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The one who seeks God in everything is sure to find God in everything. When we thus live wholly unto God, God is wholly ours, and we are then happy in all the happiness of God; for by uniting with Him in heart, and will, and spirit, we are united to all that He is and has in Himself. This is the purity and perfection of
life that we pray for in the Lord’s Prayer, that: God’s kingdom may come and His will be done in us, as it is in Heaven. And this we may be sure is not only necessary, but attainable by us, or our Saviour would not have made it a part of our daily prayer.
- William Law (1686-1761)
(". . . we are then happy in all the happiness of God." Is this what you seek?) |
Acts 19:1-8; Ps 68:2-3ab, 4-5acd, 6-7ab
Jn 16:29-33 The disciples said to Jesus,
"Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech.
Now we realize that you know everything
and that you do not need to have anyone question you.
Because of this we believe that you came from God."
Jesus answered them, "Do you believe now?
Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived
when each of you will be scattered to his own home
and you will leave me alone.
But I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
I have told you this so that you might have peace in
me.
In the world you will have trouble,
but take courage, I have conquered the world."
Praying the Daily Gospels: A Guide to Meditation, by Philip St. Romain, 2018 (3rd ed.) John 16:29-33 (The apostles’ desertion prophesied)
Many times Jesus’ disciples struggled to comprehend the meaning of his words. When, at the Last Supper, they believe that they finally understand him, Jesus sees through the shallowness of their comprehension. Faith in him without acceptance of the suffering that will accompany faith has been a problem for Christians from the beginning. • What are some of the more urgent issues facing the Christian community to which you belong? How are you struggling to help work through these issues? • Spend some time with the verse “I have told you this so that you might have peace in me.” Allow that peace to pervade your
being.
Treatise on the Love of God, by St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) ____________ BOOK III: OF THE PROGRESS AND PERFECTION OF LOVE Chapter 13: Of the union of the blessed with God in the vision of the production of the Holy Ghost
The eternal Father seeing the infinite goodness and beauty of His own essence, so perfectly, essentially and substantially expressed in His Son, and the Son seeing reciprocally that His same essence, goodness and beauty is originally in His Father as in its source and fountain, ah! can it possibly be that this Divine Father and His Son should not mutually love one another with an infinite love, since Their will by which They love,
and Their goodness for which They love are infinite in each of Them.
Love not finding us equal, equalizes us, not finding us united, unites us. Now the Father and the Son finding Themselves not only equal and united, but even one same God, one same goodness, one same essence and one same unity, how much must They needs love one another. But this love does not act like the love which intellectual creatures have
amongst themselves, or towards their Creator; for created love is exercised by many and various movements, aspirations, unions and joinings which immediately succeed one another, and make a continuation of love with a grateful vicissitude of spiritual movements, but the divine love of the eternal Father towards His Son is practised in one only spiration (souspir) mutually from Them both, Who in this sort remain united and joined together. Yes, Theotimus; for the goodness of the Father and Son
being but one sole most perfectly singular goodness, common to Them both, the love of this goodness can be but one only love; for though there be two lovers, to wit, the Father and the Son, yet seeing it is only Their most singular goodness common to Them both which is loved, and Their most unique will which loves, it is therefore but one love exercised by one amorous spiration. The Father breathes this love and so does the Son; but because the Father only breathes this love by means of the same
will and for the same goodness which is equally and singularly in Him and His Son: the Son again only breathes this spiration of love for this same goodness and by this same will,--therefore this spiration of love is but one spiration, or one only spirit breathed out by two breathers.
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