Signs of Friendship with God

St. Bernard says, that there is
no more certain mark of God being present in a man's heart, than the desire of still increasing in grace, and he proves it by the saying - with the Wise Man:
"Those that eat me shall still hunger, and those that drink me shall still thirst." (Sirach, 24:21)

If, then, you hunger and thirst for heavenly things, rejoice, since it is an evident sign that God dwells in your soul.

Like the Bloodhound, finding the scent, pursues eagerly, and never tires of the pursuit; whoever
smells the sweetness of the divine scent runs after it without ceasing, and cries out with the spouse in the Canticles,

"Draw me after Thee, we will run in the odor of thy divine perfumes." (Cant 1. 8)

St Bernard said he trembled, and his hair stood of an end, as often as he reflected on these words of the Holy Spirit:

" Man knows not whether he deserves love or hatred" (Eccles 9:1) This passage is terrible, says this great saint, "and I shook with horror as often as I thought on it, never without trembling repeating that sentence, Who knows whether he deserves love or hatred?" (Serm. 23 on the Cant.)


"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is prudence." (Proverbs 9:10)




If, this reflection made a great saint tremble, who was, a living pillar of the church, what effect ought it to have on us, who, on account of our sins, have so many causes of fear; "But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead" (II Cor. 1. 9)


In this life, we have no  infallible certainty, that we are in the state of grace, in friendship with God, yet there are signs which give a moral probability of it, frequent confession and the surest sign-- hearts with ardent desire of daily perfecting ourselves, more, and more in virtue.


"For the lawgiver shall give a blessing, they shall go from virtue to virtue" (Psalms 83:8); they continually increase in fervor, and advance in virtue, who love God.

Not so for the tepid, the imperfect, and the wicked, as the Sun sets, so does their virtue, till darkness, abounds (cf.Prov.4:19). They cannot see the precipices into which they fall.

The more evil a man is, the less he feels it.