Yesterday, 06:43 AM
Chapter XXXI. How That Love Created and Excited by the Vision of the Supreme Being Doth Make Us to Love God and His Creatures According unto Their Conditions
Thus the love created and excited by the vision of the Supreme Being maketh us to know and love Him, to know and love His creatures according unto their conditions, and more or less according unto the inclination of the Supreme Being, for in no wise may it overstep the bounds of His will. Yet everything that is love is to be feared unless this love is given unto the soul by the Supreme God; but when God sendeth the vision of the Supreme Being, together with love due and sufficient unto Him, then is it safe, and even though it have other visions and revelations it doth not change.
Moreover, those who have had this ineffable vision of God are not only able to resist the sword of every unlawful love, but this close thinking upon God sufficeth to cast out the wickedness of every other kind of love.
The aforesaid vision of the Being uncreate doth not only bestow love uncreate, but it leaveth within the soul a love uncreate which preventeth the soul from working, inasmuch as it is wholly absorbed by the vision; but that which worketh is the love uncreate. It should be supposed that when this vision is given unto the soul, the soul worketh and desireth to be united as closely as possible with the Supreme Being; but then the love uncreate worketh within the soul and persuadeth it to forsake all creatures that it may be more closely united with itself. Wherefore doth this love uncreate do the works of the other love. The principle of such a love is to illuminate, and to awaken fresh desire. And, verily, the new love is the stronger, and for this the soul worketh nothing. But the love uncreate is the one which worketh all the good which we perform, whilst the evil which we do cometh of ourselves. All goodness cometh from love uncreate, not from ourselves.
And this is true humility and undoing of ourselves, that we should verily realise that we ourselves can work no good thing; and whosoever feeleth this hath the spirit of truth.
Thus the love created and excited by the vision of the Supreme Being maketh us to know and love Him, to know and love His creatures according unto their conditions, and more or less according unto the inclination of the Supreme Being, for in no wise may it overstep the bounds of His will. Yet everything that is love is to be feared unless this love is given unto the soul by the Supreme God; but when God sendeth the vision of the Supreme Being, together with love due and sufficient unto Him, then is it safe, and even though it have other visions and revelations it doth not change.
Moreover, those who have had this ineffable vision of God are not only able to resist the sword of every unlawful love, but this close thinking upon God sufficeth to cast out the wickedness of every other kind of love.
The aforesaid vision of the Being uncreate doth not only bestow love uncreate, but it leaveth within the soul a love uncreate which preventeth the soul from working, inasmuch as it is wholly absorbed by the vision; but that which worketh is the love uncreate. It should be supposed that when this vision is given unto the soul, the soul worketh and desireth to be united as closely as possible with the Supreme Being; but then the love uncreate worketh within the soul and persuadeth it to forsake all creatures that it may be more closely united with itself. Wherefore doth this love uncreate do the works of the other love. The principle of such a love is to illuminate, and to awaken fresh desire. And, verily, the new love is the stronger, and for this the soul worketh nothing. But the love uncreate is the one which worketh all the good which we perform, whilst the evil which we do cometh of ourselves. All goodness cometh from love uncreate, not from ourselves.
And this is true humility and undoing of ourselves, that we should verily realise that we ourselves can work no good thing; and whosoever feeleth this hath the spirit of truth.
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre