“My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?” (Psalm 42:2).
THE SOUL: When, beloved Father, when will the hour come? I am dying of thirst!”
THE VOICE OF THE FATHER: You must wait a little longer, dear child. Make the most of each day and the joy will be even greater. I am waiting for you and preparing your dwelling place!
ANOTHER VOICE IN THE SOUL: Why not enjoy the world in the meantime? It has so many beautiful things to offer. Eternity can wait!
THE SOUL: No, I don’t want to know anything more about the world. It leaves me empty. Every time I think I have achieved what I longed for, I feel disappointed and my thirst intensifies even more.
ANOTHER VOICE IN THE SOUL: Come on, you’re exaggerating!
THE SOUL: No, I am drawn to solitude, where I can be alone with God, where the hustle and bustle of the world fades away, where there is a safe haven and true peace…
ANOTHER VOICE IN THE SOUL: And then what?
THE SOUL: Pay attention to what St. Bruno said: “How much usefulness and joy the solitude and silence of the desert bring to those who love them; only those who have experienced it know. Here one acquires that clear eye whose serene gaze wounds the Bridegroom with love and whose clarity and purity allow one to see God.”
You know, beloved Father, I have been wounded by this love, and I can confirm that what St. Bruno said is true: “Once this love is established in your heart, you will consider the flattering and seductive glory offered by the world to be vile, you will reject the riches that so disturb and burden the soul, and you will feel repugnance toward the pleasures that are so harmful to the body and soul.”
THE FATHER’S VOICE: My son, that is a very good suffering. You no longer delight in the world, and you thirst for me and my wisdom.
THE SOUL: That is exactly what I long for!
THE FATHER’S VOICE: Show me your love and trust. The hour is approaching!