Читать книгу The Practice of Mental Prayer - Father Rene de Maumigny - Страница 23

EXCELLENCE OF MENTAL PRAYER 25

Jesus lightens the labor by the loving union of His Divine Heart with ours. He has not bidden us carry otir cross alone, but carry it with Him: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

O the wonderful change which takes place in the soul that labors perseveringly to gain an intimate knowledge of the divine King, so as to love and follow Him more. At last it sees, in place of the briars of earthly inclinations, virtues growing and flourish- ing and sending their odor to heaven. The mystic garden where God is accustomed to contract the union of love is filled with blossom; Divine Goodness is pleased by it, inclines towards it and the soul is visited.

But one visit only is not enough to effect the total transformation of the htunan into the Divine Will, a transformation which in its essence constitutes the union of love, or the unitive life. Just as a single visit paid by an earthly prince to one of his sub- jects is not sufficient to produce similarity of ideas, so a single visit of God to the soul

¹ Matth. 16: 24.

² Spiritual Exercises—1 week 2, contempl. 1, prel. 3.