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The quotes of Jean Pierre de Caussade

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C ome, then, my beloved souls, let us fly to that love which calls us.
Why are we waiting?
Let us set out at once,
Let us lose ourselves in the very heart of God and become intoxicated with His love.
Let us snatch from His heart the key to all the treasures of the world and start out right away on the road to heaven.

There is no need to fear that any lock will hold us back.
Our key will open every door.

There is no room we cannot enter.
We can make ourselves free of the garden, the cellar, and the vineyard as well.
If we want to explore the countryside, no one will hinder us.
We can come and go;
We can enter and leave any place we wish,
Because we have the key of David, the key of knowledge, and the key of the abyss that holds the hidden treasures of divine wisdom.
It is this key that opens the doors of mystical death and its sacred darkness.
By it we can enter the deepest dungeons and emerge safe and sound.
It gives us entrance into that blessed spot where the light of knowledge shines and the Bridegroom takes His noonday rest.

There we quickly learn how to win His kiss and ascend with surety the steps of the nuptial couch.
And there we learn the secrets of love-
Divine secrets that cannot be revealed and which no human tongue can ever describe.

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quote 3097 | Jean Pierre de Caussade
Beevers, John, trans. Abandonment to Divine Providence. New York: Doubleday, 1975, pp. 25, 3 7,40, 70, 73, 81-82

F aith transforms the earth into a paradise.
By it our hearts are raised with the joy of our nearness to heaven.
Every moment reveals God to us.
Faith is our light in this life.
By it we know the truth without seeing it, we are put in touch with what we cannot feel, recognize what we cannot see, and view the world stripped of all its outer shell.
Faith unlocks God's treasury.
It is the key to all the vastness of His wisdom.
The emptiness of all created things is disclosed by faith, and it is by faith that God reveals Himself …

With faith,
All that is dark becomes light, and what is bitter becomes sweet.
Faith transforms ugliness into beauty, and malice into kindness.
Faith is the mother of tenderness, trust, and joy …

There is nothing faith cannot overcome;
It passes beyond all shadows and through the darkest clouds to reach the truth, which it embraces and can never be parted from.

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quote 3096 | Jean Pierre de Caussade
Ramiere, Rev. H., trans. Abandonment. New York: Benziger Brothers, 1887, pp. 112

O Lord, let others ask for every kind of gift, with more and more prayers; I ask for one gift with but one prayer: "Grant me a pure heart!" How blessed are the pure of heart. By the power of their faith they see God within themselves; they see Him above and below, in all things, at all times. They become the instruments of this Divine Play, as God guides them everywhere and leads them to everything.

A pure heart and good will! The one foundation of every spiritual state! … The pure heart could well say to every soul: "Look at me carefully. It is I who generate that love which always chooses the better part. I produce that mild but effective fear which arouses such a dread of wrong-doing that it can easily be avoided. I impart that excellent understanding which reveals the greatness of God and the merit of virtue. And it is also I who causes that passionate and holy yearning which keeps the soul resolute in virtue and in expectation of God."

Yes, 0 Pure Heart, you can invite everyone to gather round you and enrich themselves with your inexhaustible treasures. There is not one single kind of spiritual practice, not one path to holiness, which does not find its source in you.

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quote 3095 | Jean Pierre de Caussade
Ramiere, Rev. H., trans. Abandonment. New York: Benziger Brothers, 1887

T he essence of all spirituality is this: "Complete and utter abandonment to the Will of God!

We must offer ourselves to God like a clean, smooth canvas and not worry ourselves about what God may choose to paint on it, but at each moment, feel only the stroke of His brush … It is the same with a piece of stone. Each blow from the sculptor's chisel makes it feel-if it could-as if it were being destroyed. As blow after blow descends, the stone knows nothing of how the sculptor is shaping it. All it feels is a chisel chopping away at it, cutting it, and mutilating it. For example, let's take a piece of stone destined to be carved into a crucifix or a statue. We might ask it: 'What do you think is happening to you?" And it might answer: "Don't ask me. All I know is that I must stay immobile in the hands of the sculptor … I have no idea what he is doing, nor do I know what lie will make of me. But I know his work is the best possible. It is perfect and so I welcome each blow of his chisel as the best thing that could happen to me, although, if I'm to be truthful, I feel that every one of these blows is ruining me, destroying me, and disfiguring me."

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quote 3094 | Jean Pierre de Caussade
Beevers, John, trans. Abandonment to Divine Providence. New York: Doubleday, 1975, pp. 25, 3 7,40, 70, 73, 81-82

C ome, all you simple souls those without piety, grand talents, or lessons learned.

Come, all you who understand nothing of spiritual terms, who are filled with amazement at the eloquence of the learned.
Come, and I will teach you the secret, unreachable by those brilliant scholars-
The secret of perfection.
You will find this perfection within you, above you, below you, with every step you take.
Then you will be united with Godhand in hand you will walk.

Come, not to study the map of spiritual terrain,
But to possess it for yourself; To walk about in it without fear of going astray.

Why learn the theory of Divine Grace, and what it has been doing throughout the ages, when you can become and be the very instrument of its operation?

Come, not to discuss the words of others,
But to listen…
For in the sacredness of every moment
Divine Grace is telling you alone all that is required

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quote 3093 | Jean Pierre de Caussade
Ramiere, Rev. H., trans. Abandonment. New York: Benziger Brothers, 1887,pp. 79

O ur task is to offer ourselves up to God like a clean, smooth canvas and not bother ourselves about what God may choose to paint on it, but, at every moment, feel only the stroke of his brush. It is the same with a piece of stone. Each blow from the chisel of the sculptor makes it feel - if it could feel - if it were being destroyed. As blow after blow rains down on it, the stone knows nothing about how the sculptor is shaping it. All it feels is a chisel hacking away at it, savaging it and mutilating it.
Let us take, for example, a piece of stone that is destined to be carved into a crucifix or a statue. We might ask it: 'What do you think is happening to you?" And it might well answer: 'Why are you asking me? All I know is that I must stay immobile in the hands of the sculptor. I have no notion of what he is doing, nor do I know what he will make of me. What I do know, however, is that his work is the finest imaginable. It is perfect. I welcome each blow of his chisel as the best thing that could happen to me, although, if I am to tell the complete truth, I feel that every one of these blows is ruining me, destroying me, and disfiguring me.'

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quote 2851 | Jean Pierre de Caussade
Jean Pierre de Caussade, translated from the French by Andrew Harvey in Teaching of the Christian Mystics.

W hat is the secret of finding the Treasure? There isn't one. The Treasure is everywhere. It is offered to us at every moment and wherever we find ourselves. All creatures, friends or enemies, pour it out abundantly, and it courses through every fiber of our body and soul until it reaches the very core of our being. If we open our mouths they will be filled. God's activity runs through the entire universe. It wells up around and penetrates every created being. Wherever they are, it is there also. It runs ahead of them, it stays with them, and it follows after them. All they have to do is to allow its waves to sweep them forward, fulfill the simple duties of their religion and status in life, accept cheerfully all the difficulties they meet, and surrender to the will of God in all they have to do…. This is authentic spirituality, and it is valid for all times and for everyone. We could not choose to become good in a better, more miraculous, and yet easier way than by the simple use of the means offered us by God; the whole-hearted acceptance of everything that comes to us at every moment of our lives.

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quote 2850 | Jean Pierre de Caussade
Jean Pierre de Caussade, translated from the French by Andrew Harvey in Teaching of the Christian Mystics.

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