Daily Thought For September 17, 2015

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The Joy of Living by Faith

The presence of the Holy Spirit in our souls demands that we know, that we have the firm conviction of his indwelling, of our living under his very glance, of his seeking our own glance. How sweet to live in the light of that mutual glance!—a light so penetrating at times that it seems to plunge into the bosom of God, so bright that it resembles the dawn of the eternal day, so gentle that it seems to radiate from heaven. Then life is easy and pleasant in the depths of the soul, in loving intimacy with the divine Guest.

 At times, however, the soul’s heaven grows dark, and in the great stretches of solitude the person cannot find a single ray of light or a vestige of the former delight. It seems that the heart is empty, that the soul has lost its priceless treasure. How difficult it is to be recollected. At such times the hours pass with tedium, and with what bitterness the soul drags itself along the path that leads to God! But in the midst of these necessary difficulties of the spiritual life, there is something that does not change nor end, something very solid that does not permit the soul to get lost, and which, like a sure compass, marks out its divine course. It is faith that always reveals the divine to us wherever it is. It is faith that makes us look at the delightful Guest, both in the shadows of desolation and in the full, heavenly brilliance of consolation.

 The Scriptures tell us that “The one who is righteous will live by faith” (Rom 1:17). For this reason Saint John of the Cross recommends so emphatically, for souls aspiring to union with God, this life of faith as the straight and sure path to the summit.

 Our devotion to the Holy Spirit, then, must be founded on faith. It is the basis of the Christian life. It accomplishes our first communication with God, and it initiates our intimacy with the Holy Spirit, producing in our soul that glance which unites us with the Spirit of Light called by the Church “Most blessed Light! Most happy Light!”

Martinez, L. (2011). Secrets of the Spirit: Wisdom from Luis Martinez. (G. Santos, Ed.) (pp. 44–46). Boston, MA: Pauline Books & Media.

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