Tuesday, September 22 : William of Saint-Thierry

I am bold and audacious—You, my unfailing help and support, You who never grow weary! Yet it is the love of Your love that drives me to seek Your face. You see me, while I cannot see You; yet You have given me the desire for You, and You have bestowed upon me all that is pleasing to You within me. And You instantly forgive this blind man who runs toward You; You reach out Your hand the moment You see him stumble. But now, deep within my soul, the voice of Your word makes itself heard and answers my longing. It thunders, shaking all that lies within me, and my inner eyes are blinded by the dazzling radiance of Your truth. It reminds me that no one can see You and live (Ex 33:20). As for me, in the abyss of my sin, I have not yet managed to die to self so as to live for You alone (2 Cor 5:15). Yet, in accordance with Your word and by a gift from You, I stand upon the rock of faith in You—the Christian faith—in that place which is truly near to You (Ex 33:21). Resting on this faith, I wait patiently as best I can, and I embrace Your right hand, which holds me fast and keeps me safe (Wis 5:16). At times, when I contemplate and strive to see, I behold—from behind (Ex 33:23)—the One who looks upon me; I behold the humility of the human life of Christ, your Son, as it passes by… I await the day when you will remove the hand that covers me (Ex 33:22) and grant the grace that illuminates, so that one day at last—dead to myself and alive to you, with the veil lifted from my face—I may begin to see your face unveiled.

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team