I have often written about simplicity, sometimes at considerable length. In this article, I will try not to repeat what I have said on other occasions, though I recognize that some repetition is inevitable. Rather, I will describe simplicity as a guiding star, a master key for the entire spiritual journey. Everyone needs a guiding star, but the stars in the sky are countless. Saints have chosen different ones. Francis of Assisi fixed on the Divine Presence as he saw it in the gifts of creation, praising God in “Brother Sun” and “Sister Moon.” Jerome focused on the scriptures: “Love the holy scriptures, and wisdom will love you.” John Gabriel Perboyre’s star, I sense, was providence. “I love the mystery of providence,” he wrote. For Catherine Labouré, Mary conceived without sin was the star leading her to Christ. For Vincent de Paul, truth, or what he called simplicity, became more and more, as the years of his life passed by, the star that guided him to know what to say and do.
