Tenth Meditation

(The Dark Night, book I: chapter 12)


"I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace… living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the body's growth and builds itself up in love." (21)


The Truth Of Self

She embraces her poverty --
Her faults and weaknesses, which hold
Her grounded in reality:
Mild and meek and self-controlled.

This meekness keeps her vision clear;
To see her place before His might.
This self-knowledge then forms a mirror --
In her darkness, she sees His light.

Self-reliance is left behind
As self-distrust sharpens her will.
Cancerous pride, which undermined
His grace, no longer makes her ill.

Truth underpins love in her soul:
From her faults, her neighbor looks good;
His grace, unfettered, makes her whole,
As His mercy is understood.

Through self-knowledge, His wisdom flows;
To humble hearts, His grandeur shows.


May the light of Truth illumine our poverty so that we may see ourselves and Our Lord as we truly are.

21. Ephesians 4:1-3,15,16


(c) Paul Buis, 2004