Order

Order is another necessary means of ‘sustainable’ spiritual growth. Keep order, order will keep you. This is the old Latin proverb. But today we don’t like routine, stereotype. We do not see any perspective, dynamics in this, and we do not know how it could make us happy. We desire more spontaneity, where we see the freedom and realization of all our dreams. But maintaining order does not mean routine and stereotype, but means having boundaries that help us to develop equally so that we do not run into extremes in anything and, on the other hand, do not neglect something.

            The enemy of our salvation enjoys itself to the extreme. Either he convinces us not to do anything because we don’t have time, it’s not necessary, it doesn’t matter anymore, or then when it shines to us that she doesn’t know anywhere, she presents us with a huge mass of tasks that we’ve been neglecting so far and pushing us to do everything right and fast. The result is then fatigue disgust and a return to nothingness. Thus, order is an effective means of preventing this.

            There is, of course, the other extreme – the world requires flexibility from us, today it has been moving since working hours. Then we would also like to have some routine that will help us to have room for things other than just chasing, but it just isn’t possible.

            Of course, the situations are different. But it still holds true – it is necessary to have a vision and try to realize it as much as possible. What is the smallest possible step I can and am able to take in the near future to have more order in my life?

            Why is order needed? The same holds true in spiritual life as in teaching, sport, music. It is better little and regularly, as much, but occasionally. Spiritual life is not a performance to be mastered, but a sense of life that directs us to the essence of God every day. We also have other things like work, learning, health. But in these things, we also have enough external pressure to act – chasing the boss, pain appears, thrown out of the test, embarrassment. There is no such pressure for spiritual life. Therefore, there is no other way than to set a daily, weekly regime, set fixed points and try to respect them.

            Order is an excellent means to help overcome the noon demon. By this term, the elderly ascites call them a state of disgust, fatigue, laziness, which comes to the monk after morning enthusiasm when it begins to feel tired around noon. Such a demon attacks us around that half of life, somewhere around 40. He also comes after his initial enthusiasm for a new spiritual activity. At that time, we have no appetite or strength for anything new, and we often keep things just because we are used to it. There’s no need to worry about it if we do things out of habit. That’s why we try to get them to hold us in such situations and not let us fall deeper. God works in us even in these times.

            Of course, extremes must be avoided – order should not be another opportunity for the evil to torture us: You see how you are, you haven’t done it again, yet you are not even capable of it. But on the other hand it is not even a tear-off calendar – but if it succeeds, it succeeds, if not, then even tomorrow is the day. And then a week, a month passes, and I’m not going anywhere.

            There is one interesting dilemma. Someone will say – I will read from Scripture every day – but he will pass all day, he is flying, and tried in the evening he will sit down at the table and still have to catch up with all the things he has to do. So he will read those two chapters from Scripture. It takes him half an hour because he sleeps after every sentence, but he gave it. Does it make sense? Of course, he doesn’t. So, he will say nothing in such cases I will leave it that way and I will not read. He starts skipping occasionally, then skipping completely, because there is always a lot. So what’s better?

            The first thing is what the Psalmist says: “I do not make wrongly resolutions” (Ps 101: 3). I mean, the daily routine doesn’t serve to fill it with many activities and constantly add new ones because that’s the ideal of doing more. The daily routine is used to make everything I need on a given day. So he had time for prayer, work, rest, family, etc. Not to spend too much time costing other things. Such a daily routine then teaches me confidence. I have already fulfilled the time I had set for the task. I don’t care anymore, but I give it to God, He will take care. Can I say that I’ve done enough? You can always add, you can always improve, always costing sleep, prayer, health, family still have time to cut. Where does it then have a border? Just the order I set myself.

            Second: if I sometimes fail to do something, if there is an exception because I travel, we have a great celebration,