Definition of Contemplation: What it is not and what it is

[hazcompat]

JOHN OF RUYSBROECK

WHEN we have thus become seeing, we can behold in joy the eternal coming of our Bridegroom; and that is the second point of which we would speak. What is this coming of our Bridegroom which is eternal?

It is the new birth and a new enlightenment without interruption; for the ground from which the Light shines forth, and which is the Light itself, is life-giving and fruitful, and therefore the manifestation of the Eternal Light is renewed without ceasing in the hiddenness of the spirit. Behold, every creaturely work, and every exercise of virtue, must here cease; for here God works alone in the high nobility of the spirit. And here there is nothing but an eternal seeing and staring at that Light, by that Light, and in that Light. And the coming of the Bridegroom is so swift that He is perpetually coming, and yet dwelling within with unfathomable riches; and ever coming anew, in His Person, without interruption, with such new brightness that it seems as though he had never come before. For His coming consists, beyond time, in an eternal NOW, which is ever received with new longings and new joy. Behold, the delight and the joy which this Bridegroom brings with Him in His coming are boundless and without measure, for they are Himself. And this is why the eyes with which the spirit sees and gazes at its Bridegroom, have opened so wide
that they can never close again. For the spirit continues for ever to see and to stare at the secret manifestation of God.

Peace

His light is better than life!

 

[franklinstower]

• JMJ +

Hmmm…well for starters, you do not need to choose between Eastern or Western Christianity, if you are so inclined, because there are Eastern Catholic Churches fully in communion with the Pope who have all the traditions of the Orthodox Churches but are in one Spirit with the whole Catholic Church.

Secondly, when it comes to the apophatic traditions of Western Christianity I have very rudimentary knowledge of it, as when I tried to apply it to my life I find that I cannot, so I went to the cataphatic tradition, which is actually substantial. However, as I mentioned above, cataphatic spirituality can lead to via negativa because God’s positive attributes so far surpasses our reasoning that we can get blinded in our minds the more we get closer to God.

Thirdly, I do not think that the Western Church is less mystic but that it is more diverse.

As for other points, I will refrain from commenting until I have read more

I like that statement and I can appreciate that about the Catholic Church, its just that when I first entered into the Catholic faith I had a lot of questions about mystical experience and also about contemplation and even saint John of the Cross, and I was given horrible advice by a number of priests (similar to what Teresa of Avila went through) and it just made me feel like something was wrong and missing in the Church if many of its priests are not even aware of these realities. During my three year stay as a Catholic, I met a number of people who I feel like were called to the interior life but whose priests were not qualified to pass it on and apparently not even aware enough of it to send them to qualified people.

I did not give up and ended up with a trappist monk who is deeply knowledgeable in this area.

 

[franklinstower]

With the bolded, I don’t disagree. That is a worthy contribution to the thread. I am also not in the least offended I have studied Hesychasm, from Diodochos of Photike up to St. Gregory Palamas. It is the other “lung” and sister of Western mysticism. We stem from the same Holy Spirit and common sources, despite our differences.

I simply disagree. The argument usually (if I can recall) rests upon the filioque and our understanding of the Holy Spirit as the bond of love between the Father and the Son. The Orthodox claim that this de-personalizes the Spirit, which I consider to be theologically imprecise. There’s also the fact that we don’t have the Essence/energy distinction.

Well you know more than me about both ends most probably-- I think it comes down to the flavor and mood of different systems. One statement that Lossky makes about all of this is that from that initial disagreement about the Holy Spirit and through time “we have become different men.”
Now I don’t know what he means by that for sure but just subjectively and in my experience I can feel the difference between a Catholic service over time and an Eastern service over time. For me and this is not theological language it is subjective language– Please allow me to be subjective and only speak of my personal encounter here- Catholic services are more likely to bring me into a holy darkness or a dark light and eastern services are more likely to bring me into an experience similar to Paul on the road to Damascus-- into blinding white light and into joy.

I really do love and appreciate both, and I realize that deep long term entry into either of these systems is possibly likely to give both ends of it long term, but what about no dark nights in the Eastern Church? This is just an area that truly interests me and that I think holds a lot of potential for letting God work in us in new ways.

Don’t get me wrong, I lay at the feet of the Eastern church, and I lay at the feet of the Catholic faith too.

