The Ties That Bind

True interior life and a loving relationship with God are excluded by anyone who does not break off the ties that bind him to things, to people and to his own self in a disordered way — no matter how casual and tenuous such bonds may seem. It makes little difference, says St. John of the Cross, whether a bird is tied by a thin thread or by a cord. For even if tied by a thread, the bird will be prevented from taking off just as surely as if it were tied by a cord — that is, it will be impeded from flight as long as it does not break the thread. Admittedly, the thread is easier to snap, but no matter how easily this may be done, the bird will not fly away before first doing so.

Detachment increases our capacity for loving God, people and all the noble things of this life.

Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God: Lent and Eastertide