Ave Maria!— April’s Theme: Vices
11- “Let us continually ask God the grace of being preserved from the pestilent vice of vainglory, because “every perfect gift comes from on high and descends from the Father of light”. Let us widen our hearts to confidence in God. Let us always bear in mind that all that which is good in us is a pure gift from that supreme goodness of the Heavenly Spouse.”
12- “Let us impress well in our minds, engrave strongly in our hearts, and persuade ourselves that no one is good if not “God alone”, and that we do not have anything if not nothing. Moreover, let us assiduously meditate on that which St. Paul writes to the faithful at Corinth: ‘…what hast thou that thou hast not received? And if thou hast received, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?’
13- “When we feel ourselves tempted by vainglory, let us repeat with St. Bernard: ‘Nec propter te cœpi, nec propter te desinam’: I did not begin this for you, nor will I finish it for you. Did I not begin my journey in the ways of the Lord? Therefore, I want to continue in it. If the enemy assails us for the holiness of our lives, let us yell at him in his face: ‘my holiness is not an effect of my spirit, but it is the effect of the Spirit of God Who sanctifies me’. This is a gift from God, a talent lent to me by our Spouse, so that we do trade with it; then, in due time, [we will] render to Him a strict account of the profit we made by it.”
14- “Let us keep hidden that good which our Beloved works in us; the virtues are like one who holds a treasure, which, if it is not hidden from the eyes of the envious, will be stolen. The devil is always vigilant; he is the worst of all the envious. He always tries to immediately steal this treasure, which is the virtues, as soon as he is aware of it. And this he does by assailing us with this enemy who is so strong: vainglory.”
