HOW LOVE REALIZES THE UNION OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT WITH GOD IN PRAYER
Here we are not discussing the union in general of the heart with God. Instead, we are concerned with some special acts and movements of the soul recollected in God. It is done by way of prayer to unite and join itself more and more closely to divine goodness. There is, indeed, a difference between uniting and joining one thing to another and pressing and squeezing one thing against another or over another. To unite or to join, we need only a simple placing of one thing close to another so that they touch each other or they are together. Thus we join vine to young elms and jasmine to vine-trellises of arbours which we make in the garden. But to press and squeeze, a more intense application is necessary which increases and strengthens union. Hence to press is to join intimately and strongly like the ivy we see joining to the trees. For it not only joins itself but presses and squeezes itself so strongly into them so that it penetrates and enters into their barks.
We are not to leave out the comparison of the love of the little children towards their mothers because of its innocence and purity. Look at this beautiful little child to whom its mother, sitting down, offers her breast. The child casts itself with vigour, into her arms. It gathers and adjusts its whole little body in this bosom and on this lovable breast. See also how its mother responds mutually as she receives the child and presses it. We may say that she holds the baby very close to her bosom. She kisses it joining her mouth to its mouth. See again this little baby attracted by the maternal caresses. From its part, it cooperates with this union between it and its mother. The child also tightens itself and presses, as far as it can do by itself, on the breast and face of its mother. It seems that it wishes to sink entirely and hide in this pleasant bosom from which it came.
Now, Theotimus, this union is perfect. It is a single union. But it does not cease to proceed from the mother and the child. All the same, it is in such a way that it depends solely on the mother. For she has attracted the child to her, held it and first squeezed it in her arms and pressed it to her bosom. The strength of the baby is not so great as to squeeze and hold itself very strongly to its mother. Yet this poor little child, on its part, does what it can and joins itself with all its strength to the maternal bosom. The baby not only consents to this sweet union which its mother realizes but also contributes its feeble efforts with all its heart. I said feeble efforts because they are so weak. They are like attempts at union and not union itself.
So also Theotimus, Our Lord shows the most lovable bosom of his divine love to the devout human spirit. He draws it completely to himself, picks it up. It is as if he encloses all the powers of the soul in the more than maternal bosom of his sweetness. Then burning with love, he holds the soul tight, unites it to himself, presses and glues it to his lips of sweetness and to his delicious breast. He kisses it with the sacred kiss of his mouth, making it taste his bosom better than wine (Song 1:1). Then the soul, attracted by the delights of his favours, not only consents and yields itself to the union made by God, but also cooperates with all its strength. It makes effort to unite and press itself more and more to the divine goodness. Even so the soul is fully aware that its union and binding intimacy with this supreme sweetness depends entirely on divine action. Without it, the soul is not able to make even the least attempt at union with him.
We see people gaze at an object of exquisite beauty with great earnestness. We see them listen to a sweet melody with rapt attention or a great speech with great concentration. Then we say that this beauty there holds the eyes of spectators glued to it. This music holds the ears of the listeners captivated. This discourse stirs the hearts of the audience. What does it mean to say to hold the eyes glued to, the ears captivated and the hearts stirred? Is it not to unite and fasten very intensely the senses and powers of which are mentioned to their objects? The human spirit clings itself and presses itself to its object when it loves it with intense affection. For clinging is nothing else than progress and intensification of union and relationship. We use this same word in our language even in moral matters. For instance, he urges me to do this or that. He urges me to remain. It means that he not only makes use of his persuasion, request, but also uses it with eagerness and earnestness. The pilgrims of Emmaus did like this. They not only prayed to our Lord but also urged and strongly pressed him forcing him with a loving violence to stay at the lodge with them (Lk 24:29).
