Keeping Chaos At The Gates Never Ends - 3

In our zeal to feed our defenses against the chaos at the gates that essentially never ends, we will feast today on the meaty thoughts of Fr. Schryvers. Last time we carefully read and re-read his words. If you haven't read that whole passage, check last Thursday's post. For now, we will slice it up into little servings and chew slowly. We begin with... 

“If you want to find God in everything, you must quit self. If you want to acquire the love of Jesus, renounce self-indulgence always. All that you cut off from self-love and self-satisfaction you give to divine love. This is the doctrine of universal renunciation, and perhaps it arouses in you, who are still imperfect, a sentiment of fear. But you need not be afraid; only the beginning is hard; by degrees you will reach the more serene and peaceful ways that lead to holiness. 

We all know that self is basically the enemy of us all. And that enemy prefers keeping God out of the picture. This is self's way to keep its primacy of place. Without God to muck things up, self can run amuck all on its own. And we all know where that leads.

Without finding God in everything, we see nothing - or rather we see self's interpretation of all we see. And self's best efforts only reach the level of those shadows Plato described in his parable of the cave as the view of our senses vs. the real world that he espoused in his philosophical writings. Centuries before Christ, and without benefit of the wisdom even of the Old Testament, Plato figured out in his noodle that there was a world beyond our senses, one which was ultimately more real.

This would be what we know as the supernatural. So in order for us mere humans, who may not share the intellectual capacity of a great philosopher like Plato, we must learn to find God - creator of the supernatural as well as the natural word - in everything.  

Our first step in this endeavor is self-renunciation. Not a happy thought for many of mere humans. But no worries, we are assured that only the beginning of this endeavor is the hard part. After that, it becomes easier, albeit by degrees. 

Now let's look at some specifics for this overarching need for self-renunciation. Apply these to our daily work flow:  

"How is this universal renunciation to be practiced? Live in the present moment only; occupy yourself entirely in fulfilling your duties calmly, without eagerness and without loitering; but during your occupations, be on watch for occasions to give pleasure to Jesus, Who works, prays, and lives in you. 

We've discussed the importance of "the present moment" many times in the past. Here we find it again. It's really that important and that's why we find it in the writings of many of our best spiritual guides.

Let's therefore begin our work with the present moment uppermost in our minds. That means no chatter, gossip, surfing the internet, daydreaming, etc. Go to the task list (if you keep one - which is a good idea) and begin at the top. We want to work on this and this only. While it's not always possible or desirable to stick with one task to completion, it frequently, if not mostly, really is. Don't fool yourself into thinking you've got to "multi-task" all the time. Multi-tasking - ballyhooed as it frequently is - frankly can devolve into just being distracted or superficial. Try the one-task-at-a-time approach as a rule.

Possibly a big challenge for many of us would be to perform our duties calmly, without eagerness, but also without loitering. Having worked in environments that were frequently super-charged, supervised by overweening self-important task-masters who seemed to take pleasure when all the hamsters were furiously running in their little cages, this one can be super-challenging.

But whatever our environment - even a more ordered and peaceful one, do we look for occasions to "give pleasure to Jesus'? Or do we instead leave him at the front door of our place of business and go about our work without even a brief aspiration or mental recognition of His Presence? 

Attending to any shortcomings we may have in these matters will go a long way to preserving our the peace we must have embedded deep within our Interior Life to keep chaos at the gates while we work.

More on this next time... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the opportunity of making a little sacrifice arises, such as mortification of the taste, of an inclination, of a whim, of self-will, of judgment, or of curiosity – seize the occasion with eagerness, then quietly continue on your way. Many opportunities for sacrifice will, doubtless, escape, but do not worry; Jesus does not yet ask these; otherwise He would suggest them. Among those privations you perceive some may appear to you to be too painful, and perhaps you neglect them. That is an infidelity towards Jesus: you must own up to it, and make a resolution to be more generous. Pray earnestly to the Divine Master to give you the desire and the strength to make these sacrifices.

"Sometimes you will be in doubt as to whether Jesus asks for certain acts or not: in this case, lose no time wondering; do whichever of the two things you wish, but do it for love; for, if you really love, your heart will always be inclined, in these doubtful cases, to take what is less agreeable. However, if you are subject to anxiety, you can sometimes take what pleases you most, personally, not for personal satisfaction, but in order not to lose your liberty of spirit and sense of spiritual balance. This renunciation of self should be accomplished without constraint and even with gaiety of heart. ‘God loves of cheerful giver.’ (II Cor. 9:7)” (Fr. Joseph Schryvers, C.SS.R.)