Monday, February 04, 2013

...but the greatest of these is Love.

Scattered thoughts this morning about love and perseverance, surrender and seeking God, after yesterday's second reading (1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13). And since I've been sitting here trying to formulate something muse-worthy and am coming up empty with words of my own (writer's block being a very real thing sometimes), I'm going to let a blessed, a poet and a saint do it for me.

Blessed Mother Teresa, on holiness:

"In order to be saints, you have to seriously want to be one.
St. Thomas Aquinas assures us that holiness 'is nothing else but a resolution made, the heroic act of a soul that surrenders to God.' And he adds: 'Spontaneously we love God, we run towards him, we get close to him, we possess him.'
Our willingness is important because it changes us into the image of God and likens us to him! The decision to be holy is a very dear one. 
Renunciation, temptations, struggles, persecutions, and all kinds of sacrifices are what surround the soul that has opted for holiness."

Love, by George Herbert

"Love bade me welcome; yet my soul drew back;
            Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
            From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,
            If I lacked any thing.

'A guest,' I answered, 'worthy to be here':
            Love said, 'You shall be he.'
'I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah my dear,
            I cannot look on thee.'
Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
            'Who made the eyes but I?'

'Truth, Lord, but I have marred them: let my shame
            Go where it doth deserve.'
'And know you not,' says Love, 'who bore the blame?'
            'My dear, then I will serve.'
'You must sit down,' says Love, 'and taste my meat':
            So I did sit and eat."

A Seeker's Prayer, by St. Anselm of Canterbury

"O my God, teach my heart where
and how to seek you,
where and how to find you. 
You are my God and you are my
all, yet I have never seen you. 
You have made me and remade me,
you have bestowed on me all the 
good things I possess;
still I do not know you.
I have not yet done that for
which I was made;
teach me to seek you. 
I cannot seek you unless you
teach me, or find you unless
you show yourself to me.
Let me seek you in my desire,
let me desire you in my seeking.
Let me find you by loving you,
let me love you when I find you.
Amen."

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