St Francis de Sales on “detachment”

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Tom,

In an earlier post, you mentioned the necessity of the purification of the imagination and memory. I was wondering what you’ve read on this. I know that we are supposed to, obviously, detach ourselves from sinful memories; but what do these writers say about detaching from good, non-sinful memories, such as times with family when one was young, that again, while not sinful, can, in one way or another, keep us attached to worldly thinking; it can keep us in a nostalgic mode of thinking.

Thanks!
 
mary15 said:
Also, have you been able to detatch at all? And are there stages or levels of being able to detatch?
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Detachment, like all the virtues, should progress over a lifetime. So, for example, in 20 years time, we should be able to look back and say “I’m much more detached than I was 20 years ago.” In terms of my own detachment, yes I do strive to live a detached life and am planning on, with God’s grace, to progress in detachment until my last breath!
 
mary15 said:
Right now, I am trying to even think to stop myself from my fleshly bemoanings.

Do you have a simple, and short prayer I can say to myself to stop me quickly when ever I start to bemoan something?
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One prayer I often say to myself if I find myself getting sad or discouraged is “Why are you sad Tom, trust in God!” Another prayer I say to myself if I have to support a mortification is what St Alphonsus Liguori says to say ”Yea, Father; for so hath it seemed good in Thy sight." (Matt. xi. 26.) Lord, this is pleasing to Thee, let Thy will be done.” In another sermon St Alphonsus says to say this: “when God visits us with any tribulations, we must say with Jesus Christ: ”The chalice which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" (John 18:11) St Gertrude used to say this prayer 365 times a day:

Whosoever desires to be often visited by Me, let him offer to Me the key of his will, and never ask it back from Me." And Gertrude, being thus instructed, composed a little prayer, which she arranged according to the following form,—“Not my will, but Thine be done, O my most loving JESUS!” And this she continued to repeat, according to her rule, three hundred and sixty-five times a day. And this little prayer seems preferable to a thousand other prayers. He will have done well indeed who has frequently repeated it day and night, and with all the more earnestness when adversity presses upon him with the greatest vehemence. No one can be so engrossed with business, or laden with cares, but that ten, twenty, thirty. or even a hundred times every hour, he may repeat this short form,—“Not my will, but Thine be done, O my most loving JESUS!” (from Heliotropium: Conformity of the Human Will to the Divine by Fr Jeremias Drexelius)

Fr Drexelius also says we should get into the habit of saying “Thanks be to God!” a lot too:

It is commanded by blessed Paul,—“In all things give thanks; for this is the Will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you all.” (1 Thess. v. 18.) And here, first of all, it is most noteworthy that “in all things” we must give thanks, even when things are most full of trouble and adverse. S. Chrysostom (in loc.) has well said:—“Have you suffered some evil? If you choose, it is not evil. Give thanks to God, and thou hast already changed the evil into good. This is the part of a philosophic mind.” The ancient Germans used to train their children in such an excellent way, that if ever they injured their finger in the fire, they immediately said, “Thanks be to God.” (from Heliotropium: Conformity of the Human Will to the Divine by Fr Jeremias Drexelius)

There are some other things to remember when we have to endure something:
  1. That Jesus suffered much more than we will ever be called to suffer;
  2. That the souls in Purgatory are suffering far greater pains than we will ever be called to endure on earth and they ask Christians to suffer like they do:
“We have a lot to learn from [the poor souls in Purgatory]: to suffer, be silent, pray, love, and adore. To dedicate oneself totally to the pure will of God.” (from Visions of Purgatory)

