MONDAY

Peace

"He maketh peace in thy borders and filleth thee with the flour of wheat." Ps. cxlvii. 14.

Thoughts about Peace

Whatever romance and excitement there may be in war between man and man, I am satisfied that there is nothing to be said in favor of fighting against God. My true happiness is found when I am at peace with Him. When war ends and peace begins, it becomes possible for the nation to cultivate the soil and provide itself with bread. In this wonderful Sacrament I have received the Bread of God as a pledge of the peace that is to follow. This sense of being at peace I am now experiencing. It is not the peace that comes when a man has surrendered and is sold into slavery. Death is far better than such a state. This is rather the peace that follows victory. Instead of fighting against God I have made Him my ally. This means that I have resolved to live in accordance with the laws by which He governs the world, instead of trying to defy them. It has not always been clear to me that God's laws respecting the care and development of my soul and my body are just as certain and just as knowable as any of the great laws

of the Universe. Now, however, it all seems entirely plain. I perceive that a man may be either at peace or at war with the law of gravitation. If he prefers war, he may say, "Gravity, I defy thee!"-and then step off the roof to show that he is not afraid. In like manner, I may play with temptation, omit prayer, neglect the Holy Communion, and declare my independence of God. A fall will in each case follow. The fall from the roof will be the more sudden of the two — but the fool may not die. The fall from grace will be slower but just as sure and, if unbroken, will certainly end in death. How could I ever be blind to so obvious a truth? My hope is that I shall never again disregard it. To-day I know the happiness that comes from being at peace with God and His laws. I shall be entirely without excuse if ever again I array myself against Him.

A Prayer

O God, the God of Peace, who brought again from the dead Our Lord Jesus Christ, thank Thee for recalling me from the death of sin to the life of righteousness. When there was war in my heart and discord among my members, Thou didst restore happiness and harmony by sending me the Peace of God. Thou hast given me the vision of a world obedient to Thy will and hast made me to understand that sin consists in lawless disregard of Thine ordinances. Thou hast taught me

that the secret of a life attuned to Thy will and in harmony with thy law is to transform my earthliness by receiving into myself the Divine Life that is in Thy Son. With the in-pouring of this life Thou hast blessed me. With the gift of Thy Peace Thou hast enriched me. With the vision of Thy Glory Thou hast exalted me. With the joy of Thy countenance Thou hast made me glad. My heart is full of gratitude. It is out of this overflowing of my heart that I offer Thee my thanks. Accept my sacrifice of grateful love, O Lord, and let the rest of my life be a thank-offering unto Thee: who art God for ever and ever. Amen.

EVENING

O Father, forgive me if to-day I have broken the treaty of peace that is between Thee and me. It is my earnest desire to live my life and every part of it in strict conformity with Thy will. Through shortsightedness and ignorance I may miss my way. Through carelessness I may fail to hear the warning note of Thy voice. But grant that I may never deliberately choose to be at enmity with the God of the Universe instead of at peace with my dearest Friend. I feel Thy nearness this night. I am mindful of the stars in their courses and of the sun and the moon that Thou hast ordained. These all continue to this day according to Thine ordinance: for

all things serve Thee. I remember, too, that Thou art mindful of me; that Thou regardest me with tender love; and that even for me Thou hast a purpose in life. Grant that I may live to accomplish this purpose. Make me to find my true happiness in submission to Thy Will. In darkness or in light, in life or in death, renew the gift for which I pour out my hearty thanksgiving, the gift of Thy Peace, which passeth all understanding — the gift which is made for the sake of Him that is given, Thy Son Our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

TUESDAY

Trust

"Thou hast given me the defence of Thy Salvation; Thy right hand also shall hold me up and Thy loving correction shall make me great." — Ps. xviii. 35.

Some thoughts about Trust

I want the happiness of my Communion to be lasting. I realize that it will in fact be short-lived unless I take a sensible view of my relation to life. I must be careful, on the one hand, to avoid the mistake of supposing that I can spend all my time on the mountain-top with God. On the other hand, I must beware lest upon my return to the plain of daily life I forget the secrets that Our Lord has communicated to me and try to take up the daily struggle trusting only in my own strength and

skill. I must earnestly cultivate the spirit of absolute trust in God. The experience through which I have passed must be repeated soon. How soon I must carefully and prayerfully consider. It must be my aim to make my Communions a regular part of my religious life. I must remember that long intervals between the meetings of friends are to be deplored and that frequent Communions with Our Lord, if preparation is careful, are like the pools in a dry valley which enable a man to go from strength to strength. And in the intervals between Communions I must live by the power of the new life that I have received. The Blessed Sacrament must be to me at once a defence, a support and a standard of living. "Thou hast given me the defence of Thy salvation." There is no surer safeguard against temptation than to make a practise of living as in the presence of Our Lord. "Thy right hand shall hold me up." There is no more effective way of conquering the tendency to grow careless than to recall the blessings of the Eucharist that is past and to resolve upon a new and more worthy reception of the Sacred Body and Blood. "Thy loving correction shall make me great." There is no more unerring rule by which to correct my daily faults than to think of them as they will appear to Our Lord when I seek Him at the altar. If I depend upon myself, my life will be a failure. If I put my trust in God failure will have no meaning for me.