"Risen Lamb Writings"
"The Wound of Love"
In contemplative prayer, intercessors
are drawn to the "King's gate"--the "gate"of the
wounded side of Jesus. Here, we "drink freely of love" (Songs 5:1): The
life-giving spring that flows from his pierced heart. With the fullness of
desire, we experience how sweet and agreeable he is. We drink deeply of the
living water that never fails. Here we experience the Lamb himself, who is
"that fountain of life, the fountain of love--ever and again to be desired,
ever and again to be consumed" (From an instruction by Saint Columban,
abbot; cited in LH, vol. IV;p. 173).
Here at the "Lamb's gate" contemplative
intercessors drink from the wellspring of "wounded love". Here, "deep calls to- deep" (Ps. 42:8) as
Jesus "wound[s] the depths of our souls with a healing wound" (ibid;p.174):
"I was wounded in the house of my dear ones" (Zech. 13:6). When
our hearts are pierced by the Lamb, this "wound of love" is not only intended
for our own healing, so that each of us can live in "a sincere and pure
commitment to Christ" (2Cr. 11:3B); but also, we are wounded for the sake of
others: So that we can identify with and love the "dear ones" we pray for now
and those whom the Spirit will "press upon our heart" to pray for in the future.
In The Song of Songs, the
beloved says, "Draw me, we will follow you eagerly" (Songs 1:4).
One notes the use of the singular pronoun, me, then the sudden shift to
the plural, we. An intercessor is never drawn to the wounded side of the
Lamb for oneself only, but also on behalf of all those people one holds within
one's heart--even "the nations of the world" (The Cantata of Love,
Blaise Arminjon, S. J.; p. 72).
The closer the union with the wounded
heart of the Lamb, the more that a soul loves and desires to share in the
Lamb's "wounded Love" for the world--hence, the more the soul suffers for the
sake of love. Here the soul's capacity to drink from the fountain of love
grows, and the heart's capacity to "hold" even more souls to intercede for
grows. How sweet and agreeable it is "to know the love of Christ" (Eph.3:19).
"Blessed is the soul
so wounded by love. Such a soul seeks the fountain of eternal life and
drinks from it, although it continues to thirst and its thirst grows ever
greater even as it drinks"
(ibid; p. 174)
This growing
thirst is simultaneously a thirst for God and a thirst for souls.
Questions:
1) Have I noticed any personal, inner growth
from the deep heart piercings in my life?
2) Whom do I find most difficult to identify with, to love, and to
intercede for ?
Scriptures:
Any scripture from the text; Ps. 42:2-3; John 4: 10,14; John
19:37; Rev. 21:6B