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  1. That one mortal sin deserves eternal damnation, so any trials we suffer in the world are miniscule compared to what we really deserve;
  2. That all virtues need to be tested. For example, hope from being in apparently hopeless situations, faith is tested when it feels like God has abandoned us, long-suffering is tested with trials that last weeks, months, years or even lifetimes etc.
  3. That God only permits trials that we are able to endure:
God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinth. 10:13)
  1. That by suffering we have conformity to Jesus. This is a very great privilege as St Alphonsus notes:
We must embrace [tribulations] with thanksgiving, and must not only resign ourselves to the Divine Will, but must also rejoice that God treats us as he treated His Son Jesus Christ, whose life, upon this earth was always full of tribulation. (Sunday Sermons)
  1. That sufferings are a “reward” for leading an upright life: “St Teresa used to say, whenever anyone does something for God, the Almighty repays him with some trial.” (St Alphonsus, Sunday Sermons)
  2. That “all suffering is slight to gain Heaven” as St Joseph Calasanctius said based on Romans 8:18:
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
  1. There is also the theological maxim that “the greater the trial, the greater the help God gives us.” So, if we are called to endure great tribulations, we can expect great graces from God to help us endure our trials with resignation or for Him to free us from them altogether:
Now, no physician more carefully proportions his remedies to the strength of his patient than this Heavenly Physician tempers trials according to the necessities of souls. Should their burdens be increased, He redoubles the measure of their consolations. Seeing from this the riches they acquire by sufferings, the just no longer fly from them, but eagerly desire them, and meet them with patience and even with joy. They regard not the labor, but the crown; not the bitter medicine, but the health to be restored to them; not the pain of their wounds, but the goodness of Him who has said that He loves those whom He chastises. (cf. Heb 12:6). Hence the calmness and fortitude of the just under suffering. They are strong in the protection of a powerful Friend who constantly watches over them. (The Sinner’s Guide)
  1. There is also the promise from the Bible that God will turn our “sorrows into joy”: ”Your sorrow shall be turned into joy." (John 16:20) This doesn’t just mean that God will give us the joy of Heaven after the sorrows of this life. It also means that if we have been labouring under a heavy cross for a period of time, God will usually at some point turn the “bitterness” of the trial into a “source of comfort and gladness” as St Alphosus says in his “Sunday Sermons.”
  2. We also have to remember that God calls us to carry our cross for only one day at a time. It’s a waste of energy to fret about what “may” happen in the future.
 
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mary15 said:
How do I stop the drive towards giving in to my passions?
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The first thing to do is to ask God (and keep asking God) to give you the grace to mortify your passions. Secondly, to realise that this is a work of a lifetime that will require constant effort and labour:

[Jesus] says that many seek to enter heaven, but do not enter; and why? Because they wish to obtain eternal life without inconvenience, and without making strong efforts to abstain from forbidden pleasures. Therefore, he said: “strive to enter at the narrow gate.” The gate of heaven is narrow: to enter it we must labour, and must do violence to ourselves. (St Alphonsus, Sunday Sermons)
 
mary15 said:
I feel called to love Him until I make myself nothing…
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Yes, that is just what St John of the Cross calls us to do too!

“To endeavor always to incline oneself, not to that which is easier, but to that which is more difficult; not to that which is tasty, but to that which is bitter; not to that which is more pleasing, but to that which is less pleasing; not to that which gives rest, but to that which demands effort; not to that which is a consolation, but to that which is a source of sorrow; not to that which is more, but to that which is less; not to the lofty and precious, but to the lowly and despicable; not to that which is to be something, but to that which is to be nothing; not to be seeking the best in temporal things, but the worst, and to desire to enter in all nakedness and emptiness and poverty through Christ in whatever there is in the world.” (St John of the Cross, The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Book 1, Chapter 13)
 
mary15 said:
Is this doable in this world?
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Yes, Jesus asks us in Matthew 5:48 to “be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” There is a theological maxim that “God doesn’t ask the impossible” so if Jesus asks us to be “perfect” then it is possible and achievable. As St Paul says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)
 
TominAdelaide said:
Matthew 5:48 to “be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
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Fyi, this is Cornelius a Lapide’s commentary on Matthew 5:48 to “be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Moreover, this perfection mainly consists in charity and love, especially of our enemies. For this is the perfection of life, since the perfection of the country consists in the vision and fruition of God. Christ here tacitly intimates that the way of attaining perfection and eminent sanctity is for any one to exercise himself in love of his enemies, both because this is the highest and most difficult act of charity, as because it is the greatest victory over ourselves. For he who does this generously vanquishes anger, revenge, and the other passions of the soul; and God, requites his charity with far more abundant gifts of grace. So that holy virgin mentioned by D. Tauler, when asked how she had attained to so great sanctity, replied, “I have ever loved with a special love any who have been troublesome to me; and to any one who has injured me, I have always endeavoured to show some special mark of kindness.”

As your Father which is in heaven, &c., For He with a perfect love loves all men. Upon all He sheds the beams of His beneficence, as it were a perennial sun of kindness, Who expects not to derive any advantage from any one, but out of pure love desires to communicate His benefits to others, that thus He may contend with the wickedness and ingratitude of man; for few indeed are they who love Him, their Benefactor, in return as they should do. The word as signifies likeness, not equality; for we cannot come up to the perfection of God, for that infinitely transcends all our perfection; but we ought to imitate it as far as we are able.

