Lenten Meditation

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Book 2 Chapter 4: On Purity of Min and a Simple Intention:

“Simplicity looks to God and purity finds Him and savors Him.”

We are called to lead a simple and pure life simply because God is simple and pure.  We are called to imitate that which is purest of all- our Lord Jesus Christ.  Thomas a Kempis says, “We are lifted up above earthly things on two wings: simplicity and purity.” If we simplify our life, our affections are directed toward only a few things.  If our affections are geared only toward God, how simple is our life.  This allows us to aim all our love and affection toward Him who is pure love.  Jesus Crist gave us two simple commandments; “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27) To live out this commandment is the heavenly intention.  If your heart is pure, “you would see all things clearly and understand them well.”  As we begin to focus on our interior life, so will we begin to judge the world. If we find interior peace and simplicity, we will find the joy of an encounter with Christ. If our life is simple and pure, then we will judge our neighbor with compassion and love.  If we look to the world for the meaning of life, we will judge our neighbor harshly based on the rules of the world.  We will allow gossip and material things to complicate our lives and dictate our thoughts.  Our desires become impure and our heart will become afflicted with hatred.  If you are to experience true joy, you must simplify your life.  If your heart is filled with desire for worldly things, then your conscience is stimulated by evil desires.  As soon as your love for God and Neighbor becomes “lukewarm”, life becomes a “big effort and you willingly receive distractions from without”.  To conquer this slothfulness for God, you must learn to stand firm with God and fight off the complicated desires of the world.  When you stand with God, the “effort expended seems little which before you thought was insurmountable.”  It is in our simplicity and purity that we find joy and rest in the arms of God Himself.

A Simple Prayer

 

Lord, help me to simplify my life.

Help me trade in my earthly desires for love of You and love of neighbor.

Help me develop an interior life which leads me to purity of heart.

 

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon