Longing to See God from the "Proslogion" of Saint Anselm
Little man, rise up!
Flee your preoccupations for a little while. Hide yourself for a time from your
turbulent thoughts. Cast aside, now, your heavy responsibilities and put off
your burdensome business. Make a little space free for God; and rest for a little
time in him.
Enter the inner
chamber of your mind; shut out all thoughts. Keep only thought of God, and
thoughts that can aid you in seeking him. Close your door and seek him. Speak
now, my whole heart! Speak now to God, saying, I seek your face; your face,
Lord, will I seek.
And come you now, O
Lord my God, teach my heart where and how it may seek you, where and how it may
find you.
Lord, if you are not
here, where shall I seek you when you are absent? But if you are everywhere,
why do I not see you present? Truly you dwell in unapproachable light. But
where is unapproachable light, or how shall I come to it? Or who shall lead me
to that light and into it, that I may see you in it? Again, by what signs,
under what form, shall I seek you? I have never seen you, O Lord, my God; I do
not know your face.
Lord, you are my God,
and you are my Lord, and never have I seen you. You have made me and renewed
me, you have given me all the good things that I have, and I have not yet met
you. I was created to see you, and I have not yet done the thing for which I
was made.
And as for you, Lord,
how long? How long, O Lord, do you forget us; how long do you turn your face
from us? When will you look upon us, and hear us? When will you enlighten our
eyes, and show us your face? When will you restore yourself to us?
Look upon us, Lord;
hear us, enlighten us, reveal yourself to us. Restore yourself to us, that it
may be well with us, yourself, without whom it is so ill with us. Pity our
toilings and strivings toward you since we can do nothing without you.
Teach me to seek you,
and reveal yourself to me when I seek you, for I cannot seek you unless you
teach me, nor find you unless you reveal yourself. Let me seek you in longing,
let me long for you in seeking; let me find you by loving you and love you in
the act of finding you.
Source: The Liturgy of the Hours – Office of
Readings
From the "Proslogion" of Saint Anselm
Image taken from Wikimedia Commons
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