Men have grown base, and so they say: what does the Lord give us?
The Lord gives life to every body; the Lord gives a face to every thing. Merciful as a child is the Lord, and selfishness is as unknown to Him as darkness.
The Lord gives to each man what he asks of Him. His Eternity the Lord fills with giving, and you say: what does the Lord give us? You could not even ask that question, did the Lord not give you the strength for it.
The Lord gathers the tears of the sorrowful into His hands. The Lord visits the prisoners. The Lord sits on the bed of the sick.
The Lord keeps vigil on perilous roads, and stands watch over the depths of the sea, and you say: what does the Lord do for us?
What you ask of the Lord, that He gives you. But because you have begun to ask more from the world than from the Lord, therefore you feel deceived in your hopes, and so you say: what does the Lord do for us?
Like a good host the Lord has laid the table and awaits His guests. Attentive is the Lord to knocking, and quick to open the door to every guest. On His table undreamed-of palaces are heaped; at His table there are many seats. Whoever finds His door and knocks will not be turned away, and you say: why did the Lord not open to us when we knocked? Because with doubt you knocked at the door of the Lord, and with faith at the door of the world.
At the door of your soul stands the Lord with a broom, ready at your bidding to sweep your soul clean of its great uncleanness, and with censers and fragrances to perfume it once it is cleansed, and with maidenly ornaments to adorn it — the Lord stands and waits for your call.
And at the edge of your heart stands the Lord with a great candle, which burns without smoke or vapor; the Lord stands and waits for your call, to carry the candle into your heart and illumine it, and to burn up in your heart all fear, and all passions and all hideous desires, and to drive out of it all smoke and evil odor.
And at the edge of your mind stands the Lord with His wisdom and His tongue, ready at your call to enter in and scatter all mad thoughts, all filthy impressions, all mistaken notions, and to wipe from your mind all inconstant images — the Lord stands and waits to bring in His reason, and His seals, and His words.
And you say: where is the Lord? At the edge of your life. That is why your life is bent over. Were the Lord at the center, where He was in the beginning and where His place is, your life would be upright, and you would see the Lord, and would not ask: where is the Lord?
You have grown base, therefore you ask: where is the Lord? Exceeding good is the Lord, therefore the base do not know Him. Exceeding transparent is the Lord, therefore the dust-covered do not see Him.
Exceeding holy is the Lord, therefore the unholy do not feel Him.
If there are not men enough to confess the name of the Lord, the Lord will show Himself through things.
And if even the stars of heaven forget the name of the Lord, the numberless hosts of heavenly angels will not forget it.
The weaker the confession of the Lord's name in one kingdom, the stronger it is in another. The resounding of the name of God can neither be lessened, nor can it be increased. If one brook runs dry, another will rise, and so — the sea holds to the same height.