This is by a Cistercian monk for contemplative religious, but there is wisdom here that laymen can adopt as appropriate:
Chapter I : Stifle Inner Noise
God created your soul silent : at baptism, in an unviolated silence. He filled
her with Himself, nothing but Himself. Later, little by little, the world broke
in. Noise invaded her, covering God's sweet voice. Since then, the din has been
increasing. Sister, Brother, come back to the baptismal silence !
Noise is generated from three sources : memories, curiosity, worries. Make them
incapable of harming you.
1. Put an end to the noise of memories.
Do not evoke, do not revive any _bad_ memory. A wrong done to someone once
repaired is forgiven. A harm caused to you and regretted must be forgiven. The
generosity of Love can repair the past. Forget completely the details and the
circumstances. The only thing you have to do is to come to the Feet of God to
benefit as a sinner from His Infinite Mercy. Evil is nothingness : why remember
it ? Think only of the Grace that saved you; think of how it is eternally at
work everywhere. God destroys Evil : He does not collect nothingness. Keep Him a
filial heart, penitent, peaceful and tender : this _is_ compunction.
Do not evoke, de not revive any _profane_ memory : none of what you have been,
none of what you have done, none of what you have left in the world. Entrust God
with everything dear you have in the world, parents or friends. Are they not
also sons and daughters of God and dear to Him ? Will He forget them because,
for His Sake, you have parted from their arms ? None of the thoughts and
imaginings that you devote to them is of any use to them; but turning your mind
away from Him brings trouble to your heart, to your trust in Providence, to your
faith in God's innate goodness. Never should your imagination, in cold blood,
cross beyond the enclosure. Only Grace can help efficiently those whom we love;
we will obtain as much of It as our intimacy with God allows. Observe Mary at
Cana. She does not leave her place. "Do whatever he tells you to do". If you
cultivate the memories of the past, they will become a source of vanity, of
regrets or cause restlessness. If you enjoy the taste of former human pleasures,
you are being sensual and selfseeking; it amounts to preferring a cloud or a
dream to the substantial Joy, ever present and unappreciated. God is the only
blissfulness that counts.
The value of the happinesses of our time lie in the love that produced them.
Life giving charity is the only source of our joys. Let these useless memories
fade away and disappear : they distract you, they delay you, they attach you to
what must die away and they weaken your longing for Eternity. Like Saint Paul,
look not to what is behind, but to what is before you : Jesus-Christ.
Keep no material object coming from or having belonged to the dear ones whom
you cannot dream about any longer : keep nothing, no photographs, no letters, no
flowers, no relics. If you contemplate these objects they will revive
impressions and feelings from the past. If you do not look at them, why keep
them, they will burden you. It is all harmful to the silence in your heart, to
the freedom of your heart.
Why feed this recurrent temptation of looking backwards ? Be thankful for any
loosening or beaking of the links that tie you to outside relations, and do not
agree to renew any.
As much as you can, stay away from personal contacts with representatives of
your past : visits, parlour, letters freshen in you the image of the word which
is so difficult to forget. In as much as permitted by the rule and in keeping
with a spirit of true charity, reduce the frequency of contacts -- oral or in
writing -- with outside. And don't mend any broken relationship. There is
nothing from the world that you want. Often enough, you grant it so little, if
at all you do not spoil the esteem of good souls for religious life. The
slightest stain shows on an immaculate garment, and we are so imperfect ! Your
memory is a formidable hoarder : it hoards treasures for future distraction.
The more your mind will be free of images of human beings, the brighter the
light of God's face will shine.
Bury your affection for your relatives in God's Heart. Love them in Him. It is
infinitely deeper and more efficient. Wish your friends that they develop love
for God : it is the only true good. Your faithfulness to your contemplative
vocation will obtain it; any compromise will prevent God from giving Himself. If
imposed by duty, be exquisitely polite while forgetting yourself. As a rule, be
distant as to the world. Jesus did leave his mother to save us. In fact it is
while separating from her that he united completely with her. The home was sweet
in Nazareth, and the farewell made some eyes cry. Let's remember it.
