«O Lord, you derive no profit from dwelling among us, but you love us so much that you say it is your delight to be in our midst» (St Bonaventure).
Our Father’s love overwhelms us again and again and always finds new ways to manifest itself to us. As long as our heart is not totally dulled and too absorbed by the busyness of this world, we will recognise it every time we take the time to listen to the Heart of God. It may be communicated to us very softly, as the Holy Spirit often works in us, but it is so deeply impressed on our soul that we should never forget it and should always keep it in mind.
This awe is not always experienced on the level of feelings, but in the realisation of how far God’s love goes in order to be with us. St Bonaventure marvels at this affection, knowing full well that God is perfect and has no need of our love. But it is precisely in this that we see the unselfish love of the Father, who is pleased to dwell among us without gaining any profit for Himself, only desiring that we accept His love for our salvation.
When this happens and our heart is warmed by the sun of His love, we enter into inner dialogue with our Father and approach Him in simplicity. Perhaps then words full of gratitude will flow from our heart, similar to those expressed by St Bonaventure himself: ‘I want to come to you in the secret of my heart and say to you: “I know that you love me more than I love myself”.