Purity

It takes such fortitude – the fortitude of the Holy Spirit – to be able to prevail in this wicked world.

Garden of Eden (Wenzel Peter)

We live in a wicked world.

I say that for effect but also because it is true. 

Adam and Eve were created by God and placed in the Garden of Gethsemane so that they would live there in communion with God and then one day ascend to Heaven to be with God forever without having to pass through any passage of death.  They had nothing to be afraid of because there was no sin and nothing to fear.  There was no work or pain or suffering or sacrifice.  You see, God’s original plan for us humans was that we would be charmed and chosen.

I remember reading picture books of the Bible as a little girl and seeing Adam and Eve reclining on beautiful golden meadows with lions and bears and tigers frolicking around them and enjoying their company.  There was no predator or prey in those images, and perhaps there was no predator or prey in the original experience that God has planned for us?

Perhaps what God really wanted for us was to make sure that we were able to live close to Him and feel His love.

One of my biggest temptations in life is to give my children stuff…  I genuinely feel so tempted to solve all their problems by buying them things.  Sometimes, I want to buy them phones and other times computers.  Sometimes, it is clothes and shoes and other times it is holidays.  Now, of course, it is a good thing for me to provide for my children.  But it is quite another thing to give my children so many things that they never learn to fend for themselves.  It is quite another thing to provide my children with such an easy life that I am unable to help them to help themselves.  And this is something to consider now that the purity of the world has been destroyed.

You see, before the fall of humankind, we could have lived in a world where I could have provided my children with everything and that would have been okay. But our sin made us weak.  And just as a weak muscle needs to be rebuilt through exercise, so too must a weak nature be strengthened by resistance. 

When astronauts are in space they are required to continually work on their muscle health as the lack of resistance caused by the lack of gravity means that their muscles will atrophy.

It is the same with out spiritual souls in their world.  The lack of purity in the world acts like the lack of gravity in space.  And this means that we need to focus twice as hard at strengthening ourselves spiritually so that we can end our Earthly lives with a soul that is not atrophied.

And I have been thinking about that today, as I consider purity – because it takes such fortitude – the fortitude of the Holy Spirit – to be able to prevail in this wicked world.

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.