In deep prayer, when we enter into a deeper level of consciousness, we see as if it were in a mirror. And we can see ourselves as a reflection of the Divine. We see our own essential nature as an icon of God created in the image and likeness of God. A the sign of the fruit of this experience is, for example, quite simple – it’s that we can love ourselves better. This is one of the fruits of meditation. The first fruit of the Holy Spirit is love. And the first manifestation of that love is that we love ourselves, that we know that we are good, not perfect. As human beings we have our moods, we have our problems, we have difficulties of character and so on, but nevertheless, even though we are aware of our sinfulness, this does not mean we are not lovable. And we can experience that as we see ourselves as the image of God.
( The Brick Wall of the Ego 1 by Laurence Freeman OSB )
