Continuing the theme of “pricelessness” from the last post:
“If you would only say to yourself that Jesus is absolutely lovable, quite apart from all that you are or are not, and that in consequence you have always the right to love Him in your heart, even if you cannot always succeed in loving Him by acts; then you would be in the Truth. If you would say to yourself firmly that Jesus is unbelievably and unimaginably loving, and that His love does not vary with the variations of your soul, you would be in the Truth.” (Abbé Henri de Tourville. Letters of Direction. Harrisburg: Morehouse Publishing, 1939, 2001, p. 62.)
Two spiritual facts that Abbé Henri offers here are 1) that no one is more lovable than Jesus and 2) that no one is more loving. That’s how I read it. His being loving and lovable is in no way tied to my ability to be loved or to love Him back. He is not dependent on my initiative or my response to simply be Who He is. He just is beautifully lovable and utterly loving. So much of human love is conditioned on the degree to which it is reciprocated or at least received. My soul inconsistency doesn’t cause God’s steady love to falter.
“Go bankrupt! Let our Lord love you without justice! Say frankly, ‘He loves me because I do not deserve it; that is the wonderful thing about Him; and that is why I, in my turn, love Him as well as I can without worrying whether I deserve to be allowed to love Him. He loves me although I am not worthy; I love Him without being worthy to love.’” (p. 63.)
