Gentleness, Simplicity, Humility -Novena Prayer to St. Emilie de Rodat Foundress of the Congregation of the Holy Family

DAY 6- -                                                        15th September

 

St. Emilie’s three favourite virtues are:  gentleness, simplicity and humility.  Here’s what she said:

“Simplicity is my favourite virtue…. Go to God in humility, simplicity, confidence and love.  That is the road you must take; you will not go astray.”

 “Jesus does not say to us in the Gospel: ‘Learn from me how to work miracles, how to spend the night in prayer or how to fasting’; what he does say to us all is:

 ‘Learn of me for I am gentle and humble of heart’

“Gentleness and humility are two virtues very dear to Jesus, and everyone can practice them.  We know by our own experience that we have often obtained by a gentle approach what we should never have obtained by severity.”

 “Be gentle in your speech; it should be amiable and cordial.  Never say a word that could hurt someone.”

 “Proud people believe they are enlightened more than others; they hold to their reasoning.  If they make a mistake they never admit it.”

 “We never see a humble person judging his neighbour rashly or speaking of his faults.  When a person is humble, she mistrusts her ideas and takes time to weigh her words.”

 Because of pride, we must make acts of humility every day, every moment of the day.  Try with all your strength…. To succeed in conquering our ‘old self’, we have work to do: we have to declare war on our evil inclination.  We have to replace our faults by virtues – and that is not easy.

 God loves those who are simple, those who are humble.  Be one of them.”…..“Walk in the spirit of humility, remembering that we must become as little children to enter the Kingdom of heaven.”

 “Humility, always humility in your thoughts, in your words and actions: humility in all your conduct.”

 “Seek to be unknown, counted for nothing.  Choose the last place always and everywhere.  Believe me; we are in a happy state if we can accept to be despised and to be regarded as nothing”

 “We should become like violets on the wayside.  They are there, hidden and beautiful.  There is no risk of being carried away by wind and storm; whereas tall trees could be knocked down or entirely uprooted.  Let us be like the violets, do not let us aspire to be trees exposed to the winds.”

 “May Jesus, gentle and humble of heart, be your model.  It is in imitating Him that you find true peace for your soul.”

Let us “reproduce in our behaviour, the virtues which were practiced in the humble house of Nazareth, especially gentleness, humility and a complete simplicity.”

 

 Prayer to St. Emilie

 St. Emilie, you said: “We are called to imitate the Holy Family in living like them, unknown and humble”, be with us so that even in today’s world where surplus and secondary things seem important, we may live in simplicity and joy, faithful to small things, courageously using poor means in following Christ.

St. Emilie, pray for us.