" I BELIEVE IN LOVE"---Day Three---Humble Confidence

[Dawn Marie]

Excerpts from the book “I believe in love”.

By Father Jean C.J. d’Elbee

DAY 3

PART ONE

HUMBLE CONFIDENCE

YOU MUST BELIEVE IN THE LOVE OF JESUS FOR YOU.   LOVE CALLS FOR LOVE.  HOW DO YOU GIVE JESUS LOVE FOR LOVE?   BEFORE ALL AND ABOVE ALL BY YOUR CONFIDENCE IN HIM.

THIS WORD, CONFIDENCE, SUMMARIZES THE THREE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES: FAITH HOPE AND CHARITY-SOVEREIGN VIRTUES WHICH BRING ALL OTHERS IN THEIR TRAIN.

LITTLE THERESE UNDERSTOOD THAT IT IS OUR STATE OF MISERY WHICH ATTRACTS HIS MERCY.  BEFORE HER ST. PAUL WROTE, “GLADLY, THEREFORE WILL I GLORY IN MY INFIRMITIES, THAT THE POWER OF CHRIST MAY DWELL IN ME.”

HOW PROFOUND IS THE THEOLOGY OF ST. PAUL!  HE GLORIES IN HIS INFIRMITIES, HE REJOICES IN BEING WEAK, BECAUSE JESUS IS THERE.

FOR IT IS THIS CONFIDENCE AND NOTHING BUT CONFIDENCE, WHICH WILL OPEN THE ARMS OF JESUS TO YOU SO THAT HE WILL BEAR YOU UP.  CONFIDENCE WILL BE FOR YOU THE GOLDEN KEY TO HIS HEART.

IN HER DESIRE TO BE HOLY, AND COMPARING HERSELF TO THE SAINTS, LITTLE THERESE SAID THAT THERE WAS, BETWEEN THEM AND HERSELF, THE SAME DIFFERENCE AS BETWEEN A MOUNTAIN WHOSE SUMMIT IS LOST IN THE HEAVENS AND AN OBSCURE GRAIN OF SAND , TRAMPLED UNDER THE FEET OF PASSERSBY.  RATHER THAN BECOME DISCOURAGED, SHE THOUGHT:

"THE GOOD GOD WOULD NOT INSPIRE UNATTAINABLE DESIRES; I CAN, THEN, IN SPITE OF MY LITTLENESS, ASPIRE TO SANCTITY.  FOR ME TO BECOME GREATER IS IMPOSSIBLE; I MUST PUT UP WITH MYSELF JUST AS I AM WITH ALL MY IMPERFECTIONS.

BUT I WISH TO FIND THE WAY TO GO TO HEAVEN BY A VERY STRAIGHT, SHORT, COMPLETELY NEW LITTLE WAY.  WE ARE IN A CENTURY OF INVENTIONS; NOW ONE DOES NOT EVEN HAVE TO TAKE THE TROUBLE TO CLIMB THE STEPS OF A STAIRWAY, AN ELEVATOR REPLACES THEM NICELY.

I TOO WOULD LIKE TO FIND AN ELEVATOR TO LIFT ME UP TO JESUS, FOR I AM TOO LITTLE TO CLIMB THE ROUGH STAIRWAY OF PERFECTION."

 

ALL THE THEOLOGY OF LITTLE THERESE, WHICH ECHOS THAT OF ST. PAUL, IS SUMMARIZED AND PUT AT OUR DISPOSAL IN THESE LINES, WHICH WE COULD MEDITATE ENDLESSLY WITHOUT EXHAUSTING THEIR RICHNESS.

 

"WHAT I CANNOT DO MYSELF, JESUS WILL DO.  HE WILL TAKE ME AND LIFT ME UP TO THE SUMMIT OF THE MOUNTAIN OF PERFECTION, TO THE SUMMIT OF THE MOUNTAIN OF LOVE."

 

 

[Alan]

Amen

[Jane Darrow]

That's very helpful for me, thank you. God bless.

[Flavia Talladen Schott]

I TOO WOULD LIKE TO FIND AN ELEVATOR TO LIFT ME UP TO JESUS, FOR I AM TOO LITTLE TO CLIMB THE ROUGH STAIRWAY OF PERFECTION."

 Amen.

[Alley]

With love +  :)

[AURA CID L F FERREIRA DE BRITTO]

"WHAT I CANNOT DO MYSELF, JESUS WILL DO. 

HE WILL TAKE ME AND LIFT ME UP TO THE SUMMIT OF THE MOUNTAIN OF PERFECTION,

TO THE SUMMIT OF THE MOUNTAIN OF LOVE."

†Amen†

[bernadette szczepkowski]

Amen+

[AnnaMaria]

AMEN

[Nicola Wansink]

AMEN>

[Dawn Marie]

YOU MUST BELIEVE IN THE LOVE OF JESUS FOR YOU.   LOVE CALLS FOR LOVE.  HOW DO YOU GIVE JESUS LOVE FOR LOVE?   BEFORE ALL AND ABOVE ALL BY YOUR CONFIDENCE IN HIM.

[Michael]

Amen.