180 Days of Prayer with the Saints by Wyatt North

Author:Wyatt North [North, Wyatt]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wyatt North
Published: 2021-05-07T12:04:18+00:00

Day 93

It is easy to be distracted by all the methods of achieving piety and lose focus on the heart of the matter, which is, quite literally, the devotion of the heart itself. How quickly—although starting on the path toward piety with the right intentions—do we fail to see the results we seek and end up jumping from practice to practice as if it is the external thing that must change rather than the condition of our hearts. In today’s mediation, St. John of the Cross warns of such ritualism—vain repetitions devoid of the heart’s devotion.

Meditations from St. John of the Cross

Many of these beginners have also at times great spiritual avarice. They will be found to be discontented with the spirituality which God gives them; and they are very disconsolate and querulous because they find not in spiritual things the consolation that they would desire. Many can never have enough of listening to counsels and learning spiritual precepts, and of possessing and reading many books which treat of this matter, and they spend their time on all these things rather than on works of mortification and the perfecting of the inward poverty of spirit which should be theirs. Furthermore, they burden themselves with images and rosaries which are very curious; now they put down one, now take up another; now they change about, now change back again; now they want this kind of thing, now that, preferring one kind of cross to another, because it is more curious. And others you will see adorned with agnus deis and relics and tokens, like children with trinkets. Here I condemn the attachment of the heart, and the affection which they have for the nature, multitude and curiosity of these things, inasmuch as it is quite contrary to poverty of spirit which considers only the substance of devotion, makes use only of what suffices for that end and grows weary of this other kind of multiplicity and curiosity. For true devotion must issue from the heart, and consist in the truth and substances alone of what is represented by spiritual things; all the rest is affection and attachment proceeding from imperfection; and in order that one may pass to any kind of perfection it is necessary for such desires to be killed.

St. John of the Cross. A Life. Chapter 19

Additional Biblical Reflections: Proverbs 14:12-15; Matthew 6:7; Mark 7:3-9.

Prayer

Lord, you have blessed us with many means and methods whereby we might draw closer to you. Let us not forget the ends of our piety for the sake of the means. Guide us ever by your presence so that we might engage in true piety with the devotion of our hearts and not satisfy our vanities. Amen.

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