Lenten Meditation

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Book 2 Chapter 5 On Knowing Yourself:

“Often we are unaware of our own interior blindness”

Do we really know ourselves or are we blinded by our own sinfulness?  We must understand that we cannot trust our sacredness because many times we lack the grace that we need and through our own neglect we tend to lose the little grace that we have.  How often do we sin and then turn around and justify our sin?  We let our passions rule us and “we mistake it for zeal.”  Jesus says that we are quick to see the speck in our neighbor’s eye, but miss the log in ours (Matthew 7:3-5).  We become critical of the little things that our neighbors do.  We let these little things annoy us, but never consider how we annoy our neighbor. If we truly saw ourselves through the eyes of others, we “would not find cause to judge others severely”.  We cannot become a true follower of Christ unless you learn to avoid the affairs of others.  Thomas a Kempis tells us, “If, therefore, you wish to have peace in your soul and to be united with God, set aside all else and focus the eye of your soul on your own deeds.”  To become truly interiorly focused we must keep ourselves free from anxieties that are exterior to us.  We must learn to trust in God and to let go of the exterior because it is only the interior that will get you into heaven.  We are called to love God and to direct our soul to God for the love of God alone.  We are to despise all else for it will only lead us away from Him who gave everything to save us from our sins.  It is only through God that all our needs are fulfilled and are desires are truly satisfied.  It is only in God that we are fully satisfied. And we will find “true joy of our heart.”

A Simple Prayer

 

Lord, free my eyes to look interiorly

So I am not concerned with the defects of others

But with correcting the kinks in my own soul.

Give me the grace to love you and to direct my soul toward you

Who will satisfy all my needs and fulfill my life.

 

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon