03-31-2021, 11:53 AM
AFTER CONVERSION
CHAPTER 42
Unselfish with God
CHRIST:
MY CHILD, do not look for spiritual consolation or interior good feelings in your prayers
and good works. Serve Me for My sake, as I deserve. Let your service depend on My word,
and not on any pleasant feelings which I may send you. If I gave interior consolation and
joy for every good work, many a worldly man would follow My commandments for the
sake of these gifts.
2. As long as you are in this life, you will be tempted by the blind selfishness of fallen
human nature. Turn frequently to Me and let Me guide your self-interest. I desire your selfinterest
to be intelligent and well-ordered. Place Me above all persons and things created.
3. I am far greater than all My works. I am your greatest Treasure! Seek Me above all else.
Consider what I mean in your life. What do I deserve of you? What have I a right to expect
of you? Can you draw your next breath or take your next step without My consent and
assistance? Could you exist another instant if I withdrew My support? Only by facing these
facts, and living on them each hour of the day, can you give Me the intelligent service
which you owe Me.
4. Spiritual consolation is only a temporary gift to encourage one who is earnestly trying to
serve Me. This gift is not at the command of any man, and it will not be given to anyone
who seeks it for itself. Such a person is too much like the man who seeks his entire
happiness in the pleasures, satisfactions, and honors of this world. A frank and intelligent
remembrance of your unworthiness, will help you perform your prayers and good works
without expecting spiritual consolations in return.
THINK:
Jesus is right. I do not deserve the least of His gifts. I already owe Him so much that I
should be glad to do His Will, without looking for further gifts. He owes me nothing, and I
owe Him everything. If He chose to leave me in misery and sorrow, He would be doing me
no injustice, since all that I am and have belong to Him.
PRAY:
Lord, I know that You will never treat me as poorly as I deserve, as long as I am truly
trying to improve my daily life. You will never be outdone in generosity. Each holy desire
and every good deed of mine will be rewarded a hundredfold. You will not leave me in my
misery and troubles any longer than is necessary for my real good. I have deserved little,
but I need You and hope in Your help. Let me follow Your wise and holy Will by seeking
You first, and Your gifts only as far as You want me to have them. Amen.
PART THREE
TEMPTATION
GOD tells us that man is born imperfect and that he must use the opportunities and events
in his earthly life to perfect himself as far as possible. He must use them according to the
directions of his intelligence and according to the wisdom of God's law.
It is not, however, easy to act always with this holy moderation. Man's feelings, moods,
sentiments, appetites, and desires are not always willing to obey his intelligence. He
sometimes feels too strong a love for some things and too weak a love for other things.
This continual tendency to go to extremes is called temptation. Temptation is not sin. It
tends to draw a man to do what he knows is wrong, or seeks to hold him back from what he
knows is right.
Temptation simply brings out what is in a man. One knows himself better when he has
dealt with temptation. It proves his faults and tests his virtues. just how much he really
desires to earn Heaven, is seen by what he does to reach it. How much he really loves God,
is seen by how much he is willing to do for God. The first safeguard against temptation is
to recognize it, to see it as it really is without its attractive camouflage.
TEMPTATION
CHAPTER 43
Man's Daily Trials
CHRIST:
MY CHILD, one who does not know My plan might easily be discouraged by the trials of
this earthly life. Life on earth is so short. Hardly ever is it free from grief and troubles. Men
on earth are stained with many sins, deceived by many desires, enslaved by many fears,
endangered by many snares, distracted by many curiosities, entangled with vanities,
surrounded by errors, tired with labors, troubled by temptations, exhausted with pleasure,
tormented with many wants.
2. Afflictions and sorrows are seldom absent. You are surrounded by so many traps and
enemies. Scarcely does one trouble or temptation go, when another arrives. Often enough,
the first trouble is still with you when others come. You may wonder that anyone can love
this earthly existence with its misfortunes, bitterness, and miseries. Yet, in spite of all this,
many love this earthly life and seek all their delight in it.
3. Yet, My loyal follower can smile and be glad through all the darkness and trials. He does
not fix his eyes on the present trial, but on the main purpose of his earthly life. He looks
beyond the present darkness to the horizon where the light of the eternal day will soon
break forth. Then will you be freed from the miserable slavery of your unreasonable desires
and selfish ambitions. Then will you find your perfect joy, your all-satisfying life. You will
possess at last the true liberty of Heaven without any hindrances, without pain of body or
mind-the liberty which I alone can give.
THINK:
Life on earth is short and full of dissatisfactions and necessities. Yet God is a wise and
loving Father. Every parent seems stern when he is training his children. When they have
grown up strong in virtue and firm in character, only then do they appreciate their father's
wisdom and love. So, too, with us. We little dream how weak we are until we feel the call
to ease, selfishness and pride. We might never suspect what we really are if God had not
given us a life of trial on earth. God made me for Heaven, a reward I cannot even begin to
imagine. He asks that I do what I can, to be less unworthy of Heaven, by striving on earth
for some of His goodness and holiness.
