When I Grow Weary With Trifles

'I know that as frequently as possible 
I should recall 
the Indwelling of the Holy Ghost.
I cannot think of Him too often.

From my awakening in the morning 
until I fall asleep at night, 
here He is within me always,
closer than breathing, 
at the very centre of my soul.

Here He is while I am doing my daily work,
and struggling under my burdens;
He is here when I grow weary
with the drudgery, 
with the monotony,
with the emptiness of the trifles 
which fill day after day of my life...

He is here when I am disappointed and cross,
impatient and obstinate,
willful and unreasonable and hard to please...

He is here when I show myself 
eager for notice, 
hungry for praise, 
when I excuse my meanness
by alleging a noble motive.
When I exaggerate, or boast, 
at all such times
He, the Holy Ghost, is here,
just as truly 
as if Christ Himself were visibly present,
and I could touch His garment,
grasp His hand,
embrace Him lovingly.

It is only those who are willfully blind 
Who cannot see Him...'

from 'Listening to the Indwelling Presence' by a Religious, Pelligrini, 1940, pp. 53-55
  
 
Paintings by Petrus Van Schendel