Self-Conquest

The conquest of self is the grandest triumph that man can achieve.
_{Once a day, at least, recall very earnestly that} “You are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you.”

I Cor. iii. 15

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Ꚛ Thirty-first Day of December

God is Merciful
“The Lord is gracious and merciful, patient and plenteous in mercy. The Lord is sweet to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works” (Ps. cxliv, 8, 9). David is never weary of extolling God’s mercies, and with good reason; for he had before his mind the sad history of his ungrateful nation, and he himself had grievously sinned.
In what are called the Parables of Mercy, our divine Saviour has set before us under sweet and touching imagery the inexhaustible pity of His heavenly Father. The Good Samaritan, the Two Servants, the Good Shepherd, the Lost Sheep, the Prodigal Son, all teach one and the same lesson; yet they are but imperfect images; they all fall short— how can they help it?—of the blessed truth of God’s infinite compassion for poor fallen man.
The Israelites, His chosen people, were a type of the Christian soul. We know what He did for them and what He had to bear from them in return, how patient and long-suffering He was. He smote them indeed, again and again, but only to bring them back to Himself.

“Turn ye to Me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn to you” (Zach. i. 3).

Such was the message He sent them by every one of His prophets; but all in vain. So Jesus wept over Jerusalem, because it had not known the time of its visitation nor the things that were to its peace. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered together thy children, as the hen doth gather her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldest not!” (Matt, xxiii. 37).

But Jesus Christ Himself is the crowning proof of God’s mercy to mankind; for in Him it appears as literally infinite. He is the Son of the most high God, equal to His Father in every way, and yet He has been given by His Father and has given Himself as the victim for our sins. One drop of His blood, one sigh from His heart, would have been enough to redeem us all; for every smallest act of His was divine and, therefore, of priceless value. But what was enough in itself was not enough for His love; for “with Him there is plentiful redemption” (Ps. cxxx. 7). Nor is He even satisfied with dying for us. He must give us that sacred flesh, nailed for our sake on the cross, and that precious blood, poured out to the last drop, as our meat and drink in the Holy Eucharist. He must continue to the end of time to be the companion of our exile, and so, while reigning glorious in heaven, contrives to dwell among His people, imprisoned in the tabernacle, and to be offered up again, day after day, in the adorable sacrifice of the Mass.

An Act of Confidence in God
My God! I believe so firmly that Thou watchest over all who hope in Thee, and that we can want for nothing when we rely upon Thee in all things, that I am resolved for the future to have no anxieties, and to cast all my cares upon Thee.

“In peace in the selfsame I will sleep and I will rest; for Thou, O Lord, singularly hast settled me in hope.”

Men may deprive me of worldly goods and of honors; sickness may take from me my strength and the means of serving Thee; I may even lose Thy grace by sin; but my trust shall never leave me. I will preserve it to the last moment of my life, and the powers of hell shall seek in vain to wrest it from me. “In peace in the self-same I will sleep and I will rest.”

Let others seek happiness in their wealth, in their talents: let them trust to the purity of their lives, the severity of their mortifications, to the number of their good works, the fervor of their prayers; as for me, O my God, in my very confidence lies all my hope. “For Thou, O Lord, singularly hast settled me in hope.” This confidence can never be vain. “No one has hoped in the Lord and has been confounded.”

I am assured, therefore, of my eternal happiness, for I firmly hope for it, and all my hope is in Thee. “In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped; let me never be confounded.”

I know, alas! I know but too well that I am frail and changeable; I know the power of temptation against the strongest virtue. I have seen stars fall from heaven, and pillars of the firmament totter; but these things alarm me not. While I hope in Thee I am sheltered from all misfortune, and I am sure that my trust shall endure, for I rely upon Thee to sustain this unfailing hope.

Finally, I know that my confidence cannot exceed Thy bounty, and that I shall never receive less than I have hoped for from Thee. Therefore I hope that Thou wilt sustain me against my evil inclinations; that Thou wilt protect me against the most furious assaults of the evil onem and that Thou wilt cause my weakness to triumph over my most powerful enemies. I hope that Thou wilt never cease to love me, and that I shall love Thee unceasingly. “In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped: let me never be confounded.”
—Father de la Colombiere, S.J.

My almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Host bless us.
May He support us all the day long, till the shades lengthen, and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done! Then in His mercy may He give us a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at the last!
—Cardinal Newman.

Prayer in Honor of the Holy Family
Grant us. O Lord Jesus, faithfully to imitate the examples of Thy holy family, so that in the hour of our death, in the company of Thy glorious Virgin Mother and St. Joseph, we may deserve to be received by Thee into eternal tabernacles.

Ejaculation: Sacred Heart of Jesus, I put my trust in Thee!

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<sub>Ask yourself: how does this matter affect me personally, what lesson does it convey to me, what suggestion for a better life, how can I improve my conduct; resolve to become a saint at any cost; think upon the eternal years; pray to the Holy Ghost that He may lead you in the way of perfection; finally recite attentively and devotedly the following Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit:

Oh Holy Spirit, divine Spirit of light and love, I consecrate to Thee my understanding, heart, and will, my whole being for time and for eternity. May my understanding be always submissive to Thy heavenly inspirations, and to the teaching of the Church, of which Thou art the infallible guide; may my heart be ever inflamed with love of God and of my neighbor; may my will be ever conformed to the divine will, and may my whole life be a faithful imitation of the life and virtue of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to Whom with the Father and Thee be honor and glory forever. Amen.</sub>

_{Self-Conquest. Rev. F. X. Lasance. 1936.} @selfconquest