Reflection #4
To Become Holy, A Soul Must
Give Itself to God without Reserve
Saint Philip Neri used to say that so much of our love as we fix upon creatures we take away from God, and therefore our Savior, as St. Jerome writes, is jealous of our hearts. As He Himself loves us exceedingly, He desires to reign alone in our hearts and to have no companions there to rob Him of a portion of that love which He wills to have entirely for Himself; hence, it displeases Him to see us attached to any affection which is not for Him. And does our Savior demand too much, after having giving us all His Blood and His life, dying upon a cross? Does He not deserve to be loved by us with all our hearts and without reserve?
St. John of the Cross says that every attachment to creatures hinders us from belonging wholly to God. "Who will give me wings like a dove, and I will fly and be at rest?" said the Psalmist. (Psalms 54:7). There are some souls called by God to become saints, but because they come to Him with reserve and do not give Him their whole love, but retain some affection for earthly things, they do not become, and never will become, saints. They gladly would fly to God, but being held down by some attachment, they do not fly, but remain always on earth. We must, therefore, detach ourselves from everything. Every thread, says the same St. John, whether thick or slender, hinders the soul from flying to God.
St. Gertrude one day asked Our Lord to make known to her what He desired of her. Jesus answered: "I desire nothing from thee but a heart that is empty." And it was this that David sought from God: "Create a clean heart in me, O God." (Psalms 50:12). O my God, give me a pure heart that is emptied and stripped of every earthly affection.
"All for all," wrote Thomas Kempis. To gain all, we must give all. To possess God, we must leave all that is not God. Then indeed the soul can say to Him: "My Jesus, I have left all for Thee; now give Thyself all to me." To attain to this state, we must not cease to beg of God that He would fill us with His holy love. Love is that mighty fire which consumes every affection in our hearts that is not for God. St. Francis de Sales used to say that, when a house is in flames, we throw all the furniture out of the windows, by which he meant that when a soul is inflamed and divine love takes possession of it, it has no need of sermons or spiritual directors to detach it from the world; the love of God itself will burn and strip the heart of every impure affection.
Divine love is represented in the Sacred Canticles under the symbol of a wine-cellar: "He brought me into the cellar of wine; he set in order charity in me." (Canticle of Canticles 2:4). In this blessed cell, souls which are the spouses of Christ, inebriated with the wine of holy love, lose all relish for the things of the world, see God alone, seek God alone in all things, speak only of God and desire not to hear anything but of God alone; and when they hear others speak of riches, dignities and pleasures, they turn to God and say to Him with a burning sigh: "My God, and my all! My God, what is the world to me? What are pleasures, what are honors to me? Thou art all my treasure. all my contentment." St. Teresa, speaking of the prayer of union, says that this union consists in dying to all worldly objects in order to possess nothing but God.
That a soul may give itself wholly to God, three principle means are to be employed: The first is to flee from all defects, even the least, and also to repress every little inordinate desire, such as curiosity in seeing or hearing, and to refrain from certain little pleasures of sense, from certain witty but useless remarks, and such like; secondly, among things which are good, always to choose that which is the best and the most pleasing to God; and thirdly, to receive from the hands of God, with peace of mind and thnaksgiving, the things which are displeasing to our self-love.
O my Jesus, my Love, my All, how can I see Thee dying upon a shameful gibbet, despised by all and consumed with anguish, and yet seek for myself earthly pleasures and glory? I will be wholly Thine. Forget the offences I have committed against Thee, and receive me. Teach me to know from what things I ought to detach myself and what I must do to please Thee, for I resolve to do all. Give me strength to keep my resolution and to be faithful to Thee. O my beloved Redeemer, Thou dost desire that I should give myself all to Thee without reserve in order to unite myself wholly to Thy Heart. Behold, this day I give myself all to Thee, all without reserve, all--all! From Thee I hope for grace to be faithful to Thee till death.
O Mother of God, and my own Mother Mary, obtain for me holy perseverance.
[Excepted from 'Devout Reflections and Meditations' by St. Alphonsus Liguori] (Public domain)
St. John of the Cross says that every attachment to creatures hinders us from belonging wholly to God. "Who will give me wings like a dove, and I will fly and be at rest?" said the Psalmist. (Psalms 54:7). There are some souls called by God to become saints, but because they come to Him with reserve and do not give Him their whole love, but retain some affection for earthly things, they do not become, and never will become, saints. They gladly would fly to God, but being held down by some attachment, they do not fly, but remain always on earth. We must, therefore, detach ourselves from everything. Every thread, says the same St. John, whether thick or slender, hinders the soul from flying to God.
St. Gertrude one day asked Our Lord to make known to her what He desired of her. Jesus answered: "I desire nothing from thee but a heart that is empty." And it was this that David sought from God: "Create a clean heart in me, O God." (Psalms 50:12). O my God, give me a pure heart that is emptied and stripped of every earthly affection.
"All for all," wrote Thomas Kempis. To gain all, we must give all. To possess God, we must leave all that is not God. Then indeed the soul can say to Him: "My Jesus, I have left all for Thee; now give Thyself all to me." To attain to this state, we must not cease to beg of God that He would fill us with His holy love. Love is that mighty fire which consumes every affection in our hearts that is not for God. St. Francis de Sales used to say that, when a house is in flames, we throw all the furniture out of the windows, by which he meant that when a soul is inflamed and divine love takes possession of it, it has no need of sermons or spiritual directors to detach it from the world; the love of God itself will burn and strip the heart of every impure affection.
Divine love is represented in the Sacred Canticles under the symbol of a wine-cellar: "He brought me into the cellar of wine; he set in order charity in me." (Canticle of Canticles 2:4). In this blessed cell, souls which are the spouses of Christ, inebriated with the wine of holy love, lose all relish for the things of the world, see God alone, seek God alone in all things, speak only of God and desire not to hear anything but of God alone; and when they hear others speak of riches, dignities and pleasures, they turn to God and say to Him with a burning sigh: "My God, and my all! My God, what is the world to me? What are pleasures, what are honors to me? Thou art all my treasure. all my contentment." St. Teresa, speaking of the prayer of union, says that this union consists in dying to all worldly objects in order to possess nothing but God.
That a soul may give itself wholly to God, three principle means are to be employed: The first is to flee from all defects, even the least, and also to repress every little inordinate desire, such as curiosity in seeing or hearing, and to refrain from certain little pleasures of sense, from certain witty but useless remarks, and such like; secondly, among things which are good, always to choose that which is the best and the most pleasing to God; and thirdly, to receive from the hands of God, with peace of mind and thnaksgiving, the things which are displeasing to our self-love.
O my Jesus, my Love, my All, how can I see Thee dying upon a shameful gibbet, despised by all and consumed with anguish, and yet seek for myself earthly pleasures and glory? I will be wholly Thine. Forget the offences I have committed against Thee, and receive me. Teach me to know from what things I ought to detach myself and what I must do to please Thee, for I resolve to do all. Give me strength to keep my resolution and to be faithful to Thee. O my beloved Redeemer, Thou dost desire that I should give myself all to Thee without reserve in order to unite myself wholly to Thy Heart. Behold, this day I give myself all to Thee, all without reserve, all--all! From Thee I hope for grace to be faithful to Thee till death.
O Mother of God, and my own Mother Mary, obtain for me holy perseverance.
[Excepted from 'Devout Reflections and Meditations' by St. Alphonsus Liguori] (Public domain)
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