Chapter V
He rose up to read
And He rose up to read. And the book was delivered unto Him. Luke 4, 16-17.

Lord Jesus, if one day slipped away, through my fault, without my opening the Book, that day would be empty of meaning. I would have neglected a meeting with You, a meeting which You have prepared and willed.

The method of the Little Way: by Thérèse of Lisieux

These notes are a way for Meg to keep current her most extensive teaching on this practice. Over the years I have written extensively on these teachings, but this is a way to keep my most current notes in one place. Also, I had prepared many of these tools to be an appendix on the new book, Lectio Divina, but had to cut them to keep the book tightly written and focused.

Thérèse of the Holy Child Jesus was born Marie Françoise Thérèse Martin in 1873 in Alençon, France into an intensely devout family who nurtured her profound spiritual awareness. Thérèse’s mother died when she was four yours old and for the next eight years she struggled with an overly sensitive and timid nature.

Practice of the Presence of God: Two teachings from Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection (b. 1611)

These notes are a way for Meg to keep current her most extensive teaching on this practice. Over the years I have written extensively on these teachings, but this is a way to keep my most current notes in one place. Also, I had prepared many of these tools to be an appendix on the new book, Lectio Divina, but had to cut them to keep the book tightly written and focused.


Brother Lawrence was born Nicholas Herman in 1611 in the Province of Loraine, France. After military service he became a footman in service of the Treasurer of France.

Wanting to give his life to God he first became a hermit. This he found too depressing. In his later 30’s he joined the Carmelites in Paris. He was assigned kitchen duty. As he found formal prayer tedious but he discovered the Practice of the Presence while he did manual labor.

Jesus Prayer and Prayer of the Heart
This is the traditional practice of ceaseless prayer in the Christian tradition.

These notes are a way for Meg to keep current her most extensive teaching on this practice. Over the years I have written extensively on these teachings, but this is a way to keep my most current notes in one place. Also, I had prepared many of these tools to be an appendix on the new book, Lectio Divina, but had to cut them to keep the book tightly written and focused.

The Jesus Prayer:
“ Jesus, Son of God, Have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Some versions are different – the long form:
“Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

2. Practice of Self-Abandonment According to Jean-Pierre de Caussade (or Madame de Guyon).

These notes are a way for Meg to keep current her most extensive teaching on this practice. Over the years I have written extensively on these teachings, but this is a way to keep my most current notes in one place. Also, I had prepared many of these tools to be an appendix on the new book, Lectio Divina, but had to cut them to keep the book tightly written and focused.

Jean-Pierre de Caussade was born in 1675 in southern France near Toulouse. The work known as Abandonment to Divine Providence was believed to be a collection of de Caussade’s spiritual letters and conferences circulated privately by the Visitation Nuns.

Another version of this work is entitled The Sacrament of the Present Moment. Today there is some research that indicates that the author is Madame de Guyon. But rather than get caught up as to who is the author we can benefit from the teachings on this amazing practice.

The essence of the teachings:

Since God is present in the moment and I can see only the present, I need to forget the past, and care not about the future. Past thinking leads to discouragement and future thinking leads to anxiety and fear. Surrendering one's will to do the duty/necessity of the present moment is abandonment to God.

Practice of Colloquy: Dialogue with Our Lord


These notes are a way for Meg to keep current her most extensive teaching on this practice. Over the years I have written extensively on these teachings, but this is a way to keep my most current notes in one place. Also, I had prepared many of these tools to be an appendix on the new book, Lectio Divina, but had to cut them to keep the book tightly written and focused.

There are many saints in the Christian tradition who had a transcendent experience of God breaking in to their ordinary consciousness. Some reported raptures, wounds of love and visions and locutions. None of those epic events describe the colloquy practice, as I understand it.

Colloquy is ordinary: We simply awaken to the real Presence of Jesus. Then we participate through faith by sharing our thoughts with Our Lord. We listen: locutions are “as if” you hear Him or through the imagination comes a “voice.”

We don’t consider ourselves in a “for-real” ongoing conversation, except if we understand this to be the most subtle of senses. This is a practice of faith.

Eremitic life

Click here to read the original article from the "Hermitary." Used with permission.

The emphasis of the eremitic life was self-development, a contemplative life centered on intellect and will.

The aspirant should reduce externals and then seek a spiritual guide for specific directions concerning disposition and readiness.

However, Nil Sorsky understood that his contemporaries faced a paucity of spiritual guides.

June 22 – In the country.

continued: year 1939 from He and I by Gabrielle Bossis

“Be very simple with Me. You know how people act en famille....

June 23 – In the train, as I had an unkind thought about another passenger.

“Don’t judge too quickly. Don’t judge people by appearances.”

Some clarifications about the practice of Colloquy

Meg: There are about five reminders I suggest to those doing colloquy:

1. It's gentle, very gentle. The invitation comes from God. It usually is the human Jesus that rises in one's thoughts that confirm this practice.

