ABOVE ALL GOODS AND ALL GIFTS WE MUST REST IN GOD
THE DISCIPLE
ABOVE all things and in all things, O my soul, rest always in
God, for He is the everlasting rest of the saints.
Grant, most sweet and loving Jesus, that I may seek my repose
in You above every creature; above all health and beauty; above every
honor and glory; every power and dignity; above all knowledge and
cleverness, all riches and arts, all joy and gladness; above all fame
and praise, all sweetness and consolation; above every hope and
promise, every merit and desire; above all the gifts and favors that
You can give or pour down upon me; above all the joy and exultation
that the mind can receive and feel; and finally, above the angels and
archangels and all the heavenly host; above all things visible and
invisible; and may I seek my repose in You above everything that is
not You, my God.
For You, O Lord my God, are above all things the best. You
alone are most high, You alone most powerful. You alone are most
sufficient and most satisfying, You alone most sweet and consoling.
You alone are most beautiful and loving, You alone most noble and
glorious above all things. In You is every perfection that has been or
ever will be. Therefore, whatever You give me besides Yourself,
whatever You reveal to me concerning Yourself, and whatever You
promise, is too small and insufficient when I do not see and fully
enjoy You alone. For my heart cannot rest or be fully content until,
rising above all gifts and every created thing, it rests in You.
Who, O most beloved Spouse, Jesus Christ, most pure Lover, Lord
of all creation, who shall give me the wings of true liberty that I
may fly to rest in You? When shall freedom be fully given me to see
how sweet You are, O Lord, my God? When shall I recollect myself
entirely in You, so that because of Your love I may feel, not myself,
but You alone above all sense and measure, in a manner known to none?
But now I often lament and grieve over my unhappiness, for many evils
befall me in this vale of miseries, often disturbing me, making me sad
and overshadowing me, often hindering and distracting me, alluring and
entangling me so that I neither have free access to You nor enjoy the
sweet embraces which are ever ready for blessed souls. Let my sighs
and the manifold desolation here on earth move You.
O Jesus, Splendor of eternal glory, Consolation of the pilgrim
soul, with You my lips utter no sound and to You my silence speaks.
How long will my Lord delay His coming? Let Him come to His poor
servant and make him happy. Let Him put forth His hand and take this
miserable creature from his anguish. Come, O come, for without You
there will be no happy day or hour, because You are my happiness and
without You my table is empty. I am wretched, as it were imprisoned
and weighted down with fetters, until You fill me with the light of
Your presence, restore me to liberty, and show me a friendly
countenance. Let others seek instead of You whatever they will, but
nothing pleases me or will please me but You, my God, my Hope, my
everlasting Salvation. I will not be silent, I will not cease praying
until Your grace returns to me and You speak inwardly to me, saying:
"Behold, I am here. Lo, I have come to you because you have called Me.
Your tears and the desire of your soul, your humility and contrition
of heart have inclined Me and brought Me to you."
Lord, I have called You, and have desired You, and have been
ready to spurn all things for Your sake. For You first spurred me on
to seek You. May You be blessed, therefore, O Lord, for having shown
this goodness to Your servant according to the multitude of Your
mercies.
What more is there for Your servant to say to You unless, with
his iniquity and vileness always in mind, he humbles himself before
You? Nothing among all the wonders of heaven and earth is like to You.
Your works are exceedingly good, Your judgments true, and Your
providence rules the whole universe. May You be praised and glorified,
therefore, O Wisdom of the Father. Let my lips and my soul and all
created things unite to praise and bless You. |
That we must rest in God above all goods and gifts
Above all things and in all things thou shalt
rest alway in the Lord, O my soul, for he himself is the eternal rest
of the saints. Grant me, most sweet and loving Jesus, to rest in Thee
above every creature, above all health and beauty, above all glory and
honour, above all power and dignity, above all knowledge and
skilfulness, above all riches and arts, above all joy and exultation,
above all fame and praise, above all sweetness and consolation, above
all hope and promise, above all merit and desire, above all gifts and
rewards which Thou canst give and pour forth, above all joy and
jubilation which the mind is able to receive and feel; in a word,
above Angels and Archangels and all the army of heaven, above all
things visible and invisible, and above everything which Thou, O my
God, art not.
2. For Thou, O Lord, my God, art best above all
things; Thou only art the Most High, Thou only the Almighty, Thou only
the All-sufficient, and the Fulness of all things; Thou only the
All-delightsome and the All-comforting; Thou alone the altogether
lovely and altogether loving; Thou alone the Most Exalted and Most
Glorious above all things; in Whom all things are, and were, and ever
shall be, altogether and all-perfect. And thus it falleth short and
is insufficient whatsoever Thou givest to me without Thyself or
whatsoever Thou revealest or dost promise concerning Thyself, whilst
Thou art not seen or fully possessed: since verily my heart cannot
truly rest nor be entirely content, except it rest in Thee, and go
beyond all gifts and every creature.
3. O my most beloved Spouse, Jesus Christ, most
holy lover of my soul, Ruler of this whole Creation, who shall give me
the wings of true liberty, that I may flee to Thee and find rest? Oh
when shall it be given me to be open to receive Thee to the full, and
to see how sweet Thou art, O Lord my God? When shall I collect myself
altogether in Thee, that because of Thy love I may not feel myself at
all, but may know Thee only above every sense and measure, in measure
not known to others. But now I ofttimes groan, and bear my sad estate
with sorrow; because many evils befall me in this vale of miseries
which continually disturb and fill me with sorrow, and encloud me,
continually hinder and fill me with care, allure and entangle me, that
I cannot have free access to Thee, nor enjoy that sweet intercourse
which is always near at hand to the blessed spirits. Let my deep
sighing come before Thee, and my manifold desolation on the earth.
4. O Jesus, Light of Eternal Glory, solace of the
wandering soul, before Thee my mouth is without speech, and my silence
speaketh to Thee. How long will my Lord delay to come unto me? Let
Him come unto me, His poor and humble one, and make me glad. Let Him
put forth His hand, and deliver His holy one from every snare. Come,
Oh come; for without Thee shall be no joyful day or hour, for Thou art
my joy, and without Thee is my table empty. I am miserable, and in a
manner imprisoned and loaded with fetters, until Thou refresh me by
the light of Thy presence, and give me liberty, and show Thy loving
countenance.
5. Let others seek some other thing instead of
Thee, whatsoever it shall please them; but for my part nothing else
pleaseth or shall please, save Thou, my God, my hope, my eternal
salvation. I will not hold my peace, nor cease to implore, until Thy
grace return, and until Thou speak to me within.
6. "Behold, here I am! Behold, I come to thee,
for thou didst call Me. Thy tears and the longing of thy soul, thy
humbleness and contrition of heart have inclined Me, and brought Me to
thee."
7. And I said Lord, I have called upon Thee, and
I have longed to enjoy Thee, being ready to reject everything for Thy
sake. For Thou didst first move me to seek Thee. Therefore, blessed
be Thou, O Lord, who has wrought this good work upon Thy servant,
according to the multitude of Thy mercy. What then hath Thy servant
to say in Thy presence, save to humble himself greatly before Thee,
being alway mindful of his own iniquity and vileness. For there is
none like unto Thee in all marvels of heaven and earth. Excellent are
Thy works, true are Thy judgments, and by Thy Providence are all
things governed. Therefore praise and glory be unto Thee, O Wisdom of
the Father, let my mouth and my soul and all created things praise and
bless Thee together. |