thy joy would be double; for thou wouldst rejoice not less for him than for thyself. But if two, three, or a still greater number should partake of the same, thou wouldst rejoice as much for each one as for thyself, if thou shouldst love each as thyself. Therefore in this perfected love of innumerable happy angels and men, where no one will love each other less than himself, each one will in like manner rejoice for the other as for himself. If, therefore, the heart of man can scarcely contain its own joy, arising from this great good, how will it find room for the aggregate of such joys? And, indeed, since the more any one loves another, the more he will rejoice in his good; and since in this state of perfect felicity each will love God incomparably more than himself, and all others with him, so he will rejoice more beyond conception, in the felicity of God than in that of himself and of all others with him. But if they shall love God with all the heart, with all the mind and all the soul, so that all the heart and all the mind and all the soul would, notwithstanding, be insufficient for the greatness of their love; surely they will so rejoice with all the heart, with all the mind and with all the soul that the whole heart and mind and soul would be insufficient for the fulness of their joy. Whether This Is the Fulness of Joy Which the Lord hath Promised My God and my Lord, my Hope, and the Joy of my heart, say to my soul, if this is the joy concerning which thou hast spoken to us through thy Son, "Ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." For I have found a fulness of joy, and more than a fulness; for after it has filled the entire man, heart, mind, and soul, a fulness of joy beyond all measure will still remain. It is not, therefore, that all this joy will enter into those who rejoice, but all who are to rejoice will enter into this joy. Say, O Lord, say to the inmost heart of thy servant, if this is the joy into which thy servants are to enter, who enter into the joy of their Lord. But surely this joy in which the chosen shall rejoice neither eye hath seen, nor ear heard, nor hath the heart of man conceived. Therefore, O Lord, I have not as yet told, or even conceived, how great will be their joy who are blest of thee. Their joy will, indeed, be in proportion to their love, and their love will be in proportion to their knowledge. To what extent, then, O Lord, will they know thee, and how much will they love thee? Surely eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath the heart of man conceived in this life, the extent to which they will know and love thee in the life to come O Lord, I beseech thee, let me enter into the joy of the Lord who is God, three and one, blessed for ever! AMEN. A Prayer of Charles How My adorable God, I humbly beseech thee to accept the sacrifice I here, in all humility, desire to make thee, of the remainder of my life; to be entirely employed, with the utmost vigor both of my soul and body, in thy service and adoration. Pardon all the sins and offenses of my past life, and be pleased to bestow upon me a stedfast faith, an ardent love, an humble and perfect obedience, and a will capable of no other inclination than what it shall continually receive from the absolute guidance of thy divine will; to which I beg it may be ever perfectly subservient, with all readiness and cheerfulness. As all my thoughts and actions are continually before thee, so I humbly beseech thee that they may never be unworthy of thy divine presence, for Jesus Christ's sake. AMEN. A Prayer of Ludovicus Palamo O Lord, forasmuch as all my strength is in thee, grant unto me this grace, that I may allow thee to do whatsoever thou wilt; and that my doing may be to lie still in thy hand, that thou mayest do with me that thing only which is most pleasing to thee. Do thou adorn me with holy virtues, giving unto me humbleness of mind, purity of heart, and all those gifts and graces which thou knowest to be needful for me, and whatsoever thou wouldst have to be in me, whether in body or soul; that so I may be able the better to please thee, the more worthily and faithfully to serve thee, and the more perfectly to love thee. I pray, moreover, that thou wouldst give me grace to arrive at that degree of perfection which thou willest me to reach, and grant unto me the aids and dispositions needful for its attainment. AMEN. |