397. Twenty-sixth Monday of Ordinary Time

Meditations no. 355 (unofficial computer-aided translation)

Simplicity is the salt of perfection.

Our asceticism is based on sincerity: in simplicitate cordis et sinceritate Dei, with simplicity of heart and sincerity before God. The spiritual and theological reality of our secular vocation encourages us to be natural, to show ourselves as we really are, to have unity of life, to act with transparent simplicity.

Right from the outset of our vocation, we’ve seen simplicity shine like a diamond among the array of virtues required by the spirit of the Work. How pleasant it is to meet uncomplicated, straightforward people, who truly practise what they preach! Our Lord praised Nathanael for exactly this quality: Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

In contrast, Jesus warned us against false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, who think in one way and act in another. He warned us against boasting, hypocrisy, lying. The natural repulsion produced by these vices clearly shows the value of simplicity. However, to become truly simple, it’s not enough to avoid hypocrisy and double-dealing. Simplicity is a positive habit that demands an upright intention, firm and consistent behaviour, and true prudence that is equally opposed to simple-mindedness and to affectation. Be wise as serpents, our Lord said, and innocent as doves. Both virtues are needed. By simplicity, we ensure that our love for God and service to souls is not spoilt by self-seeking. By prudence, we avoid being ruled by mere passing circumstances, and we sidestep dangers.

Think of the Lord with uprightness, and seek him with sincerity of heart, admonishes Sacred Scripture. Simplicity is an important pillar of the supernatural edifice of our holiness. You asked me, our Father wrote, to suggest a way for winning through in your daily struggles, and I replied: When you lay your soul open, say first of all what you wouldn’t like to be known. In this way the devil will always end up defeated.

Lay your soul wide open, clearly and simply, so that the rays of God’s Love may reach and illuminate the last corner of it.

Simplicity with our brothers or sisters.

An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But when Jesus perceived the thought of their hearts, he took a child and put him by his side, and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.”

Striving to behave like children before God summarizes our struggle to grow in interior life. And simplicity, naturalness, is a clear sign of spiritual childhood. It leads us to face God without pretence and to show ourselves to others just as we are.

Especially when we are with our brothers or sisters, we have to shun any defensiveness or affectation. Such a pose would mask pride, a desire to hide what humiliates or wounds our self-love. That pompous and self-satisfied manner doesn’t suit you at all: it is obviously put on. -Try, at least, not to use it either with God, nor with your director, nor with your brothers: and there will be, between them and you, one barrier less.

Simplicity should especially be seen in our family life. Spontaneous and open behaviour is a very effective way of making your mutual dealings cordial and friendly; it also makes it easier for you to help one another at all times, with fraternal correction as well when necessary. We want to be transparent, so that the others can know us as we are and help us to improve. And we help the others to be simple by respecting their freedom, trying never to hinder their natural, spontaneous behaviour.

Since it’s good for our family to be very varied as indeed it is, we need not only to respect but to cultivate each individual’s personality. You need to be vigilant to ensure that it never happens that a feeling is created - in a more or less generalized way - whereby someone would hesitate to express their viewpoint calmly and freely on questions open to opinion for fear that it could be interpreted as bad spirit.

May there always be variety, a spirit of freedom, amongst ourselves and in our houses, since it’s essential for mutual trust and sincere understanding, and for freely accepted discipline. Nothing is accomplished by being rigid. It stifles spontaneity and initiative, and can lead to a twisted mentality in people who, because they haven’t been educated in the truth, end up going against their conscience with sins which we could describe as “baroque”, that is, complicated and scarcely natural. Freedom, my children, freedom, which is the key to the lay mentality all of us have in Opus Dei.

Simplicity with the Directors and in the chat.

Let what you say be simply “Yes” or “No”; anything more than this comes from evil. Since insincerity stems from the father of lies, it leads to baneful consequences if not decisively combated. Our Father wrote: “Abyssus abyssum invocat…” one depth makes answer to another, as I have already reminded you. It is the exact description of how liars, hypocrites, renegades and traitors behave. As they are disgusted with their own behaviour, they hide their misdeeds from others and go from bad to worse, creating an abyss between themselves and their neighbour.

Our attitude towards our Directors should be one of complete sincerity, which above all means being clear and transparent, wanting them to know us through and through. Any unnecessary complication, our Father wrote, repels me. I like order and light, clean water and fresh air. The spirit of the Work leads us, by the hand we might say, to be interiorly simple. That’s why our examinations of conscience are not complex or long. At a given moment someone may need to spend more time on it, but usually that’s not the case. Often it’s enough to make an act of love, of Love-sorrow.

The spiritual formation we receive in the Work tends to simplify our interior life, lest we become interiorly complicated. Our asceticism has the simplicity of the Gospel. We would distort it if we were complicated, if we allowed our heart to remain hidden, if we were not absolutely sincere. We need to be sincere first with ourselves, and then we can be so in the chat and clearly manifest our heart, our joys and worries, the wellspring of our actions.

Being truthful is indispensable for attaining simplicity. Our sincerity must be absolute: be “savagely sincere” in spiritual direction (always keeping your good manners) and be sincere immediately.

When we thus overcome the temptation to hide our heart, our Father’s words are fulfilled in our lives: Today, for the first time, you had the feeling that things were getting simpler, that everything was “sorting itself out”. At last you see an end to the problems that were worrying you. And you understand that they are more thoroughly and better resolved the more you abandon yourself into the arms of your Father God. What are you waiting for to start behaving always as a son of God? This should be the driving force in your life.

Then we will be simple in talking to our Father God. Our filial love will allow no room for interior monologues, a common cause of complications, since we will live in continual dialogue with God. And we will have recourse to our Blessed Lady with the piety of small children.