The perfection then which Christ here requires of a Christian is not merely human but Divine perfection, and similar to God’s perfection. For he is our Father not only by nature, but by grace, for by it “we are partakers of the Divine nature,” as S. Peter says. Therefore we are made to be really sons of God, and as it were gods upon earth. And so S. Peter proposes the words in Lev. xi. 44 as a kind of mirror for Christians saying, “Ye shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Pet. i. 16.) And S. Paul says, “Be ye imitators of God as dear children.” (Eph. v. 1.) Beautifully says S. Cyprian, “If it be a pleasure and glory to men to have children like themselves, how much more is there gladness with God our Father, when any one is so born spiritually, that the Divine nobility is manifest in his actions?”
  1. The perfection of God consists in the most ample love of all men, bad as well as good. And it is to this Christ has special reference in this passage.
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  1. It consists in the highest forbearance, kindness, and tranquillity, and the impossibility of being affected by injury, wrath, or revenge, so that He is imperturbable and without passions. So in like manner must we, if we would be perfect, be meek and tranquil, and to that end must mortify anger and all other mental passions. Whence S. Ambrose says (lib. de Jacob et vita beata), “It is the part of a perfect man to sustain like a brave soldier the onset of the most terrible misfortunes, and like a wise pilot to manage his ship in a storm, and as he runs through the surging billows, to avoid shipwreck rather by facing the waves than by shrinking from them.”
Hence we shall find it a singularly efficacious means of attaining perfection for every one to search carefully into the state of his own soul, and find out his chief vice, from which, like branches from a root, all his other faults spring, and to strive against this with all his might until he root it out. For example, the radical and dominating vice in Peter is pride, in Paul gluttony, in James luxury, in John acerbity, in Philip anger, in Andrew sadness, in Matthew pusillanimity. Let every man know his own vice, and when it is known, let him fight against it with suitable weapons and mortify it.
  1. God looks down from on high upon all earthly things as mean and poor, and gloriously presides over heaven and heavenly things. So in like manner, ought the man who is aiming at perfection to despise earthly honours and pleasures as worthless matters, pertaining to flies and gnats and fleas, and ought to look up to and covet the heavenly things, which are God’s.
  2. The mind and will of God are most just, holy, and perfect. With this mind, then, ought we to be clothed, that we may be like God—yea, one with God. Hear what S. Bernard says about this: “The unity of a man’s spirit with God is his having his heart lifted up towards God, and entirely directed to Him; when he only wills what God wills; when there is not only affection, but perfect affection for God, so that he cannot will anything save and except what God wills. For to will what God wills is to be already like God. But not to be able to will except what God wills, this is to be what God is, to whom to will and to be are the same thing.
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  1. God is of a great and lofty mind, which transcends all things, and which ever abides and is established in His own blessed and tranquil eternity, and so converts and draws all things to Himself. Hear, again, S. Bernard (ad Fratres de Monte Dei): “Thou shalt, amid the adverse and prosperous changes and chances of the world, hold fast as it were an image of eternity; I mean an inviolable and unshaken constancy of mind, blessing God at all times, and vindicating (revenging) for thyself, even in the uncertain events of this changeful world, and in its certain troubles, to some extent at least, a condition of abiding unchangeableness, so shalt thou begin to be changed and formed anew into the image and likeness of the eternal God, with whom is no changeableness, neither shadow of turning; for as He is, so also shalt thou be in this world, neither fearful in adversity nor dissolute in prosperity.”
Lastly, all perfection in this life is begun only, and is imperfect. For concupiscence, like a Jebusite, dwelleth in our members, and can be kept under, but not entirely extirpated; but in heaven, perfection shall be full and complete, where this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on a blessed immortality, where death and concupiscence shall be swallowed up of glory, and God shall be all in all. There shall be no covetousness, where love shall fill all things. Whence the Apostle says of himself (Philip. iii. 12):—“Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
 
tommy37 said:
In an earlier post, you mentioned the necessity of the purification of the imagination and memory. I was wondering what you’ve read on this.
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Hi tommy37, thanks for your question. Basically, the theologians say we should suppress immediately any vain, idle, dangerous, useless or painful thoughts and memories from the past (or future). Obviously the reason for this rule is because Satan wants us to be continually thinking of painful, frightening and demoralising things so that the Christian has no joy (or hope) in his or her life and is always in pain. This is from “The Theology of Christian Perfection” by Fr Antonio Royo Marín, OP:

