1. to turn away. The rich young man (Mk 10:17-22) missed the look of love on the face of Christ. He was preoccupied with doing the right thing, and with worldly possessions.
   
   
2. to mix doubt and faith. Martha and Mary said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died" (Jn 11:21, 32). You can hear the disappointment, almost the reproach, in their voices. How painful it is when we are misunderstood. How much more wounding to God, who does and allows everything in our lives out of most pure love, when we doubt and mistrust him.
   
   
3. to abandon ourselves to him. St. Gertrude is a great example of that. She experienced extraordinary graces of the Lord's presence and the sweetness of his love, yet she always recognized that this was never because she deserved it. The more she recognized her unworthiness, the more she abandoned herself with limitless confidence that Jesus would continue pouring out graces on her. Jesus taught her that the only thing that distressed him was when she began to put a limit on his generosity - to doubt his love because of her own sins.
   
   "One day when she was out walking, she said to the Lord in great dejection: 'I deem it the greatest of your miracles, Lord, that the earth does not refuse to bear such an unworthy sinner as myself!' The Lord, who exalts the humble, deigned in his kindness to be touched by these words, and replied: 'The earth bears you gladly, while the heavens in all their immensity, in a mighty surge of exaltation, dance for joy, awaiting the hour when they shall have the honor of receiving you.'"

These words will only become life if we take them to our prayer and scripture reading, ask the Lord to give us personal revelation. From theory to reality - like the scent of wine on someone's breath vs. drinking wine.