Saturday 16 August 2014

 In our search for Truth many of our movies carry themes that the lives of Christians envelope and demonstrate.

It is interesting to expand these themes in the writings of the Saints , for example here is an exert from the writings of St Bernard of Clairvaux in his On Loving God writings.
 ( email me for more info prayinginthefire @gmail.com or call 647-201-2150 )
Here St Bernard discusses the the issue of truth in how to love God above all things.

Even as the Preacher says, and the fool discovers, "He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver" (Ecclesiastes 5:10). But Christ says, "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6).

Righteousness is the natural and essential food of the soul, which can no more be satisfied by earthly treasures than the hunger of the body can be satisfied by air. If you should see a starving man standing with mouth open to the wind, inhaling draughts of air as if in hope of gratifying his hunger, you would think him lunatic. But it is no less foolish to imagine that the soul can be satisfied with worldly things which only inflate it without feeding it. What have spiritual gifts to do with carnal appetites, or carnal with spiritual? Praise the Lord, O my soul: who satisfies your mouth with good things (Psalm 103:1ff). He bestows bounty immeasurable; he provokes thee to good, he preserves you in goodness; he comes before, he sustains, he fills thee. He moves you to longing, and it is he for whom you long.
I have said already that the motive for loving God is God himself. And I spoke truly, for he is as well the efficient cause as the final object of our love. He gives the occasion for love, he creates the affection, he brings the desire to good effect. He is such that love to him is a natural due; and so hope in him is natural, since our present love would be vain did we not hope to love him perfectly some day. Our love is prepared and rewarded by His. He loves us first, out of His great tenderness; then we are bound to repay him with love; and we are permitted to cherish exultant hopes in him. "He is rich unto all that call upon him" (Romans 10:12), yet he has no gift for them better than himself. He gives himself as prize and reward: he is the refreshment of holy soul, the ransom of those in captivity.
"The Lord is good unto them that wait for him" (Lamentations 3:25).
What will he be then to those who gain His presence? But here is a paradox, that no one can seek the Lord who has not already found him. It is Thy will, O God, to be found that thou mayest be sought, to be sought that thou mayest the more truly be found. But though thou canst be sought and found, thou canst not be forestalled. For if we say, "Early shall my prayer come before thee" (Psalm 88:13), yet doubtless all prayer would be lukewarm unless it was animated by thine inspiration.

No comments:

Post a Comment