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Day: Three
Reference: Mansion II, Chapter I

Short Description by E. A. Peers
"Treats of the insecurity from which we cannot escape in this life of exile, however lofty a state we may reach, and of how good it is for us to walk in fear."

Here in the second mansion the initial difficulties are overcome.10  You have received the gift of faith, the gift to recognize the temptations and sins of the world, the gift to be moved to prayer and reach-out to God. These are no small gifts, but great gifts in which many share. We are moved not only to prayer, but to action outside of prayer, to good works. All we do can become a prayer and act of love. The charity, piety, and prudence that we may gain in this mansion are not to show our greatness11, compassion, or wisdom, it is simply to love God as he loves us. The good works we undertake are to be taken for the glory and love of God. There are secondary benefits to what we do for love of God, but first and foremost it is for the love of God that we should do any good work.

Here in this mansion, the souls who bring prayer into the world through their actions are pleasing to God. It is not simply an inward contemplative movement, but that inward contemplation is the source from which we draw closer to God and bring him into the world. These souls not only draw inward to God, but once they have truly tasted of God’s goodness and beauty they cannot completely turn away. They fear losing the object of their desire, and will to return to the presence of God as often as they are able. You see, we all are subject to the temptations of the devil, and sin is no stranger to us. Each time we sin, great or small, we separate ourselves from God in some way. These souls in the second mansion, long to be with God and know that sin is what separates them. Therefore, sin not and when you do, make reparation and rejoin what you have separated. Undertake your good works for the love of God, so that you might show your love for him. You do not earn God’s love or merit any grace from God, but through your constant efforts, you can at least show your love for him and his people.12

Somehow, you would think those souls of the second mansion would deserve something in return, but it isn’t so. The works undertaken and the prayer must be in love, and in true love you do not expect a payment in return. God does indeed give gifts to those he loves, and in different measure he gives to us what we need to draw closer to him. So look and pay attention to what God has given to you, for it will lead you on the path, and strengthen you for the journey. And if we find ourselves on the path to him, remember to "realize that we have in no way obligated Our Lord to grant us such favours; but rather that, the more we have received of Him, the more deeply do we remain in His debt. What can we do for so generous a God, who died for us and created us and gives us being, without counting ourselves fortunate in being able to repay Him something of what we owe Him for the way He has served us…?"13

If it is true that God gives to us what we need to draw closer to him, then we must take the good with the seemingly bad. Sometimes we are lifted to him with utter ease and joy, but at other times we may find that the cross we carry is heavy and burdensome. Yes, there is even something in the crosses we bear that can help us on our way. There is a certain mystery here in what we need. We cannot know what exactly we need, but we do know that we are separated from God. The closer we come to him, the more acutely aware we become of how we continually slip away. In this we may learn how stay closer to him. Our efforts are not in vain, in fact they are transformative! Although we see our separation, it is because of this fact that we are able to respond to God’s love. We cannot nurture the flower surrounded by weeds, if we do not know it is even there. We must remove what chokes the flower, and robs it of life. Then we can nurture it, help it grow, and help it to reveal its beauty. The same is for our soul, and we too can grow closer to God revealing the beauty that God has placed in us.