"You are my only fortune, Lord, nothing else but you." (Ps 16:3)
St. Theresa of Lisieux said that it is better to speak with God than to speak of God, because in our conversations with others there is always the danger of bringing in self-love.
She is right, but to bear witness to our faith we must also speak of God.
We need to speak of God and with God. We must love God above all else with that love which is the very foundation of Christian life and which is expressed in prayer, or in doing his will.We should speak, therefore, with our neighbors, yes, but above all, we should speak with God.
How should we speak?
By saying the simple prayers that every Christian says, but also by making sure, through some very brief prayers said throughout the day, that our heart is truly aimed at him, that he is the Ideal of our life, that he truly holds first place in our hearts, that we sincerely love him with all our strength.
I’m referring to the short prayers which are recommended especially for those who are in the midst of the world and who do not have time to say long prayers. These prayers are like flaming darts of love that go out from our heart towards God: the so-called ejaculations which etymologically means, darts, arrows. They are a magnificent way to direct our hearts straight towards God.
In the liturgy of the Mass this month, in the Catholic Church, we read a verse which can be used as a very beautiful ejaculation. It says:
"You are my only fortune, Lord, nothing else but you."
"You are my only fortune, Lord."
Let’s try to repeat it during the day, especially when various attachments try to attract our heart towards things, persons or ourselves. Let’s say: "You are my fortune, Lord, nothing else but you. Not that thing, not that person, not myself; You are my fortune, nothing else but you."
Let’s try to repeat it when agitation or haste would lead us to do less than the will of God in the present moment: "You are my fortune, Lord, nothing else but you, and so my fortune is what you want, not what I want."
When curiosity, self-love or the thousand lures of the world are about to disturb our relationship with God, let’s say to him with all our heart: "You are my only fortune, Lord, not the satisfaction of my greed or pride."
Let’s try to repeat it often. Let’s try to repeat it when shadows darken our soul or when suffering knocks at our door. It will help us to prepare for our encounter with him.
"You are my only fortune, Lord, nothing else but you."
These simple words will help us to trust in him. They will train us to live in the constant company of Love. In this way, more united to God and filled with him, we will continually lay the foundations of our true being, as his image and likeness.
Everything in our life will flow in the right direction. Then yes, when we speak, our words will not be just words, or worse, empty chatter, but they will be like darts capable of opening people’s hearts to accept Jesus.
So let us take every opportunity to pronounce these simple words. At the end of the day, we will experience that they were like a medicine, a tonic for our souls. St. Catherine would say that they made our hearts like a steady lamp. n The commentary to the Word of Life is translated in 90 different languages and dialects, and reaches more than 14 million people worldwide, through the press, and radio and TV programs. If you would like to read experiences of life related to this or to past " Words of Life," they can be found in Living City magazine, the monthly publication of the Focolare Movement. For information, or to subscribe, write to: Living City, P.O. Box 837, Bronx, NY 10465. To order the magazine, call: 1-800-462-5980. E-mail: livingcity2000@att.net or info@newcitypress.com or visit the website: https://www.newcitypress.com/livingcity.htm © 2001 - Living City of Focolare Movement - P.O. Box 837, Bronx, New York 10465Presented here with permission of the publishers
Home What is the Focolare Movement? Mariapolis Luminosa Word of Life