Purification of the Imagination

The principal means of purification of the imagination are the following:
  1. Custody of the external senses. It is of great importance to keep a custody over the external senses, and especially the sense of sight, because through them enter the objects which the imagination retains, reproduces and reassembles in a thousand ways, thus arousing the sensitive appetite, attracting the attention of the intellect, and encouraging the consent of the will. There is, therefore, no better way of avoiding all this than to deprive the imagination of such things by a custody of the external senses.
  2. Careful selection of reading matter. It is necessary to avoid, not only reading matter that is evil or obviously dangerous, but that which is frivolous or vain, and fills the imagination with useless images. To this class of reading belong most of the modern novels, even those which would pass moral censorship, because the reading of such books (without sufficiently grave reason) does not befit persons who seriously intend to lead a life of recollection and prayer. A soul that is attached to the reading of such novels can hardly hope to sanctify itself.
  3. Avoidance of sloth. The imagination is never quiet. If we do not keep it occupied with good and useful work, it will itself seek material on which to spend itself. And since it has a natural propensity to do anything that appeals to the lower appetite, it will readily place us in danger of temptation. The imagination should always be occupied with something that is good and useful, and when this is done, we shall have made a great step forward to peace of soul.
  4. To fill the imagination with good things. It does not suffice to keep the imagination from harmful matter, or to avoid idleness, in order to keep the imagination under control; it is likewise necessary to provide holy and profitable material, so that the imagination will not only be withdrawn from evil but will be directed positively to the good. …
  5. Attention to the duty of the moment. The axiom of the ancients, age quod agis, is filled with profound meaning. The habit of attending to the duty of the moment has the double advantage of multiplying our intellectual powers and of disciplining the imagination by preventing it from being distracted to other objects.
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  1. Ignoring distraction. Frequently this is the only way of combatting certain vivid imaginations and the images produced, rather than trying to attack them directly. This is the advice of St. Teresa of Avila. The will should be occupied in loving God even in the midst of many distractions.
Purification of the Memory

Precisely because the memory stores up all kinds of knowledge, both good and evil, it is necessary to subject it to an energetic process of purification. Throughout life there is produced around us a series of acts which can be of no use whatever for the sanctification of the soul. Sometimes they are sad events regarding our own faults and sins; at other times they are certain spectacles or disedifying actions which we have witnessed; again, they may be useless information or news which leaves our spirit deeply disturbed; or they may be the unfortunate happenings of personal or family or social life: the disgraces, the forgetfulness, the ingratitude, the injury, etc., with which our poor human life is filled. None of these memories is profitable for the soul. They all tend in one way or another to destroy the soul’s peace and tranquility, which are so necessary for a life of prayer and recollection. Let us, therefore, see what should be the practical conduct of the soul regarding the active purification of the memory.

The following are the principal means for the purification of the memory:

a) To eliminate sinful memories. This is the first step, and it is absolutely indispensable for all who aspire to eternal salvation. The remembrance of one’s own sins or those of another, or the remembrance of spectacles or magazines that are immoral, has a strong power for suggesting to the soul these same things by way of a new temptation, and of causing it to fall again into sin, especially if a vivid imagination is associated with the recollection. The soul must reject immediately and energetically any remembrance of this kind, and be convinced that the simple approbation or voluntary enjoyment of those past sins is sufficient to make the individual guilty again of those sins, without committing them again externally.

b) To combat useless memories. There are many other things which, without being sinful in themselves, are nevertheless completely useless as far as recollection goes, and for that reason are harmful to the soul. Such, for example, are the sad happenings of the past life, family disgraces, humiliations, misfortunes of various kinds, or successful events which perhaps filled us with an excessive joy. The remembrance of the one or the other disturbs the peace and tranquility of the soul and is of no profit to anyone, because none of the sad or unfortunate events of life can be remedied by our present suffering, nor can any of the joys return. As long as the soul is occupied with these vain joys or sorrows, it will be incapacitated for giving itself completely to prayer and recollection.

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c) To forget past injuries. This pertains to virtue and is indispensable for any soul that wishes to sanctify itself truly. In spite of the pardon which has been given, sometimes even beyond the call of strict justice, the remembrance of a past offense cannot help but disturb, at least momentarily, the peace of conscience, and present the guilty party in an unfavorable light. It is necessary to forget completely the disagreeable episode and even to give special attention to the one who voluntarily caused the injury.

