“If you remain united to your Father through prayer, you can do everything” (Inner Word).
What a wonderful invitation! It reminds us of St. Paul’s exhortation to pray without ceasing: “Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” (Eph 6:18).
Sacred Scripture exhorts us time and again to persevering prayer, and the saints and masters of the spiritual life never tire of speaking of its importance.
“Cast off all your chains—they have long since been broken—and walk ahead in Me.” (Inner Word)
What is holding us back from moving forward on the path of following the Lord? It often seems as though invisible chains still bind us. Perhaps they are things we have long since brought before God, yet they still linger and seek to hold us back. Perhaps they are merely erroneous thoughts and fears that weigh down our path.
“As his Creator and Father, I feel the need to love man.” (Message from God the Father to Sister Eugenia Ravasio).
When we ask ourselves what the most concrete reason is for God’s great love for us, our Father gives us a wonderful answer in this phrase from the message to Mother Eugenia Ravasio. Since God is complete in Himself and does not need us for His own satisfaction, His love for us comes solely from His status as Father and Creator. As He Himself affirms, loving us is a necessity for Him. Thus, when God turns toward us, He always does so with the intention of loving us, communicating with us, and helping us understand that we are loved.
“I look with favor upon everything done for My glory: prayers, fasting, vigils, and other works of spiritual discipline. But nevertheless—even if it does not seem so to those of little faith—I am with greater affection toward My chosen ones, who, in their human weakness and frailty, trustingly seek refuge in My mercy.” (Words of the Lord to St. Gertrude of Helfta)
Once again, the theme of human weakness and limitation is addressed, which draws the Lord’s loving attention in a special way. Without diminishing the good works of ascetic practices—works the Lord regards with favor—His love inclines even more toward those who, in their inner distress, seek His mercy and trust in it.
“Just remain faithful to Me, and do not lose heart in times of weakness. I will put even these to good use.” (Inner Word)
It may not be easy for us to understand these words. How we would love to be strong and overcome all of life’s challenges. This may be especially true for people with a strong fighting spirit. But then our weaknesses emerge, serving as a constant reminder of the limitations of our human nature. We fall short of what we set out to do and are disappointed in ourselves.
“But when I pour out My grace upon people and receive it back from them, I prepare in My divine heart the honey of eternal sweetness.” (Words of Jesus to Saint Mechthild of Hackeborn)
Time and again, a loving soul may ask itself how it can repay its Lord for all that He grants it in His lavish goodness. And yet it remains true: “How could I ever thank You enough for all Your goodness?” We will always fall short of what God gives us. And that is just as well, for He gives in a divine way, and we remember that He is the source from which love flows.
“God forces no one. He accepts what is given to Him, yet He gives Himself fully only to those who give themselves fully to Him.” (Teresa of Ávila)
If, as St. Teresa of Ávila rightly describes, we are not compelled by God on our path of discipleship, then we must deeply internalize this truth. The saint speaks here of the great respect our Father has for human freedom. He Himself gave it to us as a great gift of love, setting us apart from the irrational natural world.
“God’s compassion for you is greater than your worries.” (Jean-Baptiste de la Salle)
Very often, Sacred Scripture urges us not to give in to worry. And indeed, from a spiritual perspective, excessive worry leads us into a state of profound unreality. This state consists in our seeing no way out; our worries constantly accompany us, sap our vitality, and even influence our appearance, so that we look out at the world, in a sense, with a “gloomy” expression. Who is not familiar with those faces furrowed by worry, which evoke our compassion?
“The Holy Spirit is light and strength. It is He who enables us to distinguish truth from falsehood and good from evil. Just as binoculars magnify objects, the Holy Spirit enables us to see the good and the evil in their full magnitude. With the Holy Spirit, one sees everything in its full magnitude: one sees the greatness of the smallest acts performed for God and the gravity of the smallest mistakes.” (Saint John Vianney)
“Whoever loves the Savior with a courageous love does not cease to love Him in times of temptation, aridity, and desolation.” (Alphonsus Liguori)
Dear St. Alphonsus, we believe you, and we too wish to show our fidelity to the Lord in this way. But how can we love in such situations—when our hearts feel cold, when we feel completely without strength and utterly desolate, or when we are torn apart by severe temptations? In such moments, a declaration of love to the Lord might almost seem like hypocrisy to us, because it is not sustained at all by warm feelings. Perhaps we are even in a dark inner state and feel aversion toward Your Word and all religious acts. Dear Alphonsus, we do not feel courageous in such moments, but rather indecisive and sluggish. What then?
