We may grow old and wizened by age and by exposure to all sorts of elements in life. But we have to learn to be childlike always in our mind and heart even as we cannot avoid deteriorating physically.

This is a human need. Deep within us, we pine to retain that eternal youthfulness, that spiritual childhood. And if we know how, we can achieve just that, not much because of pills, gels, tonic drinks, or the hypnotizing mantras of the so-called wellness fad, etc.

Rather, the human spirit can defy aging, precisely because it is not subject to life's wear and tear or the ravages of time. This, as long as we don't allow the spirit to get entangled with our bodily and worldly conditions.

Our human spirit can always transcend these material and temporal conditions, even if it cannot escape them. And that capacity depends on whether we know how to develop, keep and grow in simplicity of heart.

This is the quality referred to by our Lord when he said: 'Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God. Amen I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, shall not enter into it.' (Mk 10, 14-15)

It's the quality that enables us to keep our innocence in spite of or because of the knowledge and experiences we acquire in life. It brings with it its friends and allies: honesty, transparency, rectitude, integrity, purity, meekness, humility, joy, peace, etc.

It's the salt of perfection since it orients us toward God always, and resembles us to him little by little. It's God who is the beginning and end of simplicity, not any other worldly thing. It's his grace that makes us simple.

The quote above tells us a lot about the nature and character of this particular virtue.

It tells us to be like little children who instinctively want to go and stay with our Lord.

It makes us uncomfortable to be away from him.

It moves us to conform our thoughts and will to God's. Every time we exert the effort to adapt our words and acts to God's commandments, the genuine sign of love, we grow in simplicity.

It helps us to stay focused, pure and consistent in all our parts and aspects. It defends us from the temptations offered by the effects of our sin: 'the concupiscence of the flesh, the concupiscence of the eyes, and pride of life.'

It's an essential ingredient for our spiritual vitality, since it teaches us how to bear suffering, how to be patient and optimistic, how to wage war earnestly against the enemies of our soul.

Thus, it develops and grows to the extent that we properly nurture our relationship with God. It certainly wilts and dies in the face of the current craze of self-absorption.

This is what we have to be most wary about. We are immersed in a world tsunami of self-seeking and ego-tripping, cleverly masked by humanly legitimate reasons. We have to get out of the state of denial many of us are in.

But its evil effects and consequences cannot be hidden. Sooner or later, they appear in spite of enormous efforts to cover them up. There's so much bickering, envy, bitterness, hypocrisy.

There's a lot of double think and double talk, mental dishonesty, malicious calculating maneuvers to foster self-interest rather than the common good. Some people have lapsed to skepticism and cynicism. A few even create their own world, quite deluded and detached from the reality.

Simplicity of heart enables one to see things objectively, and to see God's designs accurately. This is what keeps him from falling into sadness and despair. It helps connect one's senses to his faith.

Simplicity of heart also facilitates proper dealings with others, as it eliminates offensive airs and biases that form barriers among people. It smoothen interactions between persons.

We should do everything to promote this particular virtue. In homes and schools, and even in offices, everywhere, strategies to develop this virtue should be made and pursued.

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Fr. Roy Cimagala is the Chaplain of Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE) in Talamban, Cebu City. You can email him at:Email: roycimagala@boholchronicle.com