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I have had the idea of writing something for myself on and about
the state of complete and full abstraction from everything and of
cleaving freely, confidently, nakedly and firmly to God alone, so
as to describe it fully (in so far as it is possible in this abode
of exile and pilgrimage), especially since the goal of Christian
perfection is the love by which we cleave to God.
In fact everyone is obligated, to this loving cleaving to God as
necessary for salvation, in the form of observing the commandments
and conforming to the divine will, and the observation of the
commandments excludes everything that is contrary to the nature
and habit of love, including mortal sin.
Members of religious orders have committed themselves in addition
to evangelical perfection, and to the things that constitute a
voluntary and counselled perfection by means of which one may
arrive more quickly to the supreme goal which is God. The
observation of these additional commitments excludes as well the
things that hinder the working and fervour of love, and without
which one can come to God, and these include the renunciation of
all things, of both body and mind, exactly as one's vow of
profession entails.
Since indeed the Lord God is Spirit, and those who worship him
must worship in spirit and in truth, in other words, by knowledge
and love, that is, understanding and desire, stripped of all
images. This is what is referred to in Matthew 6.6, 'When you
pray, enter into your inner chamber,' that is, your inner heart,
'and having closed the door,' that is of your senses, and there
with a pure heart and a clear conscience, and with faith
unfeigned, 'pray to your Father,' in spirit and in truth, 'in
secret.'
This can be done best when a man is disengaged and removed from
everything else, and completely recollected within himself. There,
in the presence of Jesus Christ, with everything, in general and
individually, excluded and wiped out, the mind alone turns in
security confidently to the Lord its God with its desire.
In this way it pours itself forth into him in full sincerity with
its whole heart and the yearning of its love, in the most inward
part of all its faculties, and is plunged, enlarged, set on fire
and dissolved into him.
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