p. 71Motives for Serving God Every Day More and More Fervently

1. Consider who God is, and how exalted He is, and how very worthy He is of all love and service. He who would esteem his own shadow more than himself, would deserve to be laughed at. And how much greater is the folly of him who prefers a creature to God Himself! Consider with the eyes of faith the love and reverence the angels bear to God, and weigh well these words of the Psalmist, “Lord, who is like unto thee?” (Ps. xxxviii. 10.)

2. Consider what the Son of God has done and suffered for thee, and say with St. Bernard, “If because God created me, I was already bound to serve Him with all that I am and have, what do I not owe Him for having redeemed me, and this at so great a price?”

3. Consider how, according to God’s will and the end of thy Institute, thou art obliged, after thy Saviour’s example, to strive to lead a poor, sinless and perfect life. If thou dost not strive to do it, thou art a useless burden to thy Order and to thyself and companions, and, most assuredly, not pleasing to the good God. Art thou not ashamed thus to grieve thy Institute, which has been so good and tender a mother to thee? Wilt thou not be put to confusion for this at the day of judgment?

4. Reflect on the many and great benefits God has conferred on thee. Hadst thou received no other benefit from Him than the vocation to the religious life, thou couldst not sufficiently thank Him for it by serving Him with all possible fervor. From how many evils, dangers, sins and sinful occasions has He not preserved thee? And how many powerful graces and means of perfection has He not bestowed on thee? What wouldst thou now be, if thou hadst remained in the world? How disgraceful is it not for thee, if, out of gratitude for such excellent unmerited favors, thou dost not serve God with the greatest fervor!

5. Consider that eternal bliss is well worth our serving God most faithfully and fervently. The road thou hast to travel is, indeed, difficult, yet forget not whither it leads. Short are the labors and hardships, but endless are the joys that follow.

6. Consider, on the one hand, the beauty and excellence of virtue, and, on the other, the deformity and loathsomeness of vice and sin.

7. Most vividly call to mind how God has mercifully forgiven thee so many and so grievous sins, and behold therein a powerful incentive to show thyself grateful to Him every day by serving Him fervently.

8. Consider seriously the vanity and brevity of the present life, the endlessness of the next life, the certainty of death, the uncertainty of when it will come; the horrible torments of hell and the ineffable happiness in heaven of those who, during life, earnestly and fervently strive after perfection.