Simplicity of Mind and Heart
Byline: Sr. Mary Berchmans Hannan
Recently I received a pamphlet describing the Visitation Basilica in Annecy from a Visitation family who had a most enjoyable visit to this most beautiful spot in God’s creation. I was struck by a thought at the bottom of the pamphlet that has become my theme for this week’s Lenten thought.
“Always walk before God with simplicity.”
In this age when we are bombarded by Tweets, emails, Facebook “likes,” etc., etc., our lives can become overwhelmed with clutter. Silence of mind and heart has a hard time surviving. As we have been reflecting on living in the present moment, living in the presence of God, and accepting the will of God as it unfolds in our lives in each present moment, hopefully we have begun to integrate into our lives a spirit of simplicity.
St. Jane de Chantal, our Foundress, has written an inspiring summary of simplicity of life. I quote:
“Perfect simplicity consists in having but one single and sole desire in all our actions, and that is of pleasing God in all things. The second practice of this virtue of simplicity is to see only the will of this great God in all things, good or ill, which may befall us. When we love only this adorable will, our souls will be tranquil in every event. Simplicity will also help us to live from day to day without forethought or concern for ourselves, but to do well at each moment what is ordered for us, according to our vocation, trusting and committing ourselves to Divine Providence.”
The busyness of our lives today, our endless to-do lists, the constant thrusts of enticing advertisements compelling us to believe that we need things we do not need – these all militate against our attempts to live a life of simplicity.
In this third week of Lent it will be helpful to:
Step aside from these endless intrusions so we might find some time to make decisions in favor of Salesian simplicity.
Introducing simplicity into our lives might lead us to be more alert in responding to the needs of the many people in our world who struggle to obtain the bare necessities of life.
Living in the presence of God in the present moment helps us to raise our sights beyond the here and now to more eternal realities, which, in turn, make us more sensitive to needs beyond our immediate horizons. Let us, in the Visitation tradition, be women and men who “make a difference.”