Overton Trail, Cave Creek, Arizona
You show me the path of life.
Ps 16:11a
Ps 16:11a
A Simple Message
The basic message of the Bible is simple—God created us out of love to be in communion with Him, so that He can fill us with the joyful fire of His merciful love, allowing us to love Him, our neighbors and ourselves with His self-sacrificing love. In order for us to be able to truly and sincerely love God, He gave us free will, because a forced love is no love at all, so He waits for us to open our hearts to Him through His Son Jesus Christ.
Achieving the Peace of God
Mother Teresa (St. Teresa of Calcutta) has described a Simple Path we can follow to establish a loving relationship with God, leading us to experience "the peace of God that surpasses all understanding."
The basic message of the Bible is simple—God created us out of love to be in communion with Him, so that He can fill us with the joyful fire of His merciful love, allowing us to love Him, our neighbors and ourselves with His self-sacrificing love. In order for us to be able to truly and sincerely love God, He gave us free will, because a forced love is no love at all, so He waits for us to open our hearts to Him through His Son Jesus Christ.
Achieving the Peace of God
Mother Teresa (St. Teresa of Calcutta) has described a Simple Path we can follow to establish a loving relationship with God, leading us to experience "the peace of God that surpasses all understanding."
Silence leads to Prayer
Prayer leads to Faith
Faith leads to Love
Love leads to Service
Service leads to Peace
Prayer leads to Faith
Faith leads to Love
Love leads to Service
Service leads to Peace
To make it easier to remember, I write it like this:
Silence > Prayer > Faith > Love > Service > Peace
This is not a stepping stone kind of path where you leave one stone behind as you progress to the next one. It is more like a video game where you get strength from each level, and carry that strength with you into the next level; while at the same time the next level helps you to recognize why you needed that strength. For example:
Silence
External and internal silence allows us to hear the "still, small voice" of God as we listen in prayerful meditation that leads us into a contemplative relationship with Him.
Prayer
As we begin to establish a relationship with God through prayer, it deepens our desire for, and appreciation of, silence.
Faith
As our relationship with God begins to develop in us a strong and abiding faith in Him, it increases our desire for prayerful silence.
Love
As our deepening faith through increasing times of silent prayer leads us to trust God to the point that we are ready to give ourselves totally to Him, He begins the process of emptying and cleansing us of our old selves, so He can fill us with the joyful fire of His merciful love. As this fire begins to burn ever brighter in our hearts, it leads to a love for others—for God, our family members, our neighbors, our friends, and even our enemies—that we never could have imagined before. Our burning love for God leads us to even deeper faith, and deeper, but often much simpler prayer in silent awe of the work God is accomplishing in us and through us.
Service
As God fills us with His self-sacrificial love, this love leads to an overwhelming desire to serve Him through loving service to those He brings us in contact with; and our deep faith in God causes us to turn to Him in prayer for guidance and strength in all that we do, and in praise for all that we accomplish through His wisdom and power.
Peace
As we offer ourselves to God through service to others and see more and more evidence of His loving work in our lives and the lives of those He touches through us, we begin to experience the deep abiding peace of God that we never could have received without our journey along the Simple Path.
It's a Lifelong Journey, not a Sprint!
Let God lead you on this journey at the pace He desires for you. Sometimes you may progress fairly quickly, but often God may lead you to linger on one topic for days, weeks, or even months or years. That is fine—because God is building a strong foundation for what is to come.
On the other hand, God may have been preparing you for this moment for years, and you will be amazed at how far along the path you already are and how quickly you are able to advance even further.
I have experienced both of these during the forty years since I became a disciple of Jesus Christ. There have been years when God left me on the back burner to simmer for a long while, and then there were moments when I sensed God telling me I had better fasten my seat belt, because it was going to be a wild ride—and it was!
It Gets Even Better
Before we start our journey along the path to peace, let’s spend a few minutes with St. Thérèse of Lisieux to learn how God will help us and even carry us along every stage of this path, if we invite Him to do so.
Consider/Discuss:
- Based on your own experience, what seems to be unique about the Simple Path?
- How far along the path do you feel you have travelled up to this point?
Scripture Memory Verse
Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Ps 25:4
Let's Pray - The Prayer to Totally Rely on God
This prayer inspired by the Breastplate of St. Patrick of Tara is also part of the Greeting God in the Morning prayers, so pray it along with the two prayers you have already learned. All these prayers are also available here so you can quickly find them.
This day I call on You my Lord:
Your will to be my guide
Your eye to be my sight
Your Word to be my speech
Your hand to be my support
Your love to be my strength
Your path to be my way
Silence
External and internal silence allows us to hear the "still, small voice" of God as we listen in prayerful meditation that leads us into a contemplative relationship with Him.
Prayer
As we begin to establish a relationship with God through prayer, it deepens our desire for, and appreciation of, silence.
Faith
As our relationship with God begins to develop in us a strong and abiding faith in Him, it increases our desire for prayerful silence.
Love
As our deepening faith through increasing times of silent prayer leads us to trust God to the point that we are ready to give ourselves totally to Him, He begins the process of emptying and cleansing us of our old selves, so He can fill us with the joyful fire of His merciful love. As this fire begins to burn ever brighter in our hearts, it leads to a love for others—for God, our family members, our neighbors, our friends, and even our enemies—that we never could have imagined before. Our burning love for God leads us to even deeper faith, and deeper, but often much simpler prayer in silent awe of the work God is accomplishing in us and through us.
Service
As God fills us with His self-sacrificial love, this love leads to an overwhelming desire to serve Him through loving service to those He brings us in contact with; and our deep faith in God causes us to turn to Him in prayer for guidance and strength in all that we do, and in praise for all that we accomplish through His wisdom and power.
Peace
As we offer ourselves to God through service to others and see more and more evidence of His loving work in our lives and the lives of those He touches through us, we begin to experience the deep abiding peace of God that we never could have received without our journey along the Simple Path.
It's a Lifelong Journey, not a Sprint!
Let God lead you on this journey at the pace He desires for you. Sometimes you may progress fairly quickly, but often God may lead you to linger on one topic for days, weeks, or even months or years. That is fine—because God is building a strong foundation for what is to come.
On the other hand, God may have been preparing you for this moment for years, and you will be amazed at how far along the path you already are and how quickly you are able to advance even further.
I have experienced both of these during the forty years since I became a disciple of Jesus Christ. There have been years when God left me on the back burner to simmer for a long while, and then there were moments when I sensed God telling me I had better fasten my seat belt, because it was going to be a wild ride—and it was!
It Gets Even Better
Before we start our journey along the path to peace, let’s spend a few minutes with St. Thérèse of Lisieux to learn how God will help us and even carry us along every stage of this path, if we invite Him to do so.
Consider/Discuss:
- Based on your own experience, what seems to be unique about the Simple Path?
- How far along the path do you feel you have travelled up to this point?
Scripture Memory Verse
Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Ps 25:4
Let's Pray - The Prayer to Totally Rely on God
This prayer inspired by the Breastplate of St. Patrick of Tara is also part of the Greeting God in the Morning prayers, so pray it along with the two prayers you have already learned. All these prayers are also available here so you can quickly find them.
This day I call on You my Lord:
Your will to be my guide
Your eye to be my sight
Your Word to be my speech
Your hand to be my support
Your love to be my strength
Your path to be my way