Purity of Heart
My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work.
—John 4:34
I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.
—John 5:30
My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will.
—Matthew 26:39
Richard Rohr finds a model of simplicity in Jesus’ single-mindedness and purity of heart.
When we read the above statements, it’s quite clear that Jesus was entirely single-hearted. His life was all about doing the will of the One who sent him, the One he loved above all. To Jesus, it was that simple. As we grow spiritually, our lives become more and more centered and simple. There are only a few things that matter, and eventually really only one. [1]
As Søren Kierkegaard so beautifully put it, “purity of heart is to will one thing.” [2] No wonder Jesus said that the pure of heart would see God (Matthew 5:8). They alone keep their eyes in one constant and consistent direction, and thus overcome the divisions created by the divided hearts and loyalties which plague the rest of us. [3]
Like Jesus, my spiritual father Francis of Assisi (1182–1226) was connected to the Source. He truly experienced radical participation in God’s very life. Such practical knowing of his value and true identity allowed Francis to let go of status, privilege, and wealth. Francis knew he was part of God’s plan, connected to creation and other beings, inherently in communion and in love. Francis taught his followers to own nothing so they would not be owned by their possessions. Francis said:
My brothers! My brothers! God has called me by the way of [humility] and showed me the way of simplicity…. And the Lord told me what He wanted: He wanted me to be a new fool in the world. God did not wish to lead us by any way other than this knowledge. [4]
If we don’t live from within our own center of connection and communion with God, we’ll go spinning around other things. The goal of all religion is to lead us back to the place where everything is one, to the experience of radical unity with all of humanity and all of creation, and hence to the experience of unity with God, the Great Includer of all. [5]
When we live in pure consciousness, letting the naked being of all reality touch our own naked being, we experience foundational participation. Out of that plentitude—a sense of satisfaction and inner enoughness—we find it much easier to live simply. We realize we don’t “need” as much. We’ve found our satisfaction at an inner place, at a deeper level inside. We’re able to draw from this abundance and share it freely with others. [6]
A System of Too Much
I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion.
—Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
Father Richard names the tension created by gospel teachings on simplicity and cultural expectations of abundance:
Most of us have grown up with a capitalist worldview which makes a virtue and goal out of accumulation, consumption, and collecting. It has taught us to assume, quite falsely, that more is better. It’s hard for us to recognize this unsustainable and unhappy trap because it’s the only game in town. When parents perform multiple duties all day and into the night, that’s the story line their children surely absorb. “I produce therefore I am” and “I consume therefore I am” might be today’s answers to Descartes’ “I think therefore I am.” These identities are all terribly mistaken, but we can’t discover the truth until we remove the clutter.
The course we are on assures us of a predictable future of strained individualism, environmental destruction, severe competition as resources dwindle for a growing population, and perpetual war. Our culture ingrains in us the belief that there isn’t enough to go around, which determines most of our politics and spending. In the United States there is never enough money for adequate health care, education, the arts, or even basic infrastructure. At the same time, the largest budget is always for war, bombs, and military gadgets. I hope we can all recognize how the tragic consequences of these decisions are being played out right now.
E. F. Schumacher said years ago, “Small is beautiful,” [1] and many other wise people have come to know that less stuff invariably leaves room for more soul. In fact, possessions and soul seem to operate in inverse proportion to one another. Only through simplicity can we find deep contentment instead of perpetually striving and living unsatisfied. Simple living is the foundational social justice teaching of Jesus, Francis and Clare of Assisi, Dorothy Day, Pope Francis, and hermits, mystics, prophets, and seers since time immemorial.
Franciscan spirituality asks us to let go, to recognize that there is enough to go around to meet everyone’s need but not everyone’s greed. A worldview of enoughness will predictably emerge in us as we realize our naked being in God instead of thinking that more of anything or more frenetic doing can fill up our infinite longing and restlessness. Francis did not just tolerate or endure simplicity; he loved it and called it poverty. Francis dove into simplicity and found his freedom there. This is hard for most of us to even comprehend.
Francis knew that climbing ladders to nowhere would never make us happy nor create peace and justice on this earth. Too many have to stay at the bottom of the ladder so some can be at the top. Living simply helps level the playing field and offers abundance and enoughness to all, regardless of our status or state of belonging to religion or group.
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Take a moment for a heart “Check In” regarding this painting. The man is our friend, delivering supplies and love in Ukraine in the first weeks of the war. The boy just lost his parents to the bombing. What’s your heart say on this? Check In #2. What do you hear Jesus saying? weeping? loving? There is a “rest of the story”. Looking forward to the sharing on this………DJR
Click Image for John White's Original Vision For CO2's
