POINT I. Simplicity of God.

CONSIDERATION. The infinite perfection of God does not admit the idea of form or composition, from which the angels, the simplest of created beings, are not excluded. He is a spirit, infinitely pure and simple, despite His immensity and His various attributes. These perfections or attributes are divided and distinguished, because otherwise we could neither conceive nor express them; but in reality the power, justice, wisdom, and mercy of God are one-the infinite, unchangeable, and eternal Being whose relations with creation are only those of cause to effect, of the Creator to the creature. These things are infinitely above our feeble comprehension, but they are nevertheless the teachings of faith.

APPLICATION. Our Lord teaches us to aspire to the infinite perfections of God the Father: Be ye therefore perfect, as also your Heavenly Father is perfect.' We can best do so by the practice of simplicity. True simplicity consists in abhorring and avoiding all duplicity and affectation in word or action, particularly in our relations with Superiors. To them we should freely open our whole hearts, and stand before them such as we believe ourselves to be before God, disclosing motives and intentions with entire frankness and sincerity. Do we act thus ?

AFFECTIONS and RESOLUTIONS.

POINT II. Immensity and Omnipresence of God.

CONSIDERATION. Although God in His essence is absolutely simple, He is also immense and illimitable. 'Heaven and the heavens of heaven cannot contain Thee.' He is therefore everywhere present; He is with us in prayer, in temptation, in sorrow, in each and every action. His goodness preserves, His wisdom guides, and His power directs us. It matters little where obedience places us, for we can go nowhere where He is not. 'In

Him we live and move and are,' says St. Paul, just as a fish exists, lives, and dies in the water that surrounds and sustains it. As often as I breathe I converse with God,' said a holy Father of the Desert.

APPLICATION. These truths should lead us, 1st, To behave with the same propriety at every time and in every place, remembering that we are never alone, unseen, or unheard; 2nd, To be content with pleasing God alone, and not to seek the esteem and approbation of men, even of our superiors; 3rd, To find a pure intention and frequent ejaculatory prayers much easier in practice; 4th, To be persevering and courageous in difficulty and suffering. Even if we seem abandoned by man, God our all will be our witness and our reward. Thus shall we become truly interior servants of God, and holy religious. COLLOQUY.

DECEMBER 12.

ON THE DIVINE ATTRIBUTES, CONTINUED: OMNIPOTENCE, SANCTITY, AND HAPPINESS OF GOD.

1st Prel. Imagine you hear our Lord saying, 'The things that are impossible with men are possible with God.' 2d Prel. Ask for the knowledge and love of God.

POINT I. Omnipotence of God.

CONSIDERATION. Whenever we call to mind the creation of the world, we are at once struck with the omnipotence of God; to create, that is, to make anything out of nothing, presupposes infinite power. God is, therefore, omnipotent. God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth,' by a word, or rather by an act of His will, formed out of nothing this vast and wonderful universe. 'By the word of the Lord the heavens were established, and all the power of them by the spirit of His mouth.' And a single act of His will could as

instantly recall the whole into nothing, or as instantly create millions of new worlds.

APPLICATION. A few years ago I did not exist. It was the power and goodness of God that drew me out of nothing. He made us, and not we ourselves,' says the Psalmist. I therefore belong entirely to Him, and should make use of all my bodily and mental faculties only according to His holy will manifested to me by His commandments, by my rule, and by my Superiors. Be thou faithful unto death,' so runs His promise, 'and I will give thee the crown of life.' AFFECTIONS and RESOLUTIONS.

POINT II. Sanctity of God.

CONSIDERATION. The sanctity of God being inherent to His infinite essence, is likewise necessarily infinite. 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!' sing the blessed in heaven before His throne. In virtue of this His attribute God loves above all things the good that we do, whilst He hates the evil in like proportion. Thou hast loved justice and hated iniquity.' This attribute besides renders God incapable of erring in what He has revealed to us, or of being unfaithful to His promises.

APPLICATION. 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.' Holiness is not enjoined, it is commanded us. How, then, can I obtain this sanctity which God requires of me? 1st, By carefully preserving my soul from every stain, and by purifying it as perfectly as possible from those which it contracts despite my vigilance; 2ndly, By adorning my soul with virtues in order to please God, creating anew His image within us 'in justice and holiness of truth.'

AFFECTIONS and RESOLUTIONS.

POINT III. Happiness of God.

CONSIDERATION. God, as well as being infinitely holy, powerful, wise, and just, is necessarily infinitely happy, or to sneak more accurately, He is to Himself

and in Himself supreme and infinite bliss, the source from which angels and saints draw throughout all eternity joys which are never exhausted and are ever

new.

APPLICATION. Let us rejoice that we are called to share in the blessedness of the Saints, even in that of God Himself; above all, let us rejoice in the thought that this blessedness is increased according to our merit. 'In My Father's house there are many mansions,' says our Lord; and again, 'Lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven.'

COLLOQUY with our Divine Lord.

DECEMBER 13.

ON THE DIVINE ATTRIBUTES: THE KNOWLEDGE, BEAUTY, AND SWEETNESS OF GOD.

1st Prel. Think you hear these words of St. Michael the Archangel, 'Who is like to Thee, O God!'

2d Prel. Ask for an increase of the knowledge and love of God.

POINT I. The Knowledge and Understanding of God.

CONSIDERATION. Both our natural understanding and our acquired knowledge are limited in their extent, and subject to error; but it is not so with God. God being an infinite and eternal Being, has neither past, future, limits, nor change. He sees at once and without effort all that actually is, all that is possible, all that has been or will be, our thoughts, dispositions, and intentions, whether for good or evil, the most secret aspirations of our hearts. All things are naked and open to His eyes.'

APPLICATION. These thoughts are full of consolation for the religious who strives to live in the fear of God, and who can truly say with St. Peter, 'Lord, Thou knowest all things, Thou knowest that I love Thee;'

but they are as full of terror for the religious who is satisfied with being one only exteriorly, and who seeks the applause and esteem of men, whilst in the eyes of God he is a worldly-minded hypocrite, a whited sepulchre, full within of dead men's bones and all filthiness, like the Scribes and Pharisees rebuked by our Lord. AFFECTIONS and RESOLUTIONS.

POINT II. The Beauty of God.

CONSIDERATION. Call to mind the numberless beauties of this vast universe. Above us extends the firmament, studded with a million of resplendent stars at night; in the day made brilliant by the glorious sun, that rises and sets with equal splendour. Around us we behold fields, woods, valleys, and hills adorned with an infinite variety of trees, plants, flowers, and fruit, inhabited by every species of animal, many of surpassing beauty of form and colour. And the beauties of our mind and soul, and those of the angels, if we could see them, would be found infinitely superior to all created things; yet all are but the feeblest reflection of the infinite beauty of God. Ah! could we but behold it for a moment only, nothing here would ever charm us more; we should see that nothing was worth loving but God alone.

APPLICATION. If the sight of any earthly beauty ever tempts you, turn away your eyes quickly, and raise them towards God, the Infinite Beauty, saying with the Psalmist, 'Show us Thy face, and we shall be saved.' If the temptation continue, implore, as He did, the help of the Most High: 'O Lord, come to my assistance; Lord, make haste to help me.'

AFFECTIONS and RESOLUTIONS.

POINT III. The Sweetness of God.

CONSIDERATION. Mildness or sweetness is one of the most beautiful qualities of man, therefore it proceeds from God, the source of all beauty, and as He is infi