God's joy, God's poor, and the light of the world

I quote two Latin texts. Laudate coeli et exultate terra (Isaiah): one from the lesson, the words of Isaiah the prophet, 'Rejoice, O heavens and earth, God has comforted his people and will have mercy on his poor ones.' The other comes from the gospel, Ego sum lux mundi (John 8:12), our Lord's saying, 'I am the light of the world: whoever follows me does not walk in darkness; he will find and have the light of life.'

First take the words of the prophet, 'Rejoice, O heavens and earth.' Truly, truly, by God, by God, and as God lives, at the least good deed, the least good will, the least good desire, all the saints in heaven and all the angels rejoice with such great joy that all the joys of this world cannot equal it. Among the saints, the higher one is, the more joyful, and all their joy put together is only a speck compared to the delight God takes in this act. God plays and laughs in this good work, while all other works, those that do not turn to God's glory, are dust and ashes in God's sight. That is why he cries, 'Rejoice, O heavens! God has comforted his people.'

Consider the words, 'God has comforted his people and will have mercy on his poor.' His poor, he says. The poor are left to God alone, because no one else bothers about them. Anyone who has a friend who is poor, if he does not forget him and has possessions and good sense, will say 'You are my servant,' and the man is soon forgotten. But to the beggar he will toss out 'God keep you' and feel ashamed of him. The poor are left to God. Wherever they go they may come upon God and have God in every place. God takes charge of them, because they are given over entirely to him. That is why he says in the gospel, 'Blessed are the poor.'

Now take the words, 'I am the light of the world.' 'I am' touches on essence. According to the philosophers, every creature can say 'I,' since the word is common property. But the word sum, 'am,' no one can truly say except God alone. Sum means one thing that is full of every good thing as a whole, and no creature is granted the right to have the whole of human comfort. If I had everything my heart desired but my finger hurt, I would not have it, because with a hurt finger, as long as it hurts, I lack complete comfort. Bread comforts a man when he is hungry, but if he is thirsty bread gives him no more comfort than a stone would. The same goes for clothes: they comfort when he is cold, but give no comfort when he is hot. This is true of all creatures, so every creature carries a certain bitterness in it. It is true that creatures have this comfort for their souls, that no one can take away their rights. Their true possession is all in God, whatever belongings they may have among creatures. As it is written in the Book of Wisdom, 'In you all good belongs to my soul.' The comfort of creatures is imperfect, it has a flaw built into it. But God's comfort is complete, with no shortfall. It is whole and perfect, and he must give it to you, because he cannot act unless he first gives you himself. God is foolishly in love with us. It seems he has forgotten heaven and earth and all his happiness and his godhead. His whole business seems to be with me alone, to give me everything that will comfort me. He gives it to me suddenly, he gives it to me completely, he gives it to me perfect, he gives it all the time, and he gives it to every creature.

'He who follows me does not walk in darkness.' Philosophers assign three powers to the soul. The first power always seeks the sweetest. The second always seeks the highest. The third always seeks the best, and the soul is too noble ever to rest anywhere except in her source, from which all her goodness drops. See how sweet God's comfort is: all creatures go looking for him, hunting after him. No, I say more than that: this searching for God, this hunting for him, is the creature's very life and being.

Perhaps you will say, where is this God that all creatures are hunting for, and from whom they get their being and their life? I would gladly speak of the Godhead from which all our happiness comes. The Father says, 'Son, today I beget you in the reflection of the saints.' Where is this God? Where the saints leave off, there I begin. Where is this God? In the Father. Where is this God? In eternity. No one has ever found God. As the wise man says, 'Lord, you are a hidden God.' Where is this God? Suppose a man is hiding and he moves, he gives away his location by doing so, and God does the same. No one could ever have found God on his own; he gave himself away. One of the saints has said, 'Sometimes I feel such sweetness in me that, forgetting every creature, I dissolve completely into you. But when I try to embrace you, Lord, you have slipped away. What do you want from me then? Why draw me close only to run off? If you love me, why do you avoid me? No, Lord, it is to make me more eager to have you.' The prophet says, 'my God.' Who told you that I am your God? 'Lord, I cannot rest except in you, I have no well-being except in you.' May we seek God in this way and also find him. So help us God. Amen.