ON THE CONDUCT OF GOD TOWARDS THE SOUL
Fr. Jean Grou, S.J. “BEHOLD, I stand at the door and knock. If any man shall hear My voice, and shall open to Me the door, I will come in unto him, and sup with him, and he with Me:” the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Apocalypse (chap. iii. 20). Whilst we […]
ON THE STRENGTH WE HAVE OF OURSELVES, AND OF OUR STRENGTH IN GOD.
Fr. Jean Grou, S.J. ST PAUL said: “When I am weak, then I am strong” That is to say, when I have a clear conviction of rny weakness, when I know it thoroughly by my own experience, when, seeing that of myself I can do nothing, I humble myself and put all my trust in […]
ON THE TRUE LIBERTY OF THE CHILDREN OF GOD.
Rev. Jean Grou, S.J. IT is a thing which sounds like a paradox, but which is nevertheless true, with a most exact truth, that of all the persons who serve God, those are the most free, indeed it might be said the only really free, who allow themselves to be guided entirely and in everything […]
ON THE WAY OF THE CROSS.
Rev. Jean Grou, S.J. ” If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” said our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The cross is the summary of the Gospel and the standard of the Christian. Through the cross, Jesus Christ repaired the glory of […]
ON THE VIOLENCE WE MUST USE TOWARDS OURSELVES.
Rev. Jean Grou, S.J. “FROM the days of John the Baptist, even until now” said our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, “the kingdom of Heaven suffered violence, and the violent take it by force” If, in one sense, Jesus Christ has rendered the way to Heaven more easy, by the abundant outpouring of His grace, […]
ON THE NEW LIFE IN JESUS CHRIST.
Rev. Jean Grou, S.J. THE Apostle St. Paul, in several of his letters, told the first Christians that, by their baptism, they were dead and buried with Jesus Christ; that when they came from the baptismal font they were risen with Him, and obliged to lead a new life, formed on the model of His […]
ON THE MEANS OF ATTAINING TRUE AND SOLID VIRTUE.
Rev. Jean Grou, S.J. THE first means of attaining virtue, which seems the most easy, and is in reality the most difficult, is to will it; but with a sincere, entire, efficacious, and constant will. And oh how rare is this good will! We imagine we will a thing, but in truth and reality we […]
THE IDEAL OF TRUE VIRTUE.
Rev. Jean Grou, S.J. THERE are very few Christians, even amongst those who are specially consecrated to God, who have a right idea of what true virtue is. Almost all of them imagine it to consist in a certain routine of piety, and in fidelity to certain exterior practices. If with this they have at […]
ON TRUE AND SOLID DEVOTION.
Rev. Jean Grou, S.J. THE word devotion, which is derived from the Latin, answers to that of devotedness, — a vowing of oneself, a consecration of one’s self. A devout person is, then, a person devoted to God, consecrated to God. There is no stronger expression than that of devotion to mark that disposition of […]
ON HOLINESS.
Fr. Jean Grou, S.J. “BE ye holy, because I am holy” God said to the children of Israel. “Be ye perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect? Jesus Christ said to His disciples. These words show us that God is at once the motive and the model of our holiness. If we really understand […]