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Blessed is he who appreciates what it is to love
Jesus and who despises himself for the sake of Jesus.
Give up all other love for His, since He wishes to be
loved alone above all things.Affection for
creatures is deceitful and inconstant, but the love
of Jesus is true and enduring. He who clings to a
creature will fall with its frailty, but he who gives
himself to Jesus will ever be strengthened.
Love Him, then; keep Him as a friend. He will not
leave you as others do, or let you suffer lasting
death. Sometime, whether you will or not, you will
have to part with everything. Cling, therefore, to
Jesus in life and death; trust yourself to the glory
of Him who alone can help you when all others fail.
Your Beloved is such that He will not accept what
belongs to another -- He wants your heart for Himself
alone, to be enthroned therein as King in His own
right. If you but knew how to free yourself entirely
from all creatures, Jesus would gladly dwell within
you.
You will find, apart from Him, that nearly all the
trust you place in men is a total loss. Therefore,
neither confide in nor depend upon a wind-shaken
reed, for "all flesh is grass"(1) and all its glory,
like the flower of grass, will fade away
You will quickly be deceived if you look only to
the outward appearance of men, and you will often be
disappointed if you seek comfort and gain in them.
If, however, you seek Jesus in all things, you will
surely find Him. Likewise, if you seek yourself, you
will find yourself -- to your own ruin. For the man
who does not seek Jesus does himself much greater
harm than the whole world and all his enemies could
ever do.
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When Jesus is near, all is well and nothing seems difficult. When
He is absent, all is hard. When Jesus does not speak within, all
other comfort is empty, but if He says only a word, it brings
great consolation.
Did not Mary Magdalen rise at once from her weeping when Martha
said to her: "The Master is come, and calleth for thee"?(2) Happy
is the hour when Jesus calls one from tears to joy of spirit.
How dry and hard you are without Jesus! How foolish and vain if
you desire anything but Him! Is it not a greater loss than losing
the whole world? For what, without Jesus, can the world give you?
Life without Him is a relentless hell, but living with Him is a
sweet paradise. If Jesus be with you, no enemy can harm you.
He who finds Jesus finds a rare treasure, indeed, a good above
every good, whereas he who loses Him loses more than the whole
world. The man who lives without Jesus is the poorest of the poor,
whereas no one is so rich as the man who lives in His grace.
It is a great art to know how to converse with Jesus, and great
wisdom to know how to keep Him. Be humble and peaceful, and Jesus
will be with you. Be devout and calm, and He will remain with you.
You may quickly drive Him away and lose His grace, if you turn
back to the outside world. And, if you drive Him away and lose
Him, to whom will you go and whom will you then seek as a friend?
You cannot live well without a friend, and if Jesus be not your
friend above all else, you will be very sad and desolate. Thus,
you are acting foolishly if you trust or rejoice in any other.
Choose the opposition of the whole world rather than offend Jesus.
Of all those who are dear to you, let Him be your special love.
Let all things be loved for the sake of Jesus, but Jesus for His
own sake.
Jesus Christ must be loved alone with a special love for He alone,
of all friends, is good and faithful. For Him and in Him you must
love friends and foes alike, and pray to Him that all may know and
love Him.
Never desire special praise or love, for that belongs to God
alone Who has no equal. Never wish that anyone's affection be
centered in you, nor let yourself be taken up with the love of
anyone, but let Jesus be in you and in every good man. Be pure and
free within, unentangled with any creature.
You must bring to God a clean and open heart if you wish to
attend and see how sweet the Lord is. Truly you will never attain
this happiness unless His grace prepares you and draws you on so
that you may forsake all things to be united with Him alone.
When the grace of God comes to a man he can do all things, but
when it leaves him he becomes poor and weak, abandoned, as it
were, to affliction.
Yet, in this condition he should not become dejected or
despair. On the contrary, he should calmly await the will of God
and bear whatever befalls him in praise of Jesus Christ, for after
winter comes summer, after night, the day, and after the storm, a
great calm.
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