Lord, I bring Thee my treasure!
It is greater than the mountains,
Wider than the world,
Deeper than the sea,
Higher than the clouds,
More glorious than the sun,
More manifold than the stars;
It outweighs the whole earth.
O thou image of My Divine Godhead,
Ennobled by My humanity,
Adorned by My Holy Spirit,
What is thy treasure called?
Lord, it is called my heart’s desire.
I have withdrawn it from the world
And denied it to myself and all creatures.
Now I can bear it no longer.
Where, O Lord, shall I lay it?
Thy heart’s desire shalt thou lay nowhere
But in Mine own Divine Heart
And on My human breast.
There alone wilt thou find comfort
And be embraced by My Holy Spirit.
Mechthild of Magdeburg (ca. 1212-1282) was a lay sister in a Catholic community in Germany, and is widely loved for her passionate devotional writing. This passage is published in Easwaran’s spiritual anthologies, “God Makes the Rivers to Flow” and “Timeless Wisdom.” The audio recording is by Eknath Easwaran’s wife, Christine Easwaran.