“God’s paradise is the human heart.” Reading this quote by St. Alphonsus Liguori, always melts
my heart. It also reminds me how intensely
pure and unconditional God’s love is for me: something I’ve always wanted yet
feared my whole life. In any love
relationship, being committed is terrifying because you’re allowing yourself to
be vulnerable. You don’t know what’s going
to happen or how much you’ll have to give up of yourself to grow together, so
you don’t grow apart.
Then I remember that God’s love is perfect and mine’s not. Paul talks about God’s ideal love in 1 Corinthians
13:4 – 8, “Love is patient, love is kind…It bears all things, believes all
things, hopes all things, endures all things...Love never fails.” I’m always moved after reading these words
precisely because they speak to my heart.
They remind me that God’s love is always authentic. He passionately loves me, you, and everyone
else like that, and the words “God’s paradise is the human heart,” not only melts
my heart but consoles its trepidations.
God gave us an intellect, so I don’t believe God wants us to have
blind faith. Otherwise, I don’t think
Jesus would have said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will
find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matthew: 7:7) All we have to do is open the door of our
hearts and let God into our paradise.