PRAY:
My loving God, what good is it for me to think myself better than I really am? Lord, if it
were not for my earthly trials, I might never have known how selfish and proud I really am.
I thank you, my God, for giving me this chance to become in fact what I desire to be in
theory. Actions are the proof of true virtue. Every trouble and sorrow on earth was placed
here, or permitted, by Your infinite wisdom. You know what I need, to make me a truly
holy man. Some day I shall thank You for many a trial which now weighs me down. Make
me unselfish enough to follow Your commands, whether my life be filled with prosperity
or misery. Treat me as You wish, and it will be best for me. Amen.
TEMPTATION
CHAPTER 44
Temptations Come to All
CHRIST:
MY CHILD, the devil is never asleep, nor is your flesh dead yet. This means that you must
always be on guard for a battle, since on every side you have enemies who are never at rest.
Your old enemy is opposed to everything that is good. He is never tired of tempting people
to sin. Day and night he lays snares, with the hope that some unsuspecting soul may fall
into his trap. Be on your guard against temptations. Pray often for the grace to overcome
them.
2. No man is entirely safe from temptations here on earth. You have within you the source
of temptation, since you were born with concupiscence. Concupiscence of the body is the
blind tendency of your feelings and animal appetites to seek satisfaction, regardless of
intelligence and reason. Concupiscence of the soul consists in an unreasoning and
unreasonable self-favoring, without considering what is true or what is right.
When one temptation or trouble is over, along comes another. While you are on this earth
you will always have something to suffer, because man has lost the original happiness
which I had planned to give him even in this world.
THINK:
Every man gets his share of temptations. How he deals with them shows what he really is.
If he tries his best to lessen the occasions for temptation in his daily life, he is a wise man.
The fool takes chances with temptations and falls into sin. Man's greatest enemy is his
spontaneous, unreasoning self. The devil's greatest ally against my true welfare, is this
foolish self within me. He appeals to it by promising or offering what looks good. If I know
God's way of thinking, I shall recognize Satan's bait, and with God's help, I shall control
my unreasoning desires and foolish self-favoring.
PRAY:
My loving Father and all-wise God, I long to reflect Your holy honesty by recognizing
myself for what I really am. Let me not be blind to my weaknesses and faults. I do not want
to favor myself except in the highest way-that is, I want to win eternal life for myself by
following Your holy commands in my daily life. I wish to avoid or contradict whatever
endangers my eternal salvation. In fact, I desire to practice self-control and selfmortification
so as to gain a greater command over my blind passions and unreasonable
self-favoring. Only with such control, can I hope to overcome the many temptations, big or
small, which daily come to me. Amen.
CHAPTER 42
Unselfish with God
CHRIST:
MY CHILD, do not look for spiritual consolation or interior good feelings in your prayers
and good works. Serve Me for My sake, as I deserve. Let your service depend on My word,
and not on any pleasant feelings which I may send you. If I gave interior consolation and
joy for every good work, many a worldly man would follow My commandments for the
sake of these gifts.
2. As long as you are in this life, you will be tempted by the blind selfishness of fallen
human nature. Turn frequently to Me and let Me guide your self-interest. I desire your selfinterest
to be intelligent and well-ordered. Place Me above all persons and things created.
3. I am far greater than all My works. I am your greatest Treasure! Seek Me above all else.
Consider what I mean in your life. What do I deserve of you? What have I a right to expect
of you? Can you draw your next breath or take your next step without My consent and
assistance? Could you exist another instant if I withdrew My support? Only by facing these
facts, and living on them each hour of the day, can you give Me the intelligent service
which you owe Me.
4. Spiritual consolation is only a temporary gift to encourage one who is earnestly trying to
serve Me. This gift is not at the command of any man, and it will not be given to anyone
who seeks it for itself. Such a person is too much like the man who seeks his entire
happiness in the pleasures, satisfactions, and honors of this world. A frank and intelligent
remembrance of your unworthiness, will help you perform your prayers and good works
without expecting spiritual consolations in return.
THINK:
Jesus is right. I do not deserve the least of His gifts. I already owe Him so much that I
should be glad to do His Will, without looking for further gifts. He owes me nothing, and I
owe Him everything. If He chose to leave me in misery and sorrow, He would be doing me
no injustice, since all that I am and have belong to Him.
PRAY:
Lord, I know that You will never treat me as poorly as I deserve, as long as I am truly
trying to improve my daily life. You will never be outdone in generosity. Each holy desire
and every good deed of mine will be rewarded a hundredfold. You will not leave me in my
misery and troubles any longer than is necessary for my real good. I have deserved little,
but I need You and hope in Your help. Let me follow Your wise and holy Will by seeking
You first, and Your gifts only as far as You want me to have them. Amen.
PART THREE
TEMPTATION
GOD tells us that man is born imperfect and that he must use the opportunities and events
in his earthly life to perfect himself as far as possible. He must use them according to the
directions of his intelligence and according to the wisdom of God's law.
It is not, however, easy to act always with this holy moderation. Man's feelings, moods,
sentiments, appetites, and desires are not always willing to obey his intelligence. He
sometimes feels too strong a love for some things and too weak a love for other things.
