How Love Effects the Union of the Soul
With God in Prayer
by St. Francis de Sales, ‘Treatise on the Love of God’
We speak not here of the general union of the heart with God, but of certain particular acts and movements which the soul, recollected in God, makes by way of prayer, to be more and more united and joined to His divine goodness...
We must not drop the comparison of the love of little children towards their mothers, because of its innocence and purity. Regard, then, that sweet little child, to whom the seated mother presents her breast. It casts itself into her arms, gathering and folding its little body in this bosom and on this beloved breast. And see the mother, reciprocally, how on receiving it she clasps it, and as it were glues it to her bosom. But see again this little babe... how for its part it concurs in this union between its mother and itself: for it also, as much as it possibly can, squeezes and presses itself to its mother’s breast and face, as though it would wholly dive into and hide itself in that beloved being from whom it came.
...in this moment union is perfect; which being but one, proceeds not withstanding from the mother and the child, yet so, that it has its whole dependence upon the mother. For she drew the child to her, she first locked it in her arms, and pressed it to her breast; nor had the babe enough strength to clasp and keep itself so tight to its mother. Yet the poor little one does for its part what it can, and joins itself with all its strength to its mother’s bosom, not consenting only to the delightful union which its mother makes, but contributing, with all its heart, its feeble endeavors: and I say its feeble endeavors, because they are so weak that they rather resemble efforts after union than actual union.
Thus then our Saviour, showing the most delightful breast of His divine love to the devout soul, draws her wholly to Himself, gathers her up, and as it were folds all her powers in the bosom of his more than motherly sweetness....
Then the soul... not only consents, and yields herself to the union which God makes, but with all her power co-operates, forcing herself to join and clasp herself closer and closer to the divine goodness; yet in such a way that she fully acknowledges her union and attachment to this sovereign sweetness to be wholly dependent upon God’s operation, without which she could not make the least effort in the world to be united unto Him.
Now in prayer this union is often made by manner of little yet frequent flights and advancings of the soul towards God: and if you take notice of little children united and joined to their mothers’ breasts, you will see that ever and anon they press and clasp closer, with little movements which the pleasure they take in sucking makes them give: so the heart united to God in prayer often makes certain renewals of union, by movements which press and join it more closely to the divine sweetness.
...at other times the union is made not by repeated movements, but by way of a continued insensible pressing and advancing of the heart in the divine goodness. For as we see a great and heavy mass of lead, brass or stone, though not forced down, so work itself, sink down, and press itself, into the earth where it lies, that at length it is found buried, by reason of the effect of its weight, which makes it incessantly tend to the centre; so our heart, being once joined to God, if without being drawn away it remain in this union, sinks still deeper by an insensible progress of the union, till it is wholly in God, by reason of the sacred inclination given it by love to unite itself ever more and more to the sovereign goodness. For as the great apostle of France says: “Love is a unitive virtue:” that is, it carries us to perfect union with the sovereign good. And since it is an undoubted truth that divine love, while we are in this life is a movement; even after it has attained simple union, it ceases not to act, though imperceptibly, in order more and more to increase and perfect it.