Friday, October 03, 2003
God revealed to Macarius, the anchorite of Crete, famous for his holiness and the austeries that he practiced, that there were two married women in a neighboring town who were closer to God's perfection than he was himself.
Searching, he found them. They were unkniwn, not particularly beautiful nor rich.
They practiced the plain virtues of humility, patience, charity, self-denial, and resignation. They did their domestic duties with cheerfulness,and maintaining
a devotional spirit by ejaculatory prayer and frequent consecrations of soul and body to God.
_____
This is such, such a neat story and gives all of us "everyday people" who don't feel like spiritual athletes such hope.
These women were just everyday people. But look what they were doing: their everyday duties as wives and mothers. Sweeping the floor, doing the laundry, making beds, coping with tired husbands and teenagers and fussy neighbors.
But look how they marked their lives:
They were cheerful instead of complaining.
They were humble instead of trying to be number one.
They were patient with what God gave them to deal with, resigned instead of unsatisfied with their lot in life (here the meaning for those of us Americans who think of resigned to something as being apathetic giving up, is closer to accepting and dealing with their lot in life instead of feeling themeselves losers), practicing self-denial and charity. They practiced ejaculatory prayer during the day while they were about their duties, to bring themeselves into the divine presence and consecrated themselves over and over to God. This sounds so like St. Therese's Little Way.
And by just practicing everyday holiness, God found them more perfect than a famous ancborite.
God judges by a standard that the world cannot see.
And if we love God, we can incorporate their approach to spirituality, the sanctification of all we do and say by prayer and love, and don't worry about the great things, or if our technique is perfect, or are we practicing everything possible.
Let us stay centered in the love of a God who was willing to come to earth and share our physical limitations and trials, teach us, die an unbelievably horrid death, all for the love of us.
Jesus, Mary, I love you! Save souls!
Searching, he found them. They were unkniwn, not particularly beautiful nor rich.
They practiced the plain virtues of humility, patience, charity, self-denial, and resignation. They did their domestic duties with cheerfulness,and maintaining
a devotional spirit by ejaculatory prayer and frequent consecrations of soul and body to God.
_____
This is such, such a neat story and gives all of us "everyday people" who don't feel like spiritual athletes such hope.
These women were just everyday people. But look what they were doing: their everyday duties as wives and mothers. Sweeping the floor, doing the laundry, making beds, coping with tired husbands and teenagers and fussy neighbors.
But look how they marked their lives:
They were cheerful instead of complaining.
They were humble instead of trying to be number one.
They were patient with what God gave them to deal with, resigned instead of unsatisfied with their lot in life (here the meaning for those of us Americans who think of resigned to something as being apathetic giving up, is closer to accepting and dealing with their lot in life instead of feeling themeselves losers), practicing self-denial and charity. They practiced ejaculatory prayer during the day while they were about their duties, to bring themeselves into the divine presence and consecrated themselves over and over to God. This sounds so like St. Therese's Little Way.
And by just practicing everyday holiness, God found them more perfect than a famous ancborite.
God judges by a standard that the world cannot see.
And if we love God, we can incorporate their approach to spirituality, the sanctification of all we do and say by prayer and love, and don't worry about the great things, or if our technique is perfect, or are we practicing everything possible.
Let us stay centered in the love of a God who was willing to come to earth and share our physical limitations and trials, teach us, die an unbelievably horrid death, all for the love of us.
Jesus, Mary, I love you! Save souls!
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