Simplicity

“In everything, love simplicity.” St. Francis de Sales

I tend to complicate my daily grind. I think I have so much to do and so many responsibilities. I was at a lecture given by an Italian monk and the topic was the relationship Martha and Mary had with Christ. Martha complained, Mary listened. Martha had so much to do, and Mary listened to Jesus. Martha wanted to enlist Mary’s help, but Mary was listening to Christ. We like to think we have so much to do. I remember when, not so long ago, I attended a family funeral. I was not so close to this person, but I needed to take my parents. There was his wife sitting alone and she was in mourning or maybe even shock. People walked in and they only talked about their jobs. Nothing else seemed to matter except what their needs were. How often do we do this? We look for our complicated life and we seem to be running around looking for more things to fill up our day. 

“Love and practice simplicity and humility and don’t worry about the opinion of the world, because if this world had nothing to say against us, we would not be real servants of God.” St. Padre Pio

I have worked with some difficult people. The haughtiness and arrogance were unconscionable. There was no speaking to these people. Sometimes, I needed to let them be right about things because arguing was useless. When I give lessons, either online or in person, I try to bring the lesson to who is in front of me. I do not want to live in the clouds, living in the world of ideas instead of the real world that I tend to avoid as dear friend reminded me. I need to begin from my experience because that is what I know. 

Pure, holy simplicity confounds all the wisdom of this world. St. Francis of Assisi.

I was reading about two holy people recognized by the Church. A curious feast day is May 2, Blessed Alessandra Sabattini. She was a laywoman who studied medicine in Italy. She helped others in her work at a rehabilitation clinic and those who were poorer than herself. She died from a motor vehicle accident in Bologna in 1984. Another interesting person whose feast is the same day is Blessed Helena Goldberg. She worked in an orphanage and when the Soviet army made its way through Poland, she took those in her care and made her escape. The Red Army caught up to her and she tried to hold them off but she was killed and martyred. Such great examples of simplicity. We think, or at least I do, that we need to be so great and important. Not so. St. John Vianney said,

“Remain humble, remain simple, the more you are so; the more good you will do.”

I can only conclude with a few thoughts. I really enjoy going to daily mass. That is not to say that one is better than Sunday, but I do enjoy the simplicity of daily mass. It is less attended of course, than Sunday, but there is a beauty in the simplicity of it. I recall each time I visit a monastery or convent and how their lives are filled with simplicity. My life is filled with distractions. Paying bills, working, and running sometimes unnecessary errands are part of my day but I cannot forget prayer. Recently, my work schedule changed and I needed to find a new morning mass time and place. In my city, there is always a mass. Making time for God must be first in our lives, The rest will come from that. 

“The nearer one gets to God the simpler one becomes.” Ste. Therese of Lisieux