Showing all posts in 3 Minutes for God the Father

“If the truth is a scandal, let the scandal be produced and the truth be told” (St Ambrose).

The supreme good of truth can never be sacrificed for the sake of a false unity. In fact, it would only be an apparent unity that could not last. It would be like pretending to live in communion and peace with our Father and at the same time despising His commandments and not striving to keep them. This can be applied to many areas and we would always come to the same conclusion: truth is such a high good that we must submit to it. God Himself is the truth and can never act without it.

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“God is always within us; it is we who are seldom at home” (Meister Eckhart).

With what insistence the mystics exhort us to seek the inner life, that is, the life of God in our own soul! It is there that the Holy Trinity has established His dwelling. Our Father is always ready to enter into the most intimate dialogue with us. But, as Meister Eckhart says, we are seldom at home, that is, our thoughts and aspirations are often directed outward, and we are therefore easily carried away by the restlessness of this world.

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“Who loves us more than the Heavenly Father? No one” (Inner Word).

We human beings are fundamentally dependent on love. It was love that called us into existence, it is our life and it perfects us. That is why we are always looking for love. A life without love is difficult, almost unbearable, and finally withers away.

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“May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 15:5-6).

This is the deepest source of true unity among us human beings. Jesus leads His own to this unity when they accept the Father’s great offer of love, believe in His Son and follow Him. This glorifies our Father and leads us to our true destiny, for that is what we have been called to do. This is our true joy and our greatest happiness!

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“A person should not attach too much importance to the faults of others if he wants God to overlook his own faults with mercy” (John Tauler).

Certainly we notice the faults of others and, if it is in our power, it would be good to help them to overcome them by our example and advice. But the tendency to talk at length and in detail about the faults of others, to publicly point them out, and to keep stressing them, has nothing to do with this attitude. It is as if you were holding the other person captive to his error, and you can hardly escape the danger of pride yourself.

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“True contrition is a second innocence” (John Tauler).

We can understand this well if we think, for example, of the repentance of Peter, who wept bitterly when he realised that he had denied the Lord for whom he had declared that he was ready to give his life (Lk 22:55-62). What Jesus had foretold must have burned in his heart, and when he became aware of his denial, this memory and this pain must have led him to a profound conversion, because he loved the Lord.

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“Our bliss lies not in the deeds we do, but in the greatness of love” (John Tauler).

The mystics constantly remind us of the essence of our faith. Of course, it is not a question of devaluing good works, because they accompany us:

I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” (Rev 14:13).

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“Even when people experience my ‘wrath’, they are to know that I love them and call them to repentance” (Inner Word).

The concept of the ‘wrath of God’ can instil fear in people. However, we must learn to understand it correctly from the perspective of our Father’s love. Because of our freedom, our Father permits our doing evil. Therefore, we are able to abuse our freedom and, in a way, use it against God. If this were not so, we would be like irrational creatures, unable to choose and instinctively following the predetermined laws of nature.

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“Vigilance, but without fear; courage, but without recklessness; recollection, but active” (Inner Word).

Here is some advice on how to live fruitfully our following of Christ. Vigilance is part of our basic equipment as Christians. It is not only a matter of identifying and repulsing the devil’s insidious attacks, but of being attentive to our whole way of life, in accordance with the Apostle Paul’s exhortation: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil” (Eph 5:15-16).

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“Divine Providence rules all things, and what we consider evil is a remedy” (St. Jerome).

These words are spiritually challenging and should instill in us a deeper faith. For understandable reasons, we all resist the evils that may befall us, and rightly so, for evil cannot simply be tolerated. However, since our heavenly Father integrates even evil into His plan of salvation, He will use it for the good of His own. Here we must make a distinction that is as subtle as it is essential: God can never actively will evil, but He can allow it to happen and thus turn it into a medicine that heals and strengthens us.

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