This continual tendency to go to extremes is called temptation. Temptation is not sin. It
tends to draw a man to do what he knows is wrong, or seeks to hold him back from what he
knows is right.
Temptation simply brings out what is in a man. One knows himself better when he has
dealt with temptation. It proves his faults and tests his virtues. just how much he really
desires to earn Heaven, is seen by what he does to reach it. How much he really loves God,
is seen by how much he is willing to do for God. The first safeguard against temptation is
to recognize it, to see it as it really is without its attractive camouflage.
TEMPTATION
CHAPTER 43
Man's Daily Trials
CHRIST:
MY CHILD, one who does not know My plan might easily be discouraged by the trials of
this earthly life. Life on earth is so short. Hardly ever is it free from grief and troubles. Men
on earth are stained with many sins, deceived by many desires, enslaved by many fears,
endangered by many snares, distracted by many curiosities, entangled with vanities,
surrounded by errors, tired with labors, troubled by temptations, exhausted with pleasure,
tormented with many wants.
2. Afflictions and sorrows are seldom absent. You are surrounded by so many traps and
enemies. Scarcely does one trouble or temptation go, when another arrives. Often enough,
the first trouble is still with you when others come. You may wonder that anyone can love
this earthly existence with its misfortunes, bitterness, and miseries. Yet, in spite of all this,
many love this earthly life and seek all their delight in it.
3. Yet, My loyal follower can smile and be glad through all the darkness and trials. He does
not fix his eyes on the present trial, but on the main purpose of his earthly life. He looks
beyond the present darkness to the horizon where the light of the eternal day will soon
break forth. Then will you be freed from the miserable slavery of your unreasonable desires
and selfish ambitions. Then will you find your perfect joy, your all-satisfying life. You will
possess at last the true liberty of Heaven without any hindrances, without pain of body or
mind-the liberty which I alone can give.
THINK:
Life on earth is short and full of dissatisfactions and necessities. Yet God is a wise and
loving Father. Every parent seems stern when he is training his children. When they have
grown up strong in virtue and firm in character, only then do they appreciate their father's
wisdom and love. So, too, with us. We little dream how weak we are until we feel the call
to ease, selfishness and pride. We might never suspect what we really are if God had not
given us a life of trial on earth. God made me for Heaven, a reward I cannot even begin to
imagine. He asks that I do what I can, to be less unworthy of Heaven, by striving on earth
for some of His goodness and holiness.
PRAY:
My loving God, what good is it for me to think myself better than I really am? Lord, if it
were not for my earthly trials, I might never have known how selfish and proud I really am.
I thank you, my God, for giving me this chance to become in fact what I desire to be in
theory. Actions are the proof of true virtue. Every trouble and sorrow on earth was placed
here, or permitted, by Your infinite wisdom. You know what I need, to make me a truly
holy man. Some day I shall thank You for many a trial which now weighs me down. Make
me unselfish enough to follow Your commands, whether my life be filled with prosperity
or misery. Treat me as You wish, and it will be best for me. Amen.
TEMPTATION
CHAPTER 44
Temptations Come to All
CHRIST:
MY CHILD, the devil is never asleep, nor is your flesh dead yet. This means that you must
always be on guard for a battle, since on every side you have enemies who are never at rest.
Your old enemy is opposed to everything that is good. He is never tired of tempting people
to sin. Day and night he lays snares, with the hope that some unsuspecting soul may fall
into his trap. Be on your guard against temptations. Pray often for the grace to overcome
them.
2. No man is entirely safe from temptations here on earth. You have within you the source
of temptation, since you were born with concupiscence. Concupiscence of the body is the
blind tendency of your feelings and animal appetites to seek satisfaction, regardless of
intelligence and reason. Concupiscence of the soul consists in an unreasoning and
unreasonable self-favoring, without considering what is true or what is right.
When one temptation or trouble is over, along comes another. While you are on this earth
you will always have something to suffer, because man has lost the original happiness
which I had planned to give him even in this world.
THINK:
Every man gets his share of temptations. How he deals with them shows what he really is.
If he tries his best to lessen the occasions for temptation in his daily life, he is a wise man.
The fool takes chances with temptations and falls into sin. Man's greatest enemy is his
spontaneous, unreasoning self. The devil's greatest ally against my true welfare, is this
foolish self within me. He appeals to it by promising or offering what looks good. If I know
God's way of thinking, I shall recognize Satan's bait, and with God's help, I shall control
my unreasoning desires and foolish self-favoring.
PRAY:
My loving Father and all-wise God, I long to reflect Your holy honesty by recognizing
myself for what I really am. Let me not be blind to my weaknesses and faults. I do not want
to favor myself except in the highest way-that is, I want to win eternal life for myself by
following Your holy commands in my daily life. I wish to avoid or contradict whatever
endangers my eternal salvation. In fact, I desire to practice self-control and selfmortification
so as to gain a greater command over my blind passions and unreasonable
self-favoring. Only with such control, can I hope to overcome the many temptations, big or
small, which daily come to me. Amen.