Life of St John Vianney.pdf - the Catholic Kingdom!

"Time""LikeHIS ILLUSTRATIONS FROM NATURE. 255the more we wish to pray.It is as with a fish, whichat first skims over the surface of the water, then sinkslower, and plungesstill deeper. The soul plunges, engulfs itself,loses itself in the sweetness of its communingwith God.passes quickly in prayer.I know not whetherwe then even desire Heaven. Oh, yes.The fish whichis swimming in a small stream is happy, because it is inits element ;but it is still happier in the sea. When wepray, we must open our heart to God. like a fish when itgees the wave coming. God has no need of us ;if Hecommands us to pray, it is because He wills our happiness, and because we can find happiness in nothing else.When He sees us coming, He leans His heart down verylow to His little creature, like a father who bends downto listen to his child when itspeaks to him. In themorning we should do like the infant in its cradle. Assoon as itopens its eyes, it looks quickly through theroom to see its mother. When it sees her, it begins tosmile. When it cannot see her, it cries.We must do like the shepherds who are in the fieldin winter-time. (Life is, indeed, a long winter !) Theymake a fire ; but, from time to time, they run in all directions to collect wood to keep it up. If, like them, we knewhow to keep the fire of the Ipve of God alive in our heartsby prayers and good works, it would never go out. Whenyou have not the love of God in your heart, you are verypoor; you are like a tree without flowers or fruit."In the soul which is united to God, it is alwaysspring.a beautiful white dove, which rises from themidgt of the waters and shakesitswings over the earth,the Holy Ghost comes forth from the infinite ocean of the