John of the Cross lays out a very simple path for healthy spiritual living.  He says that the human person is deep spirit paired with a sensory capacity, and that the mixing or confusion of these two distinct realities causes us to organize our lives around earthly things that do not satisfy.  The human mind becomes an idol-making machine, constantly generating phantasms that we spend our lives chasing!  John, thus, invites us to slow down, quiet ourselves and remain still.  He says that the Lord, like an ice sculptor, will use this stability to sort us out again.  Our light will be light and our darkness will be darkness.  We will breathe deeply and trust fully.  Each step along the way, indeed, will draw us further and further into a health that lasts. 

Ave Crux, Spes Unica.

We all want to be seen.  Our human hearts have always ached for such existential validation, yet it is only now, during this particular moment in history, that this desire has bubbled up into the collective consciousness and people have felt empowered to express their longing.  While millennia of repression may at times cause us to demand that others see us in quite superficial ways – as a job, as an ethnicity, as a religious tradition, as a personality, etc. – we can rest assured that our truest identity goes all the way down to the ground of being, the divine, whose ancient name, θεός, comes from a root word which literally means “to see” and “be seen.”  Let’s therefore commit to the slow process of learning how to see ourselves.  In so doing, we will gradually move beyond, and, in fact, forget our need to be seen.  We will simply rest in and be glad “to be.”  Ave Crux, Spes Unica.

Have you ever met a person who does not like ice cream?  What a refreshing treat on a hot summer day, sweet conclusion to a family dinner, welcomed guest at any birthday party, fun way to celebrate the end of a long week, and safe bet for a first date.  Whether in a bowl, bathed in hot fudge and sprinkles, or sitting atop a cone, ice cream is a trustworthy companion on our journey to humanness.  Let’s, therefore, invite Jesus to sit with us the next time we find ourselves relaxing with an ice cream sundae.  Between the spoonfuls and smiles, we can be attentive to his presence and imagine him cooling off, savoring the flavors, getting every last ounce, enjoying the cherry on top, and generally being human with us, one scoop at a time.  Ave Crux, Spes Unica.

What does it mean to take the longview?  Pop psychologists and armchair mystics will say that it means “to not sweat the small stuff” or “to live in the moment.”  While such advice can be appealing in a fast-paced modern society, it will cause us to simply bulldoze our way through life in a perpetual cycle of denial and indulgence.  To take the longview must mean something deeper, namely, to see all the way to the end of things, not despite, but precisely through the things themselves.  These flowers, sitting here on my kitchen table, signify the miracle of beauty.  This daily task of washing the dishes reminds me of my creatureliness and the gift of life.  Even the pressure and stress of my workplace point to the human vocation to conversion and transcendence.  Let’s turn to Jesus, who is, in fact, the end of all things (Jn 19:30, Rev 22:13).  Let’s learn to be attentive to Jesus in all that we say, think and do (Lk 8:21).  Let’s take the longview with Jesus and never look back (Lk 9:62).  Ave Crux, Spes Unica.