“‘Did our hearts not burn within us as he talked to us on the road?’” (Luke 24:28).
There is a terrible danger to souls in this world. After all, it was in this world that the first human soul was tempted and fell to the danger of the sin of Pride, which turned into the sin of disobedience, which became the sin of dishonesty, which became the sin of envy and later the sin of murder. And all of this happened because Eve was tempted by the serpent and gave in and then tempted Adam and, together, they lied to God in the Garden when He was seeking them out. And then, Cain was jealous of Abel and then he killed Abel. And sin grew and manifested with increasing complexity and disorder and disharmony as the years went on.
And so it is that there are many dangers on the way.
And I have been reflecting on that very first sin and the danger that it represented. Perhaps Eve was living her life in that perfect garden, and then she was used to the every day of her life. Perhaps the routines of her life were such that she was unable to be fascinated or inspired or overwhelmed by the perfection – the miracles – around her? Perhaps it was that dissatisfaction in the depths of her heart that caused Eve to look beyond the gifts she had been given and take note of the serpent?
And I have been thinking about that quite a lot over the last few days…
You see, there is terrible danger in the routine. How many times do you hear a story of a couple who separate simply because they have grown apart in the general routines of their lives? They forget – in that routine – to consider the beauty of their relationships and the wonders that brought them together, and instead the routine disenchants them.
Saint Josemaria wrote in “the Way’ at page 917, “‘Did our hearts not burn within us as he talked to us on the road?’ (Luke 24:28). If you are an apostle, these words of the disciples of Emmaus should rise spontaneously to the lips of your professional companions when they meet you along the ways of their lives.”
And it occurs to me that I am far worse than Eve. My entire life is a miracle. It is littered with joys and miracles and wonders, and yet, I spend my entire life in the routine of the everyday and I fail to see that. Instead, I spend my days and nights reflecting on the shopping list of tasks that God has allowed me to action without thinking about the God who assigns them by His mere allowance of them to continue. I do not stop to consider the wonder of the Sun that rises each day for millions of years in the sky and warms this planet so that I may live here. I do not consider the miracle of new life and the wonder of a peaceful death. I do not consider the times where my life was saved when I did not even realise that I was in danger. Because instead, I am focused on the routines of my life.
And it seems to me today, that such a focus is a danger to me. A terrible, terrible danger.
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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