Every pious person is certainly keen on attaining God’s love; but how can we attain that ?
· We should first be sure of the fact that God is the only Being who we can never dispense with, neither in this life nor in the life to come.
In every step you need God’s protection; in every way you need the divine help. You are in need of the divine guidance especially when the ways branch and the matters get complicated. Remember the words of the Lord, “Without Me you can do nothing.” (Jn 15: 5)
The life with God implants peace within the heart, keeps man away from fear and gives him trust in God.
So, since you cannot dispense with God and He is necessary for your life, you ought to have a relationship with Him. And if such a relationship attains to love, you will have familiarity with Him when you seek Him. Even if you do not seek Him, He will do everything good for you according to His good will. You also will be comfortable and have peace in having your life in His hands.
Never think that you are able to dispense with God and separate yourself from Him depending on your mind and your knowledge, experience, and power! This may cut off any relationship you have with God, and you may even feel that you have no need for prayer.
Time will come when you fall in tribulation, then you will wake up.
Then you will seek God and say to Him: “O Lord, I cannot dispense with You. I need you in all my hardships, or rather I need first to reconcile with You, to restore my relationship with You, or to establish a new relationship with You.” God with then hear, have compassion, and respond to lead you to His love. I fear that you need tribulations and trials that you may attain to God’s love!!
· To attain to God’s love you should keep away from any contrary love and from all worldly lusts.
The apostle describes the love of the world as represented in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 Jn 2: 16), and further says, “ If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him … and the world is passing away, and the lust of it.” (1 Jn 2: 15, 17) Therefore, due to the importance of this matter, the church repeats in every Mass after the reading of the “Catholicon” the words, “Do not love the world or the things in the world.” (1 Jn 2: 15) Indeed, for as St. James says, “Friendship with the world is enmity with God.” (Jas 4: 4)
You cannot worship two lords or serve two masters (Mt 6: 24); either God’s love or the love of the world.
The more the love of the world increases, the less your love for God will become. The opposite is true: The more you love God, the less will be your love for the world. All that is in the world and all its lusts will be trivial in your sight as St. Paul says, “I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him.” (Phil 3: 8, 9)
The church reached the utmost degree of love in the epoch of martyrdom. This went side by side with renouncing the world.
Whoever desires things of the world will desire to stay in it, but whoever renounces the world and its lusts will desire to be released from it to be with Christ, which is far better (Phil 1 : 23). Therefore, for such love, they desired to be martyred. The voices of praises and prayers filled their prisons as we read about Paul and Silas while in jail in Philippi (Acts 16: 25).
We also read in the story of the martyrdom of St. Ignatius of Antioch, that when he was sent by the rulers to Rome to be cast to the hungry lions and the Christian Romans wanted to save him, the saint sent them a letter saying: “I fear that your love causes me harm!”
He had a desire to die that he might meet with God.
On the other hand, a person whose desires are confined to the world will say with the foolish rich man, “I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” (Lk 12: 18, 19) That rich man did not have God in his mind nor on his tongue, because his heart was attached to his property, his stores, and his earthly goods.
Truly said the Lord, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mt 6: 21; Lk 12: 34)
Where then is your treasure, my brother?
Is it on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal (Mt 6: 19)? Are your treasures confined to the lusts of the world and its titles, glories, and pleasures? Is your heart there also? If so, it will be empty from God and from His love. He no more will have part in your heart, for it has turned to the world.
Can you enjoy the world as Solomon did?!
Solomon had gardens and orchards, male and female servants, male and female singers, the treasures of kings, and whatever his eyes desired he did not keep from them (Eccl 2: 4- 10) but his heart was not loyal to the Lord as was the heart of his father David (1 kgs 11: 4). He strayed and deserved the punishment which continued with his seed.
However, in spite of all such pleasures which Solomon enjoyed, he said finally, “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.”(Eccl 2: 11)
Do not then let the lusts of the world dwell in your heart, for the wide gate does not lead to the kingdom (Mt 7: 13).
The pleasures of the world will not lead you to God but will rather take you away far, and the love of the world will shake your thoughts and principles. It will make you argue concerning those principles and will inquire if you can do such and such things or enjoy such and such. You will start a series of bargaining concerning principles and values!! The reason is that your love for God has decreased.
That was the tragedy of Demas who forsook Paul the Apostle, having loved the present world (2 Tim 4: 9). That was also the tragedy of many who Paul the Apostle mentioned, “Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame – who set their mind on earthly things.” (Phil 3: 18, 19)
You may perhaps say: But I live in the world!
Yes, it is true that you live in the world, but do not let the world live within you, as St. Paul says that those who use this world should be as not using it, for the form of this world is passing away ( 1 Cor 7: 31). You ought to live in the world as a stranger as our holy fathers did: They confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth… they desired a better, that is, a heavenly country (Heb 11: 13, 16). Some of them had property and possessions, but money never ruled over them, for their hearts were wholly attached to God.
You ought then have the feeling that God alone fills your heart.
He alone ought to be in your depths, in the depth of your mind and heart. Any other love ought to be external and passing. It may only have depth if originating from God’s love, not conflicting with it. You ought to love whatever increases your love for God and attaches you to Him. Be aware of any feelings that may enter your heart. See if they conform with God’s love or not, and practice control over them. Do not deceive yourself or change your measures.
Discuss with yourself how far you are attached to material and fleshly things.
Your love for God is the opposite way of all such things. Remember that man’s first sin began when he acquired a desire conflicting with God’s love and commandment. Discuss with yourself what other types of love do compete God’s love in your heart, and how to rid yourself of them. Here we have to consider:
Do we have to fight any such love to let God’s love enter our hearts, or to start with God’s love which will itself remove away any other love?
Certainly any of the two ways will lead to the other. If you are aware that any other love conflicting with God’s love is passing, sinful, and evil, you will forsake it and God’s love will reign over your heart. And if God’s grace works in you and His love is poured in your heart by the Holy Spirit (Rom 5: 5), His love will remove away any opposing love. You are required to love God with all your heart, your soul, and with all your strength (Deut 6: 5).
Ask yourself if your whole heart is God’s, or a part of it is away from Him! Be aware that you cannot gather between two contradicting types of love, for as the Scripture says there is no communion between righteousness and sin, not between light and darkness.
Would that you be aware that the world is passing and trivial. I advise you to read the Book of Ecclesiastes with understanding! May God be with you!
Many are the means that lead you to God’s love! They need many articles to expound them, which we shall do in the coming articles – God willing.