List of points

Make your way to Bethlehem, go up to the Child, take him in your arms and dance, say warm and tender things to him, press him close to your heart…

—I am not talking childish nonsense: I am speaking of love! And love is shown with deeds. In the intimacy of your soul, you can indeed hug him tight!

We should let Jesus know that we are children. And when children are tiny and innocent, what a lot of effort it takes for them to go up one step. They look as though they are wasting their time, but eventually they manage to climb up. Now there is another step. Crawling on their hands and knees, and putting their whole body into it, they score another success… one more step. Then they start again. What an effort! There are only a few more steps to go now… But then the toddler stumbles… and — whoops! — down he goes. With bumps all over and in floods of tears, the poor child sets out and begins to try again.

We are just like that, Jesus, when we are on our own. Please take us up in your loving arms, like a big and good Friend of the simple child. Do not leave us until we have reached the top. And then — oh then! — we will know how to correspond to your Merciful Love, with the daring of young children, telling you, sweet Lord, that after Mary and Joseph, there never has been nor will there ever be a mortal soul — and there have been some who have been really crazy — who loves you as much as I love you.

Don’t be ashamed of doing little childlike things, I advised you. As long as they are not done out of routine, they will not be fruitless.

— For example: Imagine that a soul who is following the way of spiritual childhood is moved each night, during the hours of sleep, to wrap up a wooden statue of the Blessed Virgin.

Our intelligence would reject such an action as quite useless. But a soul, touched by grace, understands very well that a child would indeed act like this out of love.

And then the strong will, which all those who are spiritually tiny have, insists and moves the intelligence to give way… And if that childlike soul were to continue each day wrapping up the statue of Our Lady, there would be repeated each day a little childlike act which would be fruitful in the eyes of God.

When you are genuinely a child and you follow the ways of childhood — if you are moved by God to follow this path — you will be invincible.

The confident petition of a small child: Grant me, Lord, the sort of compunction which those who have pleased you most have had.

Small child, you would cease to be one if anyone or anything came between you and God.

I shouldn’t ask Jesus for anything. I will concentrate on pleasing him in everything and telling him things as though he didn’t know them already, just as a little child does with his father.

Little child, say to Jesus: I will not be satisfied with anything less than You.

In your prayer of spiritual childhood what childish things you say to your Lord! With the confidence of a child speaking to his great Friend of whose love he is utterly sure, you confided in him, saying, May I live only for your Glory!

Thinking things over you admit in all sincerity that everything you do turns out badly. “But,” you add, “this can’t surprise you, Jesus. It is impossible for me to do anything right. You have to help me. Please do it for me and you will see how well it turns out.”

Then, with great daring, and without departing from the truth, you continue: “May your Spirit thoroughly penetrate me and intoxicate me so that I may be able to do your Will. I want to do it. And if I don’t do it… it’s because you are not helping me. But you are helping me!”

You have to feel the urgent necessity to see yourself as small, weak and bereft of everything. You will then throw yourself onto the lap of our Mother in Heaven, with heartfelt aspirations and loving glances, Marian devotions… which are such a vital part of your filial spirit.

—She will watch over you.