Theosophical Heart-Devotions Directed to the Highest Sole Jehovah

...at all times raise itself to You with a constant sacrifice of thanks and prayer, and thus may seek its true food in Your love and in Your light. Ah, Lord JESUS! You living and eternal Sun-Bread original: "Sonnen-Brod" — a mystical or alchemical term representing Christ as the source of both spiritual light and life-sustaining nourishment., You incomprehensible, dearly-wrought, glorious masterpiece, of which the Philosopher’s Stone Philosopher’s Stone: The legendary substance in alchemy capable of turning base metals into gold; here, the author views Christ as the ultimate "stone" that transforms the human soul into something divine. is but a shadow and image, You who have offered Yourself as food to all souls yearning for God. Ah! Let me truly recognize what kind of bread this is, which You so gladly wish to offer me, so that the hunger for You in my soul may become truly great. How unhappy is he who does not hunger for You! How happy, on the other hand, is he who sighs for You without ceasing! O eternal Truth, You who satisfy the spirit without being consumed, You who indeed do not transform Yourself into the one who wishes to be satisfied by You—as earthly bread does—but rather transform him into Yourself, as a heavenly Philosopher’s Stone and as a divine Sun-Bread; give Yourself to me, and grant that I may run toward Your bosom with impetuosity and without tiring. For without You and outside of You I am unhappy, because all goods that are not God and Jesus must be called nothing other than a pitiable poverty and misery. Finally, let me think of Your word that You said to Peter: When you are converted one day—namely, to the true living bread—and are strengthened by it, then strengthen also your brothers. A paraphrase of Luke 22:32. Grant that I keep these words in my memory at all times. And since You have provided for me so richly and gloriously in physical matters from outer nature, grant that I do not close my heart to my brothers in return, but rather may gladly strengthen them with physical goods. But grant also that I may be found a good steward of Your various spiritual gifts of grace, and also serve my brothers with the gift I have received, from the heart—