The Importance of a Prayer

St. Bernard: Almost everyone who is beginning to serve God but has not yet experienced the loss of grace nor spiritual vicissitudes, at once lose their breath and fall into discouragement and sadness of heart. Those who understand religious life explain that this happens because our rational nature cannot continue for long without some kind of delight, whether heavenly or earthly. This is what happened on one of St. Bernard's journeys to Jeffrey of Peron, a member of his company. He meekly accosted Jeffrey and said to him privately, "What is the meaning of this Jeffrey? How is it that you are so unusually brooding and forlorn?" The other man went immediately with brother