278. Meditation
Our Father delights to be close to us men. He Himself assures us of this:
“Realize then, o men, that for all eternity I have had but one desire, to make Myself known to men and be loved by them. I wish to stay for ever with them!”
Since the fall into sin, when man lost the familiar and trusting relationship with God, He did not cease to seek man: “Adam, where are you?” (Gen 3:9). The Lord utters these words almost uninterruptedly, and one might add: “Do you no longer know me, do you not know that I seek you?”
In Old Testament times, God chose the Ark of the Covenant to be among us men:
“Do you want an authentic proof of this desire that I have just expressed? Why did I command Moses to build a tabernacle and the ark of the covenant, if not to come and dwell, as a Father, a brother, a close friend, with My creatures, men?”
With the coming of Jesus into the world, the Father Himself came to us in the Second Person of His Divinity.
“Lord, show us the Father” – Philip asks Jesus (Jn 14:8). “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” – the Lord answers him, giving His disciple to understand how close the Father has come to us in the Person of His Son: to seek what was lost (Lk 19:10), to lead us back home, to grant us eternal life….
Day after day, God seeks us; He constantly speaks to us and makes His love known to us: in His Word, in the holy sacraments, in dwelling in our hearts and in the many ways His love has devised.
If we open the doors of our hearts to our Father, this will be His paradise:
“Your heaven, My creatures, is in paradise, together with My chosen ones, because it is there that you will contemplate Me in an everlasting vision and will enjoy eternal glory. My heaven is on earth with you all, o men! Yes, it is on earth and in your souls that I look for My happiness and My joy. You can provide Me with this joy and it is also your duty towards your Creator and Father, Who desires and expects this of you.”
Let us dwell on this statement: God’s heaven is in our souls! This is the most beautiful gift we can give Him!