK:
Am I brave enough to renew my intentions and good resolutions each day, and to make an
honest effort to follow them? God's help will not fail me. My old faults will slowly
disappear as I advance in the practice of the opposite virtues. Thus, if I have a fault of
laziness, I can best conquer it by seeking more opportunities to perform good deeds. And
so will it be with my other faults.
PRAY:
Lord, let me do whatever is necessary to fight my faults and to advance in the opposite
virtues. If I need to avoid some person or place, if I have to take some particular step, let
me do so without any foolish delay. It is for Your glory and for my own greater good.
Lord, now I begin, and shall keep on beginning again and again because I desire to please
You. Amen.