We should try to forget completely and forever any offenses committed against us, realizing that those we have committed against God are much greater, and that He demands of us a complete pardon in order to give us His pardon without measure. The soul that nourishes rancor, however justifiable it may seem (and it never is in the eyes of God), can forget about reaching sanctity. And if it is a question of enmity which is manifested externally, the individual is also exposed to the grave danger of losing eternal salvation.

d) To remember benefits received from God and our own ingratitude to God. This pertains to the positive purgation of the memory, and offers a wonderful means for directing the memory to God. Who can doubt that the recollection of the immense benefits which we have received from God, of the infinite number of times that He has pardoned our faults, of the dangers from which He has preserved us, of the loving care which His providence has exercised over us and of those we love—that this memory is an excellent means of arousing our gratitude toward Him and the desire of corresponding more faithfully with His graces? And if to this we add the recollection of our own misery and our own nothingness, of our disobedience and rebellion, of our constant ingratitude and resistance to grace, our soul, will be filled with humility and confusion, and will experience the need of redoubling its vigilance and its efforts to be better in the future.

e) To remember the motives for Christian hope. This is one of the most efficacious means for directing our memory to God and for purifying it of contact with earthly things. St. John of the Cross makes the memory the seat of Christian hope, and although this is not exact, there is no doubt that one could find many points of contact between the two as regards purification of the memory. The remembrance of an eternity of happiness, which is the central object of Christian hope, is most apt for making us disdain the vain recollection of the things of earth and to raise our spirit to God.
 
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mary15 said:
Is this doable in this world?
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Also, if you are struggling with trials and difficulties, this is St Alphonsus’ advice from his “Sunday Sermons”:
  1. When we are surrounded on all sides with tribulations, and know not what to do, we must turn to God, who alone can console us. Thus King Josaphat, in his distress, said to the Lord: “As we know not what to do, we can only turn our eyes to thee.” (2 Par. xx. 12.) Thus David also in his tribulation had recourse to God, and God consoled him: “In my trouble I cried to the Lord, and he heard me.” (Ps. cxix. 1.) We should turn to God, and pray to him, and never cease to pray till he hears us. ”As the eyes of the handmaid are on the hands of her mistress, so are our eyes unto the Lord our God, until he have mercy on us." (Ps. cxxii. 2.) We must keep our eyes continually raised to God, and must continue to implore his aid, until he is moved to compassion for our miseries. We must have great confidence in the heart of Jesus Christ, and ought not to imitate certain persons, who instantly lose courage because they do not feel that they are heard as soon as they begin to pray. To them may be applied the words of the Saviour to St. Peter: “O thou of little faith! why didst thou doubt?” (Matt. xiv. 31.) When the favours which we ask are spiritual, or can be profitable to our souls, we should be certain of being heard, provided we persevere in prayer, and do not lose confidence. ”All things whatsoever you ask when ye pray, believe that you shall receive, and they shall come unto you." (Mark xi. 24.) In tribulations, then, we should never cease to hope with confidence that the divine mercy will console us; and if our afflictions continue, we must say with Job: ”Although he should kill me, I will trust in him." (xiii. 15.)
  2. Souls of little faith, instead of turning to God in their tribulations, have recourse to human means, and thus provoke God’s anger, and remain in their miseries. “Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. Unless the Lord keep the city, he watcheth in vain that keepeth it." (Ps. cxxvi. 1.) On this passage St. Augustine writes: “Ipse ædificat, ipse intellectum aperit, ipse ad finem applicat sensum vestrum: et tamen laboramus et nos tanquam operarii, sed nisi Dominus custodierit civitatem,” etc. All good all help must come from the Lord. Without him creatures can give us no assistance.
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  1. Of this the Lord complains by the mouth of his prophet: ”Is not," he says, ”the Lord in Sion? . . .Why then have they provoked me to wrath with their idols. . . Is there no balm in Galaad? or is there no physician there? Why then is not the wound of the daughter of my people closed?" (Jer. viii. 19, 22.) Am I not in Sion? Why then do men provoke me to anger by recurring to creatures, which they convert into idols by placing in them all their hopes? Do they seek a remedy for their miseries? Why do they not seek it in Galaad, a mountain full of balsamic ointments, which signify the divine mercy? There they can find the physician and the remedy of all their evils. Why then, says the Lord, do your wounds remain open? Why are they not healed? It is because you have recourse not to me, but to creatures, and because you confide in them, and not in me.
  2. In another place the Lord says: “Am I become a wilderness to Israel, or a late ward springing land? Why then have my people said: We are revolted; we will come to thee no more ?. .But my people have forgotten me days without number.” (Jer. ii. 31, 32.) God complains, and says: ”Why, my children, do you say that you will have recourse to me no more? Am I become to you a barren land, which gives no fruit, or gives it too late? Is it for this reason that you have so long forgotten me? By these words he manifests to us his desire that we pray to him, in order that he may be able to give us his graces; and he also gives us to understand that when we pray to him, he is not slow, but instantly begins to assist us.
  3. The Lord, says David, is not asleep when we turn to his goodness, and ask the graces which are profitable to our souls: he hears us immediately, because he is anxious for our welfare. “Behold, he shall neither slumber nor sleep that keepeth Israel.” (Ps. cxx. 4.) When we pray for temporal favours, St. Bernard says that God ”will give what we ask, or something more useful." He will grant us the grace which we desire, whenever it is profitable to our souls; or he will give us a more useful grace, such as the grace to resign ourselves to the divine will, and to suffer with patience our tribulations, which shall merit a great increase of glory in Heaven.
 
