reveal himself to us from within. There is no need to go looking for him
or call for him. He is as close as the door of your heart. He is waiting
there eager for you to open it. He wants this more than you do.
Here is a way to tell when God has been born in you: everything
will point to God. Nothing will be a hindrance anymore. Everywhere
you look, you will see God. It is like staring at the sun. The image is
burned into your eyes. Regardless of where you look, you see the sun.
The flesh is strong and prominent here in this world. This is its
natural environment. The spirit is a stranger here, an alien. Its
connections are in heaven. The old acts of penance were an effort
to weaken the dominance of the flesh a little. The best way to
restrain the flesh is genuine love. God waits for us to learn this love
more than anything else.
It is like a fishhook. The fish must take the bait. If the fish
swallows it there will certainly be a catch. It may twist and turn and
leap from the water, but it is hooked. The same thing is true for love.
The person who is caught by it, is strongly bound. None of the acts
of penance and mortification of the flesh can approach its effectiveness.
With the love of God, people will be able to accept and endure
whatever happens to them. They will gently forgive the harm that is
done to them. There is nothing else in human experience that will
bring you as close to God or form a more certain bond. If you take this
hook, everything about you belongs to God. The more hooked you are
on God, the more freedom you will experience.
Who is Meister Eckhart? Eckhart, 1260-1368, is the most common
reference to Eckhart von Hochheim. Eckhart was a German theo-
logian, philosopher, and mystic. He was tried as a heretic by Pope
John XXII, but died before his verdict was received.
No comments:
Post a Comment