0:00The rule of St. Benedict for daily life, learning to listen to God with a discerning heart, I'm Chris McGregor. Loving God for God's sake, Episode 31. St. Bernard now speaks about a deeper purification of love. He's no longer describing love in its beginnings when the soul turns to God because it needs help, strength, or consolation. He's describing what grace can do over time, when love is no longer centered mainly on what it receives. This is where the holy rule becomes very concrete. St. Benedict trains the soul not to chase its own preferences, not to live by self-will, and not to depend on constant spiritual comfort. The steady rhythm of prayer, work, obedience, and perseverance begins to purify desire.

1:00That's why St. Bernard's teaching belongs here. He's describing what can happen when the soul has learned to remain with God and not only reach for his gifts. From St. Bernard of Clervos on Loving God. When God is thus loved for his own sake, then man truly loves God. He loves God because God is good, not because of what he receives from him. Such a soul seeks not its own interest, but God alone and rests in him. Here St. Bernard describes a real change in love. The soul is no longer turning toward God mainly for what he can provide. It's learning to love him because he is good. That doesn't mean need disappears. We always need mercy, grace, and help. St. Bernard isn't describing a soul that has somehow moved beyond dependence on God. He's describing a soul whose love is no longer governed mainly by what he receives.

2:05This is where the Holy Rule helps us in a very particular way. St. Benedict doesn't train the soul to live by impulse or by preference. He trains it to remain. Stability matters here. This soul learns not to run after whatever feels better, easier, or more rewarding. It stays. And in that stain, love begins to deepen. Same is true of obedience. And the Holy Rule obedience isn't only about external order. It loosens the grip of self-well. It teaches the soul not to put itself at the center. St. Bernard matters because love can't deepen where self-interest still governs everything. St. Bernard is describing a love that has begun to move beyond that. The Holy Rule also teaches perseverance in the ordinary. Prayer returns at set times. Psalms are prayed whether the heart feels fervent or dry.

3:09Work is done. Silence is capped. The soul learns not to measure everything by immediate consolation. That is a profound purification. It teaches us to seek God faithfully, not only when devotion feels strong, but also when prayer feels poor, and the heart feels empty. That's why this stage of love is so important. St. Bernard is showing us that we can row in a life that doesn't keep turning back toward itself. At first we may seek God because we need Him to save us, study us, or comfort us, but if we remain with Him, if we keep returning, if grace is received, love begins to simplify. It wants God more than what God gives. That kind of love is quieter than we might expect. It doesn't always feel dramatic. It may not even feel especially strong, but it is more stable.

4:14It is less bargaining, less demanding, and less anxious. The soul begins to rest in God with fewer conditions. And this matters in daily life. It matters when prayer feels dry and we remain. It matters when obedience is hard, and we remain. It matters when we don't feel rewarded, noticed, or consoled, and still remain. The holy rule forms that kind of constancy. And St. Bernard helps us understand what it is for. It is teaching the heart to love God more purely. Christ is the measure here as well. He doesn't love the Father for a reward or relief. He lives in complete union of will and in perfect love. St. Bernard points us toward that life not as something we can manufacture, but as something grace can begin to form in us when we consent to be purified.

5:19So this isn't about reaching some lofty spiritual state. It's about letting love be purified. The holy rule gives that purification a place to happen. St. Bernard gives it words. And together they help us see that the soul can be led slowly and truly from loving God for what he gives, to loving him or who he is. When God is thus loved for his own sake, then man truly loves God. He loves God because God is good, not because of what he receives from him. Such a soul seeks not its own interest, but God alone and rests in him. Before listening to Scripture, allow your body to settle, remain still. Let yourself rest without anticipation or demand. This posture supports consent rather than grasping.

6:26And now turn to the Book of Psalms, Psalm 73, verse 25. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing upon earth that I desire besides you. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing upon earth that I desire besides you. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing upon earth that I desire besides you.

7:28Lord Jesus Christ, You love the Father without reserve, draw our hearts beyond themselves and teach us to rest in God alone, Amen. To hear more of these reflections, visit desertingharts.com or you can find them in the free deserting Arts app or wherever you download your favorite podcasts.