"The expectation, then, we should have of our time of recollection, what we shoud try to achieve, is nothing more nor less than being attentive in God's presence. If God wishes, he will act on us in his own good time. Our duty consists in withdrawing ourselves from other attachments, in making ourselves free and available to him. We make ourselves vulnerable and then wait in a relaxed and joyful manner."
''To keep ourselves in the presence of God, and to place ourselves in the presence of God, are, in my opinion, two things: for, to place ourselves there it is necessary to withdraw our minds from every other object, and to make it attentive to this presence actually, as I say in my book; but after placing ourselves, we keep ourselves there so long as we make, either by understanding or by will, acts towards God, whether by looking at him, or looking at some other thing for love of him; or looking at nothing, but speaking to him; or, neither looking nor speaking, but simply staying where he has put us, like a statue in its niche."
''We put ourselves in God's presence to give him the honour and homage we owe him; and this can be done without his speaking to us or we to him: for this duty is paid by remembering that he is our God, and we his vile creatures, and by remaining prostrate in spirit before him, awaiting his comrnands. How many courtiers go a hundred times into the presence of the king, not to hear him or speak to him, but simply to be seen by him, and to testify by this assiduity that they are his servants ?"
"You do nothing, you say, in prayer. But what else could you do, except what you are doing now, which is to present and re-present to God your nothingness and your misery? It is the best plea beggars make us when they expose to our sight their ulcers and needs."
"But sometimes again you do nothing of all this, as you tell me but remain there like a phantom or a statue. Well, that is not a bad thing. In the palaces of princes and kings, statues are put which are only of use to gratify the prince's eyes; be satisfied then with serving for that purpose, in the presence of God; he will give life to this statue when he likes."
"Trees only bear fruit through the presence of the sun, some sooner, other later, some every year, and others every three years, and not always equally. While being happy to be able to stay in the presence of God, let us be assured that he will make us bear our fruit, sooner or later, aIways or sometimes, according to his good pleasure, to which we must entirely resign ourselves."
St. Francis de Sales, Letters to Persons in the World, Burns & Oates 1880.
