Lenten Meditation

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ

Book 1 Chapter 6: Concerning Inordinate Affections

“When people desire anything to an excessive degree, they immediately lose their peace of soul.”

What a profound statement! When we desire something excessively, it becomes the god in our life. It overtakes our ability to see God and crushes that what is god in our soul. I can remember saying things like “I will just die if I don’t get whatever!”  The truth is I was already dead because I let that thing I wanted drive my desires instead of God. Is it okay to want something? Yes.  But it is not ok to become excessive in our desires. This is why fasting is a major component of our Lenten Journey. We are supposed to fast from those things that divert our eyes from Christ and ultimately the Kingdom of Heaven. Thomas a Kempis says, “The humble and the poor in spirit live in peace and contentment.” We must become mortified to the things that are of the world.  It becomes so easy for us to fall into temptation and listen to Satan when we obsess the things of the world. It becomes more and more difficult for us to find rest and happiness when our worldly desires consume us.  I think this is most evident around Christmas when our focus becomes “what I want for Christmas” instead of what God wants for me.  It is difficult for us to shed our desires when our spiritual life is weak. When our spiritual life is weak, it is easier for us to be tempted with worldly desires.  If you think about it, when you get what you want, you will typically receive a short lived instant gratification.  This new thing will lose its attraction and then you will desire something else. In reality, when we find God and make Him the focus of our desire, the gratification is long-lived and accompanies with great joy and happiness.  We can only find lasting peace by resisting our passions and finding rest in the Lord.

A Simple Prayer

Lord, help me to be humble in my desires and my wants.
Let my eyes be focused on you who created me.

Peace
Michael Marcon