Tom,

Thanks for all the responses! You’ve given me much to ponder here. I’m sure I’ll have some follow up questions in the next few days.
 
Thank you for the quotes on the purification of memory. That really helped. I’m getting something useful in all your responses. In your one response to Mary15, you quoted. St. Alphonsus saying that “souls of little faith, instead of turning to God in their tribulations, have recourse to human means…” I’ve read this “don’t rely on creatures” type of thing many times from many sources but I don’t know exactly what it means. I thought we were supposed to all be helping each other.

Obviously, that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t see a doctor because God makes use of human physicians. Does that mean I can’t rely on my wife to help me in any number of ways in dealing with my struggles? I can’t believe that either because that is what marriage is all about, after all, helping each other, serving each other. The way I see it is–Can’t I do both? Can’t I implore God day and night and also be seeking the help of those around me, my family? Is relying on my wife for certain comforts and consolations, “having recourse to human means”? In what ways, I wonder, are we not supposed to rely on other human means? Or are they just referring to the fact that we shouldn’t seek the comfort of creatures exclusively and forget about God?

Thanks.
 
Yes, my interpretation of that sermon is that when we are in a trial we should first turn to God in prayer and then utilise whatever human means are at our disposal. This is how Fr Gabriel of St Mary Magdalen in “Divine Intimacy” puts it:

Despite all our efforts to escape our own misery and to forget our troubles, we may go through moments of such profound anguish, such impenetrable darkness, that our poor soul does not know how to emerge from it – especially when the horizon, instead of becoming brighter, grows darker and more threatening. At such times there is only one thing to do: to make a leap in the dark, abandoning ourselves entirely into God’s hands. We are so helpless and weak that we always need some place of refuge; if we are to forget ourselves and stop thinking about our own concerns, we shall need someone who will sustain us and think of us. This someone is God, who never forgets us, who knows all about our sufferings and our needs, who sees how weak we are, and who is always ready to come to the aid of those who take refuge in Him. Of course, we can look for a certain amount of consolation and help from creatures, but let us not deceive ourselves; people will not always understand us, nor will they always be at our disposal. But if we turn to God, we shall never be disappointed; even if He does not alter our situation or take away our troubles, He will console our hearts interiorly, in secret and in silence, and will give us the grace to persevere.

“Cast thy care upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee.” (Ps 54:23) This is the attitude of abandonment which we should have in times of suffering, and which we should intensify as our sorrows increase. If our spirit of abandonment is proportionate to the depth of our sufferings, then we shall not lost merit.

Many souls exaggerate their sufferings, dramatizing them because they cannot see God’s paternal hand in them, because their faith in His divine Providence is not sufficiently strong; and therefore are unable to abandon themselves to Him with complete trust. If our life and all its events, even the most painful ones, did not rest in God’s hands, we should have reason to fear; but since everything is always in His hands, our fears are groundless and we should not be dismayed. A soul who is confident in God and abandons itself to Him can remain calm in the midst of great trials, can accept even tragic circumstances with simplicity, and suffer serenely and courageously, because it is always supported by God.

Although as the “Imitation of Christ” says, sometimes our trials will be so great that even the human means at our disposal will bring us little or no relief:

“[we] cannot be relieved by any remedy or comfort but must bear [the trial] as long as God wills. For He wishes [us] to learn to bear trial without consolation.” (Imitation of Christ, Thomas à Kempis)

Bearing our trials without consolation is what mystical theologians call “pure” suffering. Both “Divine Intimacy” and the ”Imitation of Christ” talk a lot about suffering without consolation.
 
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