My room in the monastery is very
cluttered. I simply have too much stuff. (Or is it that the stuff has me? hmmmm……)
Anyway I finally got to the point where I couldn’t stand it any more. So for
the past several weeks, a couple of times a week, I’ve set to eliminating some
of the clutter. Boxes of books were donated to the college library, and bags of
trash have been filled and discarded.
And I began to notice something:
whenever I look at a space or shelf in the room which has been cleared of
clutter, I actually take pleasure in the sight of it. I feel like I’m getting
free from things which have been weighing me down.
Several books are available
nowadays about de-cluttering or simplifying you life. I’ve read none of them,
yet even the titles have somehow served to give me this inspiration to simplify
and purge, or cleanse.
Interestingly enough, I have
also noticed that my prayer is getting more focused, and that I am less easily
distracted during the Divine Office or during times of meditation. Might there
be a connection between what I’m doing in my room and what happens during
prayer time?
Well, just this morning I read
something which proves that there is indeed a connection. It’s from The Art of Prayer which I’ve mentioned
in a few posts lately. A couple of these things may be quite challenging. Take
what you are ready for, and leave the rest for another time.
The spirit is quenched by distraction of the
attention from God and God’s works, by excessive anxiety about earthly matters,
by indulgence in sensual pleasure, by pandering to carnal desires, and by
infatuation with material things. (p. 149) . . .
If you have filled your mind with earthly
things, if you have given yourself up to the cares of daily business, you have
already quenched the Spirit.
From the first moment of the awakening of
the spirit by grace, man’s consciousness and yearning pass from the creation to
the Creator, from the earthly to the heavenly, from the temporary to the
eternal. In this realm lies his treasure, and there is his heart. (p. 151)
And finally, a wonderful quotation
from the Letter to the Colossians. We sing these verses as an antiphon
frequently during the season of Easter:
Since you have been raised with Christ, seek
the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set
your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you
have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Col 3:1-2)
God bless you.
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