Above All Goods and All Gifts We Must Rest in God
The Disciple
ABOVE all things and in all things, O my soul, rest always in God, for He is the everlasting rest
of the saints.
Grant, most sweet and loving Jesus, that I may seek my repose in You above every creature;
above all health and beauty; above every honor and glory; every power and dignity; above all
knowledge and cleverness, all riches and arts, all joy and gladness; above all fame and praise, all
sweetness and consolation; above every hope and promise, every merit and desire; above all the
gifts and favors that You can give or pour down upon me; above all the joy and exultation that the
mind can receive and feel; and finally, above the angels and archangels and all the heavenly host;
above all things visible and invisible; and may I seek my repose in You above everything that is
not You, my God.
For You, O Lord my God, are above all things the best. You alone are most high, You alone
most powerful. You alone are most sufficient and most satisfying, You alone most sweet and
consoling. You alone are most beautiful and loving, You alone most noble and glorious above all
things. In You is every perfection that has been or ever will be. Therefore, whatever You give me
besides Yourself, whatever You reveal to me concerning Yourself, and whatever You promise, is
too small and insufficient when I do not see and fully enjoy You alone. For my heart cannot rest
or be fully content until, rising above all gifts and every created thing, it rests in You.35
35 Augustine, Confessions, i. 1.
Who, O most beloved Spouse, Jesus Christ, most pure Lover, Lord of all creation, who shall
give me the wings of true liberty that I may fly to rest in You? When shall freedom be fully given
me to see how sweet You are, O Lord, my God? When shall I recollect myself entirely in You, so
that because of Your love I may feel, not myself, but You alone above all sense and measure, in a
manner known to none? But now I often lament and grieve over my unhappiness, for many evils
befall me in this vale of miseries, often disturbing me, making me sad and overshadowing me, often
hindering and distracting me, alluring and entangling me so that I neither have free access to You
nor enjoy the sweet embraces which are ever ready for blessed souls. Let my sighs and the manifold
desolation here on earth move You.
O Jesus, Splendor of eternal glory, Consolation of the pilgrim soul, with You my lips utter no
sound and to You my silence speaks. How long will my Lord delay His coming? Let Him come to
His poor servant and make him happy. Let Him put forth His hand and take this miserable creature
from his anguish. Come, O come, for without You there will be no happy day or hour, because
You are my happiness and without You my table is empty. I am wretched, as it were imprisoned
and weighted down with fetters, until You fill me with the light of Your presence, restore me to
liberty, and show me a friendly countenance. Let others seek instead of You whatever they will,
but nothing pleases me or will please me but You, my God, my Hope, my everlasting Salvation. I
will not be silent, I will not cease praying until Your grace returns to me and You speak inwardly
to me, saying: “Behold, I am here. Lo, I have come to you because you have called Me. Your tears
and the desire of your soul, your humility and contrition of heart have inclined Me and brought Me
to you.”
Lord, I have called You, and have desired You, and have been ready to spurn all things for
Your sake. For You first spurred me on to seek You. May You be blessed, therefore, O Lord, for
having shown this goodness to Your servant according to the multitude of Your mercies.
What more is there for Your servant to say to You unless, with his iniquity and vileness always
in mind, he humbles himself before You? Nothing among all the wonders of heaven and earth is
like to You. Your works are exceedingly good, Your judgments true, and Your providence rules
the whole universe. May You be praised and glorified, therefore, O Wisdom of the Father. Let my
lips and my soul and all created things unite to praise and bless You.