Write In Between

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Writer's Wednesday -- St. Bonaventure

Blessed is the man
whose help is from you;
in his heart
he has prepared to ascend by steps
in the valley of tears,
in the place which he has set. (Ps. 83:6-7)
Since happiness is nothing other than
the enjoyment of the highest good
and since the highest good is above,
no one can be made happy unless he rise above himself,
not by an ascent of the body,
but of the heart.
But we cannot rise above ourselves
unless a higher power lift us up.
No matter how much our interior progress is ordered,
nothing will come of it
unless accompanied by divine aid.
Divine aid is available
to those who seek it from their hearts,
humbly and devoutly;
and this means to sigh for it
in this valley of tears, through fervent prayer.
Prayer, then, is the mother and source
of the ascent...
Let us pray, therefore, and say to the Lord our God:
Lead me, Lord, in your path,
and I will enter in you truth,
Let my heart rejoice
that it may fear your name. (Ps. 85:11)
-----St. Bonaventure, The Soul's Journey into God.

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