POEM: Alone?
By: Eric Gajewski
"And having dismissed the multitude, he went into a mountain alone to pray. And when it was evening, he was there alone."
[Matthew 14:23]
Please enjoy and share my latest poem from the work, Fortress of the Soul...
St Alphonsus de Ligouri:
SOLITUDE OF THE SPIRIT
Hitherto we have spoken of the solitude and retirement of the body; there is also a solitude of the soul, and the latter is more necessary than the former, for St. Gregory says: "Of what use is the solitude of the body without the solitude of the spirit?" Of what benefit is it, the Saint wishes to say, to live in a desert if the soul clings to the things of this earth? "A soul that is free from earthly attachments," says St. Peter Chrysologus, "finds solitude even on the streets and in public places." Of what advantage is it to remain quiet at home or in church if our heart is centered on the things of earth, and the noise of these earthly things prevents us from hearing the voice of God? One day the Lord said to St. Teresa: "Oh, how gladly would I speak to many souls! But the world makes so much noise in their hearts that they cannot hear My voice. Would that they might retire a little from the world!" In what does solitude of the heart consist? It consists in banishing from the heart all desires and inclinations that are not for God, and in performing our actions simply with God's good pleasure in view. The Psalmist expresses this truth in the following words: "What have I in Heaven, and besides Thee what do I desire upon earth? Thou art the God of my heart and the God that is my portion forever." (Ps. 72:25-26). In one word, the solitude of the heart consists in being able to say: "My God, Thee alone do I desire and nothing else."
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