July 16
God's gift will be himself
he poor are destitute
of all worldly riches because, even though they be surrounded by wealth,
they realize how unreliable it is. They cry to God, for they have nothing
in this world to delight or hold them but are subject to many tribulations
and temptations. They are in the presses, as it were, and emit streams
of wine and oil. What is this wine, this oil, but good desires? For their
desire for God remains. They no longer love the world: they love him who
made heaven and earth. They love him, but are not yet with him. The satisfaction
of their desire is delayed so that the desire may intensify; it intensifies
so that it may be capable of receiving God. For it is no small thing that
God intends for those who desire, and no little training is required if
we are to be able to receive so great a good. God's gift will not be something
he has made, but himself, who made all things. Train yourselves, then,
to embrace God; long practiced be your desire for what you will possess
without end.
From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from
Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.
HTML text prepared by David P. Steelman
