Preparing The Soul

Hominis est animam praeparare, etc. Certum est quia neque animum praeparare, neque gubernare linguam, neque aliquid facere boni, absque divina gratia valemus; quia sine me, inquit, nihil potestis facere. Quomodo ergo hominis est animum praeparare, et Dei gubernare linguam, nisi quia hoc proprie in tempore persecutionis significat? de quo Dominus ait: Cum autem tradent vos, nolite cogitare, quomodo aut quid loquamini; dabitur enim vobis in illa hora quid loquamini. Omnes viae hominis patent oculis ejus, etc. Ita vias, id est, actiones omnium, et bonorum videlicet et malorum, Dominus videt, ut spiritus etiam singulorum, quid in occulto cogitent, certa lance discernat. Unde recte subjungitur: Revela Domino opera tua, etc. Domino quippe opera nostra revelamus, quando eum, quem nihil latere novimus, in cunctis quae agimus, in memoriam reducimus, atque illius in omnibus flagitamus auxilium. Et cum hoc devoti agamus, fit ut non opera eadem tantummodo, sed etiam internae nostrae cogitationes illo dirigente procedant. Sanctus Beda, Super Parabolas Salomonis, Liber II, Caput XVI Source: Migne PL 91.986a-c

It is for a man to prepare his soul... 1 It is certain that we are not able to prepare the soul, nor guard the tongue, nor do any good without Divine grace, 'Because without me,' He says, 'you can do nothing.' 2 How, then, is a man to prepare the soul and guard the tongue for God, unless this especially signifies a time of persecution, concerning which the Lord says, 'When they hand you over do not think how you will speak or what you will say, for in that hour it will be given to you what you shall say.' 3 All the ways of a man are open to His eyes... The ways that are the deeds of everyone, that is, both good deeds and evil ones, are seen by the Lord, so that even the spirit of each one, which they think is hidden, He certainly discerns. Hence it is rightly added, Reveal your works to the Lord... We reveal our works to the Lord when  we bring Him to mind in everything we do, Him to whom we know nothing is hidden, and we entreat His help in all of them. And when we do this devoutly, we do not do this only in our works, but even in our internal thoughts, from which our deeds proceed and are directed. Saint Bede, Commentary On Proverbs, Book 2, Chapter 16 1 Prov 16.1 2 Jn 15.5 3 Mt 10.19