Covet Nothing

     “In detachment, the spirit finds quiet and repose for coveting nothing. Nothing wearies it by elation, and nothing oppresses it by dejection, because it stands in the center of its own humility.” Saint John of the Cross



     Oh! How our soul longs for the quiet and repose of which Saint John speaks! Instead we experience the roller coaster ride, with its ups and downs that weary us. Our hearts are full of worries and concerns, and we hold on tightly to attachments which push both God and His peace out.


     Our attachments can be big or small – it doesn't matter. Any attachment steals away the freedom that God wants us to know and live. Saint John tells us, “It comes to the same thing whether a bird be held by a slender cord or a stout one; since, even if it be slender, the bird will be as well held as though it were stout, for so long as it breaks it not, it cannot fly away.”

     We can be attached in many ways: the desire for too much sleep, food, shopping, money, vacations, possessions, power, and prestige. We can have an inordinate attachment to our spouse, our children, our health, our bodies, our youthfulness, our self image, our time, and the expectation of how our lives should unfold.

     These are just some examples of the things that can rob our soul of the peace for which it longs. And they are all very good things, unless their focus in our lives becomes disordered, by demanding a place that only God should hold.

     We need to abandon ourselves completely to the loving Providence of our good God and begin to taste His peace. Let us join in prayer for this very special intention.


O my Dear Sweet God!

On this great feast of Saint John of the Cross,* who held nothing back from You – who knew that You ordained everything that happens in our life, and encouraged us to “put love where there is not love and we will draw out love,” I come before You, my Lord, to ask for the great gift of total abandonment.

I have so very many attachments and my will is still so strong. But I come regardless, as Your servant, who longs to do Your will, and be one with You in heart. I bring to you, like the sinful woman**, the alabaster box, which is my heart. In Your presence today, I break it open, so that You may receive the outpouring of my love. I beg for forgiveness of all of my sins – especially my lack of trust in Your Divine Providence. Help me to abandon myself completely in all areas of my life. Let me put love where there is none, because I have been forgiven much.

O Mother Mary, I ask that you, Mediatrix of all graces, intercede in obtaining this special grace of total abandonment, so I may resemble, even slightly, You my Mother, the Handmaiden of the Lord.
My God, I will keep a symbol of this alabaster box in a special place in my home. It will remind me of this extraordinary day of grace and be a sign, like the rainbow after the flood, to run to You when I am weak. Help me to remember “to be still and know that You are God.”

Saint John of the Cross, please pray for me.

 *December 14  
**Luke 7 vs. 36-50