Consecration to Mary: Day 5 of 33 > The Annunciation

De Imitatione Christi

From her Autobiography, by Saint Thérèse

Depuis longtemps je me nourrissais de «la pure farine» contenue dans l'Imitation, c'était le seul livre qui me fît du bien, car je n'avais pas encore trouvé les trésors cachés dans l'Evangile. Je savais par cœur presque tous les chapitres de ma chère Imitation, ce petit livre ne me quittait jamais ; en été, je le portais dans ma poche, en hiver, dans mon manchon, aussi était-il devenu traditionnel ; chez ma Tante on s'en amusait beaucoup et l'ouvrant au hasard, on me faisait réciter le chapitre qui se trouvait devant les yeux.

For  a  long  time  I  nourished  my  spiritual  life  with  the  "fine  flour" contained  in  the 'Imitation  of  Christ'.' It was the only book  which  did  me good,  for  I  had  not  yet  discovered the  treasures  hidden  in  the  Holy  Gospels.  I knew by heart nearly every chapter in my beloved 'Imitation'. The little volume never left my side. In summer, I kept it in my pocket; in winter, in it was in my muff. It had become a custom with my aunt to open it at any page and ask me to recite by heart the chapter she had chanced upon.

From Chapter V of the Autobiography of a Soul, by Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. See here on our sister blog and here for copies of her manuscripts.

Cap. 40. Quod homo nihil boni ex se habet, et de nullo gloriari debet

Chapter XL - That man hath no good in himself, and nothing whereof to glory

Deum quaerendo, consolationem invenit
By seeking God, he findeth consolation

3. Unde si bene scírem omnem humánam consolátionem abjícere, sive propter devotiónem adipiscéndam, sive propter necessitátem qua compéllor te quærere, quia non est homo qui me consolétur: tunc mérito possem de grátia speráre tua, et de dono novæ consolátionis exultáre.

3. Wherefore, if I but knew well how to reject all human consolations, whether for the sake of gaining devotion, or because of the necessity by which I was compelled to seek Thee, seeing there is no man who can comfort me; then could I worthily trust in Thy grace, and rejoice in the gift of new consolation.

Inánis gloria caelésti spóliat grátia
Vainglory robbeth (us) of heavenly grace

4. Grátias tibi, unde totum venit quotiescúmque mihi bene succédit. Ego autem vánitas, et níhilum ante te,(Ps. 38, 6*) incónstans homo et infírmus. Unde possum gloriári? aut cur áppeto reputári? Numquid de níhilo? et hoc vaníssimum est. Vere inánis glória pestis mala, vánitas máxima, quia a vera trahit glória, et cælésti spóliat grátia. Dum enim homo complácet sibi, dísplicet tibi; dum ínhiat láudibus humánis, privátur veris virtútibus.

*[6] Ecce mensurábiles posuíti dies meos, et substántia mea tamquam níhilum ante te. Verumtamen univérsa vánitas, omnis homo vivens.[Ps 38]

4. Thanks be to Thee, from whom all cometh, whensoever it goeth well with me! But I am vanity and nothing in Thy sight*, a man inconstant and weak. What then have I whereof to glory, or why do I long to be held in honour? Is it not for nought? This also is utterly vain. Verily vain glory is an evil plague, the greatest of vanities, because it draweth us away from the true glory, and robbeth us of heavenly grace. For whilst a man pleaseth himself he displeaseth Thee; whilst he gapeth after the praises of man, he is deprived of true virtues.

*[6] Behold thou hast made my days measurable: and my substance is as nothing before thee. And indeed all things are vanity: every man living. [Ps 38]

Nihil gloriábor nisi in infirmitátibus meis
I shall glorify in nothing except in my infirmities

5. Est autem vera glória et exultátio sancta gloriári in te et non in se, gaudére in nómine tuo, non in virtúte própria, nec in áliqua creatúra delectári nisi propter te. Laudétur nomen tuum, non meum; magnificétur opus tuum, non meum; benedicátur nomen sanctum tuum, non meum; nihil autem attribuátur mihi de láudibus hóminum. Tu glória mea, tu exaltátio cordis mei. In te gloriábor et exultábo tota die; pro me autem nihil, nisi in infirmitátibus meis.

5. But true glory and holy rejoicing lieth in glorying in Thee and not in self; in rejoicing in Thy Name, not in our own virtue; in not taking delight in any creature, save only for Thy sake. Let thy Name, not mine be praised; let Thy work, not mine be magnified; let Thy holy Name be blessed, but to me let nought be given of the praises of men. Thou art my glory, Thou art the joy of my heart. In Thee will I make my boast and be glad all the day long, for myself let me not glory save only in my infirmities.(2)

Notes on Latin vocab

abjicere: abjĭcĭō, (8) jēcī, jectum, ĕre (ab et jacio), tr. I [idée de séparation, dʼéloignement], jeter loin de soi :
adipiscendam: acc, sing, fem, gerundive from ăd-ĭpiscor, eptus, 3, v. dep. apiscor, to arrive at, to reach.
ap-pĕto, īvi or ii, ītum, 3, v. a. and n. (class.; in poetry rare); act., to strive after a thing, to try to get, to grasp after (syn.: adfecto)
caelestis , e: adj. (caelum), belonging to the sky; celestial,heaven-sent, divine; abl sing regularly caelesti.
compellor: first person sing, pres, subj, passive from compellō, pulī, pulsus, 3, a.: to drive together; compel; force, drive.
com-plăcĕo, plăcŭi and plăcĭtus sum, 2, v. n. To be very pleasing to:
consoletur: third person, sing, present, subj, active (deponent) from con-sōlor, ātus, 1, v. dep.I Of personal objects, to console, encourage, animate, cheer, comfort
delectari: present, infinitive, passive from dēlecto, āvi, ātum, 1, v. intens. a. [delicio].to please, charm, amuse
gloriari: present infinitive from glōrĭor, ātus,  dep. a. and n. id., to glory, boast, vaunt, to brag of any thing, pride one's self on any thing (class.); constr. with acc., or an object- or relative clause, with abl., de, in aliqua re, or absol.
grātĭa, ae, f. gratus; lit., favor, both that in which one stands with others and that which one shows to others.  the grace of God, redeeming grace, the sovereign divine favour;
inānis, e: (adj.), empty, void, light; vain, idle, fruitless,valueless, trivial; little, brief, lifeless, unreal, 1.464; shadowy, 6.269; unsubstantial, shadowy, airy, phantom, 6.651; inanis gloria: vainglory
ĭn-hĭo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. n. and a., to stand open, to gape.
nĭhĭlum, i n., nothing
num-quid (nunqu-), adv. interrog. I In a direct interrogation, where there is no corresponding term in English: numquid meministi? do you remember?
pestis, is, f. perh. for perd-tis, from perdo, a deadly, esp. an infectious or contagious disease, a plague, pest, pestilence;
quaerendo: ger from quaerō, quaesīvī or quaesiī, quaesītus, 3, a.: to seek, search, look for,
quotiescumque: adv. how often soever, as often soever as.
scirem: first person, singular, imperfect, subjunctive, active. sciō, īvī or iī, ītus, 4, a.: to know, understand, know how, be able, can.
sive..sive: whether...or; either...or.
spŏlĭo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. spolium, to strip, to deprive of covering, rob of clothing. usually: aliquem (aliquid) aliquā re, to deprive or rob one of something.

Prayers

Veni Creator Spiritus
Ave Maris Stella
Magnificat 
Gloria

Totus tuus ego sum 

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam