Photo Prayer:
Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. Amen.
Devotion, or more correctly devotedness, is one of the first effects of the virtue of Religion. It is the desire to render God His due, it is a promptitude of the will to serve God, to endure all things in His service, and to avoid all that is hostile to Him; it is a fervent consecration of self to God, and a certain supernatural enthusiasm for Him. Hence Devotion is not to be considered as a mere tenderness residing in the sensitive nature, nor as an attachment to external practices. These two things may exist simultaneously with considerable carelessness about the divine law, or even with attachment to sin; they may be merely the expression of natural temperament, or the clinging to custom and habit. Real devotion or devotedness has a much larger range, and penetrates much more deeply; it is grounded on intellectual considerations, and operates upon the will as an incitement to practical action. Hence its scope is not limited to prayer and the worship of God, but extends to our whole life, and enters into all our virtues, giving us fervour, vigour and perseverance, elevating our hearts to God, and making our service of Him a reality. Take care that your service of God be not a matter of routine, perfunctory, languid, lifeless, ineffectual. Take care lest your good works be merely an outlet for natural energies. If your devotion be real, you will be equally ready to serve God in every capacity; but if your fervour extends only to those functions which are agreeable or honourable, you may know that the force which stimulates you is not devotion but human nature.
