“Whoever wants God to listen to him, let him first listen to God” (St. Augustine).
No matter how much God speaks to us, we will not understand Him unless we learn to recognise His voice, unless we assimilate His word and put it into practice. It is the Holy Spirit who reminds us of all that Jesus said and did (Jn 14:26), but He can only do this if we are willing to listen and pay attention to the Lord. That is to say, the right disposition on our part is necessary.
“It is better to limp along the straight path than to stray from it with a firm step” (St. Augustine).
On the path of following the Lord, we are not always carried on “eagle’s wings”. There are stages where we progress with difficulty and which require a lot of patience, especially when it comes to carrying a cross. Our Father allows this so that we never forget that all grace comes from Him. If we were always moving forward in leaps and bounds, with great agility, we might be tempted to put our own merits first and forget that it is the Lord who sustains us.
“Be sure of my love. It is indestructible” (Inner Word).
The certainty of God’s love is the foundation on which we can build our whole life, both in time and in eternity. In every situation we find ourselves in, His love is present to strengthen us, comfort us and lift us up.
“Keep your heart anchored in me” (Inner Word)
Once we have surrendered our hearts to the Heavenly Father in response to His love for us, this act of surrender must be renewed and deepened again and again.
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Lk 23:34).
In these few words, the love of God shines forth in an incomparable way. In the midst of His suffering, Jesus looks up to His Father and utters this prayer for the salvation of mankind. He knew that the Father would listen to Him and accept the sacrifice He was about to make. Jesus knows that His Father’s gaze rests on Him with infinite complacency. Where is there a son who fulfils his father’s will so perfectly? Where is there a son who, in his most difficult hour, intercedes for the whole of humanity, thus completing his Father’s work?
‘It is preferable for scandal to arise than for truth to be abandoned’ (St. Bernard of Clairvaux).
“He who loves God will seek no other reward for his love than God Himself. If he hopes for something else, he does not love God but what he hopes to obtain” (St Bernard of Clairvaux).
“Trusted Father and Friend, I love you!”
“I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep” (Jn 10:14-15).
