From my morning reading (The Ways of God, attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas). The main point is that while God is constant and unchangeable, we mortals are always inconstant, Quoting from the book:
. . . how inconstant we are in holy meditations, in lawful affections, in steadfastness of conscience, and in a right will. Ah, how suddenly we pass from good to bad, from hope to groundless fear, and from fear to hope, from joy to unreasonable grief and from sadness to vain joy, fro silence to loquiaciousness, from gravity to trifling, from charity to rancor or to envy, from fervor to tepidity, from humility to vainglory or to pride, frum gentleness to anger, and from joy and spiritual love to carnal love and pleasure.
For some odd reason, I find all this to be consoling and comforting. "Yes, that's what I'm like. Yes, that's what all humans are like. I see that I'm not alone. What a relief!" Meanwhile God is constant in his patience and forebearance.
I couldn't help thinking of St. Paul when he lamented that "I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do." And I often remind myself that he is a SAINT.
We are all complex human beings. We need to embrace the paradox and make peace with it if we are ever to grow. And we have to allow the same thing for others. IMHO.
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