Chapter I : Stifle Inner Noise
God created your soul silent : at baptism, in an unviolated silence. He filled
her with Himself, nothing but Himself. Later, little by little, the world broke
in. Noise invaded her, covering God's sweet voice. Since then, the din has been
increasing. Sister, Brother, come back to the baptismal silence !
Noise is generated from three sources : memories, curiosity, worries. Make them
incapable of harming you.
1. Put an end to the noise of memories.
Do not evoke, do not revive any _bad_ memory. A wrong done to someone once
repaired is forgiven. A harm caused to you and regretted must be forgiven. The
generosity of Love can repair the past. Forget completely the details and the
circumstances. The only thing you have to do is to come to the Feet of God to
benefit as a sinner from His Infinite Mercy. Evil is nothingness : why remember
it ? Think only of the Grace that saved you; think of how it is eternally at
work everywhere. God destroys Evil : He does not collect nothingness. Keep Him a
filial heart, penitent, peaceful and tender : this _is_ compunction.
Do not evoke, de not revive any _profane_ memory : none of what you have been,
none of what you have done, none of what you have left in the world. Entrust God
with everything dear you have in the world, parents or friends. Are they not
also sons and daughters of God and dear to Him ? Will He forget them because,
for His Sake, you have parted from their arms ? None of the thoughts and
imaginings that you devote to them is of any use to them; but turning your mind
away from Him brings trouble to your heart, to your trust in Providence, to your
faith in God's innate goodness. Never should your imagination, in cold blood,
cross beyond the enclosure. Only Grace can help efficiently those whom we love;
we will obtain as much of It as our intimacy with God allows. Observe Mary at
Cana. She does not leave her place. "Do whatever he tells you to do". If you
cultivate the memories of the past, they will become a source of vanity, of
regrets or cause restlessness. If you enjoy the taste of former human pleasures,
you are being sensual and selfseeking; it amounts to preferring a cloud or a
dream to the substantial Joy, ever present and unappreciated. God is the only
blissfulness that counts.
The value of the happinesses of our time lie in the love that produced them.
Life giving charity is the only source of our joys. Let these useless memories
fade away and disappear : they distract you, they delay you, they attach you to
what must die away and they weaken your longing for Eternity. Like Saint Paul,
look not to what is behind, but to what is before you : Jesus-Christ.
Keep no material object coming from or having belonged to the dear ones whom
you cannot dream about any longer : keep nothing, no photographs, no letters, no
flowers, no relics. If you contemplate these objects they will revive
impressions and feelings from the past. If you do not look at them, why keep
them, they will burden you. It is all harmful to the silence in your heart, to
the freedom of your heart.
Why feed this recurrent temptation of looking backwards ? Be thankful for any
loosening or beaking of the links that tie you to outside relations, and do not
agree to renew any.
As much as you can, stay away from personal contacts with representatives of
your past : visits, parlour, letters freshen in you the image of the word which
is so difficult to forget. In as much as permitted by the rule and in keeping
with a spirit of true charity, reduce the frequency of contacts -- oral or in
writing -- with outside. And don't mend any broken relationship. There is
nothing from the world that you want. Often enough, you grant it so little, if
at all you do not spoil the esteem of good souls for religious life. The
slightest stain shows on an immaculate garment, and we are so imperfect ! Your
memory is a formidable hoarder : it hoards treasures for future distraction.
The more your mind will be free of images of human beings, the brighter the
light of God's face will shine.
Bury your affection for your relatives in God's Heart. Love them in Him. It is
infinitely deeper and more efficient. Wish your friends that they develop love
for God : it is the only true good. Your faithfulness to your contemplative
vocation will obtain it; any compromise will prevent God from giving Himself. If
imposed by duty, be exquisitely polite while forgetting yourself. As a rule, be
distant as to the world. Jesus did leave his mother to save us. In fact it is
while separating from her that he united completely with her. The home was sweet
in Nazareth, and the farewell made some eyes cry. Let's remember it.
