"Now I begin to love my God."
- St. Francis de Sales credits this to David.
I was sitting in a room once when it was said of God, may you find him now. It occurred to me, that's the only place we're going to find him.
That isn't exactly how St. Francis de Sales meant it, in context he said "Consider all the past as nothing, and say, like David: Now I begin to love my God."
In essence though, both are about new beginnings. Saints are not perfect in this life, they are perfected.
It is our failings that are our strength. God does not love us in spite of who were, but precisely for who we are.
St. Paul the Apostle in his letter to the Philippians wrote: It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity, but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ. Brothers, I for my part do not consider myself to have taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit to the goal, the prize of God's upward calling, in Christ Jesus.
There is such hope in this passage. "Perfect maturity" implies that our end is in Christ, this our final cause, as much as our formal calling.
When I am warring with myself, and am mine own worst enemy, divided, as it were, against myself, I turn to Philippians.
I am reminded that none would judged the destination by the path taken, and that is precisely what I do both to myself and my brother seeing him only where on his path I find him, presuming I know the destination.
Judge me not as I have so coarsely judged others, but rather help me to love my brother as you love me, that while practicing this romance I may be patient not to give up on my own path toward you.
