Reflection #38
Blessed Is He who Desires
Nothing but God
Blessed Is He who Desires
Nothing but God
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 5:3). By "the poor in spirit" are meant those who are poor in earthly desires, and wish for nothing but God. These are poor in affection, but not in reality, since they live contented, even in this life; and therefore Our Lord does not say: "Theirs shall be the kingdom of heaven," but theirs is," because even in this life they are rich in spiritual goods which they receive from God. Thus, however poor they are in temporal goods, they live content with their condition. They are different from those who are rich in earthly desires, who in the present life, whatever riches they possess, are always poor and live discontented. For the good things of this life do not satisfy our thirst, however much they are increased; wherefore, these persons are never contented, never attaining to the acquisition of as much as they desire.
In order to enrich us with true riches, Jesus Christ chose to be poor, as the Apostle writes: "He became poor for your sakes, that through His poverty you might be rich." (2 Corinthians 8:9). He chose to be poor, in order to teach us by His example to despise earthly goods and thus make us rich with heavenly goods, which are immensely more precious and are eternal. Therefore, He declared that whoever did not renounce everything on earth that he possesses with attachment could not be His true follower.
Happy is he who desires nothing but God and says with St. Paulinus: "Let the rich have their riches and kings their kingdoms; Christ is my riches and my kingdom." Let us persuade ourselves that God alone can content us, but He does not fully content any but those souls that love Him with all their hearts. And what room can the love of God find in a heart that is full of this earth? Such people may go often to Communion and pay frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament, but because this love of earth is in their hearts, God cannot wholly possess them and enrich them as He would.
Many souls lament that in their meditations and Communions and in their other most devout exercises they do not find God. To such, St. Teresa says: "Detach thy heart from creatures, and thou shalt find God." Let us strip ourselves of every affection which is of earth, and especially of our own will. Let us give to God our whole will without reserve and say to Him: "Lord, do Thou dispose of me and of all I have as Thou pleasest; I desire nothing but what Thou desirest, and I know that what Thou willest is best for me. Grant me, then, that I may ever love Thee, and I desire nothing more."
Now, the only means to detach ourselves from creatures is to acquire a great love for God. If the love of God does not succeed in obtaining the mastery over our whole will, we shall never succeed in becoming saints. The means for acquiring this all-holy love is prayer. Let us constantly pray to God to give us His love, for thus we shall find ourselves detached from everything created. Divine love is a thief, which in a holy way robs us of all earthly affections and causes us to say: "What else do I desire but Thee alone, O God of my heart!"
"Love is strong as death." (Canticle of Canticles 8:6). This means, that as there is no power which resists death, so there is nothing, even of things most difficult to overcome, which can resist divine love. Love conquers all. By the love of God the holy martyrs conquered the fiercest torments, and the most painful deaths.
Oh happy, in a word, is he who can say with David: "What have I in Heaven? And besides Thee, what do I desire upon earth? . . . Thou art the God of my heart, and the God that is my portion forever!" (Psalms 72:25-26). What else can I desire in this life and in eternity but Thee alone, O my God? Let others have the good things they desire; be Thou, O God of my heart, my only Good; be Thou all my Peace.
Alas, the soul is always in danger of abandoning God and being lost, so long as it has not given itself wholly to God; while he who has truly given himself entirely to God can rest secure of never leaving Him, because Our Lord is indeed kind and faithful to everyone who has given himself to Him without reserve. But why is it that some persons who at first lived a holy life afterwards fell so grievously that they left little hope of their salvation? Why is this? Because, I answer, they had not given themselves wholly to God, and this their fall is the proof of it.
O my God, and my true Lover, suffer not that my soul, which was created to love Thee, should love anything apart from Thee and should not wholly belong to Thee, who hast purchased me with Thy Blood. O my Jesus, how is it possible that, after having known the love which Thou hast borne me, I can love any object besides Thee? Draw me always more within Thy Heart; make me forget everything, so that I may not seek nor sigh after anything but Thy love. O my Jesus, in Thee I trust.
