The practice of the love of Jesus Christ - 072

“Charity thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth.”

XXXVII.-HE THAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST ONLY WISHES WHAT JESUS CHRIST WISHES

I. Charity and truth always go together; so that charity, conscious that God is the only and the true Good, detests iniquity, which is directly opposed to the Divine will, and takes no satisfaction but in what pleases Almighty God. Hence the soul that loves God is heedless of what people say of her, and only aims at pleasing God. The Blessed Henry Suso says: “That man stands well with God who strives to conform himself to the truth, and for the rest is utterly indifferent to the opinion or treatment of mankind.”

And as we have already more than once asserted, the sanctity and perfection of a soul consists in renouncement of self and in submission to the will of God; but now it will be well to descend more into detail. If, then, we would become saints, our whole endeavour must be, never to follow our own will, but always the will of God; the substance of all the precepts and Divine counsels is comprised in doing and suffering what God wills, and in the manner He wills it. Let us, therefore, entreat the Lord to bestow on us a holy liberty of spirit: that liberty of spirit which leads us to embrace whatever is pleasing to Jesus Christ, regardless of all feelings of repugnance arising from self-love and human respect. The love of Jesus Christ, makes those who love Him utterly indifferent; so that all things are alike to them, whether bitter or sweet. They do not wish for anything that pleases themselves, but only for that which is pleasing to God; they employ themselves in little and great things, be they pleasant or unpleasant, with the same peace of mind. It is enough for them if they please God.

II. St. Augustine says: “Ama, et fac quod vis: Love, and do what you like.” Whoever really loves God seeks only to do what pleases Him; and in this is all his pleasure. St. Teresa says: “He that seeks but the gratification of one he loves, is gratified with all that pleases that person. Love in its perfection produces this result; it makes a person heedless of all private interests and self-satisfaction, and concentrates all his thoughts on endeavouring to please the person beloved, and to do all he can to honour him himself, and to make him honoured by others. O Lord, all our ills come from not keeping our eyes fixed on Thee! Were we solely intent on advancing, we should soon come to the end of our journey; but we fall and stumble a thousand times, and we even lose our way, for want of looking attentively to the right path.” Here we may see what should be the single aim of all our thoughts, actions, desires, and prayers, namely, the pleasure of God; our way to perfection must be this, to walk according to the will of God.