Chapter VI
Love is never Rude
(Ambitious or Arrogant)
by Saint Alphonsus Liguori
Those who love Jesus Christ desire nothing
but Jesus Christ. They do not seek the
esteem of people here on earth. Their sole desire is to enjoy the favor of
almighty God Who alone is the object of
their love.
When we seek the esteem of others we lose
our humility and run the risk of further
wrongdoing. We should therefore keep in mind
that the Lord "shall
scorn the scorners, and to the humble He will give grace" (Proverbs
3:34). Many people profess to lead a spiritual life,
but they are worshippers of self. They are
ambitious to appear in public and to be esteemed by the world, and they expect
to be praised for all their projects. If no one else praises them, they praise
themselves. They strive to appear better than others; and if their reputation is
questioned, they lose all
peace and do not rest until they imagine
that they have regained their former stature. Real lovers of
Jesus Christ do not act this way. Rather,
they avoid every word of praise and every occasion for
vanity.
The saying of Saint Francis of Assisi is so true: "What
I am before God, that I am". What good is it to be considered
important by the world, if before God we are
worthless? And on the other hand, what does it matter that we are
scorned by the world, provided we are dear
to God? Those who praise us cannot
save us from
damnation, nor can those who scorn
us, rob us of
eternal life.
In order to grow in the love of
Jesus Christ, then, we must learn to still
the ambitions of self-esteem. And, until we
do, we will never become true servants of Jesus
Christ.
In order to be pleasing in the sight of God,
we must become deaf to the applause of the world.
And we should be even more careful to reject any
ambition for governing others. The only ambition of a
soul that loves God
should be to excel others in humility,
according to the advice of Saint Paul: "Let
nothing be done through contention, neither by vain glory: but in humility, let
each esteem others better than themselves" - Philippians 2:3.
Those who love God must make
God the sole object of their
ambition.
"O my God, make me a saint"
Saint Alphonsus Mary Liguori
Prayer
Jesus, give me the desire to please You
and help me to forget everything else, including myself. What will it profit me
to be loved by the whole world if I am not loved by You, the only love of my
soul?
My Jesus, You came into the world to
win my love, so never let me be separated from You. I have turned my back on You
in the past, but now that I am aware of the wrong I have done, I repent of it
with all my heart. Knowing that I have offended You so many times causes me
extreme distress.
Yet I am consoled by the thought that
You are infinite goodness, and that You do not mind loving a sinner who loves
You.
My Redeemer, I have ignored You in the
past, but now I love You more than myself. I offer myself - all that I am - to
You. My only ambition is to love You and to please You. Increase my love and
extinguish in me the desire for anything else but you. You want me to become a
saint. You can make me a saint. I place all my trust in You.
Mary, great Mother of God, I entrust
myself to your protection.
Amen
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Note
Bene: Bible verses quoted in this Book are from the
English Douay-Rheims translation commissioned by the Catholic Church.