Thirty-first meditation. The providence of God

First point.

Reflect that God's love for us is so great that He employs His wisdom, His power, and His goodness to conduct us to our end by means most suitable and effectual. Not only does His providence watch over the most important things of our salvation, but even over the most trifling events of our life. A hair of our head does not fall without His providence, and He knows even the number of them. "Without His permission, neither men nor demons dare touch one of them.

Second point.

Reflect that Divine Providence does all for us with weight, number, and measure, says the Holy Scripture. Behold, then, the obligation we are under of leaving to Him the care of ourselves! Let us not consider what may happen to us, whether good, bad, or indifferent: whether it will elate us, or whether it will overwhelm us with anguish. Let us behold all events in the providence of God who, with incomprehensible love, employs His wisdom, power, and goodness in the guidance of so small a creature, in order to make it arrive at blessedness.

Third point.

See how offended God is when we withdraw from the hands of His sweet providence, in order to conduct ourselves according to our own caprice! O how displeased He was with the children of Israel for having committed that fault! Abandoning His sweet providence, they wished to have a king to govern them, and they became wretched.

Affections.

0 eternal Father! Thy providence governs all things. It is, indeed, strange that, being children of a Father who watches over us with so vigilant an eye, we should have any other solicitude than to serve and loveHimwelL " Ah!" said St, Francis de Sales, " my soul has no other refuge than the holy providence of God- O my God, Thou hast taught me this lesson from my youth, and forever shall I proclaim Thy marvels.'*

1 adore Thee^ O sovereign Wisdom, Power, and Goodness, who so lovingly directs all the moments of my life. O religious souls! our true to-morrow is Divine Prov* idence. Behold the lilies of the fields, they neither sow nor do they spin, and the sweet providence of our heavenly Father clothes them better than Solomon was clothed in all his glory. O my God! I desire henceforth to hold in great esteem all that may happen to me. No, I shall not say that I have many afflictions, mortifications, and trials, for Thou hast counted their number. I shall not consider them too heavy, for Thou hast weighed them, as well as the strength that Thou dost give me with which to support them. I shall not say that they last too long a time, for Thou hast estimated their value.

O my Saviour, I wish no longer to interfere, I desire only to be conducted by Thee. The Shepherd who guides me is the Lord omnipotent. Nothing shall ever induce me to leave Him; no, never do I wish to meddle in what concerns me. Let Him make choice of my abode, my employment, my consolation, my humiliations, my health, my sickness, my death, my salvation. I desire only to follow His guidance, and to leave myself absolutely to Him.

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