Lenten Meditation

Book 1 Chapter 11: On How to Acquire Peace and on the Desire to Improve

“We would indeed have peace if we would attend to our [own] affairs.”

For the past ten meditations Thomas a Kempis has focused on “giving up” or fasting from things that prevent us from realizing the kingdom of heaven.  He calls us each day to pray inwardly and to seek God in everything we do.  In other words, you are called to be inwardly focused.  This is the primary purpose of Lent.  Lent helps us find that inner peace we so desire and helps direct us back to Christ. Today’s message tells us what we need to do to “acquire peace”.  He begins this section by asking the question, “How can you remain in peace when you deliberately interfere in other people’s business and seek worldly occupation with seldom a thought to interior recollection?” When you interject yourself into other people’s business you commit two sins; first the sin of condemnation and second the sin of pride.  This is because you tell belittling the other so that you can look better than them.  You must die to this self-love (aka Pride) so that you can “enjoy the spiritual things” and “experience heavenly contemplation.”  You should always see yourself as less than the other person and then you will find great comfort when they ask you to help them.  Your service will be one of servitude and not one of self-satisfaction.  Our service should lead them to trust in God and find peace in His arms.  When trouble comes into your life, who is it that you seek comfort from?  More times than not the answer to this question is human consolation. Thomas tells us that we must “take a firm stand” and put our trust in God “for He is always ready to help those who put their trust in Him.”  God even gives us “occasions for us to do battle so that we will overcome and be victorious.” Her gives us the choice to choose Him and to surrender ourselves to His mercy. This Lent you should identify a fault or bad habit that you have and pray to overcome that fault.  By doing so, you acknowledge that God is God and you are not and you will increase your fervor and desire for virtue.  By growing in virtue, you become more and more like the Saints and will eventually find that peace when you rest in the arms of God Himself. You should start with the little things.  As you overcome your faults and bad habits, you will find that you have the will power to overcome the greater things. Start by breaking off bad habits.  It is these habits that weigh you down and make it difficult to tackle the bigger issues in your life. You should keep your eyes focused on “the greater interior peace you would have and how happy you would make others by doing good.”  It is the desire to do good that leads you to good.  It is in doing good that you grow in virtue.  To grow in virtue is to become a Saint. To become a Saint is to be at peace in the arms of God.

A Simple Prayer

God,

I abandon myself to you!

Help me overcome my faults and my bad habits

So I can grow in virtue.  

 

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon