Saturday, January 7, 2012

Simplify the Heart

Painting by Philip J. Boren
I loved this when I discovered it in my "Inbox":

"...if you have begun to strip and purify yourself of images and imaginations and to simplify and still your heart and mind in the Lord God so that you can draw and taste the well of divine grace in everything within yourself, and so that you are united to God in your mind by a good will, then this itself is enough for you in place of all study and reading of holy scripture, and as demonstration of love of God and neighbour, as devotion itself testifies.                                  
"So simplify your heart with all care, diligence and effort so that still and at peace from the products of the imagination you can turn round and remain always in the Lord within yourself, as if your mind were already in the now of eternity, that is of the godhead. In this way you will be able to renounce yourself through love of Jesus Christ, with a pure heart, clean conscience and unfeigned faith, and commit yourself completely and fully to God in all difficulties and eventualities, and be willing to submit yourself patiently to his will and good pleasure at all times." - On Cleaving to God
by St. Albert the Great

3 comments:

A.Smith said...

Every time that something has the potential of making me sad without reason, or angry, or even mildly depresses me, I simply say to myself: I don't need this right now. And move on to do something positive. It has helped me to concentrate on what is important and what isn't at any given moment. It has made me aware of the ebb and flow of my feelings as affected by others' moods and so I say a little prayer, go to QuanYin and light a candle and make a clear path for both my head and my heart.

Busy Bee Suz said...

This is beautiful Karen! I've got to remember this in those moments where I am forgetting such things. :)
Love that cat painting...is that from someone in your family??

Gberger said...

The painting is by my dad, Suz - he is taking a watercolor class. I love the fact that he put Latte in it!