My God, I
believe most firmly that Thou watchest over all who hope in Thee, and that we
can want for nothing when we rely upon Thee in all things; therefore I am
resolved for the future to have no anxieties, and to cast all my cares upon
Thee.
People may
deprive me of worldly goods and of honors; sickness may take from me my
strength and the means of serving Thee; I may even lose Thy grace by sin; but
my trust shall never leave me. I will preserve it to the last moment of my
life, and the powers of hell shall seek in vain to wrestle it from me.
Let others
seek happiness in their wealth, in their talents; let them trust to the purity
of their lives, the severity of their mortifications, to the number of their
good works, the fervor of their prayers; as for me, O my God, in my very
confidence lies all my hope. “For Thou, O Lord, singularly has settled me in
hope.” This confidence can never be in vain. “No one has hoped in the Lord and
has been confounded.”
I am
assured, therefore, of my eternal happiness, for I firmly hope for it, and all
my hope is in Thee. “In Thee, O Lord, I have hoped; let me never be
confounded.”
I know,
alas! I know but too well that I am frail and changable; I know the power of
temptation against the strongest virtue. I have seen stars fall from heaven,
and pillars of firmament totter; but these things alarm me not. While I hope in
Thee I am sheltered from all misfortune, and I am sure that my trust shall
endure, for I rely upon Thee to sustain this unfailing hope.
Finally, I
know that my confidence cannot exceed Thy bounty, and that I shall never
receive less than I have hoped for from Thee. Therefore I hope that Thou wilt
sustain me against my evil inclinations; that Thou wilt protect me against the
most furious assults of the evil one, and that Thou wilt cause my weakness to
triumph over my most powerful enemies. I hope that Thou wilt never cease to
love me, and that I shall love Thee unceasingly. “In Thee, O Lord, have I
hoped; let me never be confounded.”
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