Un désir de plaire a Dieu
The Pure Desire to Please God
The king exhorts his daughter to cultivate a selfless love for God that seeks only His pleasure, regardless of reward or punishment.
Dear daughter, keep a desire within you that never leaves: how you might better please Our Lord. Set your heart on this: even if you were certain you would never be rewarded for any good you did, and never punished for any wrong, you would still want to keep yourself from doing anything that displeased God, and would set yourself, as far as you were able, to do the things that pleased Him, purely for love of Him.
Read the original Latin
Chiere fille, aiez en vous un désir qui ja de vos ne se parte, cest a dire, comment vos puissiez plus plere a Nostre-Seigneur, et metez vostre cuer a ce, que se vos estiez certaine que vos nauriez jamès guerredon de nul bien que vos feissiez, ne ne fussiez punie de nul mal que vos feissiez, non porquant si vos voudriez vous garder de fere chose qui a Dieu despleust, et entendriez a fere les choses qui li pleroient, a vostre pooir, purement pour lamor de lui.
Teachings to His Daughter Isabelle companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit