“And they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of the image of a corruptible man, and of birds, and of fourfooted beasts, and of creeping things. Wherefore God gave them up to the desires of their heart, unto uncleanness, to dishonour their own bodies among themselves. Who changed the truth of God into a lie; and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”
A soul entirely animated by divine love, that clings to Him alone with trust and love, is the most beautiful sight you can behold in this life: “How beautiful art thou, my love, how beautiful art thou! Thy eyes are doves’ eyes, besides what is hid within” (Song 4:1). The eyes of a dove are those that are attentive to the Holy Spirit and His ways and move according to his inspirations alone, to which He will respond as a brush in the hand of the Divine Artist to make an utter masterpiece. This is a great glory, one that is offered to all, that they may live entirely on the love of God: “Let all your things be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14), and those that turn from God exchange the glory of this life of love to the things of the earth, which is most egregious in the sin of idolatry. Attributing to that which passes the honor due to the Unfailing, Eternal, Glorious Love that is God is an intellectual deficiency that slays the heart. It robs the person of their dignity, “For being mortal himself, he formeth a dead thing with his wicked hands. For he is better than they whom he worshippeth, because he indeed hath lived, though he were mortal, but they never” (Wisdom 15:17). It is a placing of oneself in servitude to that which is beneath human dignity, a lowering of the extraordinary gift that is human nature to something that isn’t even alive. The Lord has put you in a place of incredible dignity that stands alongside your fellow persons above everything else that you see: “And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27); “Thou hast subjected all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen: moreover the beasts also of the fields. The birds of the air, and the fishes of the sea, that pass through the paths of the sea” (Psalm 8:8-9). This gift is for the sake of LOVE, for the sake of perfect love, to which you are running: “He, who hath begun a good work in you, will perfect it unto the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). God will never dominate the free will of anyone, and seeing someone resolute in either outright worship of something less than Himself, or in the insistent prioritizing of that which is less important than the love of God, He will allow them to have it their way. He allows them to follow the desire for love in the human heart towards things that cannot truly love it, at all times longing to be the Love that they need: “Behold, I stand at the gate, and knock. If any man shall hear my voice, and open to me the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Apocalypse 3:20). Lies about God separate from God, be it that the sun is God, or that His mercy has some stopping point, or that He cannot love you in your lowliness. Thus, “I desired mercy, and not sacrifice: and the knowledge of God more than holocausts” (Hosea 6:6). It is better to know God and His unfathomable love than any other work, because then you will come to know His incredible love for you and all mankind, a love that will not be able to keep silent, but be inspired to make Him loved in the hearts of everyone that can be reached. O blind world, “if thou didst know the gift of God” (John 4:10), you would throw off the garments of your beggary for love and run straight to its source: “[Bartimeus] casting off his garment leaped up, and came to him” (Mark 10:50). Then you too would say that the Lord Jesus is to be blessed forever, and love Him dearly: “Abide in my love” (John 15:9).