179th Meditation
“The Law of the Lord is perfect, refreshment to the soul” (Ps 19:7).
The teaching of the Lord, which comes from His wisdom, is without blemish or defect. Just as good food strengthens our body and water invigorates it, so our soul is strengthened by the Word of God and moves toward its goal.
Therefore the wise man seeks day and night the instruction of the Lord. Early in the morning he goes out in search of it, he does not go to sleep without having found it, he keeps vigil at night so as not to miss any of it. He does not want to do anything without the instruction of God, because the projects of men are in vain if they are not enlightened by the Lord.
It is foolish to put confidence in human wisdom and in one’s own knowledge. These lack that light which pours from the Heart of God upon the soul of man, adorning it with supernatural beauty. They lack that wisdom which results only from supernatural knowledge in the love of the Lord. That is why the soul does not find its rest in merely human wisdom or erudition. No matter how much knowledge it accumulates, it remains unsatisfied.
Our Father always offers us His perfect teaching, which is rest for the soul. He never denies it to us, if we sincerely seek it. His teaching flows from His loving Heart to our open soul, and kindles in it His delightful fire. Every heavenly instruction shelters and consolidates our soul in God, to such an extent that everything else seems useless to Him. As St. Paul said: “because of the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, I count everything else as loss. For him I have accepted the loss of all other things, and look on them all as filth if only I can gain Christ” (Phil 3:8).
Blessed is he who sincerely seeks the teaching of the Lord!