The Dignity of the Spirit

A person who has worked for many years to be liberate from their self-interests and “property,” and have advanced in the “poverty and humility of our Lord Jesus Christ”, possesses dignity of the spirit.

The first thing these persons acquire is objectivity. Flowers do not overexcite them; stones do not bother them much. If they rise to the throne, they do not die of joy; if they fall from the throne, they do not die of pain. Their mood remains stable before applause and before criticism, and the more liberated from themselves they are, the more unbreakable they feel. And if liberation from themselves is total, we find ourselves faced with people who feel the imperturbable serenity of one who is above the ups and downs of life.

We find ourselves before admirable and enviable figures, figures sculpted by the spirit of the Beatitudes, full of softness, strength, patience, sweetness, and balance.

Nothing nor anyone can disturb the serene peace of their souls because they have nothing to lose, because they have not “appropriated” anything. What can disturb the person who has nothing and wants nothing? There will be nothing in this world that can exasperate or depress that person.

Liberation from themselves has given us a mature, balanced, extraordinarily stable person, a human example of high caliber.

From the book “Sensing Your Hidden Presence” by Father Ignacio Larrañaga.