>>13725222Jesus has many lovers of His kingdom of heaven, but He has few bearers of His Cross. Many desire His consolation, but few desire His tribulation. He finds many comrades in eating and drinking, but He finds few who will be with Him in His abstinence and fasting. All men would joy with Christ, but few will suffer anything for Christ. Many follow Him to the breaking of His bread, for their bodily refreshment, but few will follow Him to drink a draft of the chalice of His Passion. Many honor His miracles, but few will follow the shame of His Cross and His ignominies. Many love Jesus as long as no adversity befalls them, and can praise and bless Him whenever they receive any benefits from Him, but if Jesus withdraws a little from them and forsakes them a bit, they soon fall into some great grumbling or excessive dejection or into open despair.
But those who love Jesus purely for Himself, and not for their own profit or convenience, bless Him as heartily in temptation and tribulation and in all other adversities as they do in time of consolation. And if He never sent them consolation, they would still always bless and praise Him. Oh, how much more may the love of Jesus do for the help of a soul if it is pure and clean, not mixed with any inordinate love of itself! Therefore, may not they who always look for worldly comforts and for worldly consolations be called worldly merchants and worldly lovers rather than lovers of God? Do they not show openly by their deeds that they love themselves rather than God? Yes, truly. Oh, where may any be found who will serve God freely and purely, without looking for some reward in return? And where may any be found so spiritual that he is clearly delivered and freed from love of himself, truly poor in spirit, and wholly separated from love of creatures? I think none such can be found, unless it be far away in far countries.