 

[WaitingForJesus]

• JMJ +

Looking back from now, I hazard to guess that this is because I have been called to Marian spirituality, which focuses on the Incarnate Mystery of Jesus. This is a literally down-to-earth spirituality and that is almost diametrically opposite of via negativa, because it tries to find and understand God through His interaction with creation, most especially in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. Thus, an incarnate spirituality (if there is such a term) sees God everywhere, but first by looking at and loving the mysteries of the life of Christ. St. Francis de Sales wrote about this in *An Introduction to the Spiritual Life…

Thus many saints, theologians, and even popes have maintained that the Rosary, with its meditations on the different events of Jesus and Mary’s life, is an eminently contemplative prayer.

Now what I am intrigued of is, if I am not mistaken, another spirituality that is not based on apophatic theology, which is the Oriental tradition. I am very intrigued indeed *

Nuntym, DBT and Jim, I have watched your spats. Usually I can only grasp very little of the conversation; however, this latest post from Nuntym made me think of something I recently read in St. Louis de Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary. Being an ex-Protestant, I had always been scared of Montfort, but the Lord led me to his writings after my fervent pleas to show me the easiest way to HIM. Anyway, Nuntym’s recent post reminded me of this. I think this is where your difference lies. You are all going the same place, but in different ways. Of course I see you all have moved on to discussing something else I don’t understand (apophatic theology).

1. This devotion is a smooth, short, perfect and sure way of attaining union with our Lord, in which Christian perfection consists.

(a) This devotion is a smooth way. It is the path which Jesus Christ opened up in coming to us and in which there is no obstruction to prevent us reaching him. It is quite true that we can attain to divine union by other roads, but these involve many more crosses and exceptional setbacks and many difficulties that we cannot easily overcome. We would have to pass through spiritual darkness, engage in struggles for which we are not prepared, endure bitter agonies, scale precipitous mountains, tread upon painful thorns, and cross frightful deserts. But when we take the path of Mary, we walk smoothly and calmly.

It is true that on our way we have hard battles to fight and serious obstacles to overcome, but Mary, our Mother and Queen, stays close to her faithful servants. She is always at hand to brighten their darkness, clear away their doubts, strengthen them in their fears, sustain them in their combats and trials. Truly, in comparison with other ways, this virgin road to Jesus is a path of roses and sweet delights. There have been some saints, not very many, such as St. Ephrem, St. John Damascene, St. Bernard, St. Bernardine, St. Bonaventure, and St. Francis de Sales, who have taken this smooth path to Jesus Christ, because the Holy Spirit, the faithful Spouse of Mary, made it known to them by a special grace. The other saints, who are the greater number, while having a devotion to Mary, either did not enter or did not go very far along this path. That is why they had to undergo harder and more dangerous trials.

1. Why is it then, a servant of Mary might ask, that devoted servants of this good Mother are called upon to suffer much more than those who serve her less generously? They are opposed, persecuted, slandered, and treated with intolerance. They may also have to walk in interior darkness and through spiritual deserts without being given from heaven a single drop of the dew of consolation. If this devotion to the Blessed Virgin makes the path to Jesus smoother, how can we explain why Mary’s loyal servants are so ill-treated?
2. I reply that it is quite true that the most faithful servants of the Blessed Virgin, being her greatest favourites, receive from her the best graces and favours from heaven, which are crosses. But I maintain too that these servants of Mary bear their crosses with greater ease and gain more merit and glory. What could check another’s progress a thousand times over, or possibly bring about his downfall, does not balk them at all, but even helps them on their way. For this good Mother, filled with the grace and unction of the Holy Spirit, dips all the crosses she prepares for them in the honey of her maternal sweetness and the unction of pure love. They then readily swallow them as they would sugared almonds, though the crosses may be very bitter. I believe that anyone who wishes to be devout and live piously in Jesus will suffer persecution and will have a daily cross to carry. But he will never manage to carry a heavy cross, or carry it joyfully and perseveringly, without a trusting devotion to our Lady, who is the very sweetness of the cross. It is obvious that a person could not keep on eating without great effort unripe fruit which has not been sweetened.

 

[nuntym]

• JMJ +

If you want I can continue talking about Marian spirituality with you, WaitingForJesus, (although we may have to make a new thread) as I am more comfortable talking about that than apophatic theology which I barely understand myself!

I had made the Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary according to St. Louis Marie de Montfort, then made the one by St. Maximillan Kolbe, but currently I am settling in the method by Rev. Emil Neubert in his book My Ideal - Jesus Son Of Mary. I personally think this is more accessible to Protestants and others who are a bit wary of St. Louis de Montfort’s theology.

