“Being justified therefore by faith, let us have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access through faith into this grace, wherein we stand, and glory in the hope of the glory of the sons of God. And not only so; but we glory also in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience trial; and trial hope; and hope confoundeth not: because the charity of God is poured forth in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost, who is given to us.”
“Being justified therefore by faith” carries with it a lofty connotation, because God does not want you to worry about your salvation, wringing your hands over Hell or trying to cut down on your time in purgatory, but beginning your eternal life here in this life, living a life that is closer to that of the angels rather than beasts: “O ye angels of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever” (Daniel 3:58); “And all the angels stood round about the throne, and the ancients, and the four living creatures; and they fell down before the throne upon their faces, and adored God, saying: ‘Amen. Benediction, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, honour, and power, and strength to our God for ever and ever. Amen” (Apocalypse 7:11-12). It is in living your life as a child of the Father: “Dearly beloved, we are now the sons of God” (1 John 3:2), a spouse of Christ: “Thou hast wounded my heart, my sister, my spouse” (Canticle 4:9), and a temple of the Holy Spirit: “Your members are the temple of the Holy Ghost, who is in you, whom you have from God; and you are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). You cannot enjoy this marvelous love, this unfathomably beautiful life, if you concern yourself with an unpleasant afterlife, for what marriage can thrive when one member is constantly worrying about it failing? Therefore, embrace your justification, and be at peace with God: “Submit thyself then to him, and be at peace: and thereby thou shalt have the best fruits” (Job 22:21), for He desires firstly that you know His infinite, perfect, merciful love, and then by this to obey His commandments, as His narrow path is a golden road, one of unceasing love and beauty: “Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my paths” (Psalm 118:105); “And the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass” (Apocalypse 21:21). Love sanctifies your soul, and to love your whole life is to live a heavenly life, and thereby you slip into heaven without issue: “But above all these things have love, which is the bond of perfection” (Colossians 3:14), for heaven is made for lovers: “He that abideth in love, abideth in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16). This is done through an intimate, loving relationship with Jesus, “For he is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14), “If any one love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and will make our abode with him” (John 14:23). Ah, but He even consoles the one tempted to despair: “How beautiful art thou, my love, how beautiful art thou!” (Canticle 4:1); “Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come” (Canticle 2:13), showing that He is armed with the perfect words of love for any who need it: “For what things soever were written, were written for our learning: that through patience and the comfort of the scriptures, we might have hope” (Romans 15:4). Your heavenly Spouse has opened the heavens for you: “And lo, the heavens were opened to him” (Matthew 3:16) that you may receive an abundance of spiritual benefits, the countless gifts of love: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hat blessed us with spiritual blessings in heavenly places, in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). Therefore, stand firm and tall, your way of life upright and your mind reaching into the heavens: “Thy stature is like to a palm tree,” constantly yielding the fruits of love: “and thy breasts to clusters of grapes” (Canticle 7:7). Therefore, the Psalmist says: “We are risen, and are set upright” (Psalm 19:9), as you are risen to a new life of love with God and men, and are called to walk confidently and joyously in this: “For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for thou art with me” (Psalm 22:4). You can then rejoice in the glory of the sons of God, knowing that you are His precious child: “But as many as received him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his name” (John 1:12); “Behold how they are numbered among the children of God, and their lot is among the saints” (Wisdom 5:5), for it is a great glory and a marvelous life to love as God loves, to make one’s every action one of love: “Every one that loveth, is born of God, and knoweth God” (1 John 4:7). Now, the one that hopes strongly will endure difficulties and bitterness for the object of desire, which is Christ: “I press towards the mark, to the prize of the supernal vocation of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14), and just as athletes eat certain foods and undergo great strain for the sake of their prize, so too does the one that loves God eat bitter herbs and drink vinegar in life for the sake of the Beloved: “And every one that striveth for the mastery, refraineth himself from all things: and they indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible one” (1 Corinthians 9:25); “Through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:21). Tribulations, then exercise you in calm patience, that you may be patient with the failures, different temperaments, and sins of others: “Now we that are stronger, ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves” (Romans 15:1). Patience will yield trial, as the enemy brings forward his strategies to test your patience and wear you down: “Son, when thou comest to the service of God, stand in justice and in fear, and prepare thy soul for temptation” (Ecclesiasticus 2:1); “A patient man shall bear for a time, and afterwards joy shall be restored to him” (Ecclesiasticus 1:29). However, in bearing these trials, and enduring the loss of bodily goods for the sake of love and the eternal rewards of love, great hope of the eternal love of heaven comes about, that love has endured such trials: “[Wisdom] will bring upon him fear and dread and trial: and she will scourge him with the affliction of her discipline, till she try him by her laws, and trust his soul. Then she will strengthen him, and make a straight way to him, and give him joy, and will disclose her secrets to him” (Ecclesiasticus 4:19-20); “God hath tried them, and found them worthy of himself” (Wisdom 3:5). This hope does not confound, because love does not deceive, and the rewards of love are the fulfillment of all desire: “Ye that fear the Lord, love him, and your hearts shall be enlightened. My children behold the generations of men: and know ye that no one hath hoped in the Lord, and hath been confounded” (Ecclesiasticus 2:10-11). This love is poured into your heart, that you may love God and others: “Let us therefore love God, because God first hath loved us. If an man say, ‘I love God,’ and hateth his brother; he is a liar” (1 John 4:20), for the fruit of the Holy Spirit is love: “But the fruit of the Spirit is, love” (Galatians 5:22). The fact that you love Him, then, is proof of His love for you: “In this is love: not as though we had loved God, but because he hath first loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10), and this love reaches out past yourself: “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another” (John 13:35), manifesting itself by acts of love of God and neighbor: “Thy two breasts like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies” (Canticle 4:5), and a beautiful life: “If any one love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and will make our abode with him” (John 14:23). By these things, you can have a great confidence of the Trinity’s presence in your heart, even when you can in no way perceive it.