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Jesus has always many who love His heavenly kingdom,
but few who bear His cross. He has many who desire
consolation, but few who care for trial. He finds
many to share His table, but few to take part in His
fasting. All desire to be happy with Him; few wish to
suffer anything for Him. Many follow Him to the
breaking of bread, but few to the drinking of the
chalice of His passion. Many revere His miracles; few
approach the shame of the Cross. Many love Him as
long as they encounter no hardship; many praise and
bless Him as long as they receive some comfort from
Him. But if Jesus hides Himself and leaves them for a
while, they fall either into complaints or into deep
dejection.
Those, on the contrary, who love Him for His own
sake and not for any comfort of their own, bless Him
in all trial and anguish of heart as well as in the
bliss of consolation. Even if He should never give
them consolation, yet they would continue to praise
Him and wish always to give Him thanks. What power
there is in pure love for Jesus -- love that is flee
from all self-interest and self-love!
Do not those who always seek consolation deserve to
be called mercenaries? Do not those who always think
of their own profit and gain prove that they love
themselves rather than Christ? Where can a man be
found who desires to serve God for nothing? Rarely
indeed is a man so spiritual as to strip himself of
all things. And who shall find a man so truly poor in
spirit as to be free from every creature? His value
is like that of things brought from the most distant
lands.
If a man give all his wealth, it is nothing; if he
do great penance, it is little; if he gain all
knowledge, he is still far afield; if he have great
virtue and much ardent devotion, he still lacks a
great deal, and especially, the one thing that is
most necessary to him. What is this one thing? That
leaving all, he forsake himself, completely renounce
himself, and give up all private affections. Then,
when he has done all that he knows ought to be done,
let him consider it as nothing, let him make little
of what may be considered great; let him in all
honesty call himself an unprofitable servant. For
truth itself has said: "When you shall have done all
these things that are commanded you, say: 'we are
unprofitable servants.'"(1)
Then he will be truly poor and stripped in spirit,
and with the prophet may say: "I am alone and
poor."(2) No one, however, is more wealthy than such
a man; no one is more powerful, no one freer than he
who knows how to leave all things and think of
himself as the least of all.
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