APPRECIATING GOD'S GRACE
WHY do you look for rest when you were born to work? Resign
yourself to patience rather than to comfort, to carrying your cross
rather than to enjoyment.
What man in the world, if he could always have them, would not
readily accept consolation and spiritual joy, benefits which excel all
earthly delights and pleasures of the body? The latter, indeed, are
either vain or base, while spiritual joys, born of virtue and infused
by God into pure minds, are alone truly pleasant and noble.
Now, since the moment of temptation is always nigh, since false
freedom of mind and overconfidence in self are serious obstacles to
these visitations from heaven, a man can never enjoy them just as he
wishes.
God does well in giving the grace of consolation, but man does
evil in not returning everything gratefully to God. Thus, the gifts of
grace cannot flow in us when we are ungrateful to the Giver, when we
do not return them to the Fountainhead. Grace is always given to him
who is duly grateful, and what is wont to be given the humble will be
taken away from the proud.
I do not desire consolation that robs me of contrition, nor do
I care for contemplation that leads to pride, for not all that is high
is holy, nor is all that is sweet good, nor every desire pure, nor all
that is dear to us pleasing to God. I accept willingly the grace
whereby I become more humble and contrite, more willing to renounce
self.
The man who has been taught by the gift of grace, and who
learns by the lash of its withdrawal, will never dare to attribute any
good to himself, but will rather admit his poverty and emptiness. Give
to God what is God's and ascribe to yourself what is yours. Give Him
thanks, then, for His grace, but place upon yourself alone the blame
and the punishment your fault deserves.
Always take the lowest place and the highest will be given you,
for the highest cannot exist apart from the lowest. The saints who are
greatest before God are those who consider themselves the least, and
the more humble they are within themselves, so much the more glorious
they are. Since they do not desire vainglory, they are full of truth
and heavenly glory. Being established and strengthened in God, they
can by no means be proud. They attribute to God whatever good they
have received; they seek no glory from one another but only that which
comes from God alone. They desire above all things that He be praised
in themselves and in all His saints -- this is their constant purpose.
Be grateful, therefore, for the least gift and you will be
worthy to receive a greater. Consider the least gift as the greatest,
the most contemptible as something special. And, if you but look to
the dignity of the Giver, no gift will appear too small or worthless.
Even though He give punishments and scourges, accept them, because He
acts for our welfare in whatever He allows to befall us.
He who desires to keep the grace of God ought to be grateful
when it is given and patient when it is withdrawn. Let him pray that
it return; let him be cautious and humble lest he lose it. |
Of gratitude for the Grace of God
Why seekest thou rest when thou art born to
labour? Prepare thyself for patience more than for comforts, and for
bearing the cross more than for joy. For who among the men of this
world would not gladly receive consolation and spiritual joy if he
might always have it? For spiritual comforts exceed all the delights
of the world, and all the pleasures of the flesh. For all worldly
delights are either empty or unclean, whilst spiritual delights alone
are pleasant and honourable, the offspring of virtue, and poured forth
by God into pure minds. But no man can always enjoy these divine
comforts at his own will, because the season of temptation ceaseth not
for long.
2. Great is the difference between a visitation
from above and false liberty of spirit and great confidence in self.
God doeth well in giving us the grace of comfort, but man doeth ill in
not immediately giving God thanks thereof. And thus the gifts of
grace are not able to flow unto us, because we are ungrateful to the
Author of them, and return them not wholly to the Fountain whence they
flow. For grace ever becometh the portion of him who is grateful and
that is taken away from the proud, which is wont to be given to the
humble.
3. I desire no consolation which taketh away from
me compunction, I love no contemplation which leadeth to pride. For
all that is high is not holy, nor is everything that is sweet good;
every desire is not pure; nor is everything that is dear to us
pleasing unto God. Willingly do I accept that grace whereby I am made
humbler and more wary and more ready to renounce myself. He who is
made learned by the gift of grace and taught wisdom by the stroke of
the withdrawal thereof, will not dare to claim any good thing for
himself, but will rather confess that he is poor and needy. Give unto
God the thing which is God's,(1) and ascribe to thyself that which is
thine; that is, give thanks unto God for His grace, but for thyself
alone confess thy fault, and that thy punishment is deserved for thy
fault.
4. Sit thou down always in the lowest room and
thou shalt be given the highest place.(2) For the highest cannot be
without the lowest. For the highest saints of God are least in their
own sight, and the more glorious they are, so much the lowlier are
they in themselves; full of grace and heavenly glory, they are not
desirous of vain-glory; resting on God and strong in His might, they
cannot be lifted up in any wise. And they who ascribe unto God all
the good which they have received, "seek not glory one of another, but
the glory which cometh from God only," and they desire that God shall
be praised in Himself and in all His Saints above all things, and they
are always striving for this very thing.
5. Be thankful, therefore, for the least benefit
and thou shalt be worthy to receive greater. Let the least be unto
thee even as the greatest, and let that which is of little account be
unto thee as a special gift. If the majesty of the Giver be
considered, nothing that is given shall seem small and of no worth,
for that is not a small thing which is given by the Most High God.
Yea, though He gave punishment and stripes, we ought to be thankful,
because He ever doth for our profit whatever He suffereth to come upon
us. He who seeketh to retain the favour of God, let him be thankful
for the favour which is given, and patient in respect of that which is
taken away. Let him pray that it may return; let him be wary and
humble that he lose it not. |