examination of the heart 138 accompanied with a particular sorrow: yet, this was certainly not done for the preservation of her spirit — which did not know sin and was always most vigorous — but for strengthening it further so that it would attain greater glory in the dwelling and land of eternal peace. As for you, learn to keep your spirit strong amidst the sorrows that follow fleeting joy. For soon, after grievous storms, the Lord of supreme goodness will bring back the desired calm, should He deem that you need it. If you are buffeted by incessant waves of adversity, know that it happens by God’s wisdom and providence, lest you be consumed by iniquity and lest you perish in the hideousness of your sins. Thus, He trains a long time by tribulations, in which — as if in brine — He preserves your spirit. 3. “that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed” (Lk 2:35) [DRB]. Here you have the reason why the Lord allows us to be assailed by frequent storms in the open sea of the world; for He leaves our souls without the westerly winds of graces, as if a captain abandoning his ships, and floods them with waves of temptations, tribulations, and griefs; and He does this that we may learn from experience what we can do without Him, how constant is our spirit, and what sort of heroes, warriors, and men we are. It has been said that: “In temptations and trials the progress of a man is measured; in them is greater opportunity for merit; and in them virtue is made more manifest.”34 Eagles usually lift up their chicks in the air and let them fall from high up so that they learn to fly with their own wings. This is what God, our Father, usually does to [f.13r] us. He carries and holds us in His hands, He leads and supports us; but then He leaves and abandons us at an unexpected moment so that we learn to run on our own. He does so as a father or a nurse would do with a little child, teaching him to take steps: first lead34 Cf. Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Bk. I, Ch. 13, § 8. [The English translations of The Imitation of Christ are all translated directly from the Latin quotations of The Imitation from Inspectio Cordis, in order to fully convey the meaning that St. Stanislaus intended. Hereafter The Imitation of Christ will be abbreviated as IC.]
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