I have been offered a challenge.

 This notification appeared on Robert (the quite a few different things)'s blog. He'd written a post about the thoughts of a woman named Marie of Agreda that he'd found on a podcast by a guy named Fr. Looney. Gosh, that last name is certainly a hard one to pass without comment! On his blog, where he normally has links to my, and Peter's, blogs, he had a challenge instead.

I clicked on the "I'm prepared to be fair..." comment and was transported to my own blog. I'm assuming that the "No, it is rubbish" comment is a pathway to Peter's blog. That's a sad put down because Peter is a very intelligent chap.

Well, to be honest, all I know about Marie of Agreda is a quote from her work that Robert (the quite a few different things) posted. I'll put a bit of research at the end of this blog.

"Take heed lest thou be dissipated by every slight interior consolation but hesitate and restrain thyself until thou findest with tranquil solicitude the proper measure in all things."

Robert (the quite a few different things) tells us to expect lots of big words and then supplies a simple re-writing that we should be able to understand. 

"Meaning do not get too excited in (I think he meant 'if'.) the Lord gives you a little advice in a dream."

Okay, let's have a look at what Marie was trying to tell us. I don't really see the words as big, just poor choices if you want to be understood. I hope Fr. Looney didn't try to beef the statement up to make Marie sound smarter than she actually was because all it would have added was confusion. 

Let's look at the words that make reading this sentence, for understanding, difficult.

1. Take heed - listen and pay attention.
2. dissipated - dissolved or evaporated.
3. slight interior consolation - short inside comfort.
4. tranquil solicitude - restful mindfulness.
5. the proper measure in all things - what is really important.

Okay, let's see if I can now rewrite this sentence in easier to understand English.

"Listen and pay attention so you won't be sucked into every short, familiar comfort but hesitate and hold yourself back until you discover, in a calm way, what is really important."

I guess she (or Fr. Looney) could have simply said, "Don't get sucked into everything that comes along but think about what is important."

I like that last sentence a lot. It applies to many real life situations. For example:

• Don't judge people by their sexuality or sexual preferences. Remember that they might be dealing with quite a lot.
• If you are an old man, don't be foolish enough to condemn a woman who finds herself pregnant with a baby that she doesn't want. It's her body after all.
• Don't fall into the trap of following the herd. Our view of the world changes as we learn more. Remember when we thought the sun was a god?

* * *

'Mary' of Agreda was born in 1602 in Spain. Her parents had 11 children, but only 4 survived into adulthood. That could tell you something about their living conditions. Franciscan friars lived nearby and often visited the family. She entered a monastery when she was twelve years old. It sounds like she had a very sheltered life and there wasn't a lot of thinking outside the bubble happening. 

Maybe, just maybe, someone with such a 'controlled' upbring might not give you the best advice available? Maybe Father Looney's name isn't just a coincidence?

Would you buy a used 
car from this woman?

Ciao tutti.