O Mary, Mother of God, in thee are my hopes; detach me from the love of everything which is not God, that He may be the object of all my affections and of my eternal happiness.
[Excepted from 'Devout Reflections and Meditations' by St. Alphonsus Liguori] (Public domain)
In order to enrich us with true riches, Jesus Christ chose to be poor, as the Apostle writes: "He became poor for your sakes, that through His poverty you might be rich." (2 Corinthians 8:9). He chose to be poor, in order to teach us by His example to despise earthly goods and thus make us rich with heavenly goods, which are immensely more precious and are eternal. Therefore, He declared that whoever did not renounce everything on earth that he possesses with attachment could not be His true follower.
Happy is he who desires nothing but God and says with St. Paulinus: "Let the rich have their riches and kings their kingdoms; Christ is my riches and my kingdom." Let us persuade ourselves that God alone can content us, but He does not fully content any but those souls that love Him with all their hearts. And what room can the love of God find in a heart that is full of this earth? Such people may go often to Communion and pay frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament, but because this love of earth is in their hearts, God cannot wholly possess them and enrich them as He would.
Many souls lament that in their meditations and Communions and in their other most devout exercises they do not find God. To such, St. Teresa says: "Detach thy heart from creatures, and thou shalt find God." Let us strip ourselves of every affection which is of earth, and especially of our own will. Let us give to God our whole will without reserve and say to Him: "Lord, do Thou dispose of me and of all I have as Thou pleasest; I desire nothing but what Thou desirest, and I know that what Thou willest is best for me. Grant me, then, that I may ever love Thee, and I desire nothing more."
Now, the only means to detach ourselves from creatures is to acquire a great love for God. If the love of God does not succeed in obtaining the mastery over our whole will, we shall never succeed in becoming saints. The means for acquiring this all-holy love is prayer. Let us constantly pray to God to give us His love, for thus we shall find ourselves detached from everything created. Divine love is a thief, which in a holy way robs us of all earthly affections and causes us to say: "What else do I desire but Thee alone, O God of my heart!"
"Love is strong as death." (Canticle of Canticles 8:6). This means, that as there is no power which resists death, so there is nothing, even of things most difficult to overcome, which can resist divine love. Love conquers all. By the love of God the holy martyrs conquered the fiercest torments, and the most painful deaths.
Oh happy, in a word, is he who can say with David: "What have I in Heaven? And besides Thee, what do I desire upon earth? . . . Thou art the God of my heart, and the God that is my portion forever!" (Psalms 72:25-26). What else can I desire in this life and in eternity but Thee alone, O my God? Let others have the good things they desire; be Thou, O God of my heart, my only Good; be Thou all my Peace.
Alas, the soul is always in danger of abandoning God and being lost, so long as it has not given itself wholly to God; while he who has truly given himself entirely to God can rest secure of never leaving Him, because Our Lord is indeed kind and faithful to everyone who has given himself to Him without reserve. But why is it that some persons who at first lived a holy life afterwards fell so grievously that they left little hope of their salvation? Why is this? Because, I answer, they had not given themselves wholly to God, and this their fall is the proof of it.
O my God, and my true Lover, suffer not that my soul, which was created to love Thee, should love anything apart from Thee and should not wholly belong to Thee, who hast purchased me with Thy Blood. O my Jesus, how is it possible that, after having known the love which Thou hast borne me, I can love any object besides Thee? Draw me always more within Thy Heart; make me forget everything, so that I may not seek nor sigh after anything but Thy love. O my Jesus, in Thee I trust.
O Mary, Mother of God, in thee are my hopes; detach me from the love of everything which is not God, that He may be the object of all my affections and of my eternal happiness.
[Excepted from 'Devout Reflections and Meditations' by St. Alphonsus Liguori] (Public domain)
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