Some people speak about the devout life the way the Israelites once spoke about the Promised Land. They warned everyone not to go there. They said it was a terrible place where people could not survive, and where giants lived who would destroy anyone who entered.
That is how many people talk about devotion today. They imagine that people who love God are always gloomy, serious, and unhappy. They think a holy life is dull, lonely, and full of sadness.
But Joshua and Caleb told the truth. They said the Promised Land was beautiful, rich, and well worth entering. In the same way, Jesus and the saints assure us that a life devoted to God is not miserable at all. It is joyful, peaceful, and deeply satisfying.
The world notices the sacrifices that devout people make. It sees them praying, helping the sick, giving to the poor, forgiving those who hurt them, fasting, and denying themselves many pleasures. From the outside, these things can seem difficult and even unpleasant.
What the world cannot see is the love inside the heart.
Love for God changes everything.
Think of bees gathering nectar from bitter thyme. The plant itself tastes bitter, yet the bees transform it into sweet honey. Devout souls do something similar. The sacrifices they make may be hard at first, but love turns them into something sweet. What once seemed difficult becomes a joy.
That is why the martyrs could endure terrible sufferings with peace and even happiness. Their love for God was so great that it filled their hearts with a sweetness stronger than pain.
Devotion is like sugar added to fruit. It softens what is bitter and makes what is good even more delightful.
It brings peace to the poor and contentment to the rich. It gives comfort to those who suffer and humility to those who are honored. It brings hope to the lonely and self-control to those surrounded by pleasures.
Devotion warms the heart in the cold winters of life and refreshes it during life’s hot summers. It teaches us how to be thankful when we have plenty and patient when we have little. It helps us receive both praise and criticism with a peaceful heart. It teaches us to accept both joys and sorrows with trust in God.
In every season of life, devotion fills the soul with a quiet sweetness that the world cannot give.
Think, too, of Jacob’s ladder in Scripture. It is a beautiful picture of the devout life.
The two sides of the ladder are prayer and the sacraments. They hold everything together and draw us closer to God.
Each step on the ladder is another act of charity, another virtue, another step toward holiness.
Sometimes we climb upward by prayer and contemplation, drawing closer to God. At other times we climb downward by serving our neighbor with love. Both movements belong to the same holy life.
People who live this way seem almost like angels walking on earth. They are full of life because God’s grace strengthens them. They know how to lift their hearts to heaven in prayer, yet they also know how to walk beside others with kindness and friendship.
Their faces are cheerful because they accept whatever God sends with peace. Their thoughts, words, and actions have one simple purpose—to please God. They use the good things of this world with gratitude, but they are never ruled by them.
Such is the beauty of a truly devout soul.
Believe me, dear Philothea, devotion is the very flower of charity. If charity is milk, devotion is its rich cream. If charity is a flourishing plant, devotion is its beautiful blossoms. If charity is a precious jewel, devotion is its brilliant sparkle. If charity is a fragrant balm, devotion is its sweet perfume—a fragrance that brings joy to people on earth and delight to the angels in heaven.
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