In the Garden

Twelfth Day

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The pansies-Violet (Viola tricolor hortensis)

It is a small plant that embellishes our gardens. From the leaves comes out one or more threads guided by its small buds; when these buds burst open we have before our eyes small flowers but very fine and singular in their forms and color. It is odorless, but not all the perfections are found in a flower: put together with rose, the francesillas and their companions, they will form a beautiful composition.

Prayer

To elevate our thoughts to God, is prayer.

Our soul had been created to contemplate, to see and to gaze at God. What is created, visible and material have been put before our eyes in order to elevate our thoughts to God, the Creator, to God the invisible, to God the immaterial. Without prayer, persons become debased, degraded, materialized and become worst than a stupid person or a donkey.

Of the twenty four hours, don't we have one hour dedicated to think of and to look at God, a God who looks at us, a God who does not forget us, a God who thinks of us from eternity? Ah! And the whole twenty four hours be occupied with the matters of the earth, of the flesh and of the blood? It is not fair, it is not reasonable, that we dedicate one hour to think of and to look at God? What do I say? One hour? One hour and nothing more? What impedes us from eating, working and doing things in the presence of God? Nothing else but our sensuality.

The pansies-Violet (Viola tricolor hortensis) in Mary

One single thought fully occupied Mary all her life, or I should say, all her thoughts led to and ended in one single object and it was this: man is lost by sin; he must be saved: God Savior, God Redeemer.

The pansies-Violet (Viola tricolor hortensis) in the hands of Mary

What are you thinking about? About what you love? Where your love is, there is your heart; and where your heart is, your head and thoughts are not far. Do you think of God? Do you have pure thoughts of God? Do you have that high, sublime, magnificent idea of God that corresponds to the reality? Examine it well. Let us come to our garden: how are our thoughts? Are they Blooming? Gather all of them and tie them to faith and love of God and present them collected in this way to our Lady and say to her:

Presentation of the pansies flower to Mary

Prayer 🙏

Lady, my Mother: my thoughts are recollected and placed in your hands, present them to God. I oblige and commit myself to live henceforth recollected in God, to walk in His presence, not to forget Him, and to contemplate in His greatness . . . I oblige myself to pray continuously as the Gospel orders me offer my vows to your Son: take care, oh beautiful and loving gardener, take care of my thoughts, put them in order, I entrust them to your fidelity.

Our Lady of Virtues, Pray for us.

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Copied from the Writings MONTH OF MARY of Blessed Francisco Palau, OCD