Be not earthly minded II

"Esteem the whole world as nothing; prefer attendance on God before all external occupations. For thou canst not both attend to Me and at the same time delight thyself in transitory things. Thou must be sequestered from thy acquaintance and from thy dearest friends, and keep thy mind disengaged from all temporal consolation.

So the blessed Apostle Peter beseeches the faithful of Christ to keep themselves as strangers and pilgrims in this world.

Oh, what great confidence shall he have at death, who is not detained by an affection to anything in the world! But an infirm soul is not yet capable of having a heart thus perfectly disengaged from all things, neither doth the animal man understand the liberty of the interior man. But if he will be truly spiritual, he must renounce as well those that are near as those that are afar off, and beware of none more than of himself.

If thoug perferctly overcomest thyself, thou shalt more easily subdue all things else. The perfect victory is to triumph over oneself.

For whoever keepeth himself in subjection, so that sensuality obeyeth reason, and reason in all things is obedient to Me, he is indeed a conqueror of himself, and lord of the world."

One cannot state emphatically enough how counter-culteral these wise and holy words are. We are not to seek happiness for self, for left to our own devices we lead ourselves to misery. If we instead seek to please God and Him alone, then we find true peace and happiness - that deep beneath the ocean peace that if found only when you are conformed to His holy will.