The Last Look Bar One of Laudato Si--The Present Moment and Ecology

Truly beautiful is this section....I am again reminded of the Benedictine Rule and my experience in Tyburn. Moderation, being happy with little, simplicity, all great themes on this blog, are ideals close to my Benedictine heart.

I know some of these men.....

And, this section is about the heart. How many times I have written that less is more? I live this way myself and am more peaceful than one can imagine with less things.

Even after reading this, I want to cull even more things from my stacks of boxes. God provides, and His Providence brings a freedom to serve God and honor nature as one of His creatures.

For four years, I lived out of two suitcases and a computer bag. I missed few things, and my dear readers provided me with books, which I share on this blog.

Indeed, after this view of this work, I shall return to Providence and Predestination, by Garrigou-Lagrange, whose ideas of simplicity as a way to perfection are echoed here.

IV. JOY AND PEACE

222. Christian spirituality proposes an alternative understanding of the quality of life, and encourages a prophetic and contemplative lifestyle, one capable of deep enjoyment free of the obsession with consumption. We need to take up an ancient lesson, found in different religious traditions and also in the Bible. It is the conviction that “less is more”. A constant flood of new consumer goods can baffle the heart and prevent us from cherishing each thing and each moment. To be serenely present to each reality, however small it may be, opens us to much greater horizons of understanding and personal fulfilment. Christian spirituality proposes a growth marked by moderation and the capacity to be happy with little. It is a return to that simplicity which allows us to stop and appreciate the small things, to be grateful for the opportunities which life affords us, to be spiritually detached from what we possess, and not to succumb to sadness for what we lack. This implies avoiding the dynamic of dominion and the mere accumulation of pleasures.

223. Such sobriety, when lived freely and consciously, is liberating. (and I say, "Amen").

It is not a lesser life or one lived with less intensity. On the contrary, it is a way of living life to the full. In reality, those who enjoy more and live better each moment are those who have given up dipping here and there, always on the look-out for what they do not have. They experience what it means to appreciate each person and each thing, learning familiarity with the simplest things and how to enjoy them. So they are able to shed unsatisfied needs, reducing their obsessiveness and weariness. Even living on little, they can live a lot, above all when they cultivate other pleasures and find satisfaction in fraternal encounters, in service, in developing their gifts, in music and art, in contact with nature, in prayer. Happiness means knowing how to limit some needs which only diminish us, and being open to the many different possibilities which life can offer.

Echoes of St. Benedict....

224. Sobriety and humility were not favourably regarded in the last century. And yet, when there is a general breakdown in the exercise of a certain virtue in personal and social life, it ends up causing a number of imbalances, including environmental ones. That is why it is no longer enough to speak only of the integrity of ecosystems. We have to dare to speak of the integrity of human life, of the need to promote and unify all the great values. Once we lose our humility, and become enthralled with the possibility of limitless mastery over everything, we inevitably end up harming society and the environment. It is not easy to promote this kind of healthy humility or happy sobriety when we consider ourselves autonomous, when we exclude God from our lives or replace him with our own ego, and think that our subjective feelings can define what is right and what is wrong.

I am harder than the Pope on this point and call this attitude of the lack of sobriety and humility arrogant pride.

225. On the other hand, no one can cultivate a sober and satisfying life without being at peace with him or herself. An adequate understanding of spirituality consists in filling out what we mean by peace, which is much more than the absence of war. Inner peace is closely related to care for ecology and for the common good because, lived out authentically, it is reflected in a balanced lifestyle together with a capacity for wonder which takes us to a deeper understanding of life. Nature is filled with words of love, but how can we listen to them amid constant noise, interminable and nerve-wracking distractions, or the cult of appearances? Many people today sense a profound imbalance which drives them to frenetic activity and makes them feel busy, in a constant hurry which in turn leads them to ride rough-shod over everything around them. This too affects how they treat the environment. An integral ecology includes taking time to recover a serene harmony with creation, reflecting on our lifestyle and our ideals, and contemplating the Creator who lives among us and surrounds us, whose presence “must not be contrived but found, uncovered”.[155]

The heart leads one to love all of nature. I am listening to the birds' chorus, which brings me much peace and joy. The Pope is referring to living in the Present Moment, always. And giving up all for the sake of Christ, which we are all called to do to the best of our ability in our state of life.

226. We are speaking of an attitude of the heart, one which approaches life with serene attentiveness, which is capable of being fully present to someone without thinking of what comes next, which accepts each moment as a gift from God to be lived to the full. Jesus taught us this attitude when he invited us to contemplate the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, or when seeing the rich young man and knowing his restlessness, “he looked at him with love” (Mk 10:21). He was completely present to everyone and to everything, and in this way he showed us the way to overcome that unhealthy anxiety which makes us superficial, aggressive and compulsive consumers.

227. One expression of this attitude is when we stop and give thanks to God before and after meals.  (Even in restaurants.....I add) I ask all believers to return to this beautiful and meaningful custom. That moment of blessing, however brief, reminds us of our dependence on God for life; it strengthens our feeling of gratitude for the gifts of creation; it acknowledges those who by their labours provide us with these goods; and it reaffirms our solidarity with those in greatest need.

The Hatred of Joy

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the fact that many in the world hate Christians because of our hope in Christ. Those who are miserable, including the unseen demons, "who roam the world seeking the ruin of souls", want others to be miserable as well.

Some people learn this lesson in families with loved ones who experience depression and want others to experience their sadness, attempting to manipulate others into their state of mind and spirit.

Some people learn this in dysfunctional families which exhibit great negativity and criticisms.

Some people learn that there are those in the work place who want others to be unhappy because they are unhappy.

Those who are in sin or darkness do not want Christians to have hope in God. They do not want anyone to feel real joy. Some Bible passages indicate how we are to respond to questions as to why we are joyful. Note verse 15 of 1 Peter 3 below. St,. Peter understood what it was like to live among the grumpy and hateful. He was martyred.

Remember, the demons from hell want you and I to be miserable with them for all eternity and will use others in their clutches to try destroy our faith. This is why it is so important to have good Catholic, orthodox friends-for support against the spirit of the age.

The hatred of joy is the hatred of the good and the beautiful. I think of the saints who were so beautiful and joyful, such as St. Gemma Galgani, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, St. Philip Neri and more, like the Carthusian Martyrs, one of whom is St. John Houghton.

To be joyful in the face of negativity and gloom is our call in the world today. 

Douay-Rheims 

8 And in fine, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, being lovers of the brotherhood, merciful, modest, humble:

9 Not rendering evil for evil, nor railing for railing, but contrariwise, blessing: for unto this are you called, that you may inherit a blessing.

10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile.

11 Let him decline from evil, and do good: let him seek after peace and pursue it:

12 Because the eyes of the Lord are upon the just, and his ears unto their prayers: but the countenance of the Lord upon them that do evil things.

13 And who is he that can hurt you, if you be zealous of good?

14 But if also you suffer any thing for justice' sake, blessed are ye. And be not afraid of their fear, and be not troubled.

15 But sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts, being ready always to satisfy every one that asketh you a reason of that hope which is in you.

16 But with modesty and fear, having a good conscience: that whereas they speak evil of you, they may be ashamed who falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

17 For it is better doing well (if such be the will of God) to suffer, than doing ill.