Salesian Literature

Chapter 6  :  Our love for God is God’s gift to us

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Man’s love for God owes its origin, growth and perfection to God’s eternal love for man.  This is the common teaching of mother Church, anxiously careful for us to own that our salvation, with all that leads to it, is due solely to the Saviour’s mercy; so that on earth, as in heaven, the honour and glory may be his alone (cf. 1 Tim. 1:17).

 

What powers hast thou, that did not come to thee by gift? asks the saintly apostle Paul (1 Cor. 4:7), referring to gifts of knowledge, eloquence, and other similar qualities in pastors of the Church: and if they came to thee by gift, why dost thou boast of them, as if there were no gift in question?  Truly, everything we have is God’s gift to us – above all, the supernatural blessings of charity.  If they are ours by gift, why boast of them?

 

One thing is certain: we should have something to say to a man who prided himself on his growth in the love of God.  “Stupid fellow! You sank into a sinful coma, no strength of life left for revival, and God’s infinite goodness sped to you aid.  His voice rang out: open thy mouth wide and thou shalt have thy fill (Ps. 80:11).  His own fingers parted your lips, unclenched your teeth, poured his holy inspiration into your heart; and you welcomed it.  After you regained consciousness, his impulses continued in one way or another to restore you spiritual energy until he finally infused charity – the vitality of perfect health.

 

“What part has a sinner like you played in all this, to give you cause for boasting?  You assented, of course; the impulse of your will freely followed the impulses of grace.  But all you did, really, was to offer no resistance to God at work in you; was not this, in itself, a gift?  Poor fellow, what you boast of came to you by gift – even the consent you brag of! Or will you deny that, unless God has prompted you, you would still be unconscious of his goodness, and consequently unresponsive to his love?  Why, your thoughts would never once have turned to him! (cf.2 Cor. 3:5)

 

God’s impulses brought your own to birth; the immense charm of his inspiration generously lent energy and enthusiasm to your free will – or your freedom would still be unavailing to win you salvation.  You concurred with the inspiration, I admit, by your assent; but I assure you, whether you realize it or not, that this was the result of grace and free will working together – although, unless grace has prompted you, unless it had actively pervaded your soul, you would have had neither ability nor will power to concur at all.

 

“Ridiculously, surely – I come back to it again – for such a mean, insignificant fellow as yourself to claim any of the credit for your conversion, simply because you did not reject the inspiration!  A thief’s a tyrant’s fancy, the conviction that life spared is life bestowed!  A wild irreverence, yours – if you think that you rendered God’s inspiration effectual, energetic, just because you did nothing to prevent it.  We can render inspiration ineffective; we cannot give it life.  It draws its vitality from God’s goodness, the point of its departure, not from the human will, its journey’s end.”

 

If we have any love for God, then, the honour and glory is due to him, for it is all his work and, without him, would not exist (cf. Jn. 1:3); ours is but the benefit … and the debt of gratitude.

 

That is how God, in his goodness, treats his creatures: to us he entrusts the full enjoyment of his blessings; to himself he reserves the credit and the praise.  Since, after all, we owe what we are to his grace (cf. 1 Cor. 15:10), our lives should ever proclaim his glory.

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