At the beginning, God does not show us our misery because it would discourage us; but He reveals it little by little; then we feel that we truly have need of Him. It is a great mistake to suppose that God is dazzled by our perfection; let us seek to draw down His compassion and mercy by acknowledging our misery.
To know how to display our miseries before God is to draw down grace; never forget that. If a soul, even one far advanced in virtue, ceased to regard her own miseries and to take complacency in the gifts she has received, she would infallibly fall. For you, my dear child, learn to say with Saint Paul, “Gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ made dwell in me.”
BLESSED COLUMBA MARMION