The main idea of this book is that, by virtue of our baptism, Jesus is already living in us (Romans 6:3,4). However, because of our sins, He is imprisoned in us and cannot live through us as St. Paul said: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). So the solution is to go to Mary and love her as Jesus loves her, so that Jesus may love Mary through us, and Mary in turn, seeing Jesus in us, will take us and transform us into her Firstborn Son, so that as true sons and daughters of her we may bring more into Jesus and Mary’s love.

Someone here made an excellent summary of this book here: forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=630715

So how does this figure with the current thread: well, I wasnt to show franklinstower that Catholic spirituality is very VERY diverse

 

[franklinstower]

^^^^^

I appreciate the heads up on this subject, I only found this forum in the last month or so. I had no idea there were going to be so many wonderful conversations going on and I feel it is a great treasure to have it.

 

[simple_soul]

So…after reading the last few posts in this thread I am getting the understanding that some people believe that those who go to Jesus through Mary suffer more than those whom they perceive as not going through Mary to Jesus do and that it is Our blessed Mother Mary who transforms us into Jesus and not Jesus who transforms us into Himself?

Am I understanding this correctly?

 

[hazcompat]

The World’s First Love
BY THE MOST REVEREND FULTON J. SHEEN, PH.D., D.D.

[Etext edited by Br. Sean, a choir monk, 2008, from a text file at archive.org]
McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. New York - London - Toronto
Copyright, 1952, by Fulton J. Sheen.

DEDICATED TO THE WOMAN I LOVE

The Woman Whom even God dreamed of
Before the world was made;
The Woman of Whom I was born
At cost of pain and labor at a Cross;
The Woman Who, though no priest,
Could yet on Calvary’s Hill breathe:
“This is my Body; This is my Blood”
For none save her gave Him human life.
The Woman Who guides my pen,
Which falters so with words
In telling of the Word.
The Woman Who, in a world of Reds,
Shows forth the blue of hope.
Accept these dried grapes of thoughts
From this poor author, who has no wine;
And with Cana’s magic and thy Son’s Power
Work a miracle and save a soul –
Forgetting not my own.

Peace

 

[franklinstower]

• JMJ +

If you want I can continue talking about Marian spirituality with you, WaitingForJesus, (although we may have to make a new thread) as I am more comfortable talking about that than apophatic theology which I barely understand myself!

I had made the Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary according to St. Louis Marie de Montfort, then made the one by St. Maximillan Kolbe, but currently I am settling in the method by Rev. Emil Neubert in his book My Ideal - Jesus Son Of Mary. I personally think this is more accessible to Protestants and others who are a bit wary of St. Louis de Montfort’s theology.

The main idea of this book is that, by virtue of our baptism, Jesus is already living in us (Romans 6:3,4). However, because of our sins, He is imprisoned in us and cannot live through us as St. Paul said: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). So the solution is to go to Mary and love her as Jesus loves her, so that Jesus may love Mary through us, and Mary in turn, seeing Jesus in us, will take us and transform us into her Firstborn Son, so that as true sons and daughters of her we may bring more into Jesus and Mary’s love.

Someone here made an excellent summary of this book here: forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=630715

So how does this figure with the current thread: well, I wasnt to show franklinstower that Catholic spirituality is very VERY diverse

I read all of this post and then I read the whole link you provided to the thread in it. There is a lot here that I can relate to and appreciate. As I was reading it I became aware of the presence of Mary and it lasted with me for the rest of the day.
Then I wondered, or else the thought occurred to me that you also probably find yourself aware of Mary and Jesus’s presence because of this devotion, of falling into a certain mood or state of being, is that accurate? I know that “feeling” the presence in not a sign of anything but I am still curious about this.

 

[DBT]

• JMJ +Argh, well I don’t know how to say it, but those experiences of mine affirm that God is Love, but in a way that is beyond my reasoning, because although I was experiencing His love for me, I just know that there is even something beyond what I was experiencing, and in God’s mercy He willed that He did not force any more on me or I would have died, but it does affirm my belief that God’s love and mercy is beyond understanding, imagining, and feeling, which I have known through faith and reason. Do you understand? Sorry, everything is just beyond words.

I may be taking this out of context because I didn’t read (closely) the posts that led to this. But let me use this quote as a stand-alone statement to hopefully clarify some terms and meanings.

