- ...For You, O Lord, my God! Are the best above all things; You alone most high; You alone most powerful; You alone sufficient;
You alone most sweet and most delightful.
- You alone the most beautiful and the most loving; You alone the most noble and the most glorious above all things; in Whom are perfectly
gathered together all goods, and always were and always will be.
- And, therefore, whatever You give me, which is not Yourself, or whatever You reveal or promise to me concerning Yourself, as long as I do
not see You nor fully possess You, is little and insufficient.
- Because my heart cannot truly rest, nor be entirely contented if it does not rest in You, and rise above all Your gifts and all creatures.
- O my most beloved Spouse, Jesus Christ, most pure Lover, Lord of all creatures, who will give me the wings of true liberty, to fly and rest in You?
- Oh, when will it be given to me to attend fully to considering how sweet You are, O Lord, my God?
- When shall I fully recollect myself in You; so that I for love of You, may not feel any sentiments for myself, but feel You alone, above all
feeling and measure, in a manner which is not known by all?
- But now I frequently groan and bear my unhappiness with grief.
- Because in this vale of miseries, I encounter many evils which often disturb me, afflict me, and cast a cloud over me; they often hinder
and distract me allure me and entangle me, so that I cannot freely come to You, nor enjoy Your sweet embraces, which are ever ready for the blessed spirits.
- Let my sighs and desolations upon this earth move You to pity.
- O Jesus splendor of eternal glory, comfort of the pilgrim soul! My mouth remains mute in Your presence, but my silence speaks to You.
- How long will my Lord delay in coming?
- Let Him come to me, His poor servant, and make me happy. Let Him stretch forth His hand, and save a wretch from all affliction.
- Come, come; because without You I can never have a joyful day, nor a happy hour; because You are my joy and without You my table is deserted.
- I miserable, and in a manner as a prisoner, and loaded with fetters, until You comfort me with the light of Your presence, and restore
me to liberty by showing me Your friendly countenance.
- Let others seek whatever pleases them instead of You; meanwhile nothing else pleases me or shall please me, except You, my God,
my hope, my eternal salvation.
- I will not be silent, nor will I cease to pray, until Your grace returns to me, and You speak to me in my heart.
- Behold here I am. Behold I come to You, because You invoked me. Your tears and the desire of your soul, your heart, have inclined me and led me to You.
- And I said, O Lord, I invoked You and desired to enjoy You, and I am ready to renounce all things for Your love.
- Because You were the first to stir me up to seek You.
- Be You, therefore, blessed, O Lord; Who have granted this favor to Your servant according to the abundance of Your mercies.
- What more can Your servant say in Your presence, except profoundly to humble himself before You; always mindful of his own iniquity and vileness?
- For there is none similar to You among all the wonders of Heaven and of earth.
- Your works are very good, Your judgments are true, and all things are ruled by Your providence.
- Praise, therefore, and glory be to You, O Wisdom of the Father! May my tongue, my soul and all created things praise and bless You.
REFLECTION
Only the possession of God, our sole good, will render us truly happy and satiate our heart. But this happiness wi// only be possessed in Heaven.
That bit of happiness, which we at times experience here on earth, serves only to render us more anxious to posses the perfect happiness in Heaven.
PRAYER
Hasten, O Lord, the happy hour of my coming to possess You for all eternity. And, while I wait for this momentous moment, detach my heart
from the things of this world, and be You the sole object of my desires and of my hope. For You alone can fully satisfy and appease them. Amen.
THE IMITATION OF CHRIST
By: THOMAS A. KEMPIS
IN FOUR BOOKS - Page 222
