The guarantee of love is fidelity. If you keep my commandments, said Our Lord, you will abide in my love. Of course, this does not refer to the Ten Commandments only, but to all of the desires of the Good Master. It is a moot question in the spiritual life whether God does or does not give unfailingly the graces of contemplation to a soul that is constantly generous. One author wrote, taking sides in the affirmative: "The perfect life equals the mystical life." There are others who refuse to agree; for them perfection depends not on what one receives but on what one gives. The perfect life, in their opinion, which must seem reasonable to anyone, equals the faithful life.
There is a totality of gift only when the soul refuses God nothing. Where there is a totality of gift, in an earnest and constant manner, there is sanctity-whether God accords or not, as reward for the efforts realized, the free graces of higher prayer or of a more sensible union.
Consequently if God gives me, periodically or habitually, lights or graces which in no way resemble my former states, I must not conclude that I am a saint. God sometimes gives choice grades to very imperfect souls. On the other hand, if God lets me seek Him gropingly in the night, without any of the lights or consolations of Thabor, I must not infer that God loves me less or that I am less faithful, but only that the earth is the earth; that in this land here below I must expect to seek God gropingly, because I shall have eternity for contemplation in light without shadows, and in happiness without alloy.
Perfection equals fidelity. Give me the grace, O my God, to carry fidelity as far as you want me to.
from the book Meditations for Religious
by Fr. Raoul Plus, S.J
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please keep your comments civil and respectful!