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Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. Jn 8:34
In our desire to rest in the presence of God, our disordered passions, which lead us to sin, become the first obstacle we must overcome. The desert fathers understood this. Many of these holy men wrote discourses on controlling passions. Passions are neither good nor bad. They are what drives us to accomplish things in our lives. They give us energy and purpose. Passionate people are the movers and shakers of the world. Mother Theresa was an extremely passionate lady who accomplished much good.
The problem with our passions, is that each of them is absolute and infinite. They can be all consuming. They want total control of our lives. Think about how you feel when you are caught up in a passionate sexual desire. It takes over your entire being. The same holds true with every other passion as well. Each want total control. We can view our lives as a series of clashing and overlapping passions. Left uncontrolled, we become slaves to our passions, pulled one way and then the other by them. Our inner peace is destroyed as is our outer peace as well. Taken to an extreme, if enough members of a society have uncontrolled passions, crime will increase, aggression will increase and become more violent, and untimely there will be a breakdown of that society. St. James speaks of this in his letter to Christian communities; “Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war within your members? (James 4:1)
How do we control our passions? How do we find that inner peace we long for? Since the passions cannot be relied upon to control themselves, some power from outside of them must provide that control. Plato called that power reason and used the analogy of a chariot and horses to explain how it works. If you think of horses pulling a chariot as passions, then reason is the charioteer, controlling and guiding the passions (horses) to pull the chariot (you) where you desire it to go. But our reason will only take us so far. St. James suggests a better way; Wisdom on high or the Wisdom of God. If we rely on God’s wisdom to control our passions then we are assured of success, for “The wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.” (James 3:17-18)
Before your contemplative prayer today, pray to the Holy Spirit for wisdom. Consider adding this prayer to your daily prayer routine. If you have not yet received the Sacrament of Reconciliation this Lent, consider going tonight. (The Sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated in each parish on Wednesdays in Lent). Reflect on the passions that seem to control your life and give them God in the confessional.
Lenten Action
If you are a regular practitioner of contemplative prayer, during your dedicated prayer time practice the presence of God as you normally do adding the modifications, if any, you incorporated from the PIPPG suggestions.
If you are new to meditation and contemplative prayer, during your dedicated prayer time practice the presence of God as outlined in Section 1 of the PIPPG booklet.
Today is not a Fast day, but if you have a mind to abstain from a favorite food or drink, please do so as a means of strengthening your will power. Remember not to watch TV, or use your computer or your phone to access social media, computer games, or other unnecessary apps.