“Dwell on nothing but God” (Blessed Henry Suso).
We know a similar phrase from St. Augustine, who tells us that we can use all the things of this world, but we should enjoy God alone.
What are these two masters of spiritual life referring to? Was it not our Father who gave us so many wonderful things to rejoice in? No doubt He did!
But earthly things, all temporary things, whatever they may be, cannot really fill our soul. As the gift of knowledge teaches us, all created things are nothing in themselves and only become useful when we put them in the right spiritual order. We can delight in them, we can praise the Creator for the beauty of His work, but we cannot “dwell” in the things of this world.
Surely this is what Blessed Henry Suso wants to tell us. God is so wonderful that we must seek Him and rest in Him. Only in the love of our Father are we truly “at home,” and while He undoubtedly opens our eyes to contemplate the beauty of His creation, He also teaches us not to make it the center of our lives.
The center is our Father. St. Augustine, in his search for God, understood this lesson. As he admired the sun, the moon, and the stars, he felt as if they were saying to him: “We are not your God (…), but He made us” (St. Augustine, Confessions, 10, 6). So he went in search of the source of beauty!
That is why these wise men advise us to go our way with our eyes fixed on the goal. We can certainly perceive and rejoice in the beauty we find along the way, but let us not stop there. Let us enjoy it “in passing,” without letting it distract us from the goal, which is God Himself.