723 (EVENING/ SLEEP/ DAY ACCOUNT/ PRAYER/ STUDY/ PROGRAMME)
Remember- in the same way as you
fall asleep so shall you
wake up! So, any
evening, keep it for
yourself and for
God. Do
not ‘disturb’
God’s time. We have said it before,
your time in the
evening should be
divided into the following
three steps:
- Study -in the quiet of the night- a spiritual book of your choice.
- Make a brief account of the day, during which you will counsel yourself on the various events that have occurred during the day, and you will make your decisions for the next day.
- Prayer. If you have done the small Compline, the last service of the day (usually after dinner), devote your prayer to the Jesus Prayer, sitting down and resting your chin on your chest and saying (with penitence, longing, and contrition), “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.”
Do not do anything else, except the three things mentioned above, during the time that you have devoted to God
(God’s time). After finishing these three, go to
sleep. Experience has shown that this kind of
programme is very
helpful in one’s
spiritual recollection and his
spiritual struggle.
(PROGRAMME/ STRUGGLE/ PASSIONS/ WEAKNESSES)
Be careful that whatever you
do, do it in a
planned manner. Do
not do anything
unplanned and
outside your own
timetable. Otherwise, the
enemy, in
cooperation with your
passions and
weaknesses, will
divert you and will
lead, ultimately, to the
satisfaction of your
passions and
weaknesses, with all the
unpleasantness these may entail.