264th Meditation
“It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep” (Ps 126:2).
As in yesterday’s meditation, the Father allows us, through this verse of the psalm, to have a glimpse into His heart, which is always concerned for us. God does not want to make our life’s journey more difficult; on the contrary, He wants to make it easier for us. We are to walk it in divine simplicity.
It is love that makes life easier, because it gives us wings and helps us to overcome all situations on our way – not with earthly heaviness, not as the “bread of anxious toil” – but moved by the One who called everything into existence: our Heavenly Father.
This is our secret! Whoever understands and lives it, will receive abundantly from this source, and the Father’s love will accompany him even while he sleeps. Here again reference is made to that carelessness which springs from the intimate relationship with the Father.
The goodness and mercy of the Father are not dependent on the amount of our efforts, but become effective and tangible to the extent of our receptiveness. Instead of eating the “bread of anxious toil”, we place our trust in God’s goodness, and it is this trust that softens the heaviness of life and opens our eyes to God’s constant and loving care. No area of our life is hidden from the Lord; and therefore we can let ourselves fall completely into His arms.
Our Father wants to make us understand that we must live in Him, so that fatigue is transformed and we lean on Him and not on the work of our hands:
“Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light” (Mt 11:28-30).
In the spiritual life, too, we experience a similar process: our prayer life, when it is marked by vocal and meditative prayer, is – so to speak – more laborious. But when the Father grants us contemplation, that is, when the Holy Spirit takes the lead in prayer, then it becomes very easy and loses that heaviness which is often experienced in other forms of prayer. It is the direct influence of divine love, which has been poured into our heart and guides our spirit, making everything easier. In this way, we experience a foretaste of heaven. It should be noted that this somewhat transfigured state does not usually last very long, but it does awaken in us a deep longing to contemplate God face to face in eternity.