Infinite Desire for God
Knowing that it is absolutely impossible that I, a poor creature could do all this … But I will not give up supposing that each creature infinitely multiplied and at every infinitesimal moment of all eternities … with infinite perfection infinitely multiplied … will do all these actions. (OOCC, X, p. 60; STA, 18)
St. Vincent Pallotti, while recognizing the depth of his sinfulness, also realized that he was made by God, who was infinite. Hence, he infinitely desired to bring glory to God. He wanted every creature who lived at every moment throughout eternity to be multiplied infinitely and join him in bringing glory to God. The ‘infinite desire,’ the ‘multiplication of every creature infinitely’ and the ‘infinite multiplication of every moment of all eternities’ which St. Vincent was speaking about was often referred to as “infinitism” in his spirituality. According to him, there was a paradox involved in the concepts of ‘the infinite desire’ and ‘the multiplication of the infinite’ because a person, as a finite being, can never have an infinite desire and the infinite can never be multiplied. Yet for St. Vincent it was a ‘beautiful thought’ which pointed to his heart that was passionately in love with God, the Infinite Love. It also indicated the holy impatience, the agony and the yearning that lay deep in the heart of St. Vincent to rest secure in God’s love. It also helped St. Vincent to learn humility because he discovered his true state of unworthiness only in relation to God, the Infinite Love.
Are there elements of St. Vincent’s infinitism in my spiritual life? Do I recognize my unworthiness? Do I acknowledge that I am made for God, the Infinite Love? Do I long to rest secure in God?
They took an oath to the Lord with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with horns. All Judah rejoiced over the oath; for they had sworn with all their heart, and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around. (II Chro. 15:14 – 15)