Not alone

A friend of mine recently lent me the book "Interior Freedom", by Jacques Philippe. I have read another book by this author, and was really moved by his spiritual reflections which are at the same time simple and down-to-earth, yet very profound. During this time in my life when I am making big decisions, anticipating change and the unknown, I found the following passage, which is the closing reflection in the book, to be so inspirational. We are never alone - He always goes before us, leading us and guiding us.

"By way of conclusion, I offer for the reader's meditation a beautiful dialogue between Jesus and a contemporary Spanish spiritual writer, who has had a close relationship with Our Lady since childhood who has chosen to remain anonymous.


flickr/ by andycoan


'Have you never wondered which of all the things that you experience causes me the greatest joy?'

'No,' I said to Jesus.

He answered, 'When in lucid freedom, you say yes to God's calls.' And then He continued, 'remember what it says in the Gospel, "The truth will make you free." You can only respond freely to the calls of grace when your own truth becomes clear, when you accept it humbly, and when on that basis, you maintain a conversation with God, realizing that everything that has happened and has happened to you is part of a loving and providential project of your Father God.'

'Yes, many things will cause you perplexity, They will even plunge you into intense darkness, and, still more, into suffering that wounds and paralyzes you. But if you have recourse to your faith, it will be your shield. Doesn't God reveal himself as your Abba?  Have not I, the Son, taken on your condition at it's most wretched? Doesn't the Paraclete defend you? Believe all this will your heart and soul, and it will fill you with trust and confidence.'

'Don't be afraid of yourselves! Don't be afraid of all that you are in your human reality, where God pitches His tent to dwell with you. God is incarnation. God's new name is Emmanuel, God is with us: God with your reality. Open yourself to it without fear. Only in the measure you discover yourself will you will discover the depths of his love. In the depths of what you are, you will experience that you are not alone. Someone, lovingly and mercifully, not as spectator, not as judge, but as someone who loves you, who offers himself to you, who espouses you to free you, save you, and heal you...To stay with you forever, loving you, loving you!' "