List of points

You are not happy because you make everything revolve around yourself as if you were always the centre: you have a stomach-ache, or you are tired, or they have said this or that…

—Have you ever tried thinking about Him, and through Him, about others?

You said: “the self has to be decapitated…” —But it’s hard, isn’t it?

Sadness and uneasiness grow in proportion to the time you waste.

—When you feel a holy impatience to use every minute you will be filled with joy and peace, because you will not be thinking about yourself.

Preoccupations…? I replied I had no preoccupations, for I had enough occupations to keep me busy.

Now that you’ve got a lot to do, all your “problems” have disappeared. —Be honest: as you have made up your mind to work for Him, you no longer have time to think about your own selfish interests.

It is sad that you do not want to remain hidden as a foundation stone and support the building. But to become a stumbling block for others? I think that is villainous!

Forget about yourself… May your ambition be to live for your brothers alone, for souls, for the Church; in one word, for God.

In the middle of the rejoicing at the feast in Cana, only Mary notices that they are short of wine… A soul will notice even the smallest details of service if, like her, it is alive with a passion for helping its neighbour, for God.

Although you say you follow Him, in one way or another you always make sure that it is “you” who do things, according to “your” plans, relying on “your” strength alone. —But the Lord said: Sine Me nihil! — without Me you can do nothing.

They ignored what you call your “rights”, which I translated for you as your “right to be proud”. What a grotesque figure you cut. Because your attacker was powerful you could not defend yourself and you felt the pain of a hundred blows. And despite it all, you have not learned to humble yourself.

Now your conscience accuses you, calling you proud… and cowardly. —Give thanks to God because you are beginning to catch a glimpse of your “duty to be humble”.

All the time it is you, you, you. —And you will never be effective until it is him, him, him, so that you act in nomine Domini — in the name and with the strength of God.

How can you pretend to follow Christ, if you only revolve around yourself?