Now in prayer, often union takes place by way of little but frequent ardent longings and progress of the soul in God. You may notice little children united and joined to the breast of their mothers. You will see that time to time they press and clasp themselves closer by little movements which the pleasure of sucking gives them. Thus, in prayer, a heart united to God, many times strengthens and recharges this union by movements with which it presses and clings all the more to this loving kindness of God. As for example, the soul has remained in this feeling of union for a long time. By this union, the soul has sweetly tasted how happy it is for it to belong to God. Finally it increases this union by pressing and raising the heart to God with enthusiasm. “O, Lord," the human spirit says, “I am all yours, entirely, wholly yours without exception" or “ Ah, Lord, I am sure of it and I want to be always more". Or by way of prayer, “O, Sweet Jesus, draw me always more and more into your heart. Thus may your love swallow me up and may I be fully overwhelmed by its sweetness”.
At other times, union is not achieved through repeated longings. Instead, it takes place by way of continual, imperceptible urgings and progress of the heart into divine goodness. We see a big, heavy mass of lead or bronze or stone, even though no one pushes it down, sinks down, pushes and presses down the ground on which it is placed. Thus in the course of time, we find it entirely [in the earth]. It is on account of the pull of its weight, which by its heaviness made it tend to the centre. Similarly, our heart once united with God, if it continues in this union and nothing distracts it, goes on sinking deeper continually by an unseen union till it is fully in God. It is due to the sacred tendency which holy love gives to the soul to unite always more and more with the supreme good. For as the great apostle of France [St. Denis] said, “Love is a unifying virtue”. It means that love leads to perfect union with the supreme good. It is an unquestionable truth that divine love, as long as we are in this world, is a movement. Or at least, it is a habit leading to activity. Even when it has reached simple union, it does not cease to act though unnoticeably, for increasing and perfecting it more and more.
There are trees which are to be transplanted. After they are transplanted, they extend their roots. They thrust them into the bosom of the earth which is their home and food. No one notices it when it takes place but only when it has been done. From the world, the human heart is transplanted in God by heavenly love. If it earnestly practises prayer it will certainly spread itself continually. It will penetrate the divinity uniting itself more and more to its goodness. But growth is not noticed. We do not see the progress while it is being made but after it is made.
You drink some delicious liquid, for example, imperial water.[1] If so, it simply unites with you as you drink it. For drinking and union are one and the same thing in this case. But soon, little by little, this union increases by a progress unnoticeable to the senses. For the power of this water progresses, penetrates all parts of the body. It refreshes the brain, energizes the heart and will, extend its strength to your whole person. It is the same with the feeling of love. Take for example, the expression “How good God is!" After it enters into the heart, first of all it realizes union with this goodness. On keeping it a little longer, like a precious perfume it penetrates all the aspects of the soul. It spreads and permeates our will. This expression, so to say, incorporates itself into our heart. It joins itself and spreads to all parts more and more in us and uniting ourselves to him.
The great David teaches us this when he compares the word of God to honey (Ps 119:103). The sweetness of honey unites itself more and more with our sense of taste by a continual increase of relishing it. When we keep it long in our mouth or swallow it simply, its taste penetrates deeper our sense of taste. Who does not know this? It is this same sentiment of heavenly goodness that is expressed in the exclamation of St. Bruno, “O Goodness!”It is the same for St. Thomas: “My Lord and my God’ (Jn 20:28) and for Magdalene: Ah, My Master (Jn 20:6). The same may be said of St. Francis [Assisi]: “My God and my all".[2] This feeling, I assure, remaining a little longer in a loving heart expands it, extends itself and penetrates deeper by an intimate penetration of the spirit. It permeates the heart more and more with all its taste. It is nothing else than growing in union. It is like a precious ointment or balm falling on a piece of cotton. It mixes itself and unites itself with it more and more and little by little. Finally we are not able to say any longer whether the cotton is perfumed or it is the perfume.
Nor we can say whether the perfume is cotton or cotton is perfume. O, how happy is the person who in the tranquility of his or her heart preserves lovingly the sacred awareness of the presence of God! For, his or her union with divine goodness will increase perpetually though imperceptibly. It will permeate the whole heart with infinite sweetness.
When I speak in this place of the sacred feeling of the presence of God, I do not mean sense-awareness. Instead, it is about the feeling of divine presence which resides in the very apex, the supreme point of the human spirit. There divine love reigns and does its principal practices.
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[1] Cream of tartar flavoured with lemons and sweetened (Kerns, TLG, P.272)
[2] TLG Bk VI, Ch. 5.