“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.
The following words also flow from love. We are called to a relationship of love with God. Love needs freedom to truly unfold. And love calls for total self-surrender to our Father. We can give God something—even a great deal! Our time, attention, good will, service to our neighbor, and much more. Our Father will certainly gladly accept these gifts and, in His incomparable generosity, also reward us for them. Yet, divine love invites us to surrender our entire selves, including our hearts. This is also the goal of every spiritual path. This path leads to union with God, the goal of love.
On our Father’s part, this self-giving to us has already been accomplished, as made visible to all people through our Lord’s atoning death. Holy Scripture seeks to reveal this to us in many ways. However, this infinitely great act of love can only reach us fully and unfold within us if we give our whole hearts to God—that is, ourselves. This is why the Holy Spirit, who has been poured into our hearts, seeks to entice and call us with divine kindness to strengthen and continually invite us until we have surrendered completely to love.