Moving right in to the Lectio Divina for the day with no sly comments or witty remarks, just straight into the post.
Today's contemplation comes from the Rule of St. Benedict Ch 7:19-25.19Truly, we are forbidden to do our own will, for Scripture tells us: Turn away from your desires (Sir 18:30). 20And in the Prayer too we ask God that his will be done in us (Matt 6:10). 21We are rightly taught not to do our own will, since we dread what Scripture says: There are ways which men call right that in the end plunge into the depths of hell (Prov 16:25). 22Moreover, we fear what is said of those who ignore this: They are corrupt and have become depraved in their desires (Ps 13[14]: 1).
23As for the desires of the body, we must believe that God is always with us, for All my desires are known to you (Ps 37[38]:10), as the Prophet tells the Lord. 24We must then be on guard against any base desire, because death is stationed near the gateway of pleasure. 25For this reason Scripture warns us, Pursue not your lusts (Sir 18:30).
Death is stationed near the gateway of pleasure. This does not necessarily mean a physical death, but a spiritual death. If we constantly give in to the pleasures of the flesh, our spirits will die.
As Christians, we are called to do the will of God, and we constantly pray that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The human will is different from God's will.
We are given to anger, greed, lust, envy, pride, and other things. When we are wronged - without teaching and training - our first reaction is typically anger. We see the shining, expensive tings and want them for ourselves (envy) and will try to collect as much material wealth as possible (greed), and then flaunt that wealth in front of others (pride). We see an attractive person and think impure thoughts about them, and maybe do impure actions (lust).
These things are not spiritually fulfilling, and often times we seek to keep doing these things - like amassing wealth, or masturbation - trying to achieve the euphoria we first felt. But the more we do these types of things, the more they kill our spirits.
Of course it is not wrong to want a house and a car - we need shelter, and we need transportation - but do we really need a huge house with a bathroom of a size in which we could play baseball? Do we really need a vehicle that is nicer than some homes?
Of course it is OK to see and attractive person and be attracted to them. It is how we act on that attraction that can be detrimental.
It is OK to be angry, but it is how we respond to that anger and even the situation which made us angry. I got angry at my dog last night because he jumped over the back of the couch and landed on me - which hurt. I didn't lash out at him, I just sent him to his kennel to calm down. I'm definitely not perfect, anger has been an issue for me for years, and it has been a slow process to correct that.
Having wealth is not evil, but how we use it can be. Do we hoard our wealth and flaunt it in front of others? Or do we take that wealth and give it to charities, or try to use it for the betterment of humanity? Jesus told the rich man in St. Matthew 19 to sell what he had and give it to the poor - and the man was full of sorrow and walked away.
We need to be careful that we do not let worldly, fleshy pleasures become idols and separate us from God. Instead of always searching for more, we need to learn to be content with what we have, and praise God for it.
When we pray, "Thy will be done," are we just repeating words, or do we seriously mean that we want God's will to be done? Are we actively seeking God's will, or does God sit in the back of our minds only to emerge on Sundays while the rest of the week we pursue worldly things?
It is a long ans strenuous process to suppress our wills and align ourselves with God's will. For many people, it can take a lifetime. The struggle is real.
Teach me to do thy will.
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