the breasts, and upon the knees they shall caress you: as one whom the mother caresseth, so will I comfort you" (Is. lxvi. 12, 13). As a mother delights to place her little child upon her knees, and so to feed or to caress him; with like tenderness does our gracious God delight to treat the souls whom He loves, who have given themselves wholly to Him, and placed all their hopes in His goodness.
Consider, thou hast neither friend nor brother, father nor mother, spouse nor lover, who loves thee more than thy God. The divine grace is that great treasure whereby we vilest of creatures, we servants, become the dear friends of our Creator Himself: " For she is an infinite treasure to men, which they that use become the friends of God" (Wis. vii. 14). For this purpose He increases our confidence; He "emptied Himself," and brought Himself to naught, so to speak; abasing Himself even to becoming man and conversing familiarly with us: "He conversed with men" (Bar. iii. 38). He went so far as to become an infant, to become poor, even so far as openly to die the death of a malefactor upon the cross. He went yet farther, even to reside under the appearance of bread, in order to become our constant companion and unite Himself intimately with us: " He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood abideth in Me, and I in him" (St. John vi. 57). In a wrord, He loves thee as much as though He had no love but towards thyself alone. For which reason thou oughtest to have no love for any but for Himself. Of Him, therefore, thou mayest say, and thou oughtest to say it: " My Beloved to me, and I to Him" (Cant. ii. 16). My God has given Himself all to me, and I give myself all to Him; He has chosen me for His beloved, and I choose Him, of all others, for my only Love: " My Beloved is white and ruddy, chosen out of thousands" (Cant. v. 10).
Say, then, to Him often; O my Lord! wherefore