2. We need to learn to do this. This learning starts with unlearning our usual mindless chatter of self talking with self.

June 3 – Ain.

When you ask, believe that I am good enough to answer you, otherwise you will deprive Me of giving.”

continued: year 1939 from He and I by Gabrielle Bossis

“Be crucified with Me. To be crucified is to be stretched against your desires, against the love of the self…in poverty, obscurity, and obedience to the Father.

May 8 – Le Fresne.
“You ask Me to help you to discover new ways of loving Me? Be one with me. Be one with Me. Be one with Me.”

continued: year 1939 from He and I by Gabrielle Bossis

May 17 – “Offer yourself to Me just as you are. Don’t wait to be pleased with yourself. Be one with Me in your greatest shortcomings. I take them and restore you if you put your trust in Me. Have confidence. Who loves you the most?”

May 23 – Lyon. With the Sisters of Saint-Joseph de l’Apparition.

“You worry about not thinking of me constantly. You worry about your many shortcomings and are afraid to look at Me any more. You mustn’t do this. Just give yourself as you are. I know all about human nature.

May 2 – “Don’t you see that I’m calling you to perfection?

continued: year 1939 from He and I by Gabrielle Bossis

And don’t you realize that the perfection of one person is of the highest gain to the whole human race?”

March – In the Vosges.

continued: year 1939 from He and I by Gabrielle Bossis

“Don’t say your prayers just to get them finished, but saturate your soul with love. Otherwise it would be better to say less.”

March 7 – Rennes to Nantes.

continued: year 1939 from He and I by Gabrielle Bossis

“Darling Father, when the time comes for me to die, if I’m in a coma You must wake me, I should like to die completely aware of the sacrifice.”

“It’s simpler than you think. Just abandon yourself.”

“Do everything with the same joy and love that you would have if you were in heaven. Seek nothing but My glory and everything else will be given to you as well. Live wholly in the kingdom deep within you.”

Can you do both? Colloquy and Jesus Prayer?

“I have been following your postings on Colloquy and have a small question if I may.

How does this fit with the Jesus prayer?
Can they coexist within your day or are they mutually exclusive?

It seems to me they are both attempts to bring us into a constant awareness of God and the practice of ceaseless prayer. Or is it possible for one to practice both Colloquy and the Jesus prayer? I would imagine it is one or the other.”

January 20 – After receiving a favor, I was thinking, “How good He is!”

continued: year 1939 from He and I by Gabrielle Bossis

“You say that I am good at this moment. I am always good with an unchanging goodness. You must remember this if you want to keep your love alive.”

I was thinking in my solitude, “If only He were here, near me in the train.”
“You don’t see me, but I’m always with you.”

January 1 – I was desiring His glory.

continued: year 1939 from He and I by Gabrielle Bossis

“Don’t ask Me for it as though it were something that will never come.

September 2 – At night.

continued: year 1938 from He and I by Gabrielle Bossis

“As you begin to act, put yourself in My presence: ‘Jesus is there.’ Then at the end of your action say, ‘My Jesus, I love you,’ and put your heart into it.”

October 4 – “Above all, confidence! When you have an anxiety and you can do nothing about it, just think, ‘He will straighten that out for me’ – and go back into the peace within Me.”

June 24 – Feast of the Sacred Heart.

continued: year 1938 from He and I by Gabrielle Bossis

“All that is Mine is yours. Tell Me that you share everything with Me. Tell Me often.”

June 30 – Feast of the Eucharistic Heart.
“You remember Jos.? What a power of love hers was! And Eltt. And J.? The power of My heart surpasses theirs by all the distance between God and man. Just think of it. No human being is capable of loving as I love.”

As I saw countless shortcomings, I was thinking, “I’ll never succeed in correcting myself.”
“No, you will never succeed. But we two – together we’ll succeed.”

I said, “My Beloved, when shall we see each other? You see me, but I can’t see You.”
“Always act as though you saw Me.”

July 2 – After Communion.
“Nothing for you. Everything for Me. Nothing without Me.”

August 17 – From the church of Clayette seen from the train.

“An action without an intention would be like a body without a soul. You get the picture? A body without a soul.”

June 10 – Anniversary of my First Communion, as I was looking at some magnificent roses.

continued: year 1938 from He and I by Gabrielle Bossis

“That’s for you, so that you may love Me more.” I was thinking of a variety of roses that fold their petals over their hearts when the sun sets, and He said to me after Communion:
“Fold yourself on Me.”

June 12 – Versailles.
“When you see something reprehensible in priests, instead of criticizing them, stop and ask yourself, ‘Have I prayed for them?’”

“Get out of yourself. Surrender the helm of your life to Me. Let your soul be lost in Mine. Why do you want to do everything? Give Me your trust and then just let yourself drift along wherever I take you.”

June 14 – Le Fresne.
“Talk to Me. For Me there is no sweeter prayer.”