In reading some of the context surrounding St. Lupicinus of Jura's life, who was commemorated yesterday, I read an excellent passage written by Father Seraphim Rose in the introduction to Vita Patrum. In these days when we are, more or less, forced to sit still and stay in one place, this is a word from Fr. Seraphim that we can find of encouragement.
"With modern means of communication, the very ideal of
losing oneself from the eyes of the world has been all but forgotten, and to live in one place for one's whole life is almost unheard of. ... If we are helpless to imitate such stability today, let us at least understand its importance: Christianity in practice, and monasticism above all, is a matter of
staying in one place and struggling with all one's heart for the Kingdom of Heaven. One may be called to do the work of God elsewhere, or may be moved about by unavoidable circumstances; but without the basic and profound desire to endure everything for God in one place without running away, one will scarcely be able to put down the roots required in order to bring forth spiritual fruits. Unfortunately, with the ease of modern communications one may even sit in one spot and
still concern oneself with everything but the one thing needful..." [italics in the original]
This CoronaVirus self-quarantine is a great opportunity for us. We have this opportunity to take up the challenge of sitting still in one place. And yes, access to the Internet is going to be a struggle to know how to balance during this time, but regardless, this time of being fixed into one location is very good for us spiritually.
Comments
Post a Comment