This post regards a second portion of St. Augustine’s prayer in Soliloquies Bk 1 Ch1 and so I bring it to my readers, whoever you may be, as a way to further reflect on the way in which we can strive to be more prayerful and reflective on the love of God that so over abundantly swells in God’s most Sacred Heart for each and every one of us. The mystery of who we are, what we are made for, and who we are cannot be answered by any philosophy, nor can it even be answered fully in the theological thoughts of those still bound to Earth, but the mystery must be experienced and encompassed in the Personal relation to God as most Holy Trinity. This sort of Personal relationship is not the one in which many think it is God reaching into our lives whereby we perceive Him and He speaks and moves us, which is holy indeed but is not the fullness of contemplative prayer, but rather the further and deep contemplative dimension of the highest and saintliest prayers whereby God is truly before us as greater than ourselves and closer to us than our very own selves are, and present as the most intense Divine Lover who we love intensely as well. It is God who moves and builds the heart by His grace to be able to relate to Him in this way. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.
Now, let us begin to seek understanding in God’s ways in the early prayers of one of the greatest saints of the Church:
I call upon Thee, O God the Truth, in whom and by whom and through whom all those things are true which are true.
O God, Wisdom, in whom and by whom and through whom all those are wise who are wise.
O God, True and Supreme Life, in whom and by whom and through whom all those things live which truly and perfectly live.
O God, Happiness, in whom and by whom and through whom all those things are happy which are happy.
O God, the Good and the Beautiful, in whom and by whom and through whom all those things are good and beautiful which are good and beautiful.
O God, Intelligible Light, in whom and by whom and through whom all those things which have intelligible light have their intelligible light.
O God, whose domain is the whole world unknown to sense.
O God, from whose realm law is promulgated even in these regions.
O God, from whom to turn away is to fall, to whom to turn is to rise again, in whom to abide is to stand firm.
O God, from whom to depart is to die, to whom to return is to be revived, in whom to dwell is to live.
O God, whom no one loses unless deceived, whom no one seeks unless admonished, whom no one finds unless he is purified.
O God, whom to abandon is to perish, whom to heed is to love, whom to see is to possess.
O God, to whom Faith moves us, Hope raises us, Charity unites us.
O God, through whom we overcome the enemy, Thee do I pray.
O God, through whom we obtain that we do not altogether perish.
O God, by whom we are admonished to be ever watchful.
O God, through whom we discern the good from the evil.
O God, through whom we flee evil and follow after good.
O God, through whom we are not overcome by afflictions.
O God, through whom we fittingly serve and fittingly rule.
O God, through whom we learn that which is improper for us which once we thought was proper for us, and that which is proper for us which we used to think improper.
O God, through whom we cling not to the charms and lures of evil.
O God, through whom deprivations do not abase us.
O God, through whom what is better in us is not under the dominion of our lower self.
O God, through whom death is swallowed up in victory.
O God, who dost convert us, stripping us of that which is not and clothing with that which is.
O God, who makest us worthy to be heard.
O God, who strengthenest us; who leadest us into all truth.
O God, who speakest to us of all good things; who dost not drive us out of our mind, nor permittest that anyone else do so.
O God, who callest us back to the way; who leadest us to the gate; who grantest that it is opened to those who knock.
O God, who givest us the bread of life.
O God, through whom we thirst for the cup, which when it is drunk we shall thirst no more.
O God, who dost convince the world of sin, of justice, and of judgment.
O God, through whom we are not shaken by those who have no faith.
O God, through whom we denounce the error of those who think that the merits of souls are naught before Thee.
O God, through whom we do not serve weak and beggarly elements.
O God, who dost cleanse us, who dost make us ready for divine rewards, graciously come to me.
Commentary
I call upon Thee, O God the Truth, in whom and by whom and through whom all those things are true which are true.
Again St. Augustine striving to know God further and further invokes Him as He perceives Him to be and to work in the world. St. Augustine’s faith moves him to call upon God hoping to know what to pray for and what to desire, which we should all do in our own lives as well. Let us further realize that it is in God through whom all things truly are and exist, all that is true relates to an actual reality and so God who is Truth is the truest Reality in a sense, He Is, we in the most comparative way are practically not compared to God’s existence. God grant us the grace to adore You more and more for exalted are You above all of Creation!
O God, Wisdom, in whom and by whom and through whom all those are wise who are wise.
O God, Happiness, in whom and by whom and through whom all those things are happy which are happy.
O God, the Good and the Beautiful, in whom and by whom and through whom all those things are good and beautiful which are good and beautiful.
O God, Intelligible Light, in whom and by whom and through whom all those things which have intelligible light have their intelligible light.
Further the saint praises God for His holy attributes. Most wise are You O Lord whose light penetrates all darkness, by which all things are intelligible, beautiful, and harmonious in Your blessed will, for our sake and for the sake of Your Incarnate Son. Lead us then O Lord to be happy in You who art alone our full happiness.
O God, from whose realm law is promulgated even in these regions.
Command what You will O Lord, and grant what You command, as the holy saint said in his full Confessions. Let us reflect on the fact that it is God who sets the laws and rules of all of reality and that His commandments are paramount to the good of the soul and the body, blessed be the Lord who provides for these things. Grant O Lord that we might grow more to love Your commandments and to know Your ways.
O God, from whom to turn away is to fall, to whom to turn is to rise again, in whom to abide is to stand firm.
O God, from whom to depart is to die, to whom to return is to be revived, in whom to dwell is to live.
