Lest You Remain

grasp? Are you still going to be so silly and reckless as to not devote yourself entire- ly to God’s love, to receive all of God in return? Are you still going to follow your will to destruction, or rather to follow the inspirations of the Beloved for your salva- tion? Aren’t you going to abandon everything in order to receive everything? Aren’t you going to renounce yourself to receive yourself and the One who created you? Oh, beneficial love for God! Through it we reach the One whom we love! Truly, it is good to love the Infinite and to be loved by Him! Oh, insatiable, sweet, constant, kind, calm, laudable and uncontained love! Make us experience you! Allow us to delight in you, to burn always with your flame and never burn down, to long for you and never have enough! My God! May I, loving you truly and serving you in pure love, be able to sing you the sweetest song of love, when I see you in the happiest kingdom of all: “I found him whom my heart loves. I took hold of him and would not let him go” (Song of Songs 3:4). ( Inspectio Cordis ) 10 “Anyone who loves me will be true to my word” (Jn 14:23). Contemplate that keeping God’s teaching, is a sign of perfect love. Just as children who love their par- ents truly desire to fulfill their will scrupulously, those who would like to be counted among the sons of God, loving the best and the highest Father, should desire to strict- ly keep His commandments. Conversely, the one who is deaf to all the command- ments, but rather considers them to be fairy-tales, and considers himself to be unnec- essarily burdened with many things by the Father, is unworthy to be called a son. Thus, the one who does not care about the works of God, cannot be consid- ered even His servant. The Infinite Goodness complains about them in such a way: “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not put into practice what I teach you?” (Luke 6:46). It would be your task to strive for a perfect union through earnestly keeping the laws and teaching of God and those who represent Him. ( Inspectio Cordis ) L EST Y OU R EMAIN W ITHOUT W ORK IN THE V INEYARD OF THE L ORD 142