Ave Maria Meditations
That purification of the soul through interior mortification is not something merely negative. It is not just a matter of avoiding what borders on sin; quite the opposite: it consists of knowing how to deprive oneself for love of God, of things that would be quite licit to have.
This mortification, which tends to purify the mind of everything that is not God, aims in the first place at freeing the memory from recollections that would oppose the way that leads to heaven. Those recollections can assault us during our work or at rest and even while we are praying. Without violence, but promptly, we will apply the means to get rid of them. We will struggle to make the effort which is necessary for our mind to fill itself once more with love, and longing for the things of God.
Something similar could happen to the imagination. It can often upset us by inventing all kinds of novels, weaving fantastic fictions, which are quite useless. Get rid of those useless thoughts, which, at best, are a waste of time! Then, as well, we have to react quickly and return serenely to our ordinary task…
Today in our prayer, we make specific resolutions to empty our hearts of anything displeasing to God. We make the resolution to purify our hearts through mortification and to fill them with love of God while constantly showing our affection for our Lord. We do this in the same way as Our Lady and Saint Joseph did, by saying aspirations and making spiritual communions, and making many acts of love and atonement.
From In Conversation with God
