Anxiously Shadowboxing the World? Simple is Best

Incredible stories of holy persons’ — often later Saints— encounters with Jesus Christ, Our Blessed Mother, and other figures of Heaven naturally attract our attention.  I am no exception and gravitate towards the splendor of the Divine, particularly during times of stress and the overwhelming sense of helplessness in an increasingly chaotic, evil world.  Stories of God’s all knowing, ever in control, and immense presence, quells the rising inner anxiety, sense of enormous ignorance, and awareness of my mortality.

 
These lofty narratives especially bolster my mood, as I fruitlessly and frantically attempt to make sense and direction about the impact godliness, particularly politics,  through the lens of Faith and its endangerment to souls, including my own.  How easy are our rash reactions and near desperation to “correct” our temporal existence.

 
In Every Day with Saint Francis De Sales, this phenomenal Doctor of the Church is quoted for each day of the year.  Though often deemed a peaceful persuader, he himself had to overcome anxiety and an inclination to anger.  So his words of advice amplify how we can achieve the same.

 
Taking a closer look at March 9th’s entry:  “Do not pay any attention to the kind of work you do, but rather to the honor that it brings to God, even though is may seem quite trivial.”  Repeatedly, I have had to remind myself, “Simple is best.”  My knottiest trials arise when I attempt to be a voice for many—-trying to persuade multitudes to turn to Jesus Christ— rather than being an unnoticed but literal laborer in my own home.  When I promptly do a favor for my husband, or take the time to notice a neighbor—even one I am not especially drawn to—accept a task that I have avoided, like paying a bill, or thinking before erupting, peace enters my soul.

 
The simpler the work,  the greater the calm I sense.

 
“Desire only to do the Divine Will, following Divine Providence, which is the disposition of Divine Wisdom.”  At any moment, we are given never again to be known opportunities to respond to Divine Will.  When I am focused on those immediately around me, as charitably has I can muster, I am at peace.  It truly is a moment to moment experience, requiring exceptional patience from me who often revs the imagination and taps the intellect to pump out “greater feats.”

 
Simple speech and behavior magnifies the peace.

 
“In a word, if your works are appealing to God and recognized as such, that is all the matters.  Work every day at increasing your purity of heart, which consists in appraising things and wishing them in the balance of God’s will.”  (All quotes from St. Francis de Sales Letters 280, O. XIII, p 53 from “Every Day with St. Francis de Sales.”)

 
Prayer is my ultimate safeguarding leader to that purity of heart.  When I am devoutly praying the Our Father, Hail Mary, the Rosary, reading Scripture or attentive in Mass, I know I am doing the will of God.  Certainly, there is time for “action,” but those acts are much better recognized as the will of God and more perfectly performed than in the absence of that heavenly communication.

 
The simpler the prayer—that which has been quoted by Jesus Christ or edified by the Holy Mother Church— the more confident I am in its efficacy, and the flooding of peace I experience.

 
In short, my only “audience” is God; my only benefactors are those most hidden from the world but most in need of salvation, quietly but persistently and patiently.

 
I note, too,  that Jesus reached persons, not crowds; individuals, not mobs, nearly fifty in all recorded in the New Testament.   His encounters with Zacchaeus, the tax collector; Mary Magdalene, a great sinner possessed of demons; the Blind Man, who sought to see Truth; The Leper, desiring whole healing; the Samaritan Woman at the Well, whose quest for authentic love led to Jesus, are among the most known.   In other ways, too, the Savior who could have instantly written a Bible and build a mega Church from nothing, depended on the weakest to accomplish lasting accomplishments.  Jesus’ outreach included perceived traitors like St. Paul, but often by first conquering pride and visions of grand designs.  (Recall Peter’s boastful exclamation to build three booths at the time of Jesus’ Transfiguration.)  

 
We, too, must encounter the individuals in our lives who most need Jesus Christ in the most basic and often hidden ways, from a cheerful hello to a grouchy neighbor to a  patient response to being asked to “hold” on the phone.  Such opportunities arise many times in a day.  They seem to be trivial gestures, but the ripple effect can become a spiritual tsunami.  

 
Keeping it simple is not only best but ensures growth in sanctity.  (Here, though, I except those called to broader challenges, but these must be true vocations that minimize attributes to those so gifted because the Giver is always to be at the forefront of any ministry.)

 
As written in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, a gong may noisily attract the most attention, but it is empty sound.  Better, prayer in silence and loving deeds in the shadow of God’s Presence.  Thank you St. Francis de Sales!