V. THE WONDERFUL EFFECT OF DIVINE LOVE
THE DISCIPLE
I BLESS You, O heavenly Father, Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, for having condescended to remember me, a poor creature. Thanks to You, O Father of mercies, God of all consolation, Who with Your comfort sometimes refresh me, who am not worthy of it. I bless You always and glorify You with Your only-begotten Son and the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, forever and ever.
Ah, Lord God, my holy Lover, when You come into my heart, all that is within me will rejoice. You are my glory and the exultation of my heart. You are my hope and refuge in the day of my tribulation. But because my love is as yet weak and my virtue imperfect, I must be strengthened and comforted by You. Visit me often, therefore, and teach me Your holy discipline. Free me from evil passions and cleanse my heart of all disorderly affection so that, healed and purified within, I may be fit to love, strong to suffer, and firm to persevere.
Love is an excellent thing, a very great blessing, indeed. It makes every difficulty easy, and bears all wrongs with equanimity. For it bears a burden without being weighted and renders sweet all that is bitter. The noble love of Jesus spurs to great deeds and excites longing for that which is more perfect. Love tends upward; it will not be held down by anything low. Love wishes to be free and estranged from all worldly affections, lest its inward sight be obstructed, lest it be entangled in any temporal interest and overcome by adversity.
Nothing is sweeter than love, nothing stronger or higher or wider; nothing is more pleasant, nothing fuller, and nothing better in heaven or on earth, for love is born of God and cannot rest except in God, Who is above all created things.
One who is in love flies, runs, and rejoices; he is free, not bound. He gives all for all and possesses all in all, because he rests in the one sovereign Good, Who is above all things, and from Whom every good flows and proceeds. He does not look to the gift but turns himself above all gifts to the Giver.
Love often knows no limits but overflows all bounds. Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of troubles, attempts more than it is able, and does not plead impossibility, because it believes that it may and can do all things. For this reason, it is able to do all, performing and effecting much where he who does not love fails and falls.
Love is watchful. Sleeping, it does not slumber. Wearied, it is not tired. Pressed, it is not straitened. Alarmed, it is not confused, but like a living flame, a burning torch, it forces its way upward and passes unharmed through every obstacle.
If a man loves, he will know the sound of this voice. For this warm affection of soul is a loud voice crying in the ears of God, and it says: “My God, my love, You are all mine and I am all Yours. Give me an increase of love, that I may learn to taste with the inward lips of my heart how sweet it is to love, how sweet to be dissolved in love and bathe in it. Let me be rapt in love. Let me rise above self in great fervor and wonder. Let me sing the hymn of love, and let me follow You, my Love, to the heights. Let my soul exhaust itself in praising You, rejoicing out of love. Let me love You more than myself, and let me not love myself except for Your sake. In You let me love all those who truly love You, as the law of love, which shines forth from You, commands.”
Love is swift, sincere, kind, pleasant, and delightful. Love is strong, patient and faithful, prudent, long-suffering, and manly. Love is never self-seeking, for in whatever a person seeks himself there he falls from love. Love is circumspect, humble, and upright. It is neither soft nor light, nor intent upon vain things. It is sober and chaste, firm and quiet, guarded in all the senses. Love is subject and obedient to superiors. It is mean and contemptible in its own eyes, devoted and thankful to God; always trusting and hoping in Him even when He is distasteful to it, for there is no living in love without sorrow. He who is not ready to suffer all things and to stand resigned to the will of the Beloved is not worthy to be called a lover. A lover must embrace willingly all that is difficult and bitter for the sake of the Beloved, and he should not turn away from Him because of adversities.
How great is our God, simply that He knows us and forgives us for all of our transgressions! We do nothing to deserve His mercy, and yet, He gives it to us. We should therefore give Him all the glory and praise as we strive to do all that we do in this life. We should also come to Him looking for love, comfort, and instruction, for where we are weak, He is strong.
Love is such a strong and a good force that we can use here to make all of our troubles seem much less burdensome. By using love, we use God in everything that we pour ourselves into and care about… whether that be a relationship, a hobby, or simply the way we live our lives. However, love only finds its way back to the God who created it and resides in it. And when one gives everything back to God, they discover that they are able to be free, to rejoice and run swifter, be burdened less, and know no limits, because they are enabled by, and rest in peace with, God. Subsequently, those who do not possess love cannot do these things, for they are not enabled. And love overflows and surpasses anything that attempts to stand in its way, unscathed, fueled by the fire that God places in it.
Those who are filled with God’s love know that they are filled with the desire to be closer to God, and want to expand in His love to greater and greater places. If they can fulfill the Greatest Commandment they are well on their way to a healthy and well-oiled relationship with the Father.
Love is a wealth of good things, but it is also humble and does not wish for anything for themselves, for this selfishness is precisely where the love ends and the pride begins. I know that I have to be careful with something like this in what I’m doing at the church, in my studies, in all that I do. And I always have to remind myself, and often pray, for God to keep me humble in all that I do.
Finally, amidst all of this, love comes with sorrow as the disclaimer, for there is no love without some sorrow. And so love comes with the realization of the dying and resurrection of our Lord. For all the good that comes with love, we must also take the bad, whatever God gives us, and willingly embrace that just as much as we embrace the good in order to grow in love and love of God.
–jl–
