“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.
“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!
“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.
“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.
“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).
“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.
“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).
“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.
“Sadness is a great obstacle: it suffocates life, dims the light and extinguishes the fire of love” (John Tauler).
The masters of the spiritual life warn us insistently against the gloomy thoughts to which we give space in ourselves. The Desert Fathers refer to them as ‘tristitia’, which means disordered sadness. This is quite different from the sadness we may feel for our personal sins, which leads to repentance, or the sadness for the sins of the world, which leads us to pray and sacrifice for humanity.
‘If the soul seeks God, much more does her Beloved seek her’ (St. John of the Cross).
We must always be attentive to the Lord and seek Him in everything. This is the language of love, and it is God Himself who invites us to do so: “Seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you!” (Mt 7:7). If we follow the inner invitation of our Father, our soul will have set out on the path prepared for her. “Our heart is restless until it rests in you”, exclaimed Saint Augustine, whose deep search for God we know from his Confessions.
