Lest anyone think the prior posts on falling leaves and the season of autumn have nothing to do with anything, here is a direct quote from our reading of this last Saturday!"Blessed are the pure of heart; they shall see God."
"On Jesus' lips [], these words acquire a new depth. For it belongs to his nature that he sees God, that he stands face-to-face with him, in permanent interior discourse -- in a relation of Sonship. In other words, this Beatitude is profoundly Christological. We will see God when we enter into the 'mind of Christ' (Phil.2:5). Purification of heart occurs as a consequence of following Christ, of becoming one with him. 'It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me' (Gal 2:20). And at this point something new comes to light: The ascent to God occurs precisely in the descent of humble service, in the descent of love, for love is God's essence, and is thus the power that truly purifies man and enables him to perceive God and to see him. . . . 'He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God highly exalted him' (Phil. 2:6-9).
"These words mark a decisive turning point in the history of mysticism. They indicate what is new. . . . God descends, to the point of death on the Cross. And precisely by doing so, he reveals himself in his true divinity. We ascend to God by accompanying him on this descending path."
Jesus of Nazareth, p. 95.
Another Autumn Song:
Vivaldi-From Four Seasons
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