And when I have been emptied of myself, fill me with yourself. May I never become attached to anything here below. May Love always sustain me. (The Forge, 41)

The time has come to cry to him, Remember, Lord, the promises you made, filling me with hope; they console me in my nothingness and fill my life with strength. Our Lord wants us to rely on him for everything: it is now glaringly evident to us that without him we can do nothing, whereas with him we can do all things. We confirm our decision to walk always in his presence.

With God enlightening our intellect, which seems to be inactive, we understand beyond any shadow of doubt that, since the Creator takes care of everyone, even his enemies, how much more will he take care of his friends! We become convinced that no evil or trouble can befall us which will not turn out to be for our good. And so, joy and peace become more firmly rooted in our spirit, and no merely human motive can tear them from us, because these ‘visitations’ always leave us with something of himself, something divine. We find ourselves praising the Lord Our God, who has worked such great wonders in us, and understanding that God has made us capable of possessing an infinite treasure.

We started out with the simple and attractive vocal prayers that we learned as children, prayers we want never to abandon. Our prayer, which began so child‑like and ingenuous, now opens out into a broad, smooth‑flowing stream, for it follows the course of friendship with him who said: ‘I am the way.’ If we so love Christ, if with divine daring we take refuge in the wound opened in his Side by the lance, then the Master’s promise will find fulfilment: ‘Whoever loves me, keeps my commandments, and my Father will love him and we will come to him and make our dwelling in him.’ (Friends of God, 305-306)