Amy | 
07 29th, 2010| 
Francios-Louis de Blois writes [everyone] can attain to the very highest wisdom of mystical theology and union. For this matter no unusual powers of mind are required, but purity and humility of heart, liberty and detachment of mind, with fervent love, are the only qualities necessary.
Purity of heart. It’s why men and women of every class left high society and made for the desert cell. Its why men and women of means and learning left the universities to enter monasteries. It’s why you and I continually seek to know God better–because only through a purified heart can we see God.
Theresa of Avila wrote a whole treatise on the journey to the inner sanctum of the heart. I contend that we don’t have to understand these “stages” necessarily, just be willing to continue that journey come what may. In my life time, I have met wonderful men and women who started out on the journey toward developing a greater consciousness of God, made impressive and sometimes heoric changes in their lives, and then, somehow, got stuck. Perhaps it was disappointment in those they set so much store in, perhaps it was a crisis of faith, or perhaps they hit a pot hole and decided to just stay down and indulge in self-pity. Whatever the reason, they gave up the journey and became content with the rest stop, became satisfied to remain “stuck” and look at the destination from a distance, no longer ardently seeking the forward momentum. Memories were enough, memories of better days and more satisfying lives, as they sat around the fire of discontent and passed around the drink of self-pity or defeat. And while they thought they were cherishing their memories of better days, they were losing it, losing it in the drink of self-pity, which always taints the truth of the story.
Purity of heart isn’t something we acheive. It is an ongoing act, one that comes with the journey. If we show good will, ardent desire and pure honesty, we can keep from staying down after stumbling. And each effort toward good or desire for God or act of rising makes the heart a bit cleaner and the vision closer to the Truth. And what is light, after all, but the product of a burning fire, a fire burning within, that purifies, enlightens, and guides?
Purity of heart. It is not automatic. But if you are sincere, you will surely possess it, as surely as the sun will shine or the moon will rise. As surely as God is good. As surely as Truth is Truth.
Our last community Lectio discussed the Gospel about Jesus casting out devils, and we got into a discussion on just what are the demons in our lives? We all know the big demons: addiction, abuse, sin. But what about the daily demons? And we came to the thought that one daily demon that infects our lives is dishonesty. That led to a whole new direction in our discussion.
Honesty isn’t much thought of in this day and age of political correctness and saving face. Yet, for a sincere follower of Jesus, honesty is paramount. You cannot have a true spiritual life without sincerity, which leads to honesty.
Think of Jesus. He didn’t come to bring the kind of kingdom his people expected, even his disciples. Are you going to return the kingdom of Israel now? they asked him after his resurrection, after they had seen him suffer rejection, disgrace, and die on the cross.
“My kingdom is not of this world.” he told them over and over again. He didn’t come as a band aid for all our ailments, but to show us good can come from even the worst kinds of evil. And that suffering evil, weakness, being vulnerable aren’t the worst aspects of our lives. Dishonesty and insincerity is.
Honesty starts with ourselves. It begins by stripping away what we want to be for what we are. St. Catherine, our patron, tells us true love can only come after we have received light in the cell of self-knowledge. This is the goal, and the demon to be cast out is all falseness, even to ourselves.