This is a translation of a scriptural meditation from the Russian book, “Day by Day”. Lewis connection follows:
"Scripture: ‘The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are cast down’ (Psalm 145, 14)
"Meditation:
"O Lord, eternal Love, encompassing the entire universe, O Light which shines for everyone coming into the world, – illuminate the darkness of my sinful soul, remove all bitterness from my heart, fill me with Your light, so that in Your light I see light (Ps: 36, 9)! Fill me with your love, so that within this love I may love everything created by You. ‘Yes, come soon, Lord Jesus’ (Rev: 22, 20)!
"Open our spiritual eyes, let us understand the all-encompassing truth of Your commands, which will lead all of us, rich and poor, wise and unwise, famous and insignificant, equally to the eternal life prepared by You for those who love You. Purify me, Lord, wash me, and only then will I be clean! Because it is not external piety that you need, but true righteousness which penetrates the depths of thought and feeling.
"Purify me, wash me! Free me from my secret transgressions and fill my entire being with Your eternal truth!
“Do everything that You will with me, – test me, punish me; but also support and renew me, who falls often, and lead me to You!”
The Lewis connection that first comes to mind is the “undragoning” of Eustace in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, where Eustace realizes that the only way he can be undragoned is to let Aslan do it, no matter how painful it may be.
Dimitry
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever.” (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8)