Lest You Remain

From Founder’s Writings ( Inspectio cordis , k. 165r–166r) Meditation IX. On Love 1. You should meditate now on this virtue, due to which, all of creation came into being: earth and sky, and man was created. God became man and though beyond suffering, He suffered in a body given to pain, and was cruelly killed, and though immortal, He died for you, not as God but as man. Thanks to this love, Heavenly Light, Teacher of the Truth, and the Spirit of all knowledge descended from Heaven on the Apostles and the other followers, so that the one Body of God’s Church could be created out of many nations of various descent, like a body made of many limbs, and that many religious communities, societies and orders, cement- ed by one Spirit and love of one God, could live in the greatest unity. You should meditate upon this virtue, which suppresses unrest, averts wars, breeds peace, cher- ishes laws, loves a brother, embraces an enemy, wishes the best to all, and does best to everyone. So think how you are going to practice this virtue, with what fervor, steadiness, persistence and courage. Demand also from yourself its deeds, require them from your hands. Here they are: —the love of God above all, avoiding sin and any weakness more than any- thing else; helping your brother as much as possible, contributing to the common good; responding to the demands of your vocation, constantly striving for a more perfect life, making efforts not to hurt anybody with thought, word, deed, suspicion or bad example, seeking to not lead anybody astray, nor to spoil anyone’s morals, nor to lead anyone to condemnation; —having a spirit of love of the good and the just, praying for those who fall and are evil; visiting the sick, teaching the uninstructed, reprimanding the deceit- ful, bringing help and advice to the needy and those deprived of any support, free- ing captives, visiting prisoners, consoling the depressed, restraining the excessive- ly and improperly joyful; doing to others what we desire for ourselves and refrain- ing from what we detest and avoid, as well as not wishing or putting on them any of the above. How numerous are the deeds of noble love! How seldom you strove for and performed them! 2. Reflect on the deficiencies, which preclude God’s love. You possess them when you are cold on your path to perfection which you entered out of love for God, when you do not spread God’s glory, humiliate the Order, when you are content with a lower standard of perfection and give up in your strife out of negligence or mean- ness, when you place obstacles to the way of the Best and the Highest God from gain- ing free access to your heart, to being present and ruling in it, when you long for the world, praise it or even delight in it in your thoughts; when you do not want to avoid, and remove from yourself, any smaller or bigger sin, or even tiny imperfections and Program of Vigils 61