I get the impression you’re uncomfortable with negative theology thinking your personal experience is more from the affirmative point of view … and that the two are in conflict somehow. But your quote shows both aspects at the same time What I potentially see described here is a type of infused contemplation that St. John of the Cross calls a “touch” … St. Teresa uses the term “intellectual vision.” In this infused encounter with God we come to “know” something of His attributes in a deeper, more meaningful way than before. In the purest versions of this, we are not even prayerfully recollected at the time; rather, this “knowing” comes to us as though out of the blue. That is one way to know it is infused rather than the product of our own meditative efforts.

So the knowing that was infused is an experiential understanding that God is Love. And perhaps you view this as an affirmative statement … and so it is, as it speaks affirmatively of an aspect of God in an effort to define Him in some way.

But the important point missing is how you came to this understanding. Look to your own words for clues … beyond my reasoning, I just knew etc. These are classic expressions of the negative way! Using St. John’s terms, you came to this understanding beyond “images, forms or ideas” of Him" … it was impressed upon you experientially … without your knowing how or why. This is what the negative way means … and why infused contemplation is generally understood in that light … even if it has affirmative outcomes.

I hope this makes sense.

Dave

 

[simple_soul]

The World’s First Love
BY THE MOST REVEREND FULTON J. SHEEN, PH.D., D.D.

[Etext edited by Br. Sean, a choir monk, 2008, from a text file at archive.org]
McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. New York - London - Toronto
Copyright, 1952, by Fulton J. Sheen.

DEDICATED TO THE WOMAN I LOVE

The Woman Whom even God dreamed of
Before the world was made;
The Woman of Whom I was born
At cost of pain and labor at a Cross;
The Woman Who, though no priest,
Could yet on Calvary’s Hill breathe:
“This is my Body; This is my Blood”
For none save her gave Him human life.
The Woman Who guides my pen,
Which falters so with words
In telling of the Word.
The Woman Who, in a world of Reds,
Shows forth the blue of hope.
Accept these dried grapes of thoughts
From this poor author, who has no wine;
And with Cana’s magic and thy Son’s Power
Work a miracle and save a soul –
Forgetting not my own.

Peace

Thank you hazcompat for this quote. Remembering the Miracle at the wedding at Cana reminded me that it was Jesus Christ who transformed the water into wine. I beleive it has help put things back in perspective for me for now.

 

[WaitingForJesus]

• JMJ +

If you want I can continue talking about Marian spirituality with you, WaitingForJesus, (although we may have to make a new thread) as I am more comfortable talking about that than apophatic theology which I barely understand myself!

I had made the Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary according to St. Louis Marie de Montfort, then made the one by St. Maximillan Kolbe, but currently I am settling in the method by Rev. Emil Neubert in his book My Ideal - Jesus Son Of Mary. I personally think this is more accessible to Protestants and others who are a bit wary of St. Louis de Montfort’s theology.

Someone here made an excellent summary of this book here: forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=630715

So how does this figure with the current thread: well, I wasnt to show franklinstower that Catholic spirituality is very VERY diverse

Thanks for this book recommendation and thread! It looks like this will be helpful for explaining some things to my Protestant family, who are not going to be very happy with my consecration to Jesus through Mary.

I am quite comfortable with Montfort now. One day, the Lord put a seemingly strange thought in my mind about Genesis 3:15 as I was driving to mass. It was that the reference in that passage to the woman’s offspring doesn’t refer to just Jesus. And, in short, that I needed to give myself to the Blessed Mother to help our Lord fight evil in the world. I was stunned. There was no way given my background that I would have ever thought of that myself, and I was worried I was losing it.

Coincidentally (or not!), this thought occurred a few hours after I had prayed to the Blessed Mother to help some children in a friend’s family. She and I had been praying about this for months, but I had never asked the Blessed Mother for help with this petition. In fact, prior to that, I had only spoken to the Blessed Mother on a few occassions. It just felt weird to me, although looking back she always helped. Anyway, on that morning, I had the idea that Mary and Joseph would know what to do and I begged them to help these children. And as I prayed, I had a sudden feeling the prayer was going to be answered. I got back to my computer after mass and there was a note from my friend saying that what we had been praying for had been answered. Stunned again, although I just cried because I knew the Lord and his Mother were trying to help me. Still I wasn’t sure what to do.

Two days later, I stumbled upon a link to a summary of Montfort’s writings and saw some similarities to my thought Re: Genesis 3:15. I got True Devotion and there it all was spelled out in great detail.

Prior to that I had been praying to the Lord to show me a way to fully unite with him. Quite frankly, I had been reading St. John of the Cross and was alternating between confusion and being scared of Dark Nights. Well anyway, the Lord answered my prayer!