To fall from grace is to fall from a love in our heart that is meant to be foundational, the love of God. Those who abide in the Lord are truly those granted the most blessed opportunity of His love. Then because God is the life of the soul as the soul is the life of the body, to depart from God is to live as if dead with no aim or purpose for the very core of our being. The mystery of what I am, of what any man or woman is cannot be answered without the sanctifying grace of God’s love by which I only then find the purpose of my being is to know, to love, and to serve God.
O God, whom no one loses unless deceived, whom no one seeks unless admonished, whom no one finds unless he is purified.
Then no one loses God except by a deception in our mind that the love of God is inferior to the good received in any other object. Every other good is finite, we can use it but we cannot keep its goodness in our soul, it does not last, this is true of all of Creation. From this comes sin the desire to life the soul up towards its proper place of felicity and peace by the goodness seen in other objects other than God, but we are deceived because we think the temporary enjoyment will bring us higher up, but in fact we fall when we do not use these objects correctly, that is for the love of God and the fulfillment of His will. And so to lose God, that is to sin gravely and mortally, is to be lied to, to be deceived. So too no one finds God unless he is purified by God’s sanctifying grace, which are poured out in the Sacraments and by God’s free gracious will. And hence too no one seeks God unless he is admonished by his own conscience or others who show to his mind that he has not found the felicity and joy he desired, but rather must go again and seek God.
O God, whom to abandon is to perish, whom to heed is to love, whom to see is to possess.
As we mentioned before, reflect and meditate on the fact that to abandon God is to die, to perish, to lose the life of one’s soul. Dread this feeling entirely and realize that every sin is a deception against the one true God who reigns forever and ever. Love Him first, obey Him in charity and you will be blessed. Then thus is our reward to see Him in the beatific vision in which God will completely possess our souls and hearts and to which our hearts shall remain possessed in Him.
O God, to whom Faith moves us, Hope raises us, Charity unites us.
It is faith, hope, and charity that are the crowning virtues of the soul that abides in God. Faith to move us towards God and to recognize Him, Hope to incline us to endeavor a relation to God, which in turn raises us up as we strive for God in our lives, and charity that unites the soul in God.
O God, through whom we overcome the enemy, Thee do I pray.
O God, by whom we are admonished to be ever watchful.
O God, through whom we discern the good from the evil.
O God, through whom we flee evil and follow after good.
O God, through whom we are not overcome by afflictions.
Hence the saint reminds us that in prayer we must pray to be united in charity with God and to do this we must keep His commandments, and in this way ever watchful against Satan who especially in this Lenten season is trying to deter us from following what is good and fleeing from what is evil. Let us pray that we are given protection this day from sin.
O God, through whom deprivations do not abase us.
O God, through whom what is better in us is not under the dominion of our lower self.
O God, through whom death is swallowed up in victory.
Let not deprivations in this life cause us great sorrow nor let our desires for more and more things other than God perturb us from loving God. It is in God that death is swallowed in victory, by His Resurrection He has conquered death and in the same manner He has granted the grace abundantly from His cross to give us hope in a life better than this one. So too with that grace let us be filled so that the better part of our souls the part that desires God be not overtaken by the other part that desires the lower goods in life.
O God, who makest us worthy to be heard.
O God, who strengthenest us; who leadest us into all truth.
O God, who speakest to us of all good things; who dost not drive us out of our mind, nor permittest that anyone else do so.
O God, who callest us back to the way; who leadest us to the gate; who grantest that it is opened to those who knock.
Truly then it is in the glory of God’s grace that He justifies us and sanctifies us in our lives so that it is more proper that God hear our prayers. He does not stoop down to hear our prayers, but rather lifts us up to Him. It is He who leads us into every truly good deed, and neither does He leave us to our own selves but is always leading us if we care to hear Him. He is the Good Shepherd and He will not lose a single one of His sheep.
O God, who givest us the bread of life.
O God, through whom we thirst for the cup, which when it is drunk we shall thirst no more.
Here we see the Eucharistic Christ who is the Bread of Life and the Saving Cup from which those who drink shall never thirst or hunger in their souls. Christ gives Himself totally in the Sacrament of Sacraments though there are many who do not receive Him worthily, not having gone to the Sacrament of Penance recently. But the infinite grace of Christ in the Sacrament passes through them like light through pollution, untainted, and effectual of producing whatever effect the Lord desires, whether the further condemnation of the sinner or the beginnings of his conversion.
O God, who dost convince the world of sin, of justice, and of judgment.
O God, through whom we are not shaken by those who have no faith.
O God, through whom we denounce the error of those who think that the merits of souls are naught before Thee.
O God, who dost cleanse us, who dost make us ready for divine rewards, graciously come to me.
It is God who will judge the world in the times to come and so we must flee to His mercy, little that we are, and in many ways vessels of wrath against the holy and just Lord. His mercy extends wider than sea to sea, and so we must flee to Him in our afflictions and sinfulness. This is why it is so important to pray especially in silence because many these days have no faith, or they do not share our Catholic faith. While we might spend countless hours debating them and some of us should, it is more important for all good Christians to go into their inner room and seek the joy and hope of God’s love. We do not have a God who ignores us, or does not care for us, but rather He has made us for Himself, and crafted our hearts to abide in Him, anything less will drive the heart to absurdity, corruption, and despair.
Therefore Lord make us worthy of your divine promises that we might live and abide in Your Sacred Heart, hoping in salvation by the bulwark of faith, with the final end of loving You for all eternity.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment