The Abiding Presence of the Holy Ghost in the SoulJarrett, Bede
Religion
The Abiding Presence of the Holy Ghost in the Soul
Jarrett, Bede
Holy Spirit; Presence of God
of it, life and death, pleasure alike and pain, yield up to me
their secrets and disclose the hidden name of God.
3. Here, then, I can find that divine wealth, to inherit which has
been the purpose of the adoption by God. Wherever I turn I shall
find Him. Whether life has smooth ways or rough, whether she hangs
my path with lights or hides me in gloom, I am the heir to all
that earth or sea or sky can boast of as their possession. Indeed,
these are only the rich things of God, whereas I have a claim upon
even more. I have a claim upon the very source of this wealth,
that is, upon God Himself, for He is the sole source of all His
greatness. I have a right to God Himself. He is mine. He Who holds
in the hollow of His hands the fabric of the world, Who with His
divine power supports, and with His providence directs, the
intricate pattern of the world, has Himself by creation entered
deeply into the world; at the heart of everything He lies hid. But
even more by grace He comes in a fuller, richer way into the
depths of the soul. Here in me are Father, and Son, and Spirit.
Dear God, teach me to understand the wonder of this indwelling, to
appreciate its worth, to be thankful for its condescension, to
reverence its place of choice, to be conscious of its perpetual
upholding. By it I am an heir to the fullness of the divine
riches. By it I, a creature, possess in His fullness my Creator,
Redeemer, Lord.
GUIDANCE IN SPIRITUAL LIFE
1. I have God the Holy Spirit with me. He comes to me in order
that I may surrender myself to Him. Of course I cannot merge my
personality in His to the extent of having no power of my own, but
God has such infinite dominion over the heart of man that He is
able to move the will, without in any sense whatever violating its
freedom. In the liturgy of the Church there are two or three
prayers which speak about God "compelling our rebellious wills."
Now for anyone else to "compel my will" would be to destroy it as
a will, since, as even Cromwell freely confessed, "the will
suffereth no compulsion"; I cannot be made to will against my
will. That would be a contradiction, though I can be made to act
against my will, for my actions do not necessarily imply that my
will is in them. Whereas, then, no one else can move my will
without utterly destroying my moral freedom, God can, for He is
intimate to the will and moves it, not really as an external but
as an internal power. St. Thomas Aquinas repeatedly refers to this
and says over and over again the same thing, namely, that God is
so intimately united to man, and so powerful, that not only can He
move man to will, but move him to will freely by affecting, not
only the action of man, but the very mode of the action.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account