THE SPIRITUAL DIRECTORY FOR DAILY ACTIONS

Article II (A)

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Rising

First of all, on awakening, the true lovers of Jesus Christ shall cast their souls wholly into God by pious thoughts such as the following or others which the Holy Spirit will suggest to them, being at liberty to follow His interior attraction.

 

Sleep is the image of death, and awakening that of resurrection, or that of the voice which will resound on the last day, "O dead, arise and come to judgment." Or let them say with Job, I know that my Redeemer liveth and that on the last day I shall rise again (Job 19:25).  O my God, grant that this may be to eternal glory. This hope rests in my heart (Job 19:27). At other times, On that day, Thou shall call me, O my God, and I will answer Thee; Thou will stretch forth Thy right hand to the work of Thy hands; Thou hast numbered all my steps (Job 14:15)

 

When they begin to dress, they shall make the sign of the cross, saying, "Clothe me, O Lord, with the mantle of innocence, and with the robe of charity. Ah! my God, permit not that I appear before Thy face stripped of good works."

 

Then they shall prepare themselves for the morning prayer, thinking briefly of the imperfections to which they are subject and of the resolutions to be made against them.

 

They shall kneel down to say the morning prayer, adoring Our Lord from the depths of their souls, thanking Him for all His benefits, offering Him their hearts with their affections and resolutions, and their whole being in union with that loving oblation which the Savior made of Himself to His Eternal Father on the tree of the Cross, asking His help and blessing, saluting our Blessed Mother, asking also her blessing and that of their Guardian Angel and holy Protectors, and if they care to, they may add an Our Father and a Hail Mary.

 

All this is to be done briskly, briefly, while kneeling. The rest of the time they shall occupy their minds with the prep­aration of their day with Our Lord. Consequently, they will have to be very diligent in rising and dressing.

 

Morning Prayer

 

My Lord and my God, I adore Thee from the depth of my soul. I return Thee thanks for all the benefits Thou hast lavished upon me, and particularly for having preserved me dur­ing the past night. I offer Thee my heart, my soul, my body, and my whole being, my reso­lutions and all that I may suffer today in all my actions, in union with that loving oblation which Our Savior made to Thee on the tree of o Cross. My God, grant me Thy aid and holy blessing.

 

O holy Virgin, my holy Angel, my holy Patrons, assist me with your gracious help, now and at the hour of my death. Amen.

 

God be blessed!

Our Father and Hail Mary.

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COMMENTARY

Our Blessed Savior says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end." (Apoc. 21:6) Therefore, Our Lord must be the first and the last, the beginning and end of all things for us. By fidelity to the Articles on Rising and Retiring, our Savior becomes the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end of each day of our lives.

 

On awakening, we should cast our souls wholly into God. We should cast ourselves into the embrace of the Father, into that embrace in which Jesus always dwells. To do this, we may use one of the thoughts which St. Francis de Sales suggests or one that we love and which unites us to God such as:

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1. Live Jesus! I love Jesus. Live Jesus Whom I love.

2. Live, Jesus, live. So live in me that all I do be done by Thee. And grant that all I think and say may be Thy thought and word today.

3. Most Holy Trinity, I dedicate and con­secrate this day to You through the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Im­maculate Heart of Mary.

4. Eternal Father, I thank You for giving me one more day to continue the life of Your Divine Son on earth.

 

While we put our clothes on our bodies, we should clothe our souls with Jesus Christ in obedience to the counsel of St. Paul, "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ." (Rom. 13:14)

 

We must be very faithful to the short but magnificent Morning Prayer of St. Francis de Sales, "because in this daily renewing of our oblation, we spread the vigor and virtue of love upon our actions by a fresh uniting of our heart with the Divine glory, by which means it is ever more and more sanctified."[1]

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Prayer for Fidelity to the Article on Rising

My Jesus, give me the grace to cast my soul wholly into the embrace of our heavenly Father upon awakening. Every morning as I clothe my body with material clothing, clothe me with Your very Self. Clothe me with Your purity, Your humility, Your detachment, Your purity, Your obedience. Clothe me with all Your virtues. Dear Jesus, each morning as I kneel to say my Morning Prayer, please give me a special blessing to continue and perpetu­ate Your life in mine.

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[1] Treatise on the Love of God, Book 12, Chapter 9.

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