Yes indeed Western spirituality is VERY DIVERSE! Thanks again for the reference.

 

[WaitingForJesus]

So…after reading the last few posts in this thread I am getting the understanding that some people believe that those who go to Jesus through Mary suffer more than those whom they perceive as not going through Mary to Jesus do and that it is Our blessed Mother Mary who transforms us into Jesus and not Jesus who transforms us into Himself?

Am I understanding this correctly?

Hi simple soul. No, I don’t think the suffering is necessarily more by going through Mary to Jesus. In fact, Montfort says: "The other saints, who are the greater number, while having a devotion to Mary, either did not enter or did not go very far along this path. That is why they had to undergo harder and more dangerous trials. "

And, it isn’t her that transforms us. I think it is more like Mary can help lead us to the Lord if we ask her to do that. She can teach us, just as she taught our Lord when he was a small boy. Once I realized this, I had this image of myself being a very small child and her holding my hand along my way to our Lord…making everything so much easier. She would help me to resist temptation and comfort me if I got scared. That made everything easier for me.

 

[hazcompat]

St. Seraphim of Sarov

St. Seraphim (born Prohor Moshnin) was born in 1759 to a merchant family in Kursk. At the age of 10, he became seriously ill. During the course of his illness, he saw the Mother of God in his sleep, who promised to heal him. Several days later there was a religious procession in Kursk with the locally revered miracle-working icon of the Mother of God. Due to bad weather, the procession took an abbreviated route past the house of the Moshnin family. After his mother put Seraphim up to the miracle-working image, he recovered rapidly. While at a young age, he needed to help his parents with their shop, but business had little appeal for him. Young Seraphim loved to read the lives of the saints, to attend church and to withdraw into seclusion for prayer.

At the age of 18, Seraphim firmly decided to become a monk. His mother blessed him with a large copper crucifix, which he wore over his clothing all his life. After this, he entered the Sarov monastery as a novice.

From day one in the monastery, exceptional abstinence from food and slumber were the distinguishing features of his life. He ate once a day, and little. On Wednesdays and Fridays he ate nothing. After asking the blessing of his starets (i.e., a spiritual elder), he began to withdraw often into the forest for prayer and religious contemplation. He became severely ill again soon after, and was forced to spend most of the course of the next three years lying down.

St. Seraphim was once again healed by the Most Holy Virgin Mary, Who appeared to him accompanied by several saints. Pointing to the venerable Seraphim, The Holy Virgin said to the apostle John the Theologian: “He is of our lineage.” Then, by touching his side with Her staff, She healed him.

Peace

 

[simple_soul]

Hi simple soul. No, I don’t think the suffering is necessarily more by going through Mary to Jesus. In fact, Montfort says: "The other saints, who are the greater number, while having a devotion to Mary, either did not enter or did not go very far along this path. That is why they had to undergo harder and more dangerous trials. "

Thank you for clarifying. The way I was reading what was being posted was that because those who go to Our Blessed Mother Mary can handle more because she makes the sufferings sweeter and because of that they are able to suffer more than those who do not go to her and so she does not make thier sufferings sweeter and so they are not able to suffer as much as those who go to her. After reading DBT’s last post I believe I can kind of see what may be going on here but will have to ponder it some more to be sure.

And, it isn’t her that transforms us. I think it is more like Mary can help lead us to the Lord if we ask her to do that. She can teach us, just as she taught our Lord when he was a small boy. Once I realized this, I had this image of myself being a very small child and her holding my hand along my way to our Lord…making everything so much easier. She would help me to resist temptation and comfort me if I got scared. That made everything easier for me.

how can anyone fear anything having her for thier Mother!
I love the way she has been guiding me and molding me and leading through thick and thin as I try to imitate her Son. So many times she has let me lament on her knee and wiped away my tears and reassured me in so many ways to keep trusting in and going to her Son knowing He was the only one whose strength and healing was what I needed. I believe she literaly feeds this child of hers with Divine food, her Son. Jesus. She does seem to always know just what I need and when I need it even if it is a gentle scolding some times. But mostly with her gentle and sweet reasurence that she is always here right at my side no matter how dark it might be.

 

[simple_soul]

St. Seraphim of Sarov

St. Seraphim (born Prohor Moshnin) was born in 1759 to a merchant family in Kursk. At the age of 10, he became seriously ill. During the course of his illness, he saw the Mother of God in his sleep, who promised to heal him. Several days later there was a religious procession in Kursk with the locally revered miracle-working icon of the Mother of God. Due to bad weather, the procession took an abbreviated route past the house of the Moshnin family. After his mother put Seraphim up to the miracle-working image, he recovered rapidly. While at a young age, he needed to help his parents with their shop, but business had little appeal for him. Young Seraphim loved to read the lives of the saints, to attend church and to withdraw into seclusion for prayer.

