Love is a sort of trickle down Divine economy. It begins with the Heart pierced on Calvary and, if we allow it, flows into our own.
A Rosary Meditation … The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery, the Crucifixion. “It is not so essential to think much as to love much.” St Teresa of Jesus, OCD.
Lots of folks put a great deal of mental energy into trying to figure out the workings of God. The question seems always to be “Why, Why, WHY?” The answer could be as simple as “Why not?” I love Carmelite spirituality. A priest told me once, (and he is Vincentian, not Carmelite) that many religious orders and their founders devised complicated methods of approaching God while the Carmelites simplified the issue and just love God. Simplicity really is a key to true spirituality. It is. And most of those methods the priest I refer to was referring to? They tend, over time, to draw a person away from the complexities of the world and foster a simplicity that works for the individual in their relationship with God. And isn’t our relationship with Him what real spirituality is all about? So now we’ve returned to the simplicity of loving God, haven’t we? And this simple loving originates where? Does it come from us? No, I don’t think so. Look at how complicated we’ve made the world and living in it. People complicate stuff, pure and simple. Pure and simple is what Jesus is, isn’t it? God is love, isn’t He? And so this is where the simplicity of pure love without complicated trappings comes from. It doesn’t take much thought, thought gums up the works when over indulged in. It doesn’t take much thought, but it does take much heart. Greatness of heart. And that originates with the Heart pierced on Calvary, the Loving Heart Crucified. Love is no more complicated than two beams of wood and a handful of nails. You needn’t think about that too much, you just need to take it to heart.
Today …
St. Veronica Giuliani was a Capuchin mystic who had many spiritual gifts. A native of Binasco, near Milan, Italy, born in 1660, she entered the Capuchins at Citttidi Castello, Umbria, in 1677. She remained there for the rest of her life and served as novice mistress for thirty-four years. A mystic, she was the recipient of a stigmata in 1697. God also blessed her with visions, the accounts of which are quite detailed. She impressed her fellow nuns by remaining remarkably practical despite her numerous ecstatic experiences. Veronica was named abbess of the convent in 1716, remaining in that role until her death. She is called one of the most extraordinary mystics of her era. And if it weren’t for love of the cross we’d never have heard of her.
Consider … “How happy I am to see myself imperfect and be in need of God’s mercy.”
St Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, OCD.
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