“God enters the house when the soul not only meditates on His love, but also works in it day and night.” (Saint Bridget of Sweden)
It is not enough merely to contemplate, admire, and praise God’s love; we must also perform works of love in it every day.
This is accomplished through outward works, but also through constant work on our own hearts, so that, by God’s grace, we may overcome everything that stands in the way of love’s fulfillment. This is the will of our Father, as Saint Bridget makes clear.
It is the Holy Spirit who exercises His loving rule over our hearts and urges us to do both: to immerse ourselves in God’s infinite love and, under His guidance, to practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
In this way, our Father dwells within us with great joy and ensures that His house shines with an ever brighter and, at the same time, more subtle light, for love transforms everything within us. It causes the true fruits to grow on the tree of our life: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23).
If we consider each of these fruits individually, we will quickly realize how much they would make us resemble the Lord. On this path, we become instruments of God’s love. Love urges us to use our time on earth to work day and night in the Lord’s vineyard.
How much it would please our Heavenly Father if this were made evident through our service to the kingdom of His love, as Saint Bridget says in another passage:
“What is God but life and loveliness, radiant light, imperishable goodness, righteous justice, and healing mercy?”1516th MEDITATION