Quote of the day, 19 March: Antoine-Marie Leduc, ocd

To recollect ourselves, therefore, means focusing a loving gaze on Jesus, and looking to him in order to learn how to love:

“Believe me, you should remain with so good a friend as long as you can. If you grow accustomed to having Him present at your side, and He sees that you do so with love and that you go about striving to please Him, you will not be able—as they say—to get away from Him; He will never fail you; He will help you in all your trials; you will find Him everywhere. Do you think it’s some small matter to have a friend like this at your side?”  (Way of Perfection, 26:1). 

The term “gaze” means to perform a very simple activity; it isn’t about multiple thoughts or intellectual exercises. “The soul’s progress does not lie in thinking much but in loving much” (cf. The Foundations, 5:2).

Father Antoine-Marie Leduc, ocd

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Featured image: A Discalced Carmelite nun from the Holy Land prays after receiving Holy Communion at the canonization Mass for St. Mary of Jesus Crucified, Mariam Baouardy of Bethlehem, 17 May 2015 in St. Peter’s Square. Image credit: Detail from a screenshot, Vatican TV.