Knowing God With the Heart of Love

π•Ύπ–”π–’π–Š π–™π–π–Šπ–”π–—π–Žπ–Šπ–˜ π–†π–—π–Š π–˜π–•π–‘π–Šπ–“π–‰π–Žπ–‰ 𝖆𝖓𝖉 π–˜π–”π–•π–π–Žπ–˜π–™π–Žπ–ˆπ–†π–™π–Šπ–‰ π–‡π–šπ–™ π–˜π–” π–”π–‡π–›π–Žπ–”π–šπ–˜π–‘π–ž π–”π–šπ–™ 𝖔𝖋 π–™π–”π–šπ–ˆπ– π–œπ–Žπ–™π– π–—π–Šπ–†π–‘π–Žπ–™π–ž 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 π–”π–“π–‘π–ž π–ˆπ–‘π–Šπ–›π–Šπ–— π–•π–Šπ–”π–•π–‘π–Š π–ˆπ–†π–“ π–‡π–Šπ–‘π–Žπ–Šπ–›π–Š π–Žπ–“ π–™π–π–Šπ–’. β€œπ•Ώπ–π–Š π–Šπ–žπ–Š 𝖔𝖋 π–™π–π–Š π–œπ–Žπ–˜π–Š 𝖒𝖆𝖓 π–˜π–Šπ–Šπ–˜ π–œπ–π–†π–™ π–Žπ–˜ π–™π–π–Šπ–—π–Š, π–‡π–šπ–™ π–™π–π–Š π–’π–Žπ–“π–‰ 𝖔𝖋 π–™π–π–Š π–ˆπ–”π–“π–ˆπ–Šπ–Žπ–™π–Šπ–‰ π–ˆπ–”π–’π–•π–”π–˜π–Šπ–˜ π–π–žπ–•π–”π–™π–π–Šπ–˜π–Šπ–˜.” 𝕡𝖔𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖓 π•Ώπ–”π–‡π–Žπ–†π–˜ π•­π–Šπ–ˆπ– (πŸπŸ–πŸŽπŸ’-πŸπŸ–πŸ•πŸ–)

β€œLove must first open the door of the heart so that it may be persuaded of the truth of God’s grace and glory.”

Mine is just a feeble echo of a much wiser, spirited & courageous man – β€œIt is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” ― Antoine de Saint-ExupΓ©ry, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 π‘³π’Šπ’•π’•π’π’† π‘·π’“π’Šπ’π’„π’†

A Prayer from Augustine
β€˜You are great, Lord, and highly to be praised (Ps. 47: 2): great is your power and your wisdom is immeasurable’ (Ps. 146:5). Man, a little piece of your creation, desires to praise you, a human being β€˜bearing his mortality with him’ (2 Cor. 4: 10), carrying with him the witness of his sin and the witness that you β€˜resist the proud’ (1 Pet. 5:5). Nevertheless, to praise you is the desire of man, a little piece of your creation. You stir man to take pleasure in praising you, because you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.

Who will enable me to find rest in you? Who will grant me that you come to my heart and intoxicate it, so that I forget my evils and embrace my one and only good, yourself? What are you to me? Have mercy so that I may find words. What am I to you that you command me to love you, and that, if I fail to love you, you are angry with me and threaten me with vast miseries? If I do not love you, is that but a little misery? What a wretch I am! In your mercies, Lord God, tell me what you are to me. β€˜Say to my soul, I am your salvation’ (Ps. 34: 3). Speak to me so that I may hear. See the ears of my heart are before you, Lord. Open them and β€˜say to my soul, I am your salvation.’ After that utterance I will run and lay hold on you. Do not hide your face from me (cf. Ps. 26: 9). Lest I die, let me die so that I may see it.

From St. Augustine, Confessions (Oxford UP, 1991), Book 1. 1, 5

*This post is a Retro from my Facebook (July 2019) which will be closed in due time.