and of the number of the elect than to see him leading a good life and at the same time a prey to desolation, suffering, and trials.”- St. Aloysius Gonzaga
For Reflection:
When I am desolate, suffering, or enduring a trial, would my interior and exterior life show that I should be counted among the elect? If not, what needs to be amended?
Interior prayer is intimate converse of the soul with God. But who will teach man, so coarse and earthly minded, the delicacy required to converse intimately with the King of heaven and earth? There will never be a ritual nor a devout book capable of regulating the intimate relations of friendship between the Creator and His creature. But there is one Master, whose ability is fully proportioned to His aim, and whose instruction is within the reach of every Christian soul. This Master is the Holy Spirit.
Divine Intimacy: Meditations on the Interior Life for Every Day of the Liturgical Year by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D Meditation 198, page 573
