“Real devotion to the Blessed Sacrament is only to be gained by hard, grinding work of dry adoration before the Hidden God. But such a treasure cannot be purchased at too great a cost, for once obtained, it makes of this life as near an approach to heaven as we can ever hope for”.

COMMENT: Fr Doyle, like a true Jesuit, shows us that the encounter with Christ in prayer is not primarily emotional, but rather a matter of the will, involving “hard, grinding work”. The spiritual consolations of prayer may be pleasant, but it is the hard work of coping with spiritual dryness that shows our true devotion and that yields the most graces. It was this hard, grinding work at prayer (and indeed in all aspects of his life) that prepared Fr Doyle to willingly suffer the deprivation of the trenches and to make the ultimate sacrifice of giving his life while serving others.