Meditation for August 8, A Receptive Heart

An artist, using the words of Our Lord in the Apocalypse: Behold I stand at the door and knock (iii, 20), represented, in a painting, the Savior standing at the threshold of a house, raising His hand to knock for admittance. The artist's little boy said to him sud­denly after contemplating the picture,

"Papa, something is missing."

"What's that?"

"The door has no latch, and the gentleman cannot enter."

The father had to explain to the child that the door of the heart is opened from within, for its latch is inside. The Master cannot enter unless the soul wishes it.

The grace of God knocks incessantly at my door, but to what advantage, if inattention or ill-will prevents it from entering?

Ill will! You know well, my Lord, that that is not the case. On the contrary, with all my heart I want You to enter into me, that You may be Master there alone; that nothing, absolutely nothing may escape Your conquest.

But I am inattentive, I must reproach myself with levity. After so much direction, such a long period of training and so many graces received, I still am not concerned enough about eternity; there is too much of the human in my life; too much of the human, motivated solely by human prudence without a sufficiently pure in­tention. I do not have to sanctify myself outside of my human nature, but everything human that I cling to or that I work with must be divinized to become more significant for eternity.

"O my God, give me the grace never to keep you waiting at the door of my soul; let me always be accessible, receptive, teachable. You desire to communicate Yourself; I desire ardently to receive You. Holiness is found at the point of our meeting."

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Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)