Alas, my God, of what was I thinking when I did not think of Thee? what did I remember when I forgot Thee? what did I love when I loved Thee not? Alas, when I ought to have been feeding on the truth, I was but filling myself with vanity, and serving the world, which was made to serve me.Ģ. Humble yourself in that hitherto you have so little thought upon all this. Consider how unhappy they are who do not think of all this,-who live as though they were created only to build and plant, to heap up riches and amuse themselves with trifles. Being created and placed in the world for this intent, all contrary actions should be shunned and rejected, as also you should avoid as idle and superfluous whatever does not promote it.ģ. And to this end He gave you understanding that you might know Him, memory that you might think of Him, a will that you might love Him, imagination that you might realise His mercies, sight that you might behold the marvels of His works, speech that you might praise Him, and so on with all your other faculties.Ģ. God did not bring you into the world because He had any need of you, useless as you are but solely that He might show forth His Goodness in you, giving you His Grace and Glory. Other audio meditations from the Introduction of the Devout Life Of the End for which we were Created. But alas, O my Creator, so far from uniting myself to Thee by a loving service, I have rebelled against Thee through my unruly affections, departing from Thee, and giving myself up to sin, and ignoring Thy Goodness, as though Thou hadst not created me. O Great and Good Creator, what do I not owe Thee, Who didst take me from out that nothingness, by Thy Mercy to make me what I am? How can I ever do enough worthily to praise Thy Holy Name, and render due thanks to Thy Goodness?ģ. Humble yourself utterly before God, saying with the Psalmist, O Lord, I am nothing in respect of Thee-what am I, that Thou shouldst remember me? O my soul, thou wert yet lost in that abyss of nothingness, if God had not called thee forth, and what of thee in such a case?Ģ.

Consider the being which God has given you for it is the foremost being of this visible world, adapted to live eternally, and to be perfectly united to God’s Divine Majesty.

God brought you out of this nothingness, in order to make you what you are, not because He had any need of you, but solely out of His Goodness.ģ.

Where wert thou then, O my soul? the world was already old, and yet of thee there was no sign.Ģ. Consider that but a few years since you were not born into the world, and your soul was as yet non-existent. Other audio meditations from the Introduction of the Devout Life Of Creation.

An introduction to the devout life