GRATIFYING[1] LOVE: FIRST OF ALL, IN WHAT IT CONSISTS
Love, as we have said earlier,[2] is nothing else than a movement and outpouring of the heart towards the good. It takes place through the delight which we have in the good. Hence delight is the great motive of love just as love is the great movement of delight.
Now, this movement is directed towards God in the following way. Through faith, we know that the Divinity is an unfathomable abyss of every perfection. It is supremely infinite in excellence and infinitely supreme in goodness. Faith teaches us this truth; we attentively reflect on it by meditation. We meditate on the immensity of goods that are in God. We do it either as the [harmonious] combination of all perfections together. Or we consider distinctly these perfections one after the other. For example,we reflect on his almighty power, his whole wisdom, his whole goodness, his eternity, his infinity. When we have applied our understanding with great concentration on the immensity of the goodness of this divine object, it is impossible that our will is not touched by delight in this good. Then we use our freedom and the authority we have over ourselves. We arouse our heart to respond and strengthen this first satisfaction by acts of approval and rejoicing. Then the devout person says: You are beautiful my love, ah, you are beautiful (Song 1: 15) you are altogether desirable (Song 5:16). Thus, you are desire itself. Such is my Beloved and he is the friend of my heart, O daughters of Jerusalem (Song 5:16). Blessed be forever my God because he is so good! Whether I die or live, I am extremely happy to know that my God is so rich in all goods. His goodness is so infinite and his infinity is so good.
We approve the good we see in God and we rejoice in it. Thus we make the act of love which we call gratifying [love]. For, we are pleased with the divine joy infinitely more than with our own. It was this love which gave so much satisfaction to the saints when they could speak about the perfection of their Beloved. It made them say that God is God with so much sweetness. Know, they said, that the Lord is God. (Ps 100: 3) O God, my God, my God, you are my God (Ps 22:1,2). I say to the Lord, you are my God (Ps 16:2) God of my heart and my God is the portion of my heritage for ever (Ps 73:26). Moreover, by it, our heart embraces him and make him our own. He is our heritage in so far as we, by this act, enjoy the goods which are in God. As from an inheritance, we draw every kind of happiness and satisfaction. By this delight, we eat and drink spiritually the perfections of the Divinity. For we make them our own and draw them into our heart.[3]
Jacob’s ewes drew into themselves the variety of colours which they saw in the trough in which they were given water as they bred in front of them. In fact, the little lambs [born] were found striped, speckled and spotted (Gen 30:37-39). Similarly, the human spirit is smitten with loving delight in meditating on the Divinity. In it is an infinity of perfections. It [the human spirit] also draws into its heart the colours, that is, the multitude of marvels and perfections which it contemplates. It makes them its own by the satisfaction which it takes in them.
My God, what joy we will have in heaven, Theotimus, when we see the Beloved of our hearts! He will be like a boundless ocean whose waters are only perfection and goodness! Then it is like the stags which were chased and hard pressed coming to a clear and fresh spring. They put their mouth into it and draw its fresh cool waters into themselves (Ps 42:1). In like manner, our hearts, after so much helplessness[4] and longings reach the strong and living source of the Divinity (Ps 42:2). They will draw [into themselves] by their delight [gratifying love] all the perfections of the Beloved. The rejoicing with which they delight in them [perfections] will gain them perfect enjoyment. Thus they shall fill themselves with everlasting delights. Thus the beloved Spouse will enter within us as in his own home[5] to communicate his eternal joy to our spirit. In fact, he himself has said (Jn 14:23) if we keep the holy law of his love, he will come and make his home within us. Such is the sweet and noble theft of love. Without taking away the colours of the Beloved, it colours itself with his colours. Without stripping him of his robe, it puts on his robe. Without taking anything from him, it takes all that he has. Without impoverishing him, it enriches itself with all his goods. It is like the air which takes the light without reducing the original brightness of the sun. Similarly, it is like the mirror which reflects the grace of the face without diminishing that of the person whom it reflects.
The Prophet, speaking about the wicked, says: They have been made detestable as the things which they loved (Hos 9:10). We may say the same about good people: They became lovable as the things they loved. See, I entreat you, the heart of St. Claire of Montefalco.[6] It took immense delight in the passion of the Saviour and in meditation on the most Holy Trinity. Hence, it drew within itself all the marks of the passion and a wonderful image of the Trinity. Thus it was made to the likeness of the things it loved. The love which the great apostle St. Paul had for the life, passion and the death of our Lord was extremely great. So [this love] drew the life itself, the passion and death of this divine Saviour into the heart of his loving servant. His will was filled with them by affection, his memory by meditation and his understanding by contemplation.
But by which channel and outlet did the gentle Jesus come into the heart of St. Paul? By the channel of gratifying love as he himself declares: May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal 6:14). If you distinguish well between glorying in a person and delighting in [him or her] taking glory and taking pleasure in a thing, there is no difference except this: He who glories in a thing adds pleasure to honour. Honour is not without pleasure, although pleasure can be without honour. This person had such a delight and felt himself so honoured in the divine goodness which shone brilliantly in the life, passion and death of the Saviour. So he took no pleasure except in this honour. It is this that made him say: May I never boast of anything except the cross of my Saviour; He also said that he did not live for himself, but Jesus Christ lived in him (Gal 2:20).
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[1] The French word complaisance has different connotations. Dom Mackey renders it as “complacency”, John K Ryan “complacence” and Vincent Kerns “gratifying". We have preferred the term “gratifying" for the following reasons: Though one of the meanings of “complacence" is “pleasing, pleasant, delightful," a special emphasis is on “being pleased with oneself, one’s own condition or doing", “self-satisfaction". On the contrary “gratification" means: “the action of gratifying, or being gratified, satisfaction; the giving pleasure; doing a favour." “Gratifying’’ means: “affording pleasure, pleasing, satisfying." See The Oxford English Dictionary, Vol II. C and Vol. IV, F - G. There is no negative sense of “self-satisfaction". Moreover, the right kind of satisfaction is the starting point of love according to St Francis de Sales. Hence we have preferred the term “Gratifying".
[2] Bk I Ch.7
[3] It implies that our delight in God’s perfections that is, gratifying love is progressively transforming us into the likeness of God. As we absorb his perfections, we become more loving, merciful, forgiving etc,.
[4] Langueur (French) and literally languor (English). It is difficult to translate. “Helplessness” seems to be preferable as part of the mystical experience of the inability to reach God. Weakness could also result from it.
[5] Literally, as in his nuptial bed
[6] An Augustinian abbess (1275-1308).