Opening Prayer
I acknowledge the journey from loving self for self to loving Thee for Thy own sake. Having tasted how sweet and kind Thou art, I desire to pass into that stage where I love Thee for Thyself. Lead me toward that fourth stage where I may eventually lose myself in Thee, wonderfully forgetful of all but Thy glory.
I petition Thee for the grace to find Thee “sweet and kind” enough to move my love beyond my own interest. Grant me the grace to be absorbed altogether in Thy divinity, becoming one spirit with Thee. Draw me little by little through prayer and obedience until my soul remains stable in Thy love alone.
Amen.
Luke 12:1-8
1And when great multitudes stood about him, so that they trod one upon another, he began to say to his disciples: Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed: nor hidden, that shall not be known. 3For whatsoever things you have spoken in darkness, shall be published in the light: and that which you have spoken in the ear in the chambers, shall be preached on the housetops. 4And I say to you, my friends: Be not afraid of them who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5But I will shew you whom you shall fear: fear ye him, who after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell. Yea, I say to you, fear him. 6Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? 7Yea, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: you are of more value than many sparrows. 8And I say to you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux
St. Bernard of Clairvaux outlines four stages of love, ending in “loving ourselves only for the sake of God”. This Church Father insight maps the Spiritual progress within the Mystical Body. This journey is sustained by the Sacraments, as we approach Him by meditation, reading, prayer, and obedience. It leads to the “fourth stage” in heaven, where we are “intoxicated with the fullness” of God’s house. This “Science of the Saints” requires us to “find Him sweet and kind” before we can be absorbed altogether in God.
Bernard admits the “fourth stage”—loving oneself only for God—is nearly impossible in this life. It requires the soul to be “exhilarated” and forgetful of itself. He describes the transition from “loving God for one’s own interest” to the third stage, where one “finds the Lord sweet” and loves Him for His own sake.
“In the first stage… a man loves his own self for the sake of himself… in the third stage, he loves God no longer on account of his own interest, but for the sake of God himself.”
— St. Bernard of Clairvaux
Mary and the Magisterium
Mary reached the “fourth stage” perfectly, absorbed altogether in God. She is the “Mirror of Virtue” whose outward appearance was the image of her soul. The Magisterium, through the Bishop, acts as the “servant leader” who guides the flock through these stages. The Bishop must correct those who fail to advance, acting as a “good physician” of the soul. Mary, as the “Window”, helps us become “well disposed” to reach the joy of our Lord.
- Am I still in the second stage, loving God primarily for "my own necessity"?
- What specific act of "meditation or prayer" can help me find Him "sweet" today?
Closing Prayer
Lord God, my love for you is imperfect, but I trust that it’s growing nonetheless. Draw me to yourself by grace.
Amen.