At the age of 18, Seraphim firmly decided to become a monk. His mother blessed him with a large copper crucifix, which he wore over his clothing all his life. After this, he entered the Sarov monastery as a novice.

From day one in the monastery, exceptional abstinence from food and slumber were the distinguishing features of his life. He ate once a day, and little. On Wednesdays and Fridays he ate nothing. After asking the blessing of his starets (i.e., a spiritual elder), he began to withdraw often into the forest for prayer and religious contemplation. He became severely ill again soon after, and was forced to spend most of the course of the next three years lying down.

St. Seraphim was once again healed by the Most Holy Virgin Mary, Who appeared to him accompanied by several saints. Pointing to the venerable Seraphim, The Holy Virgin said to the apostle John the Theologian: “He is of our lineage.” Then, by touching his side with Her staff, She healed him.

Peace

She so knows how to take care of us and help us along our way. She knows exactly what she needs to intercede to God and obtain from Him what is good for us and our salvation. I beleive she uses everything God gives to her to help us heal from so much. Including Himself and all His Graces. He heals us and transforms us through her. But it is my understanding and belief that it is He who is healing us and transforming us. She brings Him and His Graces to us, so I guess you might be able to say in this capacity she heals and trans forms us, but it is still Jesus working through her who heals us and transforms us throuh her. The reason I believe this is because everything comes from God. We are all given any gifts or graces we have from Him through Our Blessed Mother. Are you implying with your posts that this is not a correct understanding?

 

[hazcompat]

She so knows how to take care of us and help us along our way. She knows exactly what she needs to intercede to God and obtain from Him what is good for us and our salvation. I beleive she uses everything God gives to her to help us heal from so much. Including Himself and all His Graces. He heals us and transforms us through her. But it is my understanding and belief that it is He who is healing us and transforming us. She brings Him and His Graces to us, so I guess you might be able to say in this capacity she heals and trans forms us, but it is still Jesus working through her who heals us and transforms us throuh her. The reason I believe this is because everything comes from God. We are all given any gifts or graces we have from Him through Our Blessed Mother. Are you implying with your posts that this is not a correct understanding?

No. He is of our lineage. She is first in the order of grace.

Peace

 

[simple_soul]

No. He is of our lineage. She is first in the order of grace.

Peace

Thank you for clarifying.

Peace

 

[hazcompat]

Second reading
From the Imitation of Christ
The kingdom of God is the peace and joy of the Spirit

Turn to the Lord with your whole heart and leave behind this wretched world. Then your soul shall find rest. For the kingdom of God is the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit. If you prepare within your heart a fitting dwelling place, Christ will come to you and console you.

His glory and beauty are within you, and he delights in dwelling there. The Lord frequently visits the heart of man. There he shares with man pleasant conversations, welcome consolation, abundant peace and a wonderful intimacy.

So come, faithful soul. Prepare your heart for your spouse to dwell within you. For he says: If anyone loves me, he will keep my word and we shall come to him and make our dwelling within him.

Make room for Christ. When you possess Christ you are a rich man, for he is sufficient for you. He himself, shall provide for you and faithfully administer all your cares. You will not have to place your hope in men. Put all your trust in God; let him be both your fear and your love. He will respond on your behalf and will do whatever is in your best interest.

You have here no lasting city. For wherever you find yourself, you will always be a pilgrim from another city. Until you are united intimately with Christ, you will never find your true rest.

Let your thoughts be with the Most High and direct your prayers continually to Christ. If you do not know how to contemplate the glory of heaven, take comfort in the passion of Christ, and dwell willingly in his sacred wounds. Endure with Christ, suffer for him, if you wish to reign with him.

Once you have entered completely into the depths of Jesus, and have a taste of his powerful love, then you will not care about your own convenience or inconvenience. Rather you will rejoice all the more in insults and injuries, for the love of Jesus makes a man scorn his own needs.

Peace

 

[hazcompat]

Ephesians 2:19-22

You are strangers and aliens no longer. No, you are fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God. You form a building which rises on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. Through him the whole structure is fitted together and takes shape as a holy temple in the Lord; in him you are being built into this temple, to become a dwelling place for God in the Spirit.

Peace