|
For him, God is the Trinitarian God, self-giving, inclusive, unending Love, Ultimate Mystery made visible in Jesus Christ- born to Mary, fostered by Joseph in their home at Nazareth in a wonderful Communion of Love. God Alone! was not only a motto for him but a charter for a radical way of life, a spirit which animated his whole being. God Alone was the cry which sprang spontaneously from his lips and from his pen in response to trials and hurts, to joys and successes. He said repeatedly that Jesus, Mary and Joseph loved, sought, and desired only God Alone. To live for God alone following the example of Jesus, Mary and Joseph has become the core of the spirituality of the Holy Family. |
|
In fact, identification with the Holy Family in their living for God alone embraces all aspects of life and is a task that lasts until death. It is, states Fr. Noailles, the vocation of every member of the Holy Family and also a way of life that guarantees great happiness and peace. He was convinced that the spirit of God alone, lived to ‘heroic degree’, was necessary to ensure that communion was lived visibly and promoted the reign of God. “The living of the richness of this process of surrender to an ever deeper and fuller YES to life in all its fullness is the living of the spirit of God Alone. It is this spirit that enriches our limited capacity to go beyond boundaries, to accept in peace and love circumstances that seem beyond our capacity to go on living in hope and trust Loving, seeking, desiring God Alone is an invitation to live with deep awareness, to be fully involved with life, to open ourselves to the profound unity within all of life, to look for the sacred essence at the heart of everything, connecting all life in a sacred web of communion. |
The term God Alone recurs unceasingly and in all circumstances in Ven. Fr. Noailles’ writings, In his personal journey, this intuition is certainly due to the deep experience of God which he received at the feet of the Blessed Virgin of St. Sulpice in Paris, which changed his life-direction and led to his entry to the seminarythree days later. . We read in his seminary notes …May I no longer see anything but you. May I no longer live for anything but you”. (Issy Notes 1817. In source 4)