Breaking Free! A Budding Flower Pushing Through the Concrete
By: Eric Gajewski
From the work, "Fortress of the Soul"
“Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self.”
St. Francis of Assisi
There were many ways the Catholic
mystics used to describe “this loosening” from the self and ultimately death thereof. Nay, we are commanded by Christ
to deny the self and not embrace it as the New Age says to. Yea, In order for us to embrace our Cross this is
necessary and not optional. If we
habitually can deny the self through grace then we are more apt to take up
greater crosses for Jesus. The Saint does not
see suffering as an impediment but rather they understood the value of the
Cross but this cannot be achieved wilst still clinging to the self. You can always tell who is still full of self
(to some degree) by the way they talk about holy suffering.
Nevertheless, all souls must go through a period of purification and illumination
before one can achieve the spiritual marriage with our Beloved. It is a brutal battle (against the self)
which we must encounter daily. Let us
examine by using the analogy of a budding Flower trying to break through the
cracks in the hardened concrete.
Close your eyes to see this
picture. A seed planted deep within the
darkened earth. Deep below it is dark
and there is virtually no air nor light.
It is seemingly suffocating and very hard to move. This
seed is not dead but it is not mature. It needs air, light and water from
above in order to arise to its full potential.
It is destined to be a vibrant Flower yet it has so many obstacles in
front of it. Yea, we were all meant to
be Saints but how few will ever arise to the surface to greet the Son above. We continually do not do the things our Lord said to do in order for us to break trough the crack above. This dirt seems like an impediment but it is
necessary for any budding flower. It is your cell of silence and solitude.
Above is the hardened layer of
concrete. Due to human nature it is
stiff and rigid. Only the Heat and Light
from above can “crack” this dense layer.
It is then that God’s life giving Waters can flow downward to reach
us. Our Lord said the path is narrow
and for the sake of this example there are only a few cracks upon the surface
by which a Flower can come up through.
Those without the proper norm of Faith die out and cannot reach their
final destination. Then there are those
who seemingly choose to stay below because it requires much work in order to
loosen ones self from all the obstacles that surround it. Deep within is purification of the soul. It is here that there is a painful self-knowledge
process being undertaken and yet without which a soul cannot aspire to new
heights. Without grace or divine help it will not be able to grow and
bud high enough to reach any point in the dirt that may have a crack in it. For just below the surface of this hardened
layer of concrete are potential budding flowers.
These budding flowers are looking for cracks above it so that it can
gain further Light and Water. Thus, we must on
our end look for these cracks and thus, through grace, a soul moves onward from
purification into illumination wherein it receives (at times) the Light
itself. It is still painful here as it
is with the souls in Purgatory who are not yet free. It is somewhat sweet but the suffering is great for there is not yet
full freedom.
This process is both a work of your
own free will but moving through the Divine.
You cannot arise to the surface without the aide of the Divine. This, again, runs contrary to the evil New Age self-realization
thinking. Take notice that it is the Son’s
Heat and Light from above which “cracks” this layer of the self upon the
surface. Ask yourself today, “Have I
allowed God to crack me to the point in which I am willing to do whatever for
God?” Are you in control or have you
allowed God all control in your life? I notice
that on the other side of this dirt there only a few vibrant flowers living in
the direct presence of the Son. There
are not as many cracks as one would think because there are not a lot of souls
striving for holiness let alone perfection.
Many are called but few accept; many die out because they have not
learnt that there was anything else but these depths. For a Seed to fully mature requires all your
hearts strength and yet so many do not attempt.
Prayer is the oxygen of the soul. By keeping in prayer
we do not succumb to despair in this process or transformation. By staying close to Our Lady and the
Sacraments we continually get the Light and Water we need to continually arise
in accordance to Gods Will. For some
flowers shall move quickly through the dirt like St. Catherine, still
others it will be a life's work and sadly for most they will never break free
onto the surface this side of lifes breath.
You must protect your own Seed and refrain from mortal sin if you are to
have any hopes of arising on the other side of self. Those who continually strive to satisfy the
self or ego live directly beneath that hardened layer of concrete with no
cracks and thus no opportunity to further grow nor break free. Therefore, it is adversity in which the
flower needs. It is the dirt which
surrounds him which helps him to understand he was made for more and that it is
in the Presence of the Son above which makes him alone happy. Thus, the commandments we must keep. Therefore, ask yourself this question “What
is it in this life I truly seek?”
“O’ Learn Ye Wise, a Lesson from
this Analogy
For it is His Heart’s Story
Which is Our Roadmap unto true Liberty
Through this dirt and upward, unto Him,
alone, we hope to meet
And in the days dry heat, this
humidity
It is deep we begin to develop in
humility
Opposing the Enemy
It is thus every true believer’s
belief
That the self must be broken
To achieve Oneness with the Son, in
true Unity
Yea, we have only Faith in Thee, Thy
Divinity
To complete this process
From growing as a Seed
To being in thy Presence for all
Eternity
For, we too, like the Saints, seek
To possess alone Charity, which is
Thy Highest Seat
Yea, we would like to forever greet
But who can cast aside the self long
enough
Who is brave enough to answer their
own question?
“Who should takest control of my
heart therefore to lead!”
O’ souls, how lovely, indeed, it is,
here on top
Where you can hear the Wind Speak, O’
How sweet!
For, in the end, there are only just
a few
Who are even trying to get in His
Presence, trying to break free
As Seeds to budding flowers pushing
through this dirt
Deep beneath this hardened concrete
Reflection point for the day: “Time
does